Evaluation of Long Term Behaviour of Polymers for Offshore Oil and Gas Applications

• Main Authors: Le Gac P.-Y., Davies P., Choqueuse D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: EDP Sciences 2015-02-01
• Series: Oil & Gas Science and Technology
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.2516/ogst/2013211

Polymers and composites are very attractive for underwater applications, but it is essential to evaluate their long term behaviour in sea water if structural integrity of offshore structures is to be guaranteed. Accelerated test procedures are frequently required, and this paper will present three examples showing how the durability of polymers, in the form of fibres, matrix resins in fibre reinforced composites for structural elements, and thermal insulation coatings of flow-lines, have been evaluated for offshore use. The influence of the ageing medium, temperature, and hydrostatic pressure will be discussed first, then an example of the application of ageing test results to predict long term behavior of the thermal insulation coating of a flowline will be presented.