Why are 3PE-coated steel pipes trusted by major engineering projects?
Release time:
2021-03-20
Why are 3PE anti-corrosion steel pipes highly trusted by major engineering projects? Today, let’s talk about the difference between 3PE anti-corrosion steel pipes—which have a protective coating on their exterior—and ordinary steel pipes that lack such a protective layer.
Why 3PE anti-corrosion steel pipe Highly trusted by major engineering projects? Then today, let’s talk about the difference between 3PE anti-corrosion steel pipes—those with a protective coating on the outside—and ordinary steel pipes that lack such a protective layer.
3PE anti-corrosion steel pipes typically consist of a three-layer structure: the first layer is an epoxy powder coating (FBE > 100 μm); the second layer is an adhesive (AD) measuring 170–250 μm; and the third layer is polyethylene (PE) ranging from 2.5 to 3.7 mm. In actual production, these three materials are blended and integrated into a single unit, then processed to ensure a strong bond with the steel pipe, forming an excellent anti-corrosion coating. The processing methods generally fall into two categories: wrap-around and rotary-mold coating.
The 3PE anti-corrosion steel pipe coating—also known as the three-layer polyethylene anti-corrosion coating—is a new type of anti-corrosion steel pipe coating that ingeniously combines Europe’s 2PE anti-corrosion layer with the widely used epoxy powder anti-corrosion coating for steel pipes (FBE) commonly employed in North America. It has been recognized and utilized worldwide for over a decade.
The coating of 3PE anti-corrosion steel pipes consists of an epoxy powder anti-corrosion coating in direct contact with the steel pipe surface as the inner layer, a copolymer adhesive with branched functional groups as the intermediate layer, and a high-density polyethylene anti-corrosion coating as the outer layer.
The 3PE anti-corrosion coating combines the excellent impermeability and superior mechanical properties of epoxy resin and polyethylene materials. To date, it is globally recognized as a highly effective and high-performance pipeline anti-corrosion coating, and as such, it has been widely adopted in numerous engineering projects.
From this, we can see that the key difference lies in the fact that 3PE anti-corrosion steel pipes have an additional epoxy powder layer. Epoxy powder boasts excellent corrosion resistance, superior mechanical properties, and strong resistance to cathodic disbonding. Although it has certain drawbacks—such as stringent surface preparation requirements, poor weather resistance, and a relatively high water absorption rate—3PE anti-corrosion (three-layer polyethylene) technology is an advanced anti-corrosion technique introduced from abroad in the late 1990s. Its full name is "fusion-bonded epoxy/extruded polyethylene composite protective coating." The 3PE anti-corrosion technology integrates the outstanding performance of both epoxy coatings and extruded polyethylene anti-corrosion layers, combining the interfacial characteristics and chemical resistance of epoxy coatings with the mechanical protection advantages of extruded polyolefin anti-corrosion layers, thereby significantly enhancing the performance of each component. Its key features include: high mechanical strength, excellent wear resistance, superior corrosion resistance, heat resistance, cold resistance, and the ability to function effectively in media up to 150°C. It is also well-suited for use in cold climates. Therefore, the 3PE anti-corrosion coating is an ideal external protective layer for buried pipelines, and pipelines protected by the 3PE anti-corrosion technology can have a service life of up to 50 years.
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