Petronas participates in thermoplastic composite pipe commercialisation 31 March 2022

Strohm, the world's first and leading manufacturer of fully-bonded, thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP), has signed an agreement with Petronas’s technology commercialisation arm, Petronas Technology Ventures Sdn Bhd to commercialise TCP in the industry and scale its utilisation across Petronas facilities.

The agreement will also be instrumental in expanding the knowledge of the design, production and qualification standard from Strohm’s technology backbone – DNV standard ST-F119 – allowing operators to qualify and utilise TCP, instead of metallic pipes, creating substantial cost reduction potentials in all stages of oil and gas projects life cycle.

The partnership has ensured these products are available in the market with immediate effect.

Strohm and Petronas have been collaborating since 2012 when both companies embarked on a qualification programme for TCP, followed by a successful pilot installation project for a full well stream production pipeline on the West Lutong field in Sarawak waters.

With a growing track record globally, TCP has become widely acknowledged for its many benefits compared to steel alternatives, including zero corrosion, reduced weight leading to improved transportation and installation costs, and lower carbon footprint.

For flowlines, an added benefit is the reduction in pressure drops and improvement of multiphase flow conditions, thanks to a smooth bore, bonded pipe, immune to any gas permeation risks.

For jumpers, a particular edge is the elimination of offshore metrology requirements, which has considerable impact on the cost and schedule risk associated with vessel standby and onshore rigid spool fabrication. A logical step forward from the single jumper application is Strohm’s ‘Jumper on Demand’ concept whereby a long length of pipe is fabricated and stored on a single reel or cradle, ready to be cut and terminated in-country into individual jumpers as required.

Fabienne Ellington, Strohm’s vice president, Middle East and Asia-Pacific said: “Another recent key development has been the confirmation that the glass fibre polyethylene material used for the PETRONAS pilot project is now complemented by carbon fibre polyamide and carbon fibre PVDF materials, which are fully-qualified for full hydrocarbon well stream fluid applications. These materials are not susceptible to corrosion, blistering or embrittlement from CO2, H2S or hydrogen, making them particularly suitable for highly sour service applications, carbon sequestration projects and hydrogen transportation.”

Dr Mahpuzah Abai, chief executive officer (CEO) of PTVSB said: “Through our proprietary non-metallic pipe technology, we can provide an effective solution to corrosive and challenging operational environments. Having Strohm onboard will create a progressive partnership in this area.”

Operations Engineer

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