Chinese Shrink Sleeves in the USA?

Chinese Shrink Sleeves in the USA?

     I've recently heard a report from a customer stating that a Chinese shrink sleeve manufacturer has infiltrated the USA with some counterfeit WCSM shrink sleeves.  The word is that these sleeves are marked "Raychem Tyco Electronics WCSM" - is true illegal copies.  Of course, the difference in the products was noticed immediately - and confirmed during the shrink process.  The Chinese cannot replicate the quality of a Raychem shrink sleeve (or a Covalence shrink sleeve).  But still, this is QUITE disturbing!

     I've heard stories for years of counterfeit products of all kinds.  In fact, I may (or may not) even have friends who've purchased counterfeit watches from various spots around the world.  I've also heard reports of Chinese manufacturers counterfeiting different cold applied tapes and selling them into South America and Middle East to the tune of millions of dollars, but this is the first I've heard of these fake pipeline coatings being sold in the United States of America. What is our world coming to??

     This is a disturbing development.  Here is what happens:  A customer has been buying REAL Raychem WCSM from us...say they are paying around $22.50 for a four foot stick of WCSM 34/8-1200-S.  It works great.  It has worked great for the last 10 years.  It always works great.  It always installs the same.  Suddenly they have an email or a salesperson in their office saying "I can sell you our (fake) WCSM 34/8-1200-S for 12$ per stick."  The customer buys it.  The customer sees a difference in the tubing - it feels thinner; flimsier - like maybe it is a low density polyethylene.  It also smells funny and the adhesive looks and feels different.  Oh well, let's install it anyway.  

     During the installation, the fake tube shrinks more slowly and kind of irregularly.  The fake tubing also gets a shiny surface to it during the install process.  They also notice that the adhesive doesn't flow the same and there is smoke coming from the shrink sleeve, which is unusual.  Beyond all of that, the PE doesn't look as thick as it normally does - but it DOES say "Raychem" on it....

     A few months (or weeks) down the road, they notice their electrical connections begin failing.  The heat shrink that they used to seal them up aren't actually sealing anything!  This is a BIG problem.  The few dollars saved by purchasing a cheap fake (in their defense - they didn't know they were purchasing a fake product) has actually turned out to be a multi-thousand dollar mistake.  OUCH.  Not worth it!!

     For all Raychem / Tyco Electronics / Covalence products that we sell - we are able to supply a Certificate of Conformance upon request.  Everything we purchase is purchased directly from the factory.  You can buy from us with confidence.  

    Fortunately, I haven't heard of any Covalence products being counterfeited right here in the USA.  I sure hope that holds true in the future!

Why Not Use DIRAX Shrink Sleeves for Every Field Joint?

As has been mentioned before when I addressed the common question:  What is the toughest shrink sleeve?

DIRAX is without a doubt the toughest shrink sleeve on the market.  It uses our S1301M primer to act as the bonding agent between the steel (and FBE) and the DIRAX shrink sleeve.  This S1301M epoxy also acts as the primary corrosion coating.  During the bore (and after) the DIRAX sleeve and leader strip offer unparalleled physical protection to that epoxy in the form of high shear hot melt adhesive layers; PE layers and fiber mesh layers.  All in all; that epoxy is PROTECTED.  Nothing is getting in there. 

Here we see a DIRAX (ROCS) shrink sleeve being installed on a TLPE coated pipeline.

I've seen it time and time again (DIRAX has a long use history that is unmatched by anything else in the industry). 2" pipe:  no problem.  4" pipe:  no problem (backward and forward and oh, by the way, the cold applied tape disappeared somewhere down in the hole as seen in this DIRAX case study).

So, why not USE DIRAX on every single joint; rather than just the road bore sections of your pipe?  Well, the truth is, it just isn't necessary in my opinion.  If a customer insisted on the best field joint coating, regardless of the cost, I would gladly offer them DIRAX (though without the leader strip, it is called the ROCS shrink sleeve).

But in this practical world in which we live, products like WPCT, WPC100M, HTLP60 and TPS (just to name a few) are all VERY good at doing exactly what they are supposed to do...sealing that field joint and preventing any water or air from getting to the bare steel.  

Best Field Joint Coating

     The  we live in focuses primarily on a single thing.  What is the cheapest and easiest thing that I can use?  It isn't always the case; and I am certainly being a bit unfair by saying that - but it is something I've seen again and again and again  in the last 13 years (my time in the pipeline world).  For many decision makers; cost is all that matters: "buy whatever is cheapest...it's all the same." 

