What Does
Wrapped Casing Mean?
Wrapped casings are a type of pipeline protection that consists of specially made polyethylene tape that is wound around the pipeline. The wrapped tape serves to provide long-term corrosion protection for underground piping as well as some degree of mechanical protection. Wrapped casings are commonly used in the oil and gas, potable water and wastewater industries and have been in use since the early 1950s.
Wrapped casings are also called cold tape wrapping or Polyethylene (PE) pipe wrapping.
Trenchlesspedia Explains Wrapped Casing
Wrapped casings are a form of field pipe coatings categorized as “over-the-ditch,” i.e., they may be applied at the site as opposed to an offsite workshop. They are typically installed on the pipeline via mechanized “line travel” machine units, which install tape while running along the axis of the pipe. Likewise, they may also be installed using manual methods.
Wrapped casings usually consist of three key elements:
- A primer, which creates a uniform smooth contact surface to facilitate proper adhesion and also inhibit corrosion
- An inner protective layer, which acts as a corrosion barrier
- An outer layer, which provides mechanical protection against damage due to backfilling and long-term rock penetration under soil loading