TESTING OF EPOXY ADHESIVES FOR A SPLASH-ZONE COATING RETROFIT SYSTEMFOR MARINE PIPELINE RISER APPLICATIONS

摘要

In the 1992/96 Joint Industry Project test program an epoxy adhesive was qualified, which was applicable andrncurable under water. However, it used a curative, which contained a man-made chemical called MDA (4,4'rnmethylenedianiline). The MDA-containing curative was shown to be carcinogenic and was later withdrawn fromrnthe market. After removal of the MDA and reformulation, application and performance properties of epoxies forrnunderwater application and curing were significantly affected.rnSince the reformulated epoxy adhesives did not meet the properties of the original (MDA-containing) adhesive,rnthe application process for the riser coating retrofit system was significantly affected. An extensive research andrntesting program was conducted recently to find a suitable and effective replacement.rnThis paper describes and discusses the testing methodology, which was used during the recent evaluation ofrnreplacement candidate epoxies.