All Field Joint Coatings AREN'T Created Equally

     So, when I do get the comment "I want whatever the best coating is - this pipeline is too valuable to scrimp on the field joint coatings" I tend to sit up and take notice.  Here is a person who cares about the future of this pipeline.  Here is a person who is committed to doing their best job possible; even if they are no longer with this company through the life of the line.  Here is a person with integrity.  Here is a person who cares about the long-term...not just about moving on to the next project or claiming that next promotion.

     In cases like this, where the request is for the "best" AND where we don't have an issue with elevated operating temperatures; the answer is clear.  The best possible field joint coating is ROCS.

The ROCS heat shrink sleeve system is absolutely unmatched in the coatings world.

     What you see here is a picture of the ROCS shrink sleeve.  The pattern you see is the fiber mesh (which is woven between two layers of HDPE, heat shrinkable backing.  The other side of this sleeve is a high shear adhesive.  All of this is installed on Covalence's S1301M liquid epoxy which chemically bonds with the adhesive of the ROCS shrink sleeve in order to form a truly cohesive field joint coating.

     Since the ROCS shrink sleeve system utilizes both a heat shrinkable sleeve and a liquid epoxy bonding agent; it literally offers the best of both worlds.  The liquid epoxy gives the coating system superior cathodic disbondment properties and sheer resistance.  The fiber reinforced shrink sleeve gives the coating system excellent electrical resistivity properties; superior abrasion resistance and fantastic penetration resistance. 

     Like all things in life; you get what you pay for.  The ROCS field joint coating system is expensive on the front end, during construction.  But the truth of the matter is that leaks, repairs and corrosion problems are incredibly expensive.  Taking a line out of service can cost almost a million dollars per day (as seen here).  There must be a point where 'cost' is not the number one factor when selecting a field joint coating; are we there yet?

What is the Widest Shrink Sleeve?

What is the Widest Shrink Sleeve for Pipeline Use?

Here we see the different shrink sleeve widths available:  11", 17", 24" and 34"

    It is a fairly common question I get:  What is the widest shrink sleeve you have?  On the pipeline side, the answer is pretty much always 34" (on the electrical side - the answer is almost limitless as there are many products sold in tubular form as rolls which can be 50 or more feet long).  Now, why do people ask that question?  It varies.

     In a case where someone needs to coat a long length of pipe (or at least a length longer than a few feet) they want the widest shrink sleeve because they want to install fewer sleeves.  In a case like that; 34" wide sleeves work very well (as illustrated here in our lobster tailing video):

     In other cases, perhaps someone wants to have as much overlap as is possible to give their field joint coating the 'safest' possible application.  To put some numbers to it; the cutback on a standard field joint of FBE coated pipe will likely have only 3 or so inches of bare steel.  If someone installs a 34" wide sleeve on that field joint; they will end up with as much as 15" of overlap onto the adjacent factory applied FBE.  Wow, that is a lot of overlap!  It would certainly be difficult to imagine water somehow working its way through 15" of installed shrink sleeve!  Is that overkill?  In my opinion, it is certainly unnecessary.

     Finally, I see cases where an end user or a contractor has contacted a supply house looking for shrink sleeve.  In some of those cases (rare, I promise!) that supply house isn't able (or willing) to determine what the cutbacks, factory applied coatings, etc are for a pipeline project.  In order to keep things as simple as they can, they ask me "what is the widest sleeve you've got?  Give me that one".  Not a good plan, in my opinion, but I do at least understand the mind set - "better safe than sorry".

    Calculating what width of a shrink sleeve your pipeline needs is a lot easier than you might think.

Pipeline Coating Supply and Technical Help

Pipe coatings are critical to the health of any steel pipeline.  In the United States, the dominant mainline factory applied coating is fusion bond epoxy.  In other parts of the world, three layer polyethylene coatings (which generally include a layer of fusion bond epoxy as one of the three coating layers) are more dominant.  The question any pipeline corrosion engineer has to answer is: "what type of coating am I going to use for the field joints?"

A field joint is the area of bare steel where two pipes are welded together.  In the plant, a pipe can't be coated from end to end, since that would result in that coating be damaged during the welding process.  Instead a pre-determined space at each end of the pipe is left bare (called a cutback).  In the field, as the pipeline is constructed, the contractor is left with somewhere in the neighborhood of 2% of the pipeline to coat (~12" or less of every 40 feet).  Of course, that contractor will be working from a specification which will let them know what coatings are acceptable in the end users eyes for coating those sections.  Sometimes, the contractor has their choice from a number of different pipeline coating technologies.  Other times, that contractor can choose from a single technology.  Sometimes the contractor is directed to use a specific product, from a specific manufacturer, from a specific technology.

