Thermoplastics
New-Generation Composite Buoyancy Elements Key For Deep Drilling And Production
Principal suppliers of riser buoyancy products include major producer Balmoral (Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K. and Houston, Texas, U.S.A.) and CRP Group Ltd. (Skelmersdale, Lancashire, England, U.K.), which also owns Emerson & Cuming (Canton, Mass., U.S.A.). Balmoral customizes epoxy resins, which are used to cr
Read MoreDesign Issues With Tendons
A composite tendon is essentially a rope made from small-diameter rods, which are pultruded with carbon fiber. Multiple rods are gathered together and twisted slightly to form a strand, using typical wire rope stranding methods. Depending on the performance requirements, 10 to 40 strands, about 2 to 3 inches/5
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Composite Drill Pipe An Available Option
Lincoln has been producing flexible composite drill pipe for short-radius, horizontal drilling since 1991. Its nominal 2.375 inch /60.3 mm (OD), 30 ft/9m long pipe shaft is filament wound with 12K carbon fiber combined with glass fibers in epoxy resin over an elastomeric liner. Standard API rotary shoulder too
Read MoreDesign Issues
Typical FRP pipe is reciprocally filament wound with a fiber angle of ±54.75° relative to the longitudinal (0°) axis. This architecture satisfies stress loads in both the circumferential (hoop) and longitudinal (axial) directions for most pipes and pressure vessels. It withstands the in-use pressure, ther
Read MoreSome Design Issues
A variety of resins can be used for offshore applications, depending on the requirements for the final product. General-purpose polyester offers a low-cost option that provides greater corrosion resistance than steel. Isophthalic polyester provides somewhat better corrosion resistance, while vinyl ester is pre
Read MorePetrobras Pioneers Topside Composites
Petrobras (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was the first major oil company to experiment with molded gratings in the 1980s, though these early products proved unsatisfactory due to wide variations in mechanical properties. However, advances in pultrusion and filament winding technology coupled with the availability of
Read MoreIssues With Design
Though steel is the traditional material for coiled tubing because of its low price, it is susceptible to corrosion, fatigue failure (caused by repeated coiling and uncoiling), and troublesome joints. In larger sizes, its weight can increase transport difficulties. With the advent of secondary recovery methods
Read MoreOther Applications Expand
A growing area in the offshore world is the refitting or “recycling” of older oil platforms to support additional production. A particularly active area for recycling is in the North Sea, where additional pipelines can be run to existing rigs for about $1 million (as opposed to spending $20 million for a new r
Read MoreComposite Piping On Hoover-Diana
EDO supplied a drain system for Hoover-Diana, a deep draft caisson vessel (DDCV) put into service in May 2000 by Exxon Mobil and British Petroleum. Hoover- Diana, located in the Gulf of Mexico’s East Breaks and Alaminos Canyon Blocks at a water depth of approximately 4,800 ft, is designated as a DDCV instead o
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Design Issues with Repair
The ability to repair in place, rather than replace, critical platform equipment systems like topside piping, flowlines and structural components is an attractive option for a platform operator. Composite piping is easily repairable using the same basic methods as the initial installation, says Kevin Schmit, m
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