Pipeline Archives - Thomas Industrial Coatings

Another Thomas milestone: 1000 days with no stoppage or delay at Point Loma Submarine Base

It’s not really boasting to say that Thomas Industrial Coatings is one of the best industrial painting and coating contractors in the country. That’s just Thomas Pride. After all, we’ve got a long history of quality, efficiency, and satisfied clients to back us up. But when one of our crews hits an incredible milestone on a project we’ve been hired to complete? Well, it’s hard not to brag on them just a little.

Painting and coating pipeline and fuel storage can be a tough job, as you may have read in an earlier post here on our blog. It’s that type of project that has been keeping our San Diego crew busy for quite some time now as they prepare the surface and coat the fuel farm on the Point Loma submarine base. They’ve put in a lot of hard work to keep up with both the tight deadlines and high standards of quality the military demands, but they’re training and dedication to professionalism has seen them through to a fantastic achievement: completing 1000 days on the project with no work stoppage or delays whatsoever.

Everyone here at Thomas Industrial Coatings would like to say congratulations to our San Diego/Point Loma crew, as well as General Contractor Nova-UCCO Joint Venture and all the other subcontractors who helped us achieve this incredible goal. Once again, our workers have raised the bar for what should be expected of a contractor in the painting and coatings industry, and we simply could not be prouder. Way to go!

(photo of the Point Loma project courtesy of root-pass.com)

What corrosion does to oil and gas pipelines

Pipeline is still considered the safest, most reliable means of transporting resources such as oil and gas among experts. However, safe as it may be, the threat of ruptures and failures still weigh heavily on the minds of those who maintain and build these networks. There are no minor problems when it comes to the pipeline. Even a slight breakage can result in huge, costly repairs and damages to the surrounding environment, and the culprit is almost always corrosion.

Let’s take a look at how corrosion starts both inside and outside the pipeline.

It’s what’s on the inside that counts

Crude oil, whether heavy or light, isn’t much of a problem when it comes to internal pipeline corrosion. In fact, the oil itself has many corrosion-inhibiting properties.

The trace amounts of water, sulfur, and sediment carried within the crude oil, however, are another story. Due to their difference in density, these small bits and droplets can fall out of the flow and begin to collect on the bottom of a pipeline over a long period of time. Once that moisture touches any exposed steel, it can begin to damage the interior of the pipe in the form of microbial or under-deposit corrosion.

Heat can also be a factor in the wearing away of pipeline walls. The hotter the oil, the better its flow, so most pipelines are insulated to keep its contents at a high temperature. That warmth, however, can also lead to the thinning of the interior walls. This can help corrosion find a foothold within the pipe or cause any existing corrosion to worsen.

As you can see, internal oil pipeline corrosion isn’t a matter of “will it happen” so much as “when.” And that’s just what’s going on inside the pipe.

Pretty and protected on the outside

External oil and gas pipeline corrosion isn’t nearly as difficult to protect against as the internal version. That doesn’t make it any less important to monitor, however, especially with more than 2.5 million miles of pipeline exposed to the elements every single day.

It’s true that oil and gas pipeline has a protective coating applied to its exterior to prevent corrosion and make it more aesthetically pleasing. However, much of the network in service today has aged, and these pipes are still wearing the original coatings they received ten, twenty, even thirty or more years ago. These older coatings can crack and wear as environmental conditions beat away at their effectiveness, opening up a channel for water to make contact with the steel and begin doing its corrosive damage.

Preventing pipeline corrosion starts with you

Keeping the line protected from the dangers of corrosion and quickly addressing it when it’s found should be the top priority of any pipeline project. Thankfully, there have been many advances in anti-corrosion paint and coating technology that can help reduce the likelihood of corrosion considerably. Whether you’re considering applying the latest in interior pipeline linings or a fresh coat of protection on an old pipeline, speaking with a knowledgeable, highly experienced industrial coatings contractor is best. By working together with a company who can suggest the most appropriate products for your needs, you can ensure long-lasting protection for the pipe both inside and out.

