WPCT Sleeves vs Other Coatings

 WPCT Shrink Sleeves vs Other Coatings

WPCT shrink sleeves offer several advantages over traditional corrosion protection methods such as paints, cold-applied tapes, and some liquid-applied coatings. Unlike paints, which can have a limited lifespan and may not provide robust resistance to mechanical and chemical stresses, WPCT sleeves employ a two-layer system: a visco-elastic, butyl-based adhesive and a radiation cross-linked, high-density polyethylene outer layer with a Permanent Change Indicator (PCI). This construction forms a tough, seamless barrier that is highly resistant to moisture, chemicals, and mechanical damage, ensuring long-term corrosion protection even in challenging environments.

The installation process for WPCT sleeves is notably efficient compared to some traditional methods. They require minimal preheating, no primer, and can be applied directly to cleaned and preheated pipe surfaces. The heat-shrink process ensures the sleeve tightly conforms to the pipe and weld joint, creating a continuous, defect-free seal that is visually confirmed by the PCI. In contrast, traditional coatings like paints or cold-applied tapes may require more surface preparation, multiple application steps, and longer cure times, and they can be more susceptible to human error during application.

WPCT sleeves are also compatible with a wide range of standard pipe coatings and can be used on bare pipe, replacement sections, and large-radius bends, offering flexibility that some traditional methods may lack. Additionally, the sleeves are designed to perform reliably in both ambient and moderately elevated temperatures, making them suitable for various pipeline applications.

In summary, WPCT shrink sleeves provide a durable, easy-to-install, and long-lasting alternative to traditional corrosion protection methods, delivering superior mechanical protection and moisture resistance while simplifying field application and quality assurance.

WCSM Shrink Tubing Box Quantities

 Standard Box Qty for WCSM Shrink Tubing 

In Stock

      What are the standard box quantities for Raychem's WCSM?  That is a fairly common question that I receive.  

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WCSM 48/12-1200-S in stock

WCSM 12/3-1200-S in stock

     Weill the quickest answer to this question is:  ANY BOX QTY YOU WANT!  We don't enforce ordering in box quantities.  We have even taken orders over the years for a single stick!  Now, if you're someone who likes to order in standard box quantities, because that makes inventory management easier - then I completely understand!  I like that too.  Here are standards:

WCSM 12/3-1200-S -- 25 per box

WCSM 16/4-1200-S -- 25 per box

WCSM 24/6-1200-S -- 25 per box

WCSM 34/8-1200-S -- 25 per box

WCSM 48/12-1200-S -- 10 per box

WCSM 56/16-1200-S -- 10 per box

These are all products that we stock regularly in the hundreds (if not thousands) in terms of quantity.  If you're not entirely familiar with WCSM, here is a quick overview:

Raychem WCSM heat shrink is a thick wall tubing designed for insulating low voltage cables, as well as for sealing, protecting and rejacketing on low, medium and high voltage cables and accessories.  With this tubing type, the electrical and physical properties of cable oversheath and core insulation of low voltage cables are combined with ruggedness and easy installation.  

WCSM tubing seals against moisture of cable splices and mechanically protects the outer jackets on many applications.  

MWTM Sizes In Stock

 MWTM In Stock for Immediate Shipment

Tyco/Raychem's Medium Wall Shrink Tubing

     MWTM is manufactured by Tyco Electronics who owns the Raychem name.  It stands for Medium Wall low voltage Tube for Medium voltage.  MWTM is designed for insulation of low voltage cable accessories as well as for sealing and protection purposes on low and medium voltage cable accessories.  In this tubing type, the electrical and physical properties of the cable oversheath and core insulation of a low voltage cable are combined with an easy installation.

     During the heating, the TE MWTM rubing shrinks to its original smaller diameter, fitting tightly over a wide range of cable sizes and accessories.  At the same time the tubing's inner sealant wall gives a reliable moisture seal over even the most irregular shapes. 

     The MWTM tube is widely used to insulate, protect and seal low voltage power cable joints and terminations, as well as many further applications in cable accessories and electrical connections.  The material content of MWTM is halogen-free and stabilized against UV irradiation.  The MWTM is available in both coated and uncoated varieties.  

     Key Features:

• Excellent electrical characteristics and mechanical strength for low voltage applications.
• Medium wall, cross linked polyolefin.  UV stabilized against irradiation and weathering.
• Halogen and silicon free material content, non-corrosive, non toxic, free of lead and aluminum. 

