DragX is a novel surface treatment system for pipeline integrity, which utilizes nanocomposite technology to create a durable, low-friction internal surface that provides flow assurance, and prevents corrosion, deposition & adhesion. DragX can lower operations costs, maintenance costs and pipeline down-time.
How DragX Works
DragX is an omniphobic, nanocomposite surface treatment that eliminates the need for costly inhibitors and injection of chemicals to assist in flow assurance. The nanotechnology create a smooth internal surface that actively prevents deposition & adhesion of materials like paraffin & black powder build-up.
Diverse Applications
DragX surface treatment is suitable for a wide range of pipe systems, including varying sizes, geometries, materials, transported fluids, etc.
A complete application method for all lengths of in-situ pipeline
DragX application minimizes down times and maximizes cost savings for all flow regimes and products. Benefits include increased efficiency & throughput, reduced pressure drop & power usage, mitigation of corrosion on internal pipe surfaces, reduction in adhesion of debris & paraffin, and reduced need for inspections, cleaning & maintenance. On heavily corroded lines, DragX could reduce the pressure drop losses by a factor of 2.
Read more about DragX in the January 2018 issue of Material Performance magazine, click below to view & download the magazine. (Article begins on PDF page 20)
Materials Performance Magazine, Jan 2018
Featured in Materials Performance Magazine's January issue
``In Situ-Applied Nanocomposite Surface Treatment for Pipeline Repair`` by MP Magazine's Ben DuBose; download link to the left.
Faster Pigging & Less Frequent Scrapping
DragX uses advanced pigging solutions for applying the surface treatment uniformly on long, pipeline segments - utilizing a 72-hour pot-life combined with cure times between coats of just 30-90 minutes and full cure times in 12-24 hours.
A Revolutionary In-situ Surface Treatment
In field trials, DragXTM could reduce pressure drop within a treated line by up to 25% when applied to a relatively clean, lightly corroded line. In comparison, traditional mechanical pigging and cleaning can only achieve improvement of 10% and this effect is only temporary.
DragX Development
The underlying surface-modification nanotechnology developed for DragX was created with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), U.S. National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). DragX exhibits a pot-life of more than 70 hours, is effective at thicknesses of only 2mil, and cures in less than one hour. These attributes in the nanocomposite surface treatment make DragX an ideal solution for in-service pipelines, reducing costs and minimizing pipeline down time.
DragX has undergone successful testing by Test America, Inc. with support of the EPA for application to potable water lines and delivered successful, well-below containminant results for EPA Method 524.2: Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), EPA Method 525.2: Semi-Volatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs), and EPA Method 200.8: Lead/Copper.
Tests at Colorado School of Mines, in conjunction with the RPSEA program with the NETL, showed excellent asphaltene repellency and anti-hydrate plugging performance. Results on asphaltene repellency showed that DragX was 6x better than raw pipe and 5x better than an omniphobic alternative.
Learn More
Developed with support from:
PUBLICATIONS
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
2021-12-30
In-situ Pipeline Coatings for Methane Emissions Mitigations and Quantification from Natural Gas Pipelines
U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory
2021-08-24
In-Situ Pipeline Coatings for Methane Emissions Mitigation and Quantification from Natural Gas Pipelines
Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, Texas, USA, May 2022: OTC-32059-MS
2022-04-25
Scale-Up and Modeling Efforts Using an Omniphobic Surface Treatment for Mitigating Solids Deposition
NACE CORROSION 2018, Phoenix, Arizona, USA, April 2018: NACE-2018-11373
2018-04-15
Scale-Up and Modeling Efforts Using an Omniphobic Surface Treatment for Mitigating Solids Deposition
Surface Treatment Videos
Oceanit's nanocomposite surface treatments impart valuable attributes such as hydrophobicity, oleophobicity, ice & deposition repellency, corrosion & erosion prevention, and bio-growth release.
Pressure Loss Calculator
Use the calculator to see the difference in pressure drop with and without DragX for your pipeline.
Pressure Drop / Friction Loss (psi)
Note: The calculations available on this web site are for informational purposes only and not to be used or shared without the approval from a member of the DragX team. The friction loss calculator is intended to be a basic tool for estimating friction losses in piping systems and uses the Hazen Williams Equation.
Get in touch about Oceanit products
If you have any questions about DragX, please send us a message using the form to the right.
To learn more about any of Oceanit’s other functional coatings & surface treatments, or our any of our other products, please visit Oceanit’s corporate website.
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