Development of a New Class of Sustainable Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipes for Clean Oil and Gas Transport

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In order to increase their share in a competitive global market, Shawcor is interested in expanding the specifications of their reinforced thermoplastic pipes (RTPs) to higher service ratings, namely temperature and pressure. In this research program, it is expected to develop new and ground-breaking techniques for the economical production of RTPs for use at temperatures as high as 100 °C and maximum service pressure of 1500 psi. However, the thermal and mechanical stability of Shawcor's current HDPE-based RTP products are not high enough to sustain the increase in the rate of degradation caused by the elevation of temperature to 100 °C. The extensive research efforts have so far led to the selection of a multi-layered composite pipe design for this purpose. This design takes advantage of the superior characteristics of engineering thermoplastics where necessary, while minimizing the overall product cost by enabling the use of commodity thermoplastics in the less demanding parts of the composite pipe. The present research project will focus on addressing the complex technical challenges associated with the employment of multilayer pipe designs, e.g. materials selection and interfacial adhesion. Research is required to not only devise efficient and highly reliable multi-layered pipe solutions but also to develop an understanding of the long-term behavior of multi-layered composite materials under realistic application conditions such as prolonged exposure (aging) to fluids (e.g., hydrocarbons, brine, methanol, CO2 and H2S), thermal/pressure cycling and weathering. Through conducting these studies, the research team at the University of Toronto will have the opportunity to collaborate with experts at Shawcor's facilities to develop a material paradigm suitable for full-scale production.