OTC 15274

Bombax Pipeline Project: Anti-Corrosion and Concrete Weight Coating of Large

Diameter Subsea Pipelines
John. La Fontaine - Champlain Group, Inc.; Derek Smith - JP Kenny Inc; Gary Deason - Bredero Price; Gary Adams - BP
Copyright 2003, Offshore Technology Conference
This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2003 Offshore Technology Conference held in
Houston, Texas, U.S.A., 58 May 2003.
This paper was selected for presentation by an OTC Program Committee following review of
information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper, as
presented, have not been reviewed by the Offshore Technology Conference and are subject to
correction by the author(s). The material, as presented, does not necessarily reflect any
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presented.

Abstract
The BP Bombax Pipeline Project in Trinidad involved the
design and installation of a 48-inch diameter subsea gas trunk
line. This line is the largest subsea pipeline operated by BP in
the world. The immense scale of this pipeline and associated
appurtenances provided many design and construction
challenges, among these was the selection and application of
the anti-corrosion and concrete weight coating systems.
Compounding this challenge was the requirement that the
system have a design life of 50 years.
Coatings are the primary method of protecting the external
surface of metallic structures from the corrosive effects of
seawater and sediment. Typically the coating system is
supplemented by a cathodic protection system.
Concrete weight coating is commonly employed on large
diameter pipelines to increase on-bottom stability. A number
of concrete coating application methods were evaluated and
two such methods were employed. Wire reinforcement is
required within the concrete to minimize spalling. Due to the
unprecedented size of the main trunkline, common reenforcement practices were analyzed to ensure success.
Bonding between the concrete weight coating and the
corrosion coatings is of paramount concern on large subsea
pipelines to prevent slippage due to the high lay-tensions
imposed on the pipeline during installation. In order to select
the optimal system, several bonding methods were tested for
use on the project.
Introduction
In response to the increasing demand for energy in the
form of natural gas, BP Trinidad and Tobago has started
expanding its offshore fields and gas transportation system to
supply new LNG trains at Point Fortin on the West side of
Trinidad as well as the increased local domestic market.
There are two projects currently underway to expand
production and transportation of gas from 1.5 bscfd to 3.0

bscfd, the Kapok Project and the Bombax Project. The Kapok
Project comprises a new 2.6 BCFPD production platform,
Cassia B that is bridge connected to the existing Cassia A
platform and a new drilling platform Kapok. The Bombax
Pipeline Project includes 63 km of 48-inch offshore pipeline
from Cassia B to landfall at Rustville, on the East Coast of
Trinidad. From the landfall, the pipeline extends 1.8 km
onshore to the existing Beachfield slug catcher and production
facility for onward transportation of gas to the various
industries on the island including the LNG facilities on the
West Coast. The offshore end of the 48-inch pipeline is
connected to the existing 40-inch pipeline via a 20-inch subsea
jumper. This jumper facilitates looping of approximately
2/3s of the existing 40-inch pipeline thereby expanding the
transportation system capacity.
Additional gas production to meet the growing industrial
demand will be supported by a new wellhead platform located
at the Kapok field along with continued development of
existing fields. The Kapok platform is linked to the Cassia B
production hub by a 26-inch multi-phase pipeline installed as
part of the Bombax Pipeline Project. Due to the development
schedule, the Kapok platform will be ready for production
before the Cassia B hub topsides are available. To allow
Kapok to produce early gas, it is intended to carry out
separation on Kapok with the test separator and transport
liquids via a new 6-inch line to the existing 12-inch liquids
line. The 12-inch liquid line transports liquids to shore from
BPs existing platforms originating from the Mahogany
platform. Tie-in to the existing 12-inch liquid line is via a preexisting subsea hot-tap tee. The Kapok separated gas is then
transported via the 26-inch line to the subsea manifold and
into the 48-inch pipeline for transportation to the Beachfield
facility via an early gas jumper on the manifold. Figure 1
provides a layout of the new Bombax development and the
existing pipelines.
To satisfy the requirements for the Cassia B platform
safety, a check valve for the 48-inch export pipeline, and an
SSIV for the incoming 26-inch line from Kapok are required.
Additionally, the project required the installation of an
actuated valve in the 20-inch line looping the 40 and 48-inch
pipeline to enable isolation of the large gas inventories in
these lines if needed. In light of the complexity required to
meet the project requirements, it was decided to accommodate
the valving and piping within a single manifold structure.
Also in line with the projects objective to maximize the use of
local content, the manifold was constructed in Trinidad. Add

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to this individual 48-inch, 26-inch and 20-inch tie-in spools of

up to 300 feet long and 270 tons, collectively Bombax
presented an interesting and challenging project.

