The pipeline doesn't end at the factory
A 3LPE-coated pipe leaves our plant fully protected — but only between the bevels. Once the line is being laid in the trench, every welded girth joint creates a 30 cm bare-steel zone that needs the same level of corrosion protection as the mainline. That's the field joint, and getting it wrong is the single most common cause of premature pipeline failure.
Our field joint coating service deploys certified applicators and mobile equipment to your site to seal every weld with a system fully compatible with the mainline coating.
What the FJC service includes
- Site mobilization — applicators, blasting equipment, induction heaters, sleeve stocks
- Surface preparation — power-tool or abrasive blasting to Sa 2½ at the joint
- Coating application — heat-shrinkable sleeve (HSS), liquid epoxy or visco-elastic tape per spec
- Quality verification — DFT measurement, holiday detection, peel-back testing
- Documentation — applicator qualification records, batch traceability per joint
Joint protection systems we deploy
For 3LPE / 3LPP mainlines: three-layer heat-shrinkable sleeves with epoxy primer, hot-melt adhesive and cross-linked polyolefin backing.
For FBE-coated lines: two-layer or three-layer HSS depending on temperature class.
For complex geometries / valves: liquid-epoxy field-kit (two-component, 100%-solids).
For irregular surfaces / no-blast access: visco-elastic tape with mechanical outer wrap.
Standards we apply to
- ISO 21809-3 — field-joint coatings for buried/subsea pipelines
- NACE SP0490 — heat-shrinkable sleeves on pipelines
- EN 12068 — pipeline joint coatings
- DNV-RP-F102 — pipeline field-joint coating qualification
- DOT/PHMSA specifications for North-American export projects
Service options
Plant-and-go HSS supply — we ship the sleeves to your contractor's installation crew with installation procedure documentation.
Full-service FJC — our certified applicator team comes to site, blasts, coats and certifies every joint with QC sign-off.
Robotic FJC — for offshore lay-barge or large-diameter onshore projects, we deploy automated FJC stations (see our separate Robotic Field Joint Coating service).
Buyer's questions
How long does each joint take? With HSS: 15-25 minutes per joint (heat, position, shrink, inspect). With liquid epoxy: 30-45 minutes including cure waiting time. Robotic systems are faster on large diameters.
Do you supply the equipment? Yes — induction heaters, blasting kit, holiday detectors and sleeve stocks all come with our applicator team. Power and water need to be provided on-site.
What about subsea joints? Subsea field joints use specialized injection-moulded polyurethane systems and pre-fab moulds. We supply both materials and certified deepwater applicators.
