REINFORCEKiT® 4D SUBSEA, 8 dents (impact defects) – Middle-East
Subsea composite repair solution for pipe reinforcement
Overview
The objective of the repair, carried out in May 2024 by 3X ENGINEERING (3X) and its local distributor was to reinforce a 24" gas pipeline suffering from 8 external impact defects. Four dents are situated on the topside and 4 other dents on the bottom side of the pipe. To restore pipe integrity, it was decided to repair the defected areas using 3X composite repair solution specifically dedicated for subsea environment REINFORCEKIT® 4D SUBSEA.
Results
Hardness measurements were performed 3 days after job completion and concluded the success of this subsea repair. This composite reinforcement is designed for lasting 20 years.
 Defect type |
8 dents (impact defects) |
Details |
24" gas pipeline, straight line, calculated pressure 70 bars, repair instal. temp. 25°C |
Location |
Middle-East |
3X Product type |
REINFORCEKiT® 4D SUBSEA |
SCOPE OF WORK
All dents were modeled at the same time to consider the interaction between them. The geometry was previously reconstructed using FEA study. According to ISO 24.817 standard and 3X calculations, it was decided to apply REINFORCEKIT® 4D SUBSEA using R3X65S resin. Working at 19-meters depth is a shallow water job. Surface preparation was completed using gritblasting to get an optimal surface roughness and ensure a good bonding between the pipe and the composite repair.
The composite repair was then completed following 5 main stages, as below (the procedure was the same for each dent):
- Marking and measurement of the defects + P3X30 primer application on the defects to ensure a good bonding with composite plates.
- Composite plates covered with high-performance subsea F3XSB filler were positioned centrally on the defected locations and fasten with ratchet belts until the filler was cured (3 hours).
- Another layer of P3X30 primer was applied on the whole surface before composite wrapping.
- Composite wrapping was completed using Kevlar® tape impregnated with R3X65S resin. The subsea wrapping was performed by 2 divers to control the wrapping quality. It was necessary to apply 56 layers of composite material (Total of 52 Kevlar® tapes installed in less than 20 hours for a total repair length of 2500mm).
- Protective cover against rocks and serial number plate were installed on the composite wrapping to finalize and validate the repair.