A summary of the comparison is shown in Table 1.

Coal
Tar
Epoxy
0.200
Not
Required

0.200
Not
Required

90-C

80-C

65-C

Excellent

Good

Good

Good
Good

Good
Excellent

Availability

Worldwide

Asia

HSE

Good

Fair

Good
Excellent
Asia &
Europe
Fair

Coating System
Thickness (minimum)
Rough Coat Thickness
(minimum)
Service Temperature
Maximum
Cathodic Disbondment
Resistance
Flexibility
Impact Resistance

Fusion
Bonded
Epoxy
0.012
0.003

Asphalt
Enamel

Table 1
Comparison of Anti-Corrosion Coatings
Figure 1
Bombax Field Layout
Anti-Corrosion Coating
Requirements. The project team selected the pipeline
anti-corrosion coating system based on several criteria. First
among all requirements was that any system utilized for this
project, coating or other, must meet the highest standards from
a health, safety, and environmental (HSE) standpoint. The
system must also be capable of providing high levels of
corrosion protection for the life of the field. This requirement
was of particular concern given the 50-year design life
required for the pipeline. The system must also be compatible
with the concrete weight coating.
Options. Pipelines in general rely on a system of coatings
as the primary defense against external corrosion. These
coating systems are coal tar enamel (CTE), asphalt enamel
(AE) and fusion bonded epoxy (FBE). The type of coating
available varies between the different geographical regions of
the world. For example, FBE is more commonly used in
North America and AE is used in the UK. CTE is still offered
in Asia. Each of these systems was considered for use as the
primary coating system for the Bombax pipelines. The
evaluation was based on HSE, performance, economics, and
availability criteria.
Comparison. Due to the surface profile and adhesion
characteristics with respect to concrete, both CTE and AE
require little, if any, modifications to achieve a high strength
bond with the concrete weight coating (CWC). Both CTE and
AE are more flexible than FBE and have a greater impact
resistance. AE and CTE also provide a secondary thermal
insulation capability resulting from the greatly increased
coating thickness of these systems compared to FBE. CTE
and AE cost approximately 10 to 20% less, respectively, than
FBE on a surface area basis. However, FBE has superior
adhesion characteristics in comparison to both CTE and AE,
which is a crucial factor in light of the long design life
requirement. CTE and AE plants were not available in the
USA or Trinidad at the time of the evaluation. As a result of
the evaluation, FBE was selected for the Bombax pipelines.

The Bombax Coating System. Coating systems for large

diameter subsea pipelines in general must be thick enough to
provide a diffusion barrier to oxidants, tough enough to
withstand pipe movement and handling, and withstand the
rigors of the CWC application process. Industry practice has
shown that FBE applied to a 0.014-inch ( 0.002-inch)
thickness will provide a sound anti-corrosion barrier.
However, this thickness is not sufficient to withstand
application of CWC by the impingement method. When
concrete is impinged, it impacts the anti-corrosion coating at
high velocity. In order to achieve the toughness required to
withstand this process, FBE must be applied to a minimum
thickness of 0.026-inches. This requirement was confirmed
by stripping the CWC from several pipe-joints which had been
coated with 0.026-inches of FBE. Once stripped, the FBE
coating was inspected for holidays both visually and by
voltage indication (jeeping)(1), to ensure that the coating had
satisfactorily withstood the CWC application. It was found
that there was no damage to the FBE coating. CWC applied
using the wrap method does not require additional FBE
thickness beyond that required to achieve an
anti-corrosion barrier.
In addition, it was determined that the FBE anti-corrosion
coating must be augmented with a rough overcoat in order to
achieve the required shear strength between the CWC and
FBE. Rough coat powder is a modification of the FBE anticorrosion coating powder. The rough coat FBE powder
contains larger particulates, which provide an anchor profile
upon fusing to the anti-corrosion layer. A rough coat
thickness of 0.003-inches (minimum) was utilized for the
Bombax pipelines.
Typically pipe coatings are terminated a short distance
from the pipe bevel, this is commonly referred to as the cutback. Industry practice usually requires a minimum cutback
of 2-inches. However, certain CWC plants manipulate pipe on
rollers on each end of the joint. In the case of the Bombax
impingement plants these rollers had a width of 8-inches.
Coated pipe with a 2-inch cutback would suffer end damage
and require repair when contacted by these rollers. As a
result, it was determined that the FBE coating should be cut
back a minimum of 8.5-inches to avoid such damage.

