Offshore staff
IJMUIDEN, the Netherlands – DNV has awarded Strohm and Evonik full certification for a thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) development.
This confirms that the uni-directional carbon fiber PA12 tape VESTAPE PA12-CF (PA12) used for Strohm’s TCP is suitable for dynamic sweet and sour hydrocarbons, water, and gas injection applications, according to DNV-ST-F119.
The two companies have been working with the Netherlands Aerospace Centre (NLR) to develop, qualify, and supply PA12 for TCP applications following a five-year investment/testing program. Their main goal has been to demonstrate how the material affects the lifetime performance of TCP products operating in harsh chemical, thermal and mechanical environments.
They used NLR’s composite testing facilities for parallel dynamic and long-term testing in order to speed up the process compared to conventional sequential testing.
PA12 – a non-metallic, corrosion-resistant solution – incorporates carbon fibers which are said to provide strong resistance to fatigue-based failures, marking it suitable for dynamic applications ranging from jumpers to flowlines and risers.
The stiffness of carbon fibers and the load transfer capability of PA12 are also said to suit deepwater service and operating pressures of up to 700 bar (10,152 psi) and temperatures of up to 80°C (176°F). The material has been qualified for a lifespan of up to 30 years.
Further plans include expansion applications to hydrogen and carbon capture, utilization and storage.
Rens Ubels, principal project engineer at NLR, said: “Testing carbon reinforced, saturated, PA12 specimens in-situ in NORSOK fluid at elevated temperatures was quite a challenge. We successfully designed and built dedicated fatigue and stress rupture set-ups to be able to meet the test specifications and the safety and health regulations.”
01/11/2022