     JSI's stock as of Feb 26, 2024:

MWTM 16/5-A/U -- 100 each available

MWTM 35/12-A/U -- 100 each available

MWTM 50/16-A/U -- 75 each available

Raychem / Covalence Heat Shrink Sleeve Advantages

Advantages of Covalence Shrink Sleeves (formerly Raychem)

Demanding Applications

In order to protect metal pipe structures in contact with an electrolyte (soil, water) coatings need to have a high electrical resistance and low permeability to hydrogen and oxygen. 
The coating must also be physically strong and chemically stable.
Additionally, the requirements of particular applications, like high operating temperatures necessitate specific tailoring of all pipeline coatings, including heat shrinkable sleeves.

Optimal Solutions

To provide the optimal solution for each application, Raychem offers a range of products based on an irradiated crosslinked polyethylene carrier, combined with a hot melt or mastic coating applied in the factory to that heat shrink backing.
The main purpose of the crosslinked carrier (the actual heat shrink sleeve), called the backing, is to provide a strong barrier against electrical current, permeation and mechanical forces.
The adhesive assures long term bonding of the backing to the pipe and provides added electrical resistance (which is a good thing in spite of the propaganda you are regularly exposed to) and mechanical strength.
Thickness of the backing and adhesive depend on the application requirements. 

To sum that up:  Strengths of the heat shrink sleeve include (but are not limited to):
- Chemical Resistance of heat shrink backing and the selected adhesive
- Flow and fill of the hot melt adhesive or mastic sealant
- Mechanical Strength of the heat shrinkable backing (which can potentially be multiple layers and include fiber reinforcement)
- Electrical Resistance of both the backing and the adhesive.  A coating with no electrical resistance means your pipeline is going to rely on your CP system almost solely for corrosion prevention.  Why not just leave the field joints as bare steel if that is your goal?

Three Layer Coatings

For the increasingly common (in Europe, South America and Asia) three layer factory applied pipeline coatings, Raychem / Covalence has developed a three layer field applied field joint coating.  To provide a homogeneously coated pipe surface in the girth weld area, a layer of two component epoxy is first applied to the surface of the pipe.  A specially designed shrink sleeve is then applied over the wet epoxy. 
The three layer heat shrinkable coating system performs extremely well in resisting cathodic disbondment.  It also offers high shear resistance against soil load and consequently ensures long service life. 

High Reliability, High Performance

Raychem (now called Covalence) has more than 40 years of experience in the development and manufacturer of heat shrinkable products.  Continuous improvement ensures state of the art performance.  Approval by testing agencies around the world guarantees suitability for individual applications and field conditions. 
- Two layer and three layer constructions complement wide range of pipe coatings
- Top quality hotmelt, copolymer coated sleeves resist elevated pipe operating temperatures and soil stresses on all pipe diameters.
- Mastic coated shrink sleeves balance performance, economy and easy of installation.
- Three layer sleeves with epoxy primer and hotmelt copolymer have excellent resistance to both cathodic disbondment and hot water immersion, even at maximum rated operating temperatures.
- Fiberglass reinforced heat shrink sleeves withstand the high stresses of directional drilling
- Self-healing adhesive slow automatically repairs minor mechanical damage

Low Installation Costs

- No primer required for two layer heat shrink sleeve systemes - install directly on cleaned and preheated pipe surface
- No waiting for primers to cure.  The shrink sleeve is installed directly over the wet epoxy
- Simple tools such as a hand brush, power brush or blast cleaning and propane torches are used for installation of the heat shrink sleeve
- All products available as Uni sleeve construction.  Uni sleeve means the closure strips are attached to the shrink sleeve here in our shop allowing for quicker installation in the field and dramatically fewer field issues.
- Easy to understand installation instructions are shipped with every product; in every box of shrink sleeves.  Clear product labelling on the outside of the boxes allows rapid on site installation.

Premium Service with Joint Specialists

To place an order or inquire about products, contact us at 936 /321-333 or email to steve@jsicoatings.com  We pride ourselves on offering the best customer service in the industry with very quick turnarounds on information, pricing and delivery.

Covalence Heat Shrink Tubing

Covalence Heat Shrink Tubing and Raychem Heat Shrink Tubing

     This can sometimes get a little bit confusing! I've written previously with a more thorough explanation of the history of Raychem as a brand name, so I will keep things a little bit simpler here.  What ultimately happened, is Raychem kept the name, factory and rights to all of the parts that are typically used in the electrical and energy world.  Covalence ended up with all of the rights to the products that are manufactured for the pipeline world.  As you might imagine, pipelines are typically larger than electrical cables; so ultimately it comes down to size.  Raychem heat shrink tubing is almost always smaller.  Covalence heat shrink tubing is almost always larger.