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Production. FBE application of line pipe is a highly

automated process. Bombax pipe coating requirements were
based on industry standards including NACE RP 394(2). The
coating process begins by load-in of the pipe into the plant. At
the load-in rack, a coupling is inserted and secured in the I.D.
bore of the lead end of each pipe prior to being indexed onto
the cleaning line conveyor.
The coupling serves two
purposes: 1) Protects the pipe ends from potential mechanical
damage that may be caused during the process of the pipe
being conveyed down the cleaning line. 2) Prevents the pipe
ends from sagging while the pipe travels through the cleaning
process (Shot Blasters). The pipe surface is also inspected for
salt contamination and other defects such as end and body
wall damage. The pipe is then conveyed down the cleaning
line where a system of solid rubber tires, positioned with a
slight pitch so as the pipe rotates it travels in a forward
motion. Here the pipe is pre-heated to remove surface
moisture, blast cleaned, acid washed, rinsed then blasted again
to SSPC 10 / ISO 2.5 surface profile (0.002 to 0.004-inch).
After the final blast the pipe is indexed into a mid-rack station
where the surface of the pipe can be checked for defects
(Figure 2).

properties of the pipe. Bombax utilized a combination of heat

sticks and infrared cameras to monitor surface temperature.
After passing through the induction coils the pipe travels
immediately into the coating booth. The coating booth
contains the application nozzles for both the anti-corrosion
coating and rough coat. The FBE powder is applied within
this booth utilizing an electrostatic spray (Figure 4).

Figure 4
Electrostatic Spray
After coating the pipe continues into a quench line where
the pipe is inundated with water. The pipe is then indexed to
the out-bound rack where it receives a final inspection, prior to
transport to the concrete coating plants (Figure 5).

Figure 2
Mid-Rack area of FBE Plant

If significant defects are found the pipe can be indexed

back to the load-in stage for re-blasting. After the mid-rack
inspection, the pipe is then indexed onto the coating line,
which begins with a series of induction coils (Figure 3).
Figure 5
FBE Out-Bound Rack Inspection

Figure 3
Induction Coils
The induction coils raise the surface of the steel to between
450 and 500F. It is critical that proper controls are instituted
to ensure the pipe surface is not over heated. Temperatures of
greater than 525F can adversely affect the mechanical

Special considerations should be made when FBE coating

large diameter heavy wall pipe. The Bombax 48-inch
diameter by 1-inch wall thickness pipe weighed 18,000lbs,
without concrete. Pipe of this size is an order of magnitude
heavier than most pipe that is coated in automated coating
mills. In the case of Bombax, the FBE plant set up time took
several days longer than usual. Among the items that require
change over are the cleaning line and coating line conveyors,
the induction coils, and the FBE booth, which requires many
more application nozzles to coat large diameter than smaller
diameter pipe. Change over times should be considered for
large diameter pipe if schedule is an issue, particularly if the
mill must be changed several times to coat other size pipe.
Large diameter DSAW pipe have large crowns on the
longitudinal seams, which can shadow the adjacent pipe

