Offshore staff
HOUSTON –3M will introduce Scotch High Strength Filament Tape 890HD at this year’s OTC. The cut and abrasion resistant polyester-based filament tape provides the strength and stretch needed to maintain the service life of the flexible pipeline.
The reinforced tape is used to contain the steel bands or wires used for armoring flexible flowlines, risers and umbilicals during manufacturing. This critical process step prevents the failure condition known as “birdcaging,” in which the helically-wound armoring materials expand outward. Birdcaging requires the production line to be shut down while the affected area is cut out.
3M says the tape is ideally suited for use in dynamic subsea applications, and incorporates higher denier glass yarn, which increases the tensile strength to 1200 lbs/in (21012 N/100mm), two times the tensile strength of 3M’s strongest product, Scotch High Strength Filament Tape 890.
Chad Henke, global business manager for 3M Industrial Adhesives and Tapes Division, said: “As market demand forces oil and gas exploration and drilling further offshore, the deeper and more hostile conditions offer greater operational challenges. Not only does the depth place extreme pressure and high tensile stress on the flexible pipeline, but prolonged operational shut downs also put throughput at risk. 890HD is a significant step in product innovation that addresses operational needs above and below the water surface.”
4/30/2012
