Pipe Blasting

Pipes connect our world. Their applications are varied: as transport piping in the energy sector, in the industrial sector, or as construction elements. Modern coatings protect pipes sustainably against corrosion, and effective surface preparation is critical to ensure maximum coating performance.

Blasting is a process where small angular or spherical particles are propelled at a substrate by compressed air, mechanical high-speed rotating wheels, or water pumps. As part of the surface cleaning process, pipe blasting is used to remove rust and contaminations and to create the proper surface roughness and cleanliness for further treatment. This process is widely used because it is efficient, economical, and fast in comparison with conventional surface preparation processes such as manual cleaning and acid cleaning.

For pipe blasting, there are two main types: external blasting and internal blasting.

External Pipe Blasting

In the external blasting process, the pipe surface is generally blasted while being transported through a blast cabin. The surface blasting is accomplished by high-power mechanical blast wheels accelerating abrasives with high impact against the pipe surface. For external pipe blast machines, the abrasive is propelled by centrifugal turbines. The number of turbines of each machine depends on the size of the pipe to be blasted and the speed required for the process.

Internal Pipe Blasting

Pipe interiors are not easy to access while demanding a high degree of surface cleanliness prior to coating. This requires high-standard internal pipe blasting equipment. In the internal blasting process, a blast hose is fitted with a pipe tool, and the tool is withdrawn from one end of the pipe to the other. High blast technology should be applied, such as a 360° blasting stream to the inner wall, leaving a consistent blast pattern ready for any coating.

Technically speaking, internal pipe blasting equipment is divided into air blasting equipment and wheel blasting equipment. the air blasting equipment is mainly for small pipes which a diameter under 700mm, and it can blast processing up to 8 pieces at one time with automatic pipe handling systems. The wheel blasting equipment is mainly for big pipes which a diameter above 500mm, and it can only blast cleaning one piece at a time. So we need to select proper pipe blasting equipment per the pipe sizes.

BSTEC provides high-quality internal pipe blast tools coverage of pipe interiors size from 18mm to 900mm.