Anti-Aging Solutions Extend the Life of Oil & Gas Infrastructure Safely and Efficiently
Keeping critical infrastructure operational as it continues to age is one of the key challenges facing the oil and gas industry today
While the context is very different, the challenge is not unfamiliar—much like anti‑aging strategies, the focus is not on stopping time, but on managing its effects and extending performance.
Yet across many oil and gas facilities worldwide, pipelines, tanks, refineries and industrial plants are operating beyond their original design life, becoming increasingly exposed to risk as they age. For asset integrity and maintenance teams, the role is not just about maintenance – it is about planning and strategic investment in technologies that keep these essential assets running safely and reliably for decades to come.
Recent global events reinforce just how important this challenge has become: the world cannot afford the failure of its energy infrastructure.
Operators know the consequence of failure. Unplanned downtime at oil and gas facilities can exceed $500,000 per hour, while a single major pipeline failure can disrupt supply chains and cost billions. Long-term reliability depends on selecting technologies that perform under real operating conditions, allow assets to remain in service, and address degradation mechanisms before they compromise integrity.
FORWARD THINKING
Reactive maintenance has to become a thing of the past, we need to look at our infrastructure as a complete system instead of individual parts. Operators need confidence that their assets will perform not just today, but decades into the future. Achieving this means preventing corrosion before it starts, sealing leaks quickly when they occur and reinforcing structures to safely extend service life. It also means reducing complexity by aligning solutions across the asset lifecycle – from Capex through to Opex – rather than managing multiple disconnected providers.
The Infrastructure Protection and Repair platform within Henkel is designed to support this integrated approach. Founded in 1876, Henkel is a global leader with a strong commitment to innovation, sustainability and customer centric solutions. The platform brings together the capabilities of Seal For Life Industries, CSNRI and LOCTITE, each offering technologies that support infrastructure protection across the entire value chain – upstream, midstream and downstream.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IN PRACTICE FOR OPERATORS?
Working with a single provider means fewer contact points and allows solutions to be integrated where suitable, reducing unnecessary work and avoiding delays in operations. These brands also bring along with them an extensive track record with decades of field experience.
Planned correctly, this integrated approach reduces downtime, lowers total cost of ownership while keeping people, assets and the environment safe.
CASE IN POINT: MASCOAT
A terminal operator needed to keep a volatile product close to ambient temperature while protecting tank roofs from corrosion. Solar heat gain was raising internal temperatures, while complex geometry and foot traffic made traditional insulation impractical. Mascoat DTI, a spray applied insulating coating, provided a seamless solution that eliminated corrosion under insulation risk. Applied at just 40 mils, it reduced solar loading and is now a standard specification across the terminal.
CASE IN POINT: CSNRI
An inspection of a 36-inch natural gas pipeline in the USA identified corrosion and pitting at a girth weld. As the line had to remain in service, a no hot work repair was required. CSNRI recommended the Atlas carbon fibre composite repair system to restore the pipeline to maximum operating pressure without shutdown. Installation took approximately 2.5 hours, with full cure achieved within eight hours, safely returning the pipeline to service without disruption.
CASE IN POINT: STOPAQ
A recently constructed LNG terminal had seen premature coating failure on the piles of the jetty, the existing coatings were flaking off and the client was looking for an easy to install corrosion preventative system that could be applied while terminal operations continued. With minimum surface preparation and no mixing or curing time required between layers, the application of the STOPAQ WSH system was immediate and compatible with application both above and below water. Long term protection complete.
LOOKING AHEAD
Infrastructure continues to age and operating conditions will always be demanding, meaning smarter future strategies are critical.. The examples highlighted here show that long-term performance is not achieved through reactive fixes, but through technologies designed to perform under real world conditions from day one. Rather than replacing assets, a more sustainable approach focuses on repair and reinforcement, extending service life so that materials can remain in use for longer, reducing the demand for new resources.
By combining proven solutions, deep expertise and a lifecycle approach to protection and repair, Henkel helps operators move from short term maintenance to long term confidence – ensuring they remain safe, reliable and operational long into the future, for the good of generations to come.
Much like the search for anti-aging solutions in the consumer world, time cannot be stopped. The risks can be mitigated, allowing infrastructure to continue performing well beyond its original design life.