At SPE Offshore Europe, engineering company Trelleborg will showcase its new Vikotherm R3 alongside Automated Fibre Placement (AFP) technology for the creation of advanced composite structures
Trelleborg’s offshore operation will be showcasing its new subsea thermal insulation material, Vikotherm R3. The environmentally friendly, two-component, low temperature vulcanising rubber thermal insulation material cures without the need for external heating or energy supplement. It is suitable for insulation on Christmas trees and adjacent subsea production systems with a service life of at least 30 years.
Adam Jackson, technical manager with Trelleborg’s offshore operation, said, “Vikotherm R3 consists of a single layer, non-silicone rubber insulation material with a superior hot-wet ageing response and mechanical properties. It is usable at service temperatures up to 180°C and is applied using a lay-up process from extruded strip stock on-site without the need of moulds.”
In addition to a wide selection of seal profiles specifically developed for demanding offshore applications, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions will also showcase its expertise in advanced composites and its AFP technology at SPE Offshore Europe.
AFP is an additive manufacturing method used to create advanced composite structures using continuous fibre tape.
David Brown, the global director, Lead Group Oil and Gas for Trelleborg Sealing Solutions, added, “Oil and gas exploration continues to move to greater subsea depths, and this has put an increased emphasis on enhanced oil recovery processes.
“Advanced composites usually reserved for aerospace applications are now finding their way into oil and gas systems, as they help ensure oil field equipment can work to its optimum capacity. Anyone who uses a Trelleborg product knows it will withstand the extreme operating temperatures and pressures of drilling in today’s HPHT environments, while also meeting the safety standards, required within the industry.”
Paul Walters, Business Group Director with Trelleborg’s offshore operation in Skelmersdale, England, commented, “One major change that we are hearing about from our customers and seeing across the industry since the last SPE Offshore Europe in 2017 is the need to focus and adapt for digitisation. At Trelleborg, we are combining our proven solutions with smart technologies to support better business for our customers’ projects and their customers’ projects.”
Trelleborg offshore operation will also celebrate 20 years of proven safety reliability with Elastopipe. A patented flexible piping system developed to transport a variety of fluids, Elastopipe is known for its corrosion-free, explosion-free, impact-resistant and jet-fire-resistant properties.
This next-generation piping system uses synthetic rubber instead of traditional materials and incorporates the only piping material approved for offshore deluge systems that survived the sequential explosion, impact and jet fire testing.
