A History of Polyethylene Encasement for Corrosion Control on Iron Pipelines

Abstract Polyethylene encasement has been used to protect millions of feet of iron pipelines since its first use in 1958 in Lafourche Parish, LA. Since that time, in-service cast and ductile iron pipelines that were provided with polyethylene encasement have been investigated more than 100 times to determine the overall effectiveness of the method in protecting iron pipe. This paper will provide a description of the investigation protocols and provide a summary of the hundreds of such investigations, including soil characteristics, the length of time the pipe had been in service at the time of the investigation and the overall condition of the pipe at the time of the investigation.