Covalence Heat Shrink Tubing

     The most commonly sold tubing manufactured by Covalence is the TPS shrink sleeve (stands for Tubular Pipe Sleeve).  This is a heat shrinkable, radiation crosslinked polyolefin backing; coated on the inside with an aggressive mastic sealant.  This mastic sealant bonds to all of the commonly used factory applied pipeline coatings.  TPS heat shrink sleeves are generally only made for pipelines for pipelines 2" thru 8".  This would cover pipe ODs: 2.375" (TPS 2375-18), 2.875" (TPS 2875-18), 3.500" (TPS 3500-18), 4.500" (TPS 4500-18), 6.625" (TPS 6625-18) and 8.625" (TPS 8625-18).  We do also sell TPS in a 9" length (as far as the nomenclature goes; just replace the "18" with a "9".  

The sleeve on the right is a TPS; tubular shrink sleeve

 

     Covalence also manufactures a CPSM shrink sleeve.  We stock the CPSM 195/102-1500-S which is a shrink tube supplied with an ID of 7.677" that will shrink all the way down to a substrate that is 4.01".  This tube is actually 4.92 feet long - so it can be used for a variety of different applications.  CPSM is a high expansion, heavy wall shrink tubing that is coated internally with a mastic sealant meaning that it will bond well to most all surfaces. 

Raychem Heat Shrink Tubing

     Raychem heat shrink tubing, on the other hand, is MUCH smaller - designed for electrical applications and rated for use on certain voltage levels.  WCSM is the most commonly sold shrink tubing: 

WCSM is sold in a variety of sizes; all designed for different wire and connector configurations

     For a more thorough explanation of the different WCSM sizes; visit our page dedicated to WCSM tubing.  WCSM is rated for use to 1000 volts and can be used as a jacket repair all the way up to 35 kV.  

Raychem manufactures dozens of other tubings.  For more information on any of them, visit the electrical blog or our JSI Coatings electrical section.

Heat Shrink Sleeves as Pipeline Coatings

Heat Shrink Sleeves for Pipelines

    Heat shrinkable sleeves have been used for many years as the primary corrosion coating for field joints (also called girth welds) on pipelines.  Do you need a refresher on what girth welds and field joints are?  As I've documented elsewhere in this blog (WPCT use history) Raychem (now called Covalence) shrink sleeves have been the market leaders for decades.  There are very literally millions and millions of pipeline field joints coated with heat shrink sleeves and the truth (which some big spending, vocal spin doctors don't want you to know) is that heat shrinkable sleeves (Raychem in particular) have been incredibly reliable pipeline coatings.  Heat shrink sleeves have offered excellent corrosion prevention to pipelines of all sizes.  If you've seen the GTI field joint coating test results - then you know that what I'm saying is true.  Heat shrink sleeves were generally ranked #1 (tied with FBE) in both clay and sandy soil.  Yes, you read that correctly:  NUMBER 1.  Compare the equipment and labor costs of putting FBE on your pipeline field joints with the material and labor cost of putting a heat shrink sleeve on your field joint....then go read the GTI report....then go ask your buyers why you've been needlessly spending on field joint coating to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.

The front page of the amazingly thorough GTI field joint coating study

      I know what you're thinking if you've read this thread.  You're thinking "WHAT?  That can't be!"  I hate to break it to you, my friend...but it is true.  It is true - and its proven.  In case after case in that GTI study heat shrink sleeves ranked #1 and showed no signs of corrosion.  Meanwhile other "technologies" (I put the word technologies in quotes because some manufacturers out there are actually a lot better at marketing and story telling than they are at manufacturing quality pipeline coatings) performed so poorly in that GTI test that it is hard to understand how they sell anything!  But, I guess we've all known that advertising works -- that marketing works -- that if we hear something enough - we'll begin to believe it.  I think it was Lenin (the Russian; not the Beatle) who said "a lie told often enough becomes the truth."  

    If you're skeptical, contact GTI yourself and purchase your own copy of the report.  www.gastechnology.orgwww.gastechnology.org

Ray the Raychem Seal - Raychem Heat Shrink

     Ahhhhh, who remembers the 1970's? Bellbottom jeans; disco dancing; The Brady Bunch, Charlie's Angels, Happy Days.....and Ray the Raychem Seal?  Once upon a time, the Raychem Corporation was a company that was beginning to conquer the world.  This meant they were experiencing dramatic growth and regularly entering new markets with new products.  Research and development were being heavily invested in.  Marketing gurus were looking for new and innovative ways to create a buzz around the product and introduce new product lines.  One of their wonderful creations was Ray the Raychem Seal.

     Today, I stumbled across an old video of Ray the Raychem Seal on youtube.  What a find!  So, grab your coffee, sit back and enjoy this mornings brush with greatness!
 

(I couldn't imbed the video - click HERE to view it on Youtube)