HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPOSITE REPAIR SOLUTION FOR PIPE REINFORCEMENT
| DEFECT TYPE | Corrosion |
| DETAILS | 16” water line |
| LOCATION | NIGERIA |
| 3X PRODUCT | REINFORCEKiT® 4D-EC using BOBiPREG® |
OVERVIEW
The objective of the job, performed by 3X ENGINEERING (3X) and its local distributor SAVIC, was to protect a 16” pipe from aggressive environment on several long sections (for a total of 70-meter length).
SCOPE OF WORK
The reinforced protection was performed in a yard, prior on-site assembly, using BOBiPREG® machine. This specific machine, designed by 3X, allows a quick and regular impregnation of the Kevlar® tape with the resin before application.
This pre-preg system was very convenient for this case because the REINFORCEKiT® 4D-EC application should be carried out as fast as possible. The reinforced protection was performed following 4 stages:
1. Surface preparation of the pipe using sandblasting to get at least 60 µm roughness and thus ensure a good bonding between the pipe and the composite.
2. Kevlar® tape impregnated with R3X1060 resin using BOBIPREG®.
3. Wrapping around the pipe using 3X specific handles to ensure proper tensile strength during application. This device will facilitate and speed-up the wrapping step. Four layers were applied to guarantee an optimal protection.
4. Finalization of the protection with reference plate positioning for traceability purpose.
RESULTS
Initially developed for subsea application, BOBIPREG® machine is proving to be also very efficient in this onshore configuration. This application method added to onsite conditions offer many benefits:
– easier logistic & safer environment (implementation environment performed in a yard rather than a platform).
– efficiency increased & cost effective (the wrapping was performed four times faster than with traditional method).