Gulf Construction Online - Victrex’s new range ‘good CRA alternative’

Pipes

Victrex’s new range ‘good CRA alternative’

01 August 2011

IN RESPONSE to growing market demand for superior performing pipes in harsh and demanding environments, Victrex Polymer Solutions has launched its Victrex Pipes range, which is claimed to be a cost-effective alternative to corrosion-resistant alloys (CRAs).

The UK-based company is a world leader in high-performance Polyaryletherketones (PAEKs), a family of semi-crystalline thermoplastics with high-temperature stability and high mechanical strength.

Victrex Pipes offers an opportunity to replace the CRAs used to make pipes and piping systems for extraction and transportation in the oil and gas industries, by lining pipes manufactured in other metals.

The result of six years of intensive R&D and assessment, Victrex Pipes are described as being ideal for a wide range of industrial applications in harsh environments. They combine raw material properties and product technology to produce lightweight, wear- and corrosion-resistant polymer-based pipe and tube that can be an excellent substitute for metals, providing long-term reliability in demanding operating conditions, according to a company spokesman.

“The launch of Victrex Pipes is the culmination of six years of intensive research, development, market assessment and customer liaison. The product range can deliver performance solutions in a broad range of applications beyond the original lined pipes for oil and gas, from industrial to aerospace to electrical sheathing and conduit,” says James Simmonite, business leader pipes, Victrex Polymer Solutions.

He says Victrex Pipes offer a broad range of properties, including chemical, corrosion, abrasion and permeation resistance at high temperatures, in a flexible lightweight format. Besides addressing the needs of the oil and gas sector, its weight reduction capabilities can facilitate fuel efficiency in the aerospace sector while also addressing the harsh corrosive, temperature and electrical demands of the industrial sectors.

Victrex Pipes are currently available in a range of sizes, from 6 mm outer diameter (OD), up to 200 mm OD, with wall thicknesses depending on the OD, from 0.8 to 5 mm. They are available either as straight lengths or, for smaller diameters, in coiled lengths of up to 3,000 m. The pipes can be joined using a range of connectors and adhesives, and also by using conventional welding equipment. They can also be laser marked by using suitable equipment.

“Mounting performance expectations and harsh environments are increasing the emphasis on material selection in application design,” says Simmonite. “The properties of Victrex Pipes provide the option to line metal pipes with Victrex Pipes as an alternative to expensive CRAs, in challenging applications such as those found in the oil and gas industry, where it is not uncommon to find operating temperatures above 140 deg C, in the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methane, carbon dioxide, brine and crude oil.”

“Tests have shown that pipes and tubes extruded from Victrex Peek polymer display chemical resistance to H2S at high temperature. It is also unaffected after 2,000 hours of exposure to steam at 200 deg C,” notes Simmonite. “The exceptional chemical resistance and very low permeability make them ideal for oil and gas applications, where steel pipes may suffer the severely corrosive effects of H2S and carbon dioxide gases, and where existing thermoplastic solutions are reaching the limit of their thermal endurance.”

Victrex Pipes are also lightweight and inherently halogen-free, with low levels of smoke and toxic gas emissions.

Additionally, offering electrical insulation, mechanical stability and fatigue strength, as well as chemical, corrosion and hydrolysis resistance at high temperatures, the pipes offer potential solutions for industrial applications.