DNV GL greenlights carbon fibre thermoplastic composite pipes

Classification society DNV GL has certified carbon fibre PA12 for use in thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) for oilfield applications.

The development and qualification program for the Evonik VESTAPE carbon fibre PA12 composite tape took several years to complete and is now qualified for crude oil sour service up to 80°C.

Pioneer in this field, Airborne Oil & Gas (AOG) believes that this qualification certificate is the foundation for what will be the most advanced carbon-fibre-based TCP system available for commercial use.

Evonik has led the way in the development, qualification and supply of carbon fibre PA12 composite tape materials for high end TCP applications.

Vitor Lavini, director Business Segment Industrial and Oil & Gas at Evonik, said: “We are very excited that we have reached this important milestone. As a supplier of PA12 for subsea flexible pipelines as well as onshore gas infrastructure we never had any doubts that we would be able to compose VESTAPE with a matrix of Evonik’s PA12 for AOG’s high performance TCP products.”

The carbon fibre is combined with a specifically developed grade of PA12 polymer and converted on-site into an ‘extremely high-quality tape’. This tape is then delivered to the Airborne Oil & Gas facility in the Netherlands where it is further converted into the flexible pipe structure known as TCP. This entire process is overseen and approved by DNV GL.

Martin Strande, Head of Department Pipelines, Materials and Testing at DNV GL, added: “The oil and gas industry is increasingly adopting thermoplastic composite pipes as a viable alternative to conventional solutions. This enables substantial cost reductions throughout the project lifecycle. Our DNVGL-ST-F119 Standard sets the benchmark for safety requirements for thermoplastic composite pipes in offshore applications, and the certification of Evonik’s VESTAPE PA12 carbon fibre composite tapes to the Standard is one of the industry’s firsts.”

TCP is said to be on an upwards trajectory to becoming the product of choice for a safe and cost-effective solution to the challenges faced in today’s subsea pipeline industry.

Henk de Boer, CTO at Airborne Oil & Gas, said: “With this latest achievement, we are looking forward to extending our qualified product lines and continuing our success in offering exceptionally safe and robust pipeline solutions to our industry.”