Nonmetallic Flexible Pipe with Flexible Bonding for Deep-Sea Risers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current non-metallic flexible pipes used in marine and deep-sea environments suffer from poor temperature resistance and stress cracking, leading to safety issues due to harsh conditions such as high pressure, corrosion, and complex fluid delivery.
Innovation Solution
A non-metallic flexible pipe design comprising an inner liner, pressure-bearing layer, isolation layer, tensile layer, functional layer, and protective layer with flexible bonding between layers, using thermoplastic polymers and fiber-reinforced resin-based composites, and incorporating sensors and heat transfer media for enhanced performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If rigid bonding is used to connect adjacent layers, then the pipe structure has high strength, but the pipe is easily cracked under stress and has poor temperature resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the bonding parameter from rigid to flexible by introducing a flexible bonding layer between adjacent layers. This flexible bonding layer allows relative movement between layers under stress, preventing crack propagation while maintaining structural integrity. The flexible bonding layer comprises a polymer material that can deform elastically, thereby resolving the contradiction between bonding strength and crack resistance.
2Reliability
If multiple layers are bonded together to form a composite structure, then corrosion resistance and gas permeability resistance are improved, but the pipe has poor adaptability to harsh marine environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different functional properties to different layers. The inner liner provides corrosion and gas permeability resistance, the flexible bonding layer provides stress absorption and temperature resistance, the reinforcement layer provides mechanical strength, and the protective layer provides environmental protection. Each layer is optimized for its specific function, enabling the pipe to adapt to various harsh marine environment conditions including high temperature, high pressure, and corrosive fluids.
3Ease of operation
If thermoplastic polymer materials are used, then the pipe has good flexibility and corrosion resistance, but the pipe has poor temperature resistance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses composite materials by combining thermoplastic polymer materials with other materials. The thermoplastic polymer provides flexibility and corrosion resistance, while the flexible bonding layer comprising polymer material and the reinforcement layer provide enhanced temperature resistance. The composite structure allows the pipe to maintain flexibility at operating temperatures while resisting thermal degradation, thereby resolving the contradiction between flexibility and temperature resistance.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a non-metallic flexible pipe and a manufacturing method thereof. The non-metallic flexible pipe sequentially comprises, from the inside to the outside, an inner liner, a pressure-bearing layer, an isolation layer, a tensile layer, a functional layer, and a protective layer, with non-rigid bonding being between two adjacent layers. The material of the inner liner is a thermoplastic polymer, the material of the pressure-bearing layer is a fiber-reinforced resin-based composite, the material of the isolation layer is a thermoplastic polymer, the material of the tensile layer is a resin-reinforced fiber, at least one of an optical fiber, a cable, a tracing ribbon, a pipe for conveying a heat transfer medium, a pressure sensor, and a temperature sensor is provided in the functional layer, and the material of the protective layer is a thermoplastic polymer. The non-metallic flexible pipe provided by the present invention not only has good corrosion resistance, gas permeability resistance and flexibility, but also has good temperature and pressure resistance, and can adapt to the harsh working conditions in the ocean for use in marine risers and deep-sea pipelines.