Reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) is a type of

pipe Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to: Objects * Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules ** Piping, the use of pipes in industry * Smoking pipe ** Tobacco pipe * Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circular ...

reinforced using a high strength synthetic fibre such as glass, aramid or carbon. It was initially developed in the early 1990s by Wavin Repox,

Akzo Nobel Akzo Nobel N.V., stylized as AkzoNobel, is a Dutch multinational company which creates paints and performance coatings for both industry and consumers worldwide. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the company has activities in more than 80 countrie ...

and by Tubes d'Aquitaine from France, who developed the first pipes reinforced with synthetic fibre to replace medium pressure steel pipes in response to growing demand for non-corrosive conduits for application in the onshore oil and gas industry, particularly in the Middle East. Typically, the materials used in the construction of the pipe might be

Polyethylene Polyethylene or polythene (abbreviated PE; IUPAC name polyethene or poly(methylene)) is the most commonly produced plastic. It is a polymer, primarily used for packaging ( plastic bags, plastic films, geomembranes and containers including bo ...

(PE),

Polyamide A polyamide is a polymer with repeating units linked by amide bonds. Polyamides occur both naturally and artificially. Examples of naturally occurring polyamides are proteins, such as wool and silk. Artificially made polyamides can be made through ...

-11 or

PVDF Polyvinylidene fluoride or polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) is a highly non-reactive thermoplastic fluoropolymer produced by the polymerization of vinylidene difluoride. PVDF is a specialty plastic used in applications requiring the highest pur ...

and may be reinforced with

Aramid Aramid fibers, short for aromatic polyamide, are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers. They are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic-rated body armor fabric and ballistic composites, in marine cordage, ma ...

Polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

fibre although other combinations are used. More recently the technology of producing such pipe, including the marketing, rests with a few key companies, where it is available in coils up to length. These pipes are available in pressure ratings from . Over the last few years this type of pipe has been acknowledged as a standard alternative solution to steel for oilfield flowline applications by certain oil companies and operators. An advantage of this pipe is also its very fast installation time compared to steel pipe when considering the welding time as average speeds up to /day have been reached installing RTP in ground surface. Primarily, the pipe provides benefit to applications where steel may rupture due to corrosion and installation time is an issue.

Technology and history

The idea of synthetic fibre reinforced pipe has origins in the flexible hose and offshore industry where it has been frequently used for applications such as control lines in umbilicals and production flowlines for over 30 years. However, the commercialisation and realisation of a competitive product for the onshore oil industry came from a partnership between

Teijin Aramid Teijin Aramid, formerly known as Teijin Twaron, is a company in The Netherlands that produces various high-strength fibers for industrial purposes, most notably their para-aramid, Twaron. Twaron finds applications in numerous markets, such as au ...

(supplier of aramid fibre

Twaron Twaron (a brand name of Teijin Aramid) is a para-aramid. It is a heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibre developed in the early 1970s by the Dutch company Akzo Nobel's division Enka BV, later Akzo Industrial Fibers. The research name of the para ...

) and Wavin Repox (manufacturer of reinforced thermoset pipes), where Bert Dalmolen initiated a project to develop such a pipe. He was later employed by Pipelife where a state of the art production line was developed to produce RTP. Pipelife also developed a pipe reinforced with steel wire to achieve even higher pressure ratings of over using steel reinforcement. Mr Chevrier (Tubes d'Aquitaine) also developed machinery that could produce such pipes, but was not successful in commercialising RTP.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography
http://catalogue.bl.uk
80/F/CJYYHDQ2ECVFDKHH129FR4VSPYY4BKK89XIJJCATY7GIV1KIBD-12392?func=full-set-set&set_number=165133&set_entry=000001&format=999 PhD Thesis - Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipes, 1998, Dr Ben Chapman, BSc (Hons), PhD] * * (1.01 MiB) * (0.51 MiB) * (0.16 MiB)

External links

* * *
Integrated RTP Service Life Simulation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe Piping Pipeline transport Composite materials Fibre-reinforced polymers

Technology and history

See also

References

External links