This paper relates to the expanding use of non-metallic materials in piping for the transport of oilfield fluids, onshore and offshore. Qualification processes for thermoplastic and composite pipework all involve long term stress rupture tests to establish a relationship between pressure and time to failure. These qualification tests are needed to account for particular long term failure process that occur in non-metallics, and are essential to the successful application of these materials. Uses of both thermoplastics and composites in several types of pipework are discussed. These include fibreglass pipe, spoolable thermosets, reinforced thermoplastic pipe, flexible risers, rigid risers and, finally, repair and rehabilitation.
Proc. 3rd Int. Conf. on ‘Composite materials for offshore operations-3 (CMOO-3)’, Houston, TX, USA, October–November 2000, University of Houston.
3.
Proc. 4th Int. Conf. on ‘Composite materials and structures for offshore operations (CMOO-4)’, Houston, TX, USA, October 2005, University of Houston.
4.
GibsonA G, ed (ed.): Proc. Conf. on ‘Offshore and marine composites’; 2000, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Conference Design Consultants.
5.
GibsonA G, ed (ed.): Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. on ‘Piping and infrastructure’: ‘New solutions for rehabilitation and new build’; 2001, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Conference Design Consultants.
6.
BellJM, ChinYD, HanrahanS: Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 2005, OTC, Paper 17615.
7.
StringfellowW D, ed (ed.): ‘Fiberglass pipe handbook’; 1992, New York, Fiberglass Pipe Institute.
AgarwalBD, BroutmanLJ: ‘Analysis and performance of fiber composites’; 1990, New York, Wiley-Interscience.
14.
EvansJT, GibsonAG: Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A, 2002, 458A, 3079–3088.
15.
‘Petroleum and natural gas industries – Glass reinforced (GRP) piping – Parts 1–4.’, ISO 14692:2005, ISO, Geneva, Switzerland, 2005.
16.
‘Standard practice for obtaining hydrostatic or pressure design basis for “fiberglass” (glass-fiber-reinforced thermosetting-resin) pipe and fittings’, ASTM D2992, ASTM, West Conshohocken, PA, USA, 2001.
17.
‘Specification for high pressure fibreglass line pipe’, API 15HR-2001, API, Washington, DC, USA, 2001.
18.
‘Specification for low pressure fibreglass line pipe’, API 15LR-2001, API, Washington, DC, USA, 2001.
19.
DrostholmFH: ‘Process for making tubular resin elements such as pipes’, US Patent 4,081,302, 1978.
20.
Hobas Engineering: ‘Process for manufacturing reinforced duroplastic pipes in a centrifugal process and installation for carrying out the process’, US Patent 5,354,526, 1994.
21.
FowlerH: Proc. 2nd North American Coiled Tubing Roundtable, Montgomery, TX, USA, April 1997, SPE, Paper SPE 38414.
22.
FowlerSH, FeechanM, BerningSA: Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 1998, OTC, Paper OTC 8621.
23.
WilliamsJG, Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 2000, OTC, Paper 12029-MS.
24.
FiberSpar LinePipe, the leader in spoolable pipeline system, brochure, 2009.
25.
‘Qualification of spoolable reinforced plastic line pipe’, API RP-15S, API, Washington, DC, USA, 2006.
DalmolenB: ‘Properties, testing and qualification of reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) for onshore and offshore applications’, Proc. MERL Int. Conf. on ‘Oilfield engineering with polymers’, London, UK, October 2008, AMI, Paper 14.
29.
van der StokE, DalmolenB: Proc. 15th Conf. on ‘Plastics pipes’, Vancouver, BC, Canada, September 2010, Session 6B, Paper 5.
30.
WellerB: Proc. 15th Conf. on ‘Plastics pipes’, Vancouver, BC, Canada, September 2010, Session 6B, Paper 3.
31.
de KanterJ, KremersM: Proc. 17th Int. Conf. on ‘Composite materials (ICCM17)’, EdinburghUK, July 2009, IOM Communications Ltd, Offshore Composites Session, Paper 4.
32.
FlexSteel, the spoolable flexible pipeline system with a heart of steel, brochure, 2010.
33.
GibsonAG, CantrillJL, GrovesSJ: Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 2002, OTC, Paper 14063-MS.
34.
‘Reinforced thermoplastic piping systems for gaseous fuels’, ISO/TS 18226, ISO, Geneva, Switzerland, 2005.
