Soluforce is a brandname of Pipelife for a Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe (RTP)

Reinforced thermoplastic pipe

RTP is a generic term referring to a reelable high strength synthetic fibre reinforced thermoplastic pipe, initially developed in the early 1990s by Wavin Repox, Akzo Nobel and by Tubes d'Aquitaine from France, who developed the first pipes reinforced with synthetic fibre to replace medium...

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Introduction

Soluforce is an RTP, which is a flexible pipe, supplied in long length coils up to 400m length and pressure ratings from 30 to 90Bar. In the last few years, this type of pipe has been acknowledged as the standardised solution for oilfield flowlines and also recently used offshore for water injection risers and oil flowlines.

A very great advantage of this pipe is also its very fast installation time compared to steel pipe as speeds up to 1000m/hr have been reached installing RTP in ground surface.

The pipe mainly benefits applications where steel fails due to corrosion and installation time is an issue. Beside the application for oil transportation, this pipe is also applied for gas transport lines.

Production

The Soluforce RTP is a three layer pipe construction:

1. A HDPE liner pipe
2. The reinforcement layer, typically Aramid
   Aramid
   Aramid fibers are a class of heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibers. They are used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic rated body armor fabric and ballistic composites, in bicycle tires, and as an asbestos substitute. The name is a portmanteau of "aromatic polyamide"...
   
    (Twaron
   Twaron
   Twaron is the brandname of Teijin Aramid for a para-aramid. It is a heat-resistant and strong synthetic fibre developed in the early 1970s by the Dutch company AKZO, division Enka, later Akzo Industrial Fibers. The research name of the para-aramid fibre was originally Fiber X, but it was soon...
   
    or Kevlar
   Kevlar
   Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
   
   )
3. The HDPE protective outer layer for UV, damage and abrasion protection

Typical applications

Soluforce is used for the following applications:

• Oil field
  Oil field
  An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
  
   flowlines
• Oil field waste water disposal lines
• Oil field injection lines
• Offshore water injection risers
• Offshore oil flowlines
• High pressure Water transportation
  Water transportation
  Water transportation is the intentional movement of water over large distances. Methods of transportation fall into three categories:* Aqueducts, which include pipelines, canals, and tunnels,...
  
   lines
• High pressure gas transport lines
• Relining existing pipes

Testing and Qualification

Solufoce RTP is tested and acknowledged by the following instances:

• DNV Certification D-2615 - Soluforce System 4" and 5" with in-line couplings and end fittings
• ASTM - WK11803
• API - RP 15S (oil field service)
• ISO/TS 18226:2006 (gas service)
• DVGW VP 642 (German gas service)
• NYSEARCH project by the Northeast Gas Association (USA)

External links

• JIP proposal 1999 from Newcastle University
• Conference paper 23rd World Gas Conference
• Soluforce homepage

See also

• Plastic Pressure Pipe Systems
• Pipeline transport
  Pipeline transport
  Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
  
  
• Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe
  Reinforced thermoplastic pipe
  RTP is a generic term referring to a reelable high strength synthetic fibre reinforced thermoplastic pipe, initially developed in the early 1990s by Wavin Repox, Akzo Nobel and by Tubes d'Aquitaine from France, who developed the first pipes reinforced with synthetic fibre to replace medium...
  
  s
• Water injection (oil production)
  Water injection (oil production)
  Water injection refers to the method in oil industry where water is injected back into the reservoir, usually to increase pressure and thereby stimulate production. Water injection wells can be found both on- and offshore, to increase oil recovery from an existing reservoir...