When hiring a pipeline painter, technology must be a consideration

At Thomas Industrial Coatings, we’ve always made it a point to invest in the best technology for our projects, as we believe our customers deserve nothing short of the best. Whether you hire us, or another industrial painting company for your pipeline and penstock coating work, make sure you investigate your painter’s focus on modern industrial painting technology. Following are a few areas of focus.

Do they buy what they need?

Carpenters don’t rent their hammers so we don’t think it’s smart for an industrial painter to rent their coating and blasting equipment. At Thomas, we buy the tools we need for a given job. This keeps project downtime to a minimum and helps keep a projected delivery time from ever being compromised.

From mainstream tools to those a little less common, we’ve made it a point to be equipped with cutting-edge technology. Make sure your industrial pipeline painter is as well.

The job-site is a sacred place – keep it that way

Whether you’re tapping a painter for coating, blasting or lead abatement, make sure they tailor the equipment they take to a pipe or penstock job-site to the needs and specifications of that actual job-site. We certainly do and we go to great strides to protect it once it’s there.

For instance, we’ve had thieves go after our equipment on a given job-site, but, to their misfortune, we have tools in place to catch them. At Thomas, the job-site is a sacred place. If there’s technology that keeps us working safely and efficiently chances are, we’ve got it and fully subscribe to its worth. We believe it to be crucial that you make sure your industrial painter follows suit.

Is your pipeline painter digitally savvy?

As we’re all probably aware, there’s not much bigger in technology right now than the iPad. At Thomas Industrial Coatings, we use TruQC, a job-site documentation app for the iPad, to streamline the stacks of paperwork associated with a given job-site. You can read a case study about it here, but in short, this iPad app helps make a project more efficient and successful for us, and more importantly, it make a project better for our clients.

When hiring an industrial painter, inquire about the role that digital tools play in their toolbox and ask how you can monitor a project as it progresses. It’s “your” money being spent – you deserve to be constantly aware of what’s going on.

Technology is just one piece of the pipeline and penstock puzzle

While we’ve invested in technology since day one, it alone isn’t enough. The latest and greatest innovation is useless unless used properly and by highly skilled craftsmen.

We employ top-notch technology for our teams of pipe coating experts so they can do their jobs at the highest level possible. That’s the biggest key to our success. When hiring a team, ask to meet the people who will be working on your job. You deserve to know who will be responsible for your project’s success.

Meet pipeline and penstock coatings specialist, Eric Nenninger

With more and more industrial coating work being generated in the pipeline and penstock markets, this month, we wanted to feature one of our pipeline coatings specialists. Eric Nenninger has been with Thomas Industrial Coatings since 2005. He carries a broad list of certifications, serving as a NACE Level 3 Coating Inspector, an SSPC PCI Level 3 Certified Inspector and SSPC QP: Quality Control Supervisor.

How long have you been at Thomas Industrial Coatings?
I’ve been at Thomas for 7 years now.

What’s your role as a pipeline coatings guy?
I’m Thomas Industrial Coatings Regional Manager for the northern region of the Midwest.

Where’s your stomping ground?
I’m from the St. Louis area, but for the last several years, I’ve been bouncing around northern Illinois, including Chicago where I’m based. Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas – all part of my territory.

Your day-to-day at Thomas Industrial Coatings…
I oversee industrial painting projects for pipelines and penstocks from start to finish. I visit sites, perform visual inspections and keep everything running nice and smooth.

What makes Thomas Industrial Coatings different?
Thomas is unique because we’re a top five industrial painter in the United States but still have managed to retain that family-run atmosphere. Everyone enjoys working with each other and cares enough to make sure that we all live up to our standards of quality. This isn’t by accident though. This is by careful design. It’s a work environment we all care about greatly, so we hard hard to maintain it.

