RSP sees better market response for coated pipes

Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP), the only unit of Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) producing specialised steel, sees better market response for coated pipes.

The company recently despatched a consignment of coated pipes to NTPC MUNPL (Meja Urja Nigam Pvt Ltd), a subsidiary of the power producer. The total order quantity was for 56.5 km (15,080 tonne) of coated pipes and two km (534 tonne) of bare SW (stoneware) pipes. The company had bagged the contract through international competitive bidding.

The product of the pipe coating plant of RSP is creating a niche in the coated pipe market. The unit is likely to bag another order of about 3,500 tonne from NTPC, Nabi Nagar, an RSP release stated.

This is the first such order in the current fiscal for the coated pipe unit, established in 2009. Last year, an order of 600 tonne of coated pipes for Kolkata Municipal Corporation was delivered.

The coating plant has been setup in collaboration with Socotherm SpA, Italy which provided technological know-how for applying coatings on external surface of the pipes.

RSP expects that units engaged in transportation of oil and gas can be its potential customers.

Pipelines carrying hazardous materials, especially oil and gas need protective coating both on the inside and outside of the pipelines to combat the corrosive nature of the harsh outer environment and the derivatives of the load to be transported. The three-layer system of the RSP coating plant uses a co-polymer adhesive to provide excellent shear properties and an epoxy layer which provides corrosion resistance, it said.

Coatings on pipes are intended to form a continuous film of an electrical insulation material over the metallic surface. The function of such a coating is to isolate the metal from direct contact with the electrolyte, interposing a high electrical resistance so that electrochemical reactions do not occur.