Glass reinforced plastic (GRP) pipes are increasingly being used in the offshore industry and their behaviour in fire is studied using mathematical and numerical modelling. The thermochemical response of a single-skinned GRP pipe exposed to hydrocarbon fires is modelled using the finite element technique. Axi-symmetric mathematical and numerical models are developed to quantify the fire prerofmrnace of thin-walled and large diameter GRP pipes for seawater transport. The mathematical model is based on one-dimensional models developed for single-skinned GRP pipes and panels and include: (i) transient heat conduction; (ii) radial gas mass movement; (iii) mass loss and Arrhenius rate decomposition of resin material and (iv) endothermicity of the decomposition process. The numerical results are presented for a polyester-based GRP pipe with flowing seawater and thickness 1.09cm and compared with those for GRP panels and pipes with the same thickness but different boundary conditions. It is shown that for a given set of dimensions and boundary conditions, GRP pipes reach insulation failure (time to 160 deg C) earlier than GRP panels. The results can be used, in conjunction with the author's previous work (Looyeh & Bettess, 1996), to assess the feasibility of using GRP for offshore pipes and pipelines where severe fire conditions may occur.
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