Tell us about your current pipeline coating project
Pipeline coatings and penstock painting is definitely a large part of what I do. I’m actually working on a penstock coatings project with Minnesota Power and Light right now. It’s a great project and is one I’m really enjoying.

How about when you’re not working?
It’s getting a little cold now but I enjoy training for triathlons.

If you could have dinner with three people, who would they be?
My wife, George Washington and Joe Montana.

4 considerations for safer pipeline and penstock coatings projects

Working on penstock and pipeline coatings projects comes with a unique set of safety hurdles that we have to consider. While we may not be 100 feet in the air, safety concerns run the gamut for coating pipelines.

Here are four key considerations that we as industrial painters should always work to keep top-of-mind when approaching a pipeline coating job.

1. Moving vehicles

First of all, it’s easy to forget that pipelines also often need to be coated on the inside. One of the largest concerns for internal pipeline coating is potentially being struck by a vehicle in a large pipe setting. Getting blindsided is hazardous at street level, not even considering the added complications of being on the inside of a pipeline.

2. Falling debris

Another common risk that is amplified for pipeline coatings is falling debris. All of our job-sites require hard hats, and pipeline job-sites are certainly no exception. The cylindrical nature of pipes and penstocks means that debris can come from any angle. And debris coming from any angle means a much increased risk of danger.

3. Safe evacuation routes

When it comes to pipelines already in use, stopping the flow of whatever the pipe is used for is a significant concern. Plugging the flow within a pipeline means that there is an immense pressure continuing to build. Not only must we be cognisant of this, we also must make sure that there are safe evacuation routes for all in the tunnel.

4. Fresh air

Just as there must be secondary entries and exits for the safety of everyone inside the pipeline, alternate air sources are a nonnegotiable. Fresh air is always a concern when painting, even in our homes. Magnify that with the closed in surroundings of a pipe, and a very dangerous situation is at hand. Sourcing clean air for pipeline coatings is a top priority.

Safer for everyone

Industrial pipeline coatings certainly isn’t the easiest job on the planet. But by us keeping our team safe while they do a quality job, pipelines become safer for everyone. At Thomas Industrial Coatings, we work hard to keep our team as safe as they can be. We hope you, fellow industrial painters, will work to do the same.

Pipeline coatings improve pipeline safety

New legislation is making pipeline safety the law in California. Three new bills were signed in to law mandating safe practices for the natural gas pipeline industry. In recent years, pipeline accidents have been far too common, negatively impacting many families and communities. These new laws are a huge step in the right direction – towards safety.

“Better pipeline coatings are just one aspect of overall pipeline safety and health,” said Eric Nenninger, a pipeline specialist at Thomas Industrial Coatings. “Build-quality and inspecting for build-quality is where pipeline safety starts. Accidents often arise from mistakes so minimizing the risk for oversight before we even start coating always creates a better end result.”

While the pipeline industry is unique, it’s also like all other industries – it can never be too safe. Safety is a continual loop that starts with quality construction. A solid pipeline, from pipe walls to welds, needs an equally solid coating. Pipeline coatings help extend the healthy life-cycle for the entire pipeline. Mistakes in the early stages of construction and coating will leave pipeline maintenance on the defense. Ensuring quality from the start leaves room for preventative maintenance, always creating a safer, stronger pipeline.

There have been numerous pipeline failures and resulting explosions that led to the push for this legislation. As noted in this article from PaintSquare, the laws call for simple and clear change.

AB-578 requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to adopt gas pipeline safety recommendations made by the NTSB.
AB-861 prohibits a public utility from either cutting spending on operations and maintenance or increasing rates to recover expenses that were used to pay executive bonuses.
AB-1546 requires the CPUC to adopt performance metrics for pipeline safety and evaluate the state’s gas utilities against those metrics. The commission will be able to levy penalties on the utility for poor performance.

These laws will ultimately result in a safer infrastructure, something everyone will benefit from. Read the full article on the legislation from our friends at PaintSquare.