Flexible fluid transport pipe and associated methods
AssigneeTechnipFMC Subsea France
InventorsAlexandre Damiens, Thomas Epsztein, Marcelo Miyazaki
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Abstract
A flexible pipe designed to transport fluids that includes, from the interior toward the exterior: an internal tubular sheath with an axis (A-A′) defining an internal passage for fluid circulation; a composite reinforcing structure applied around the tubular sheath and connected to the tubular sheath; at least one sealing layer made of thermoplastic material applied around the composite reinforcing structure; at least one ply of tensile armor, not connected to the sealing layer, the at least one ply of tensile armor ply comprising at least one armor element wound around the sealing layer; the thickness of the sealing layer being less than 15 mm.
Claims20
A flexible pipe for the transport of fluids, comprising, from the inside to the outside:
- a tubular inner sheath of axis (A-A′) defining an internal passage for the circulation of fluids;
- a composite reinforcement structure applied around the tubular sheath and bonded to the tubular sheath;
- at least one sealing layer made of a thermoplastic material applied around the composite reinforcement structure;
- at least one tensile armor ply not bonded to the sealing layer, the at least one tensile armor ply comprising at least one armor element wound around the sealing layer;
- and
- optionally, an external sealing sheath arranged around the at least one tensile armor ply,
- wherein the thickness of the sealing layer is less than 15 mm;
- and
- wherein the composite reinforcement structure includes at least one laminated composite reinforcement layer, each composite reinforcement layer including a polymer matrix and reinforcement fibers embedded in the matrix.
A method of manufacturing a flexible pipe comprising the following steps:
- provision of a tubular sheath of central axis (A-A′) defining an internal passage for the circulation of fluids;
- formation of a composite reinforcement structure applied around the tubular sheath (20) and bonded to the tubular sheath;
- formation, around the composite reinforcement structure, of a sealing layer made of thermoplastic material,
- arrangement, around the sealing layer, of at least one tensile armor ply not bonded to the sealing layer, the at least one tensile armor ply comprising at least one tensile armor element wound around the sealing layer;
- and,
- optionally, arrangement of an external sealing sheath arranged around the at least one tensile armor ply,
- wherein the thickness of the sealing layer is less than 15 mm, and wherein the composite reinforcement structure includes at least one laminated composite reinforcement layer, each composite reinforcement layer including a polymer matrix and reinforcement fibers embedded in the matrix.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.