35.
HillT, ZhangY, KolanskiT: Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 2006, OTC, 17768.
36.
Wellstream, company information, 2010.
37.
Technip, flexible pipe, brochure, 2010.
38.
Deepflex, company information, 2010.
39.
KatonaT: ‘High performance flexible lines for the oil industry’, Kautsch. Gummi Kunstst., Nov. 2009, 589–592.
40.
SparksCP, OdruP, BonoH, MetivaudG: Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 1988, Paper OTC 5797.
41.
Proc. Composite Riser Workshop, Trondheim, Norway, June 1999, Statoil Research Centre.
42.
JohnsonDB, BaldwinD, LongJR: Proc. Composite Riser Workshop, Trondheim, Norway, June 1999, Statoil Research Centre, Paper 5·2.
43.
MuraliJ: Proc. Composite Riser Workshop, Trondheim, Norway, June 1999, Statoil Research Centre, Paper 5·3.
44.
SalamaMM, MuraliJ, BaldwinDD, JahnsenO, MelandT: Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 1999, OTC, Paper OTC 1106.
45.
MuraliJ, SalamaMM, JahnsenO, MelandT:in‘Composite materials for offshore operations-2 (CMOO-2)’(, WangS S, et al..), 129–149; 1999, New York, American Bureau of Shipping.
46.
GalleG: Proc. Composite Riser Workshop, Trondheim, Norway, June 1999, Statoil Research Centre, Paper 5·4.
47.
SlagsvoldL: Proc. Composite Riser Workshop, Trondheim, Norway, June 1999, Statoil Research Centre, Paper 5·5.
48.
JohnsonDB, SalamaMM, LongJR, WangSS: Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 1998, OTC, Paper OTC 8665.
49.
BaldwinDD, JohnsonDB: Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 2002, OTC, Paper OTC 14319.
50.
SalamaMM, StjernG, StorhaugT, SpencerB, EchtermeyerA: Proc. Offshore Technology Conf., Houston, TX, USA, May 2002, OTC, Paper OTC 14018.
51.
ElzinkE: Proc. 11th Conf. on ‘Plastics pipes’, Munich, Germany, September 2001, Institute of Materials, 269–278.
52.
GlanertR: Proc. 11th Conf. on ‘Plastics pipes’, Munich, Germany, September 2001, Institute of Materials, 291–298.
53.
SchmitzJ: Proc. 13th Middle East Corrosion Conf. and Exhib., Manama, Bahrain, February 2010, Bahrain Society of Engineers.
54.
WroblewskaA: Proc. 15th Conf. on ‘Plastics pipes’, Vancouver, BC, Canada, September 2010, Session 5A, Paper 1.
BoonJ: Proc. 11th Conf. on ‘Plastic pipes’, Munich, Germany, September 2001, Institute of Materials, 371–378.
57.
BrogdenS: ‘The effectiveness of polymer-lined pipelines for subsea water injection service’, Proc. MERL Int. Conf. on ‘Oilfield engineering with polymers’, London, UK, September 2010, AMI, Paper 12.
58.
GrovesS, GoodrichK: Proc. 11th Conf. on ‘Plastics pipes’, Munich, Germany, September 2001, Institute of Materials, 701–710.
59.
StringfellowWD, CathaSC, BethelK, KanninenMF, MortensonTC, EkelundA, GallagherJL, CharbonneauKR, MandichI: Proc. Subsurface Solutions Conf. and Expo, Houston, TX, USA, December 2005.
60.
AlexanderCR, FranciniB: ‘State of the art assessment of composite systems used to repair transmission pipelines’, Proc. 6th International Pipeline Conf., Calgary, Alta, Canada, September 2006, ASME, Paper IPC2006-10484.
61.
AlexanderCR: ‘Evaluating the use of composite materials in reinforcing offshore risers using full-scale testing methods’, Proc. ASME Int. Offshore Pipeline Forum, Houston, TX, USA, October 2007, ASME, Paper IOPF2007-104.
‘Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries – Composite repairs for pipework – Qualification and design, installation, testing and inspection’, ISO/TS 24817:2006, ISO, Geneva, Switzerland, 2006.
64.
FrostSR: ‘Guidelines for the use of composite repairs’; 2008, Abingdon, ESR Technology Ltd.
65.
‘Repair of pressure equipment and piping’, ASME PCC-2-2008, ASME, New York, USA, 2008.
