摘要 |
A method of coating a field joint of a pipeline places at least one body having a thermoplastics material around the field joint. The body is heated in a mould cavity around the field joint to effect thermal expansion of the thermoplastics material. Thermal expansion of the body in the mould cavity is constrained to apply elevated pressure between the body and pipe sections joined at the field joint. The elevated pressure improves bonding and fusing between the body, which forms a field joint coating, and the parent coatings and the exposed pipe sections of the pipe joints. The body need not be fully molten, which reduces the mould residence time including in-mould heating and cooling phases. |