Composite spoolable tube
AssigneeFiberspar Corporation
InventorsPeter A. Quigley, Stephen C. Nolet, Jerry G. Williams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A spoolable composite tube capable of being spooled onto a reel for storage and for use in oil field applications. The spoolable tube exhibits unique anistropic characteristics that provide improved burst and collapse pressures, increased tensile strength, compression strength, and load carrying capacity, while still remaining sufficiently bendable to be spooled onto a reel in an open bore configuration. The spoolable composite tube can include an inner liner, an interface layer, fiber composite layers, a pressure barrier layer, and an outer protective layer. The fiber composite layers can have a unique triaxial braid structure.
Claims58
A spoolable composite tube extending along a longitudinal axis, the composite tube comprising:
- a substantially fluid impervious liner, and
- a first composite layer enclosing the liner, the first composite layer being formed of a first set of fibers embedded in a matrix, at least 80%, by fiber volume, of the fibers of the first set of fibers being helically oriented relative to the longitudinal axis at an angle of between 30° and 70°, the matrix having a tensile modulus of elasticity of at least 100,000 psi to contribute to the ability of the tube to withstand tensile strains imposed on the tube when the tube is spooled on a reel.
A spoolable composite tube extending along a longitudinal axis, the composite tube comprising:
- a substantially fluid impervious liner formed from a thermoplastic polymer,
- a first composite layer enclosing the liner, the composite layer being formed of
- a first ply of glass fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix having a tensile modulus of elasticity of at least 250,000 psi., at least 80%, by volume, of the glass fibers of the first ply being clockwise helically oriented relative to the longitudinal axis at a first angle between 30° and 70°,
- a second ply of glass fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix having a tensile modulus of elasticity of at least 250,000 psi., at least 80%, by volume, of the glass fibers of the second ply being counter-clockwise helically oriented relative to the longitudinal axis at the first angle,
- a third ply of carbon fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix having a tensile modulus of elasticity of at least 250,000 psi., at least 80%, by volume, of the glass fibers being clockwise helically oriented relative to the longitudinal axis at a second angle between 30° and 70°, and
- a fourth ply of carbon fibers embedded in an epoxy matrix having a tensile modulus of elasticity of at least 250,000 psi., at least 80%, by volume, of the glass fibers being counter-clockwise helically oriented relative to the longitudinal axis at the second angle.
A spoolable composite tube extending along a longitudinal axis, the composite tube comprising:
- a substantially fluid impervious liner,
- a composite layer enclosing the liner, the composite layer being formed of fibers embedded in a matrix, at least 80%, by volume, of the fibers of the composite layer being helically oriented relative to the longitudinal axis at an angle of between 30° and 70′,and
- an interface layer interposed between the liner and the composite layer to facilitate bonding of the liner to the interface layer and inhibit collapse of the liner when the tube is subjected to external pressure.
A spoolable composite tube extending along a longitudinal axis, the tube comprising:
- a substantially fluid impervious liner, and
- a composite layer enclosing the liner, the composite layer being formed of a first ply having a first set of fibers and a second set of fibers embedded in a matrix having a tensile modulus of elasticity of at least 250,000 psi., the first set of fibers and the second set of fibers being helically oriented at a first angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the tube, the first set of fibers being of a different material than the second set of fibers.
A spoolable composite tube extending along a longitudinal axis, the composite tube comprising:
- a substantially fluid impervious liner formed from a thermoplastic polymer,
- a composite layer enclosing the liner, the composite layer being formed of a ply having a set of glass fibers and a set of carbon fibers embedded in a matrix having a tensile modulus of elasticity of at least 250,000 psi., at least 80%, by volume, of the glass fibers being helically oriented relative to the longitudinal axis at a first angle of between 30° and 70°, at least 80%, by volume, of the carbon fibers being helically oriented relative to the longitudinal axis at the first angle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.