Casing Boot Replacement

Replacing a Casing Boot

     Earlier today, I had a nice conversation with a potential customer who I've never spoken with before.  He had a problem.  He had an existing pipeline (not very old) and they had discovered that the "boot" they used to seal up the casing is now failing and they need to replace it with something.  The original casing boot had been a stretchy, neoprene like material that was held in place by what were essentially clamps.  The casing boot didn't last long and had experienced some drying, cracking and was no longer effectively sealing up the casing.  Big problem right?

    Why is it a big problem?  Lots of reasons - here in Texas - all casing pipes have to be sealed with something.  You absolutely do not want to shun the DOT requirements for anything pipeline related - it will hurt...badly.  Casing pipe is put in place to protect the carrier pipe; kind of like an offensive lineman who's sole job it to protect the quarterback.  There can be quite a lot of ground movement, vibration, soil stresses and other forces that are transferred to a pipeline that is operating underneath a road or highway.  The casing pipe essentially takes the brunt of that by keeping the carrier pipe more or less suspended within it (forgive the incredibly simplistic explanation).

     So as long as the casing pipe is intact, it is doing its job.  But if that casing pipe corrodes away...the protection for the carrier goes away...and that is bad, bad, bad.  If the casing pipe isn't properly sealed, it is very easy for water to get inside of it.  This will literally destroy the casing pipe from the inside out until eventually, it crumbles.  Water inside a casing pipe is a horrible, horrible recipe for corrosion.  Once water has found its way in; more water is likely to find its way in.  There will be plenty of oxygen to foster the corrosion, and the water can just sit on the steel, slowly chewing away at it.  

     It is actually the perfect application for our Caseal product.  Caseal is a high expansion, fiber reinforced shrink sleeve with excellent sealing characteristics, penetration resistance and abrasion resistance.  Caseals are tough.  They wrap around the casing and shrink down to seal to the carrier.  This is done with a propane torch.  

     In a case where the carrier pipe is an active pipeline, it makes it impossible to properly preheat the steel prior to installation, so we use the Covalence S1301M two part epoxy to act as the bonding agent between the casing seal and the carrier pipe.  It works wonderfully.  

     Please, stop using those cold applied rubber boots to seal your casing pipe.  They just don't last as along as a radiation crosslinked PE shrink sleeve (some of which have been in the ground 30+ years with no issue).  

CASEAL, Wrap-around Pipeline Heat Shrinkable Casing Seal Sleeve

CASEAL Wrap-around Pipeline Casing Seal

Heat-shrinkable sleeve providing waterproof seal between casing & carrier pipe.

Product Description: CSEM-F/ CASEAL (US) casing/carrier step-down sealing.

• Construction: Two-layer system
• First layer: Visco-elastic mastic sealant.
• Second layer: Fiberglass reinforced, radiation cross-linked, polyethylene backing.

CSEM-F/CASEAL (US) is a heat-shrinkable, wrap-around sleeve with a very high shrink ratio, specially developed for casing/service pipe sealing. The special adhesive inside the thick-wall CSEM-F/CASEAL(US) assures an excellent bond between the sleeve and bare or pre-coated pipes. The fiberglass reinforced woven and laminated backing gives the CSEM-F/CASEAL(US) sleeve a high mechanical resistance as well as a high recovery capacity. A zipper closing system allows a simple and fast installation. In addition to the CSEM-F/CASEAL(US) sleeve, a support sheet is supplied which provides a smooth step-down in the transition area to ensure a tight closure and enhances the mechanical strength.

CSEM-F/CASEAL(US) is installed using standard gas torches. After pipe surface preparation and preheating, the support sheet is wrapped around the transition to be sealed followed by the heat-shrinkable sleeve. The sleeve is zipper-closed, forming a tube, and shrunk in place tightly fitting around the substrate. During recovery, the adhesive softens and flows to form a tight bond. The bond strength builds up during cool down and is fully retained after completion of the job.

Product Features/Benefits:

• Fiberglass reinforced backing provides high mechanical resistance as well as a high recovery capacity.
• 65% shrinkage ratio – conforms to high transitions reducing inventory & logistics costs.
• Resists a wide range of environmental and mechanical forces. Reliable, moisture-proof seal! Extremely tough.
• Specially formulated sealant ensures a strong bond & tight seal to virtually any substrate. Maintains its elasticity and sealing characteristics over a wide temperature range.
• Sealing adhesive automatically flows and repairs minor mechanical damages. "Self-healing effect". Saves time.
•  Zipper closure system allows simple & fast installation.
•  Usable also when service pipe is not concentric with the casing. Highly versatile.
•  No special equipment required makes installation fast and easy whiling keeping installation costs low.

CSEM-F/CASEAL(US) type products are available as a kit, containing:

• a Uni-sleeve (pre-cut sleeve with integrated zipper closure system)
• A support sheet

Product Selection Guide:

 Max operating temperature:  30°C (86°F)
Compatible line coatings:  PE, PP, FBE, Tape, Coal tar, Asphalt, Plastics
Min preheat temperature:  60°C (140°F)
Recommended pipe preparation:  ST3 or SA 2 1/2

Commonly used CASEAL Ordering Sizes Include:

CS 10750 supplied with a 280 mm id in which shrinks down to 110 mm with a width of 425 mm

(Minimum pipe diameter of 114.3 mm and a maximum casing diameter of 250 mm)

CS 14000 supplied with a 380 mm id in which shrinks down to 140 mm with a width of 425 mm

(Minimum pipe diameter of 139.7 mm and a maximum casing diameter of 355 mm)

 

CS 20000 supplied with a 540 mm id in which shrinks down to 180 mm with a width of 425 mm

(Minimum pipe diameter of 219.1 mm and a maximum casing diameter of 508 mm)

 

CS 22000 supplied with a 600 mm id in which shrinks down to 215 mm with a width of 425 mm

(Minimum pipe diameter of 273.0 mm and a maximum casing diameter of 560 mm)

 

CS 28000 supplied with a 760 mm id in which shrinks down to 270 mm with a width of 600 mm

(Minimum pipe diameter of 323.9 mm and a maximum casing diameter of 710 mm)

 

CS 32000 supplied with a 880 mm id in which shrinks down to 320 mm with a width of 600 mm

(Minimum pipe diameter of 355.6 mm and a maximum casing diameter of 813 mm)

 

CS 40000 supplied with a 1050 mm id in which shrinks down to 370 mm with a width of 600 mm

(Minimum pipe diameter of 406.4 mm and a maximum casing diameter of 1016 mm)

 

CS 44000 supplied with a 1150 mm id in which shrinks down to 410 mm with a width of 600 mm

(Minimum pipe diameter of 457.2 mm and a maximum casing diameter of 1118 mm)

CS 50000 supplied with a 1300 mm id in which shrinks down to 470 mm with a width of 600 mm

(Minimum pipe diameter of 508.0 mm and a maximum casing diameter of 1270 mm)

* CASEAL (US) can be made for any specific casing diameter.