A method for applying a coating to a defect area of a reactor component includes forming a patch on the reactor component at the defect area using a plasma-spray coating process. The plasma-spray coating process includes grounding the reactor component and a power supply of a plasma gun to a common ground such that a potential difference exists between the reactor component and a cathode of the plasma gun, and concurrently directing an ion-etching stream and a coating stream towards the region of the reactor component using the plasma gun while maintaining a desired distance between the plasma gun and the region of the reactor component. The directing the ion-etching stream includes heating the region of the reactor component using a plasma stream exiting a spray nozzle of the plasma gun. The coating stream includes droplets of a coating material.

Plasma spray coating for sealing a defect area in a workpiece

The failures of submarine pipelines in the North Sea, and the response of pipeline operators are first discussed. Against this background, the methods currently available for submarine pipeline repairs are reviewed. The Emergency Pipeline Repair Services available are described, and some future developments in the field of submarine pipeline repair are briefly outlined.

G. D. Wood

Papers

Pipeline Incidents and Emergency Repair in the North Sea