Overview
EN ISO 18797-1:2017 (ISO 18797-1:2016) is a CEN-adopted international standard for external corrosion protection of risers in the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries. It defines minimum requirements for the selection, application and verification of elastomeric coating systems based on polychloroprene or EPDM for steel riser pipes used in the splash zone, including field joints and clamps/guides. The standard applies to new construction and repairs performed before installation and also covers transportation, handling and storage of pipes and coated components.
Key Topics and Requirements
EN ISO 18797-1:2017 covers practical, technical and quality aspects of riser pipe external coatings:
- Materials: selection, packaging, handling and storage requirements for polychloroprene/EPDM coating materials and primers.
- Surface preparation: abrasive blast cleaning, contaminant removal and repair of pipe imperfections prior to coating.
- Application: priming, coating placement, vulcanization procedures, manual application details for clamps/guides and flange areas, and field joint coating methods.
- Inspection & testing: mandatory inspection protocols and tests including visual inspection, holiday detection, coating thickness, adhesion (bond) tests, hardness, ultrasonic and sound testing.
- Elastomer property testing: tensile/tear strength, elongation at break, compression set, abrasion resistance, ozone resistance, specific gravity, rheological and vulcanization characteristics, cathodic disbondment, volume resistivity and resistance to seawater.
- Handling, transport & storage: requirements for movement and storage of bare and prepared/coated riser pipes.
- Qualification & quality: qualification of applicators/inspection personnel, documentation, test reports, batch certificates and acceptance/rejection criteria.
- Repair & maintenance scope: repair of coating damage and acceptance criteria (note: maintenance and on-site field repairs are addressed in ISO 18797-2).
Applications and Users
This standard is intended for organizations and professionals involved in offshore and nearshore riser systems, including:
- Pipeline and riser engineers specifying external corrosion protection.
- Coating manufacturers and suppliers of polychloroprene/EPDM systems.
- Fabrication yards applying or repairing riser coatings prior to installation.
- Inspection, QA/QC and third-party testing bodies performing acceptance testing.
- Procurement and HSE teams managing transport, storage and handling procedures.
Adoption of EN ISO 18797-1:2017 helps ensure consistent, verifiable coating performance in the aggressive splash-zone environment, reducing corrosion risk and supporting lifecycle integrity of risers.
Related Standards
- ISO 18797-2 - covers maintenance requirements and field repairs of elastomeric coatings (referenced for in-service repair procedures).
- Developed by ISO/TC 67 and adopted by CEN as EN ISO 18797-1:2017.
