Road Bore Field Joint Coating

     Pipe coatings are a critically important factor in the life of any pipeline.  This is especially true when considering coatings on pipe that will be involved with HDD bores.  Those lines are going to see significant stresses, so a coating needs to be applied that can survive those stresses.

      I know this is difficult to see, but this is a pipeline being built in The Woodlands, Texas. This line is in a highly populated area close to major roads, residential homes and businesses.  This line is using a cold applied tape as the field joint coating.  This line has multiple road crossings (and possibly some creek / lake crossings).  

     That cold applied tape is most likely going to 'disappear' during the pull through.  I know, because I've seen it before.  A few years ago, I was lucky enough to be on site when an end user was evaluating some coating options for a road bore.  They tried out DIRAX, a cold applied tape --- and a few other products.  The DIRAX was essentially unscathed - passing with flying colors.  The cold applied tape disappeared during the pull through and was never seen again:

Cold applied tape all disappeared during the pull through.

     This is terribly concerning!  This essentially means that sections of this line will be literally UNCOATED.  I'd be concerned if this pipeline was running through my backyard...