Oppanol® - a bandage against rust - Performance Chemicals

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OPPANOL ®
A BANDAGE AGAINST RUST
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OPPANOL
A bandage against rust
A bandage that can seal up a pipeline With the BASF polyisobutene (PIB) product Oppanol ® , this is not a
dream but already reality. Over the past few years, the Dutch firm Stopaq Europe B.V., a BASF customer,
has developed an adhesive band that employs Oppanol as the main constituent. This product protects
pipelines from corrosion and hairline cracks. The Stopaq ® Wrapping Band can reliably seal all defects, even
the smallest ones, since the polymer makes the surface completely impermeable to water and gases.
“From the desert to the Arctic Sea, PIB remains flexible under
any climatic conditions. For this reason, insulating tape
made from Oppanol is suitable for the sheathing of pipelines
on every continent,” explains Dr. Erwin Czech, BASF
Sales Manager for polyisobutene in Europe. Moreover, the
polymer is nontoxic and so poses no risk to the employees
who wrap the adhesive tape around the pipelines. “Normally,
pipelines are sealed with an epoxy resin lacquer,”
continues Czech. “This lacquer raises health concerns, while
at the same time, the solvents in the unprotected lacquer
can simply evaporate in the heat of Saudi Arabia. Climatized
tents therefore have to be set up over the pipelines when
mending work is being carried out— this is unnecessary
with the Stopaq Wrapping Band.”
In addition, grains of sand do not affect the function of this
“patch,” since Oppanol even adheres to extremely rough
surfaces. Should the occasional leak in the pipeline system
occur, the Oppanol self-healing effect is triggered automatically.
The flow properties of Oppanol ensure that even the
minutest of cracks is automatically closed up, and the pipe
remains sealed.
“From the desert to the Arctic Sea, PIB remains
flexible under any climatic conditions. For this
reason, insulating tape made from Oppanol is
suitable for the sheathing of pipelines on every
continent.”
Dr. Erwin Czech
Stopaq Wrapping Band, with BASF’s Oppanol as the main component,
keeps pipelines sealed and protects them from corrosion and hairline
cracks.
The insulating tape has been patented worldwide. True to the motto “We help our customers to be
more successful,” BASF supports Stopaq by helping to make their innovative product well known.
“We bring the advantages of the Wrapping Band over conventional systems to the attention of our
customers in the corrosion prevention industry,” emphasizes Czech. BASF also uses the insulating
tape at its own sites, for example in Antwerp, Belgium. There, all of the underground piping has long
been sheathed with Wrapping Band.

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“The impetus for developing Stopaq Wrapping Band originally
came from Shell,” recalls Frits Doddema, the Stopaq
export director. The petroleum company approached Stopaq
founder Frans Nooren in 1996 and asked him whether there
was any way in which Stopaq’s sealing material could be
used to prevent water seepage in cellars and protect pipelines
from rusting. Nooren searched for a suitable material
for this application and came up with Oppanol.
In the meantime, Stopaq has gained customers throughout
the world, primarily the Middle East. “In Saudi Arabia, we are
actually the sole supplier of corrosion prevention solutions
for all pipelines that run underwater — and that accounts for
more than half of the entire pipeline network in the country,”
states Doddema proudly.
Doddema sees the cooperation with BASF very positively.
“Good cooperation is an essential factor in our success.”
With BASF as a solid partner, Stopaq intends to expand its
future business activities still further toward Russia. “We are
constantly pursuing the further development of our products
and looking for possible new fields of application.”
“Stopaq has succeeded in combining the properties of a
tried and tested material such as Oppanol in new ways to
make it useful for innovative applications,” says Czech. “The
invention is a prime example of creativity.”
BASF Aktiengesellschaft
Stopaq Europe B.V.
“In Saudi Arabia, we are actually the sole supplier of
corrosion prevention solutions for all pipelines that run
underwater — and that accounts for more than half of the
entire pipeline network in the country.”
Frits Doddema

A successful cooperation:
Oppanol from
Wrapping Band from
BASF Aktiengesellschaft
Performance Chemicals for
Automotive and Refinery Industry
67056 Ludwigshafen
info-pib@basf.com
Visit our website
www.basf.com/pib
Stopaq Europe B.V.
Gasselterstraat 20
9503 JB Stadskanaal
The Netherlands
info@stopaq.com
www.stopaq.com
Statement of exclusion from liability
The data contained in this publication are based on our current knowledge and experience. In
view of the many factors that may affect processing and application of our product, these data
do not relieve processors from carrying out their own investigations and tests; neither do these
data imply any guarantee of certain properties, nor the suitability of the product for a specific
purpose. Any descriptions, drawings, photographs, data, proportions, weights, etc. given herein
may change without prior information and do not constitute the agreed contractual quality of the
product. It is the responsibility of the recipient of our products to ensure that any proprietary rights
and existing laws and legislation are observed. (3/2007)
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