If it sounds like it can sometimes be confusing; it can be.  With multiple technologies,  multiple manufacturers and a wide range of product quality, it is very difficult to find valuable, accurate, honest information.  The field joint coating (as mentioned above) represents only 2% of the pipeline coating.  Beyond that, the pipeline coating is only half (more or less, depending on who you talk to) of the corrosion prevention system (cathodic protection being the other).  Now add in things like backfill, rockshield, soil condition analysis and other factors and it quickly becomes clear.  Field joint coating is incredibly critical and important...but also a very small factor when considering the entire scope of building a pipeline.  If YOU are familiar with all of the intricacies of all of the different technologies and manufacturers; then you are a rare bird indeed!
Too often, decisions are ultimately made based purely on material cost.  I certainly understand that costs must be analyzed; business exist to make a profit after all.  But, you need someone on your side that can give an idea of installed costs rather than just material costs.  A look at the whole picture is often much, much more beneficial than a simple look at one single cost factor.

As a general rule, there are 4 current, commonly accepted field joint coating technologies (and in some cases components are mingled to create a multi-technology coating system. 

These technologies are:
- Fusion Bond Epoxy (FBE).  Generally accepted in the USA as the premier mainline coating, it can also be put on field joints.  Requires induction heating coils and flocking equipment.
- Heat Shrink Sleeves - More than 30 years of successful use history.  Many different products designed for specific pipeline operating conditions and applications.
- Two Part Epoxies - These stand alone epoxies mimic (in some ways) a fusion bonded epoxy.  Mixed and generally hand applied in the field.
- Cold Applied Tapes - Not as commonly used as they once were, this technology certainly still has a place in the market under certain conditions (if you're using the right manufacturer's product).

Pipeline Shrink Wrap

     Shrink Wrap for Pipelines

One example of our Pipeline Shrink Wrap - in this case; sealing a Flange (and re-enterable!)

     Pipeline Shrink Wrap.  Shrink Sleeves.  Dope Wrap.  Cigarette Wrap.  Tape Wrap.  Hot Wrap.  Rubber Wrap.  Shrinky Dinks (ok - no one has ever used this phrase to describe a shrink sleeve; but they do use the same technology of crosslinking to work!).

     No matter what you call them (and every time I think I've heard it all...I hear another), they all describe the same thing:  a heat shrinkable plastic, shrunk with a torch or a heat gun, designed to offer some kind of protection, insulation or sealing to some kind of a substrate.  The bulk of our business is in the pipeline world; but we are also involved in the electrical world; offering splices; sealing anode lead wires; protecting road bore pipe; and really just about any scenario that can be imagined.  When someone has a unique or unusual coating/sealing application - we are often their first and last stop to find a solution.

     With a proven use history, shrink wrap as a pipeline protector, pipeline coating, pipeline sealing, electrical sealing, cable repair, splice sealer, flange sealer, casing sealer, road bore coating, motor connection kit, high voltage termination, etc, etc, etc, etc is reliable, repeatable, dependable, cost effective and generally approved pretty much everywhere.  We know the truth - there aren't a lot of people in the industry who are genuine experts in heat shrink technologies.  It can be frustrating to find the right people to talk to.  It can be difficult to get a quote.  It can be impossible to get delivery information.  Joint Specialists changes that.

     We keep a large stock of material - ready to ship immediately.  We are technical experts.  We can help you find solutions.  We are the shrink wrap experts.  Give us a call or contact us using that box to the upper right of this page. (or call: 936/321-3333 -- or email: steve@jsicoatings.com).

Preventing Corrosion on Steel Couplings in HVAC/Refrigeration Systems

When steel couplings of some kind are used in order to join together aluminum or copper tubing in HVAC and refrigeration systems, there are a number of complications that can arise.  First of all, any time dissimilar metals are near one another, you can expect there to be some corrosion issues down the road.  Beyond that though, you could run into potential issues as the tubing is likely to sweat...possibly causing water to pool beneath the insulation...possibly causing corrosion issues to your steel coupling.

The simple truth in these situations is that the coupling really needs to be coated with something to protect it from the tubing sweat.  Facts are facts:  anytime steel is going to be left in a location where water can pool - that steel is going to be slowly destroyed.  Now, we have several options for coating these couplings (which can range in size from 1/4" up to 2"). 

WCSM is a Raychem product with a long use history.  It covers a wide range of substrate sizes through its high shrink ratio.  It is internally coated with a sealant that prevents any water ingress...and bonds to the substrate preventing air pockets, etc.

MWTM could be another option.  MWTM is very similar to WCSM, but with a slightly thinner wall thickness.

CRSM could be an option as a wrap around product.  It also utilizes an adhesive sealant, and uses Raychem's rail and channel technology so that it can be installed onto an existing line (rather than being slid into place first).

No matter what your sealing requirements - I'd bet just about anything that we can find a solution for you.  Give us a call - we specialize in using our available products to engineer a solution for your specific application.