Serimax develops new solution for automated field joint coating

Serimax, a Vallourec subsidiary specialising in welding and coating, has developed a new joint coating solution designed to save time and manpower.

Onshore line pipe operations involve welding pipes together to form a pipeline. The field joint coating (FJC) covers the area where two coated line pipe sections meet and are welded together. Serimax’s new Orbiter is designed to reduce costs, enhance process speeds, reduce manning and lower solvent usage on FJC operations.

The Orbiter is a light-weight, automated spray machine. It is a two-component liquid coating system with process monitoring and data recording. The device is built to be a fast and safe option for coating landline field joints with multi-component liquid systems.

It has already been deployed on 250km of pipeline from the Caspian Sea, through Azerbaijan and Georgia, to Turkey. In Georgia, the Orbiter completed over 4,000 field joints, including nearly 1,500 tie-in joints.

The new coating technology is designed to reduce the number of personnel required for a project. Serimax says that, on a high throughput main-line coating of 48inch pipes with liquid epoxy systems, it's possible to halve the number of technicians. It’s also built to allow operation without the need for mechanical lifting systems.

See a video of the Orbiter in operation here.