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when passing through the blast booth. Bombax pipe suffered

slightly from this phenomenon, however the problem was
quickly remedied by making adjustments to the blasting booth.
Concrete Weight Coating
Background. A significant step in the engineering process
of subsea pipelines is to ensure the line will have sufficient onbottom stability. The stability of the pipeline is a function of
several factors including the magnitude of the ocean waves
and currents and the negative buoyancy of the pipeline. Large
diameter lines displace a large volume of water, which results
in increased buoyancy and their large surface area creates
inherent stability problems. There are several ways to remedy
this problem. One option is to increase weight by increasing
the wall thickness of the pipe. However, this is often not an
attractive option from a commercial perspective. The optimal
solution involves having enough steel wall thickness for
pressure containment, internal corrosion allowance, and
installation stresses, then coating the pipe with concrete to
provide the additional mass that is required for stability.
Application Methods. Concrete weight coating can be
applied by casting, wrapping or impingement. The casting
method involves placing the wire reinforcement and a mould
around the pipe, then pouring the concrete into the annulus.
Vibrating the assembly ensures the mix is distributed properly.
The mold is removed after the concrete has cured sufficiently.
The curing process is then progressed using a wrap membrane,
or by periodically applying water, until the threshold
compressive strength is achieved. Casting of CWC is most
frequently used for short spans, such as river crossings;
however for large quantities of pipe this method is impractical.
The wrap method is used extensively for subsea pipelines.
Wrapping or "compression" plants are semi-automated. The
pipe joint travels through the plant on a conveyer that
comprises of a system of gearboxes and solid rubber tire,
positioned with a slight pitch so as the pipe rotates it travels in
a forward motion through the plant and past the concrete
coating applicator. As the pipe rotates and travels past the
concrete applicator, the cement, aggregate and water is being
continuously mixed inside a pugmill mixer and fed onto a
conveyor feed belt into the applicator hopper onto an
applicator belt. Between the concrete mix and the applicator
belt is the wire mesh reinforcement and outer plastic wrap that
will act as the curing membrane. The mix, wire mesh
reinforcement and membrane are wrapped around the pipe
simultaneously as it travels past the coating applicator
(Figure 6).

Figure 6
Wrapping Concrete Weight Coating
After the pipe is coated it is indexed to the final inspection
rack where the concrete is cut back from the ends, O.D.
measurements are taken and the pipe joint is weighed. The
information is then documented per unique pipe number and
entered into a computerized program where the negative
buoyancy of each pipe is verified. Pipe joints requiring anode
installation are then moved to the cut out saw, where the
concrete coating is cut away in preparation for anodes.
Impingement application of concrete is also a semiautomated process. Unlike the wrap method, end rings are
installed onto the pipe ends on the inbound rack. The purpose
of the endrings is to establish the concrete coating cutback at
the pipe ends as well as a means of anchoring the wire
reinforcement to the pipe in order to commence the
application process. The pipe is then placed onto a rotation
buggy, where it is supported on an eight inch surface at the
pipe ends. The rotation buggy is utilized for roating the pipe
while traveling past the throwing unit applicator. Once the
pipe has been placed on to the rotation buggy it is maneuvered
infront on the throwing unit. The wire is secured and the pipe
then begins to rotate while moving past the throwing unit
applicator (Figure 7).

Figure 7
Impingement Method of Applying Concrete

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Method
FBE thickness Required
(min.)
Method of Curing
Pipe Sizes
Availability

Wrap /
Compression
0.012-Inches

Impingement
0.026-Inch

Membrane
Water
Up to 48-Inch
All Sizes
Common in N.
Worldwide
America
Per BS 8010
Per BS 8010
Wire Reinforcement
After CWC
Before CWC
Anode Attachment
Table 2
Comparison of Concrete Weight Coating Methods

