Strohm secured a contract with Total and ExxonMobil for a qualification-testing program for a high-pressure, high-temperature (HP/HT) thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP). The qualification project will create a foundation for further development of this TCP technology for riser applications.
The TCP jumper is designed and fabricated using carbon fiber and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer to provide a combination for subsea HP/HT applications.
“Total and ExxonMobil have previously qualified our materials and products for water injection and have an extensive and deep understanding of composite materials and TCP. We are delighted they have agreed to start this qualification project, which aims to extend our growing qualified product portfolio for Total and ExxonMobil to include hydrocarbon service,” said Henk de Boer, chief technology officer at Strohm.
Ivo Conradi, SURF & SPS R&D lead at Total E&P R&D, said, “We have been involved in TCP developments with Strohm since the early days. We believe there could be great potential in using TCP jumpers to optimize subsea architectures, with the aim to reduce cost and increase lay-out flexibility. This program is an important step for our company to be able to consider TCP as an alternative solution in a wider range of subsea applications.”
Strohm said the PVDF polymer is already a fully proven material in subsea flowlines; the carbon fiber is insensitive to long-term effects such as corrosion, fatigue, and creep. The company expects that this combination makes it the material of choice for high-end subsea application in jumpers, flowlines, and risers.