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Innovative.
Economical.
Environmental.

Darrel Jarvis: The Inventor of Drag'N Skin

Drag'N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection Applied to a Pipeline on site

The History of Drag’N Skin

The History of Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection Before trenchless boring, open cutting was the primary way of laying pipelines in the ground. Digging from

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What Is Drag'N Skin?

Drag’N Skin is an ingenious patented product and process that protects virtually all pipeline coating, including plastic, fibreglass, or steel pipe. This highly durable fabric external sleeve has been developed for coating pipe specifically for Trenchless Pipeline Boring Applications. Drag’N Skin is a circular woven, tear and acid-resistant, high-strength polyester-based fabric sleeve that can be applied over virtually any pipe coating including Fusion Bond Epoxy coating (FBE coating), 3-Layer Polypropylene coating (3LPP coating), Yellow Jacket coating, and more using our proprietary Sleeve Ring.

Field tests and ongoing pipeline installations have proven Drag’N Skin very effective at protecting pipeline coating in rocky terrain, under rivers, roads, railway beds, etc. The textile strength of Drag’N Skin has been tested to 18,750 PSI at the University of Alberta Strength of Materials Laboratory. Drag’N Skin has proved to assist in protecting the pipe coating from rock abrasion and gouging – hence minimizing external corrosion and eliminating premature replacement of the damaged pipe. With today’s ongoing environmental concerns, Drag’N Skin’s process helps mitigate this challenge to the oil & gas sector.

Drag'N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection
Drag'N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection Successful pullback - checking coating for damage after washing Drag'nSkin off

Why Drag'N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection is Essential

A coating with exceptional barrier properties is required to prevent corrosion-related oil and gas pipeline failures. A coating must be used to minimize the risk of corrosion-inducing elements like oxygen and water. Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection is a highly innovative product designed to protect the pipe’s coating during and after trenchless boring. It gives additional protection to the coating from water and oxygen. Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection has incredible protective qualities, such as providing a barrier between the pipe coating and external elements, being low-maintenance, and enabling pipeline personnel to install pipelines with minimal disruption to the surrounding environment.

When pipe coatings such as Cathodic Protection or Fusion Bonded Epoxy (FBE) are used, Drag’N Skin Pipeline Protection Coating is essential to protecting the investment of these protective coatings. Because the sleeve is highly durable and has a resistant end-cap coating, it can withstand the subsurface abrasion that the pipe endures during the boring process. This preserves the pipe’s coating and adds an extra layer of protection against oxygen, water, and other damaging subsurface materials.

Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection is quick and easy to apply. To protect the investment of the pipeline coating, whether it be installing Cathodic Protection or applying Fusion Bonded Epoxy, it is worth using Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection to ensure the coating will be intact when it comes through to the boring machine. 

Protection For Pipeline Coating

In the past, lengthy delays in the pipeline installation process would cause frustration for pipeline personnel because when trenchless boring was required, costly trenchless specialists needed to be available. This sparked the idea for a product like Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection, which eventually came about through many designs, testing, and field tests.

 

Drag’N Skin uses a specially designed proprietary sleeve ring and coupler to fasten it into place, protecting the coating of pipe made of plastic, fibreglass, and steel pipe when trenchless boring is required in areas like under roadbeds, railroad right of ways, sloughs, lakes, rivers, or other sensitive areas.

 

Field testing has proved the reliability and durability of Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection in rock terrain. Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection was tested at the University of Alberta’s Strengths of Materials Lab in Edmonton, Alberta, and it was shown to have a tensile strength of 18,750 PSI.

 

Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection is a circular woven polyester treated with an end cap coating that virtually encapsulates every fibre giving it superior abrasion resistance. There are several benefits to using Drag’N Skin, including eliminating external corrosion due to rock damage and other subsurface materials, removing costly downtime and cost savings over the traditional approach to trenchless boring. The fact that there is little concern about the pipe’s coating post-drag is another benefit. Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection is also quick and easy to install, which significantly saves time and money.

How Drag'N Skin Works

The first step in getting Drag’N Skin on the pipe is by feeding the fabric through the sleeve ring. The end of the fabric sleeve is then cut into four even strips and secured through the slots in the sleeve ring. At this point, the sleeve ring can be pulled over the length of the pipe and attached to the coupler assembly. The bolt holes are prepared using the alignment marks on the coupler. The bolts are then secured in a specific order to ensure even pressure. Go to the Installation Page for a more detailed description of the installation process.

Drag'N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection Proprietary Sleeve Ring
A clear view of the proprietary sleeve ring with fabric strips that have been fed through its slots.
Drag'N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection Coupler
Drag'N Skin couplers ready to secure the sleeve to the pipe.

The Difference When Using Drag'N Skin

When it comes to pipeline coating protection, no other product can offer what Drag’N Skin does. The pictures below show the results of a simple test. A piece of PVC pipe was dragged along a gravel road; part of it had Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection covering it, and the other was exposed to the gravel. The length of pipe that Drag’N Skin protected has its pipe coating completely intact. This was a basic experiment to show the difference that Drag’N Skin Pipeline Coating Protection makes in protecting the pipe’s coating. But the testing and field testing that has also been performed on Drag’N Skin has been extensive to ensure that it can withstand the intense abrasion it is exposed to during the boring process. The pipeline coating protection is superior, creating many benefits to boring contractors.

A pipe that was protected from subsurface materials by Drag'N Skin Pipeline Protection Coating

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For more photos of Drag’N Skin please visit our Photos Page.