REINFORCEKiT® 4D SUBSEA, Internal corrosion defects – Middle-East
Subsea composite repair solution for pipe reinforcement
Overview
The goal of this repair, performed in September 2022 by 3X ENGINEERING (3X) local distributor under the supervision of 3X Subsea Specialist was to reinforce a 8 oil pipeline suffering from 3 internal corrosion defects at 15-meter depth. To restore pipe integrity and prevent further deterioration, it was decided to repair the defected area using 3X composite repair solution REINFORCEKIT 4D SUBSEA (R4D-S), specially designed for subsea environment.
Results
Hardness measurements were performed 3 days after job completion and concluded this successful subsea repair despite the constraints to work in subsea environment and the limited time to perform the repairs because of the depth.
 Defect type |
Internal corrosion defects |
Details |
8" pipe, straight line, oil, design pressure 56.9 bars, design temperature 65°C |
Location |
Middle-East |
3X Product type |
REINFORCEKiT® 4D SUBSEA |
Scope of work
In accordance with the ASME PCC-2 standard and 3X engineering calculations, it was decided to apply REINFORCEKiT® 4D SUBSEA using R3X65S resin. Sizing calculations determined that 26 layers of R4D-S were required to repair the pipe over a total length of 800 mm.
Preliminary subsea operations were completed prior to composite wrapping: pipeline excavation/dredging, defect localization, weight-coating removal, and surface preparation by grit blasting to achieve an anchor profile exceeding 60 µm Rz. The composite application was executed by certified commercial divers trained and supervised by a 3X Subsea Specialist monitoring operations remotely from the surface control room.
The composite repair was completed following these main stages :
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Targeted priming : P3X30 subsea primer was applied over the defect zones to promote optimal adhesion between the steel pipe and the composite bridging plates.
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Composite plate installation : Rigid composite plates coated with F3XSB high-performance subsea filler were positioned over 2 of the 3 defects and secured under tension with ratchet belts until curing was complete (one 130 mm x 130 mm plate and one 100 mm x 100 mm plate; defect No. 3 did not require a plate).
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Full-zone priming : P3X30 subsea primer was applied across the entire repair surface to ensure optimal bonding for the subsequent wrapping.
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Subsea composite wrapping : Kevlar® tape impregnated with R3X65S subsea resin was wrapped around the pipe. Impregnation was completed using the BOBIPREG® machine in a dedicated topside preparation area before being transferred to divers underwater. A total of 26 layers were applied over an 800 mm repair length to bridge and reinforce all 3 defects.
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Protection & traceability : A final topcoat of P3X30 subsea primer was applied over the entire repair, followed by the installation of a protective plastic rockshield grid and an identification reference plate for traceability.
