July 2020, Vol. 247, No. 7
Tech Notes
DNV GL Certifies Carbon Fiber PA12 for Thermoplastic Composite Pipe
In February, several years of hard work paid off for the pioneers of TCP with the release of the first full-carbon, fiber-based material qualification certificate that complies to the DNV GL ST-F119 TCP industry qualification standard.
The comprehensive development and qualification program for the Evonik Vestape carbon fiber PA12 composite tape took several years to complete and is now qualified for crude oil sour service up to 80° C (176° F).
As the first of its kind, this project proved the robustness of the DNV GL qualification standard and its use in building the foundation for what will be the most advanced carbon fiber-based TCP pipe system available for commercial use.
“We are very excited that we have reached this important milestone,” said Evonik’s Vitor Lavini. “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 fiber used was delivered to the facility in Marl and combined with a specifically developed grade of PA12 polymer for on-site conversion into high-quality tape. This tape was delivered to the Airborne Oil & Gas (AOG) facility in the Netherlands, where it was further converted into the flexible pipe structure known as TCP. This entire process was overseen and approved by DNV GL.
“The oil and gas industry is increasingly adopting thermoplastic composite pipes as a viable alternative to conventional solutions,” Martin Strande, head of department – Pipelines, Materials and Testing at DNV GL, said. “This enables substantial cost reductions throughout the project lifecycle.”
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