ETPs & composites | materials feature
Pushing chemical resistance and mechanical strength to the limit helps engineering plastics and
composites compete with steel in demanding applications. Lou Reade reports
Strong stuff: ETPs and composites
The offshore industry is often held up as one of the most unforgiving environments. That does not prevent plastic pipe from being specifi ed there – but more often than not it is made from an engineering thermoplastic or composite, rather than a commodity resin. Invista recently developed a nylon pipe that it will
supply to the sector. The company says that its Raptor pipe is the industry’s fi rst nylon 6,6 homogenous single wall line pipe that withstands temperatures up to 200F (93C) and pressures up to 500PSI, while being fast to install. Raptor pipe comes coiled in up to 2,000-foot sections
that are ready for the ditch and suitable for applications ranging from multiphase fl ow lines to low pressure natural gas gathering and water transportation. Its product portfolio includes 2in, 3in, 4in and 6in IPS and SDRs 7, 9 and 11. Other key features include: fast installation with
coils; no de-rating required for liquid hydrocarbons; better abrasion resistance than steel and HDPE; and better impact resistance than fi breglass, HDPE and their composite pipes. “We discovered a strong market signal for a line pipe
that was tough enough to handle the oil patch and perform daily under rugged conditions, but could be installed quickly,” said Vikram Gopal, Invista vice president of technology, and who led the development of the pipe. “In response, our scientists and engineers
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collaborated to create a groundbreaking nylon 6,6 pipe system for the oilfi eld.” Factors that the team kept in mind during the design included corrosive liquids, impacts, abrasions, high temperatures, and daily wear and tear. Typical installation of Raptor requires a fraction of the time needed to install other line pipe such as steel, he said. Ease of installation is enhanced by reliable connections with standard butt-fusion technology and a range of available transition fi ttings. The pipe has been installed, tested and subjected to
accelerated wear in varied environments to confi rm its strength and durability. The combination of the product’s resistance to corrosion, impacts and abrasions are unmatched by other line pipes, including steel. The pipe performs 2 to 5 times better than steel in abrasion resistance. It offers better resistance to static build-up and more than 25 times more abrasion resistance than HDPE pipe. Additionally, it resists impacts where fi breglass, HDPE and their composites options falter. “With shale gas production increasing across North
America, we expect our new line pipe offering will bring a new solution to the wellhead for the transportation of oil, gas and water,” said Gopal.
Composite rehabilitation Polyfl ow, a leading manufacturer of spoolable rein- forced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) for transporting
January/February 2015 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 11
Victrex has won aerospace
certifi cation for its Peek pipes
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