GRP offshore: applications and design for fire

摘要

In many respects, advanced glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) composites appear to be