I-Rod^® Strips

For elimination of corrosion problems at pipe supports
in conjunction with Deepwater Corrosion Inc.

I-Rod is a durable thermoplastic used to prevent corrosion problems at Pipe Supports

Product Overview

Corrosion at pipe supports is one of the leading causes of process piping failures. Not surprisingly, it is the beam supports and saddle clamps that have historically caused the majority of problems. They have the following undesirable features in common:

Crevices – the formation of a crevice at the pipe surface.
Water Entrapment – water is trapped and held in constant contact with the pipe surface.
Poor Inspectability – these supports are virtually impossible to paint or maintain otherwise; visual inspections and NDT are often difficult.
Galvanic Couples – even when both the pipe and the support are the same steel, the metallurgical differences can still provide enough potential to drive a galvanic corrosion cell.

The solution is I-Rod. I-Rod is a durable thermoplastic, extruded and cut into a half round rod. It is the key component in all of Deepwater’s I-Rod brand pipe supports. It is available in 10 foot lengths, or cut-and-drilled (which mirrors the Nu-Bolt™ assembly component.) for use with standard size pipe U-bolts.

There are three different diameter sizes for I-Rod (0.75 in, 1 in, and 1.5 in) as well as a high-temperature version for process piping that operates above 200 °F

Applications

Beam and Saddle supports
I-Rod was designed specifically to be cut and drilled to fit standard pipe u-bolts. It can be bought either cut-and-drilled, or in 10 foot, half-round lengths. This makes it ideal for standard beam support points on process piping runs. For pipe cradles and saddle-style supports, where the standard half round rod doesn't fit, we have designed the I-Clip from the same I-Rod thermoplastic material to snap directly into the cradle.

Beam dressing
An effective way to apply I-Rod is to lay the rod material in continuous lengths across the upper flange of a pipe support beam. This allows flexibility when installing pipes, for both location and size. It also provides a low friction interface for skidding pipe into position. The rod may be secured to the beam with special double-sided tape or by bolting.

I-Rod is available in 10 ft. lengths or pre-cut-and-drilled for any standard pipe U-bolt.

Main Benefits

Half-round shape

The half-round shape minimizes contact between the pipe and the support, eliminating the crevice. Keeping water out keeps corrosion at bay.

Maintenance

I-Rod also provides an electrically isolated stand-off between the pipe and the supporting beam or saddle clamp. This allows for easy maintenance and inspection, while preventing galvanic corrosion between dissimilar metals (the pipe and support).

Durability

I-Rod also has excellent compressive strength and a very low friction coefficient. This makes I-Rod ideal as a beam dressing, and pipe damage during new construction is reduced when I-Rod is present to assist in pipe fitting.

Be aware of imposters

Other products used to mimic I-Rod have been the cause of many problems. Each batch of authentic I-Rod has a batch number printed directly on the surface, and only licensed Deepwater agents like Alduco are authorized to sell I-Rod. Go to www.stoprust.com for a list of approved agents.

This imposter product fails under the weight of the pipe,
others may be crushed completely.