Field Joint Coating for Total E&P in Bolivia's Andean Foothills

Part of the Peak Times Moments series — exploring the world's surfaces. This time, MontiPower® reports from Total E&P's facilities in far-away Bolivia, where surface preparation met the geological challenges of the Andean foothills.

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A field joint coating job for a supermajor

In December, Matservice Petróleo (MSP) performed a pipeline coating replacement for Total E&P Bolivia, one of the world's supermajor oil companies. The existing 3LPE coating needed to be removed and a Covalence Heat-Shrinkable Sleeve applied to the joints between pipelines — a so-called Field Joint Coating.

The context is significant. Total E&P had recently been involved in the installation of an international network spanning 3,150 km of natural gas pipelines, running all the way from Santa Cruz in Bolivia to Porto Alegre in Brazil. For this work, they opted for MontiPower® together with STOPAQ Seal for Life, the Bristle Blaster® and Covalence.

The coating job

The job was carried out by MSP's Cristhian Coarite — a Coating Inspector (NACE CIP Level 1) and MatService Petróleo's Technical Coordinator — alongside Coating Specialist Technician Marco Antonio Lora. Total E&P Bolivia's Integrity Supervisor, Ing. Freddy Columba, supervised the entire coating replacement and inspection process, and non-destructive testing confirmed the job's success.

Surface preparation

The first step was to determine the environmental conditions. A solvent (thinner) was then used to remove dust, dirt, moisture, grease and other contaminants from the exposed surface. The Bristle Blaster® was used to clean and prepare the surface, producing a finish corresponding to the SA 3 / SP 5 standard for white metal.

"The Bristle Blaster® was used to clean and prepare the surface."

Covalence Heat-Shrinkable Sleeve

To ensure proper adherence, the area was pre-heated and followed with an application of epoxy primer. Finally, a propane torch heated the three-layer sleeve and shrank it into place.

The results

Testing was carried out prior to coating application to prevent coating failure caused by salt contamination such as chlorides and sulphates. The key measured outcomes:

Salt contamination result	1.4 µg / cm²
Cleanliness achieved	SA 3 / SP 5
Roughness test value	68 µ

Total E&P Bolivia: overcoming the Andes

For MontiPower®, this job's significance comes down to the client. Total E&P is one of the seven biggest oil companies worldwide — the so-called supermajors — and has been involved in the exploration, production and transportation of natural gas in Bolivia since 1995.

One of its most notable projects has been overcoming the geological challenges of the Andes region while constructing the Incahuasi Plant. According to Marco Chávez, Operations Geologist at Total E&P, it was the steep and rugged nature of the Andean foothills that made the area so difficult to access — pipelines over 40-degree slopes were not uncommon, and the nearest major city, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, was five hours away.

"The nearest major city is five hours distant; success required innovative solutions."

Ultimately, Total E&P achieved its goal. The Incahuasi reservoir now sits 5,636 metres deep and the Incahuasi Plant is up and running, with a production capacity of 11 million cubic metres of gas per day. The plant processes hydrocarbon from four gas wells, after which a 160-km network of pipelines distributes it to meet domestic and international demand — production that Total E&P describes as vital to Bolivia's revenues.

A Peak Times Moment

For MontiPower®, the fact that a company with such extensive global activities chose the Bristle Blaster® is a significant endorsement. With Total E&P's presence across more than 130 countries, this could mark the start of growing demand for the Bristle Blaster® in Bolivia and beyond. Either way, the job was a great honour — capably handled by our much-appreciated partner, MSP.

Never a dull moment — always a Peak Times Moment.

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Planning field joint coating or pipeline surface preparation? Talk to our team about the Bristle Blaster® and how it performs in demanding field conditions.