3lpe external coated pipe is a three layer protective coated pipe. The three layers have specific functions.Reliable Pipes Tubes Ltd. is a leading manufacturer and supplier of these 3lpe external coated pipe products in various grades of steels and in various grades of coatings. The first layer is in touch with the metal surface and it has to bond with the surface. This is made up of fusion bonded epoxy resin. The second layer of the 3lpe external coating is an adhesive that has excellent bonding by means of chemical reaction with the inner layer of epoxy and the third layer that is polyethylene.
The third layer avoid completely the contact with outer environment. The first and second layers in the 3lpe external coating pipeline make sure that the third layer stays in place no matter what the extend of corrosion or stress presented is. The coating can be used as internal coating or as external coating. The three layer protection prevents even the most corrosive grades of steel. The three layer external polyethylene pipe coatings are expensive than pipes without coating but they also avoid the need for higher grade steels and alloys like the nickel alloys and titanium alloys to stand in the applications. By doing this, the three layer external pe pipe coating makes the pipes cost effective and long lasting.
The 3LPE system can be applied in a wide range of thicknesses to meet project specifications and requirements. The 3LPE System achieves superior long term corrosion resistance and excellent mechanical protection for small and large diameter pipelines operating at high temperature thanks to strong adhesion of FBE to steel and the tough outer layer of high density polyethylene.
The three coating layers in 3-LPE coated pipe are as follows:
Layer 1: This is the corrosion protective layer. This layer is of fusion bonded epoxy which offers very good corrosion protection. The fusion bonded epoxy has a very good bonding with the blasted steel surface.
Layer 2: This layer is the copolymer adhesive. The copolymer adhesive is a maleic anhydride grafted polyethylene compound. This material has good chemical bonding to the fusion bonded epoxy and the top layer polyethylene.
Layer 3: This layer is for physical protection and consists of polyethylene. Since the copolymer adhesive and polyethylene are similar, they bond well with each other