Shear Tests. In order to achieve the required shear

strength between the CWC and the FBE coating, several
bonding systems were evaluated. The systems were, rough
coat alone bonding the concrete to the FBE coat, and rough
coat with a bonding adhesive applied in 3-inch bands covering
50% of the pipe surface. The purpose of the test was to ensure
the shear strength of the bond between the CWC and FBE
would withstand the large tensions that the 48-inch pipe would
endure during installation. The test was performed by pushing
the CWC coat utilizing four 100 metric ton hydraulic jacks.
A magnetic dial gauge is attached to the pipe and the probe
touches the area under the CWC such that any movement of
the concrete can be detected. The results of the test were
dramatic. Slippage of the concrete on the pipe without
adhesive initiated at a force of 25 metric tonnes. The pipe
with adhesive withstood a force 150 metric tonnes without
slippage. This force exceeds the highest single tensioner
available on modern lay vessels. As a result of this test
adhesive was applied to the rough coat FBE during the CWC
application process.
Bombax Requirments. The on-bottom stability analysis
of the Bombax 48-Inch trunkline revealed it would require a
range of CWC thickness of between 3.75-inch on the majority

of the pipeline mid-depth to 5-inches on the shore approach

sections. The 26-inch diameter pipe would require 3-Inches of
CWC and 4-inches on the spoolpieces. Due to diameter
restrictions of wrap/compression plants, all of the 48-inch
CWC pipe except for the thin wall pipe with 3.75-inch CWC
was coated utilizing the impingement method. The remainder,
including all of the 26-inch diameter pipe was coated using the
wrap method. Cores were taken from the CWC to verify the
strength and quality throughout production. Compressive
strength minimums are required to ensure integrity of the
weight coat not just during installation, but also for handling
within the coating yard. The concrete was required to reach a
compressive strength of 3500psi after 7-days and 5300psi after
28-Days. The quality of the concrete was very good and as a
result it easily achieved these minimums (Figure 8).
9000

Compressive Strength
(PSI)

Concrete coating applied by the impinged method is

thrown onto the pipe surface by a set of turning vulcanized
rollers. Cement, aggregate and water are continuously mixed
inside a pugmill mixer and fed onto a conveyor feed belt. The
conveyor feed belt supplies the throwing unit with a
continuous supply of concrete mix the mix impinges upon the
surfaces of the pipe at high velocity (approximately 40 m/sec).
After the pipe is coated and weighed, it is placed into a curing
area where water is introduced onto the coating until the
specified compressive strengths of the concrete coating have
been achieved. The endrings are removed, and wire is
trimmed from the edges and anodes. Anodes are installed
prior to applying the CWC (during the coating process a shield
is placed between the throwing unit and anode to prevent
coating the anode).
Both impinged and wrap concrete often requires touch up
repair, and infill in the gaps surrounding the anodes. This is
accomplished using gunnite. Gunnite is a mortar type
compound, which is pneumatically blown out of the end of a
pump hose onto the substrate. While the concrete is wet, it
can be trimmed with a trowel or shovel. A summary
comparison between the Wrap and Impingement methods is
shown in Table 2.

8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
0

12

16

20

24

28

Days

Figure 8
Bombax concrete weight coating compressive strength
increase vs. time
Wire reinforcement within the CWC is required to increase
strength in tension. The term reinforcement is perhaps a
misnomer. It is technically not possible to reinforce the
concrete, as any true reinforcement would have to be stronger
than the pipe. The true purpose of the wire is in fact to keep
the CWC on the pipe. The CWC will crack when the pipe
traverses the stinger and is laid on-bottom. The wire mesh
allows the cracking to occur cicumferentially in an acceptable
manner, while securing the CWC on the pipe. The Bombax
wire reinforcement requirements were based on BS 8010 Part
3 Section 9(3). This requirement specifies that the wire
reinforcement cover 0.08% (minimum) and 0.4% (minimum)
of both the longitudinal and transverse surface areas of the
CWC, respectively. In addition, a second layer of wire was
utilized for coating thicknesses of over 80mm as required by
this standard. The wire reinforcement utilized for the Bombax
coating was a welded, galvanized, wire mesh. The wire mesh
was crimped in the longitudinal direction. This feature allows
the mesh to flex when the pipe undergoes bending.
Anodes. The anti-corrosion coatings of subsea and
onshore pipelines are supplemented by cathodic protection
(CP). Subsea pipeline CP is most commonly provided by
sacrificial anode bracelet systems. Bombax utilized the largest
Aluminum-Zinc-Indium anode bracelets in the world, the
largest of which weighed approximately 950lbs (Figure 9).

Figure 9
48-Inch Diameter
Al-Zn-In anode bracelet on fit-up jig in foundry
Field Joints
Background. Offshore pipelines are typically installed in
coastal waters by reeling or by conventional S-lay methods.
Reeling of pipe has many advantages due mainly to the speed
of the lay process, which results from the pipeline being
welded and reeled up onshore. However, this method is
limited to smaller diameter pipe that meets certain yield-totensile strength ratio and diameter-to-wall thickness ratio
criteria. Most large diameter pipe and all CWC pipe must be
assembled offshore. As such, the majority of the girth welds
must be made on the lay vessel. Such was the case with the
Bombax Pipelines. Pipe installed in this manner requires that
the field joints be coated on the lay vessel after welding of
the joints.
Options. Field joints of FBE coated pipe can be coated
offshore using heat-shrink sleeves, liquid epoxy or FBE.
Heat-shrink sleeves can be installed with relative speed and
with a minimum of labor. However, it is difficult to apply
heat in a uniform manner to sleeves on large diameter pipe.
This often results in sags and voids beneath the sleeve. Liquid
epoxies can be installed using a roller or spray method. From
a quality and performance perspective, FBE is the best coating
for these field joints. FBE is compatible with the parent
coating, and has superior adhesion and abrasion resistance.
For these reasons FBE was selected as the coating for the
Bombax Field Joints.
Field Joint Infill. As the pipe exits the lay vessel onto the
stinger, it is supported on rollers. In order to smoothly
traverse the rollers, the field joint cavity on CWC pipe must be
modified to match the outer diameter of the CWC. Until
recently, the most common method involved strapping a steel
sleeve around the field joint using steel banding and clips, then
filling the annulus with a hot mastic. Two decades ago,
polyurethane (PU) foam compounds were introduced as an
alternative to hot mastic. Most recently, PU foam system was
improved by the introduction of polyethylene (PE) sleeves to
replace the use of banded steel sheets. The sleeve is secured
around the pipe by electric fusion welding. Once the sleeve is
inplace the high-density PU (HDPU) foam is injected into the
annulus where it quickly cures. This was the system used for
the Bombax Field Joints. The combination PE sleeve with

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HDPU foam provides a flush transition between CWC

surfaces. HDPU foam can achieve adequate compressive
strength (300psi minimum) in only a few seconds. The
combination PE sleeve/HDPU infill system has several
advantages. First, the cycle time on the system even on large
diameter pipe is only a few minutes, quicker even than mastic
systems. Second, this system eliminates steel sleeves and
banding which unless handled properly can cause cuts and
other such wounds to laborers.
Performance Results. The critical stage for the concrete
weight coating and field joint system is installation. The
movement of the pipe over the stinger and on to the seafloor is
the most mechanically demanding. The concrete weight
coating system performed exceptionally well during
installation, suffering virtually no mechanical damage. The
same can be said for the field joint infill system, which
provided the strength to smoothly traverse the rollers in
all cases.
Conclusions
The Bombax pipeline system, which included one of the
largest subsea gas pipelines in the world, successfully
employed a system of coatings that provided both corrosion
protection and on-bottom stability. The system included up to
5-inches of concrete weight coating over a coating of FBE. A
bonding system of rough coat FBE and adhesive ensured that
the concrete did not slip from the pipe while the pipe was in
tension. The field joints were successfully coated with FBE
overwhich high-density polyurethane foam was injected to
allow the pipe to smoothly traverse the lay vessel rollers. The
entire system was successfully applied while upholding the
highest health, safety and environmental standards of the
operator and society.
References
1. NACE Recommended Practice 490
2. NACE Recommended Practice 394
3. BS 8010 Part III Section 9
Tables
Table 1. Anti-Corrosion Coating Systems
Table 2. Concrete Weight Coating Application Methods
Figures
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Figure 3.
Figure 4.
Figure 5.
Figure 6.
Figure 7.
Figure 8.
Figure 9.

Bombax Field Layout

Mid-Rack of FBE Plant
Induction Coils
Electrostatic Spray
FBE Outbound Rack Inspection
Wrapping Concrete Weight Coating
Impingement of Concrete
Compressive Strength of Concrete Weight
Coating vs. Time
Al-Zn-In anode bracelet on fit-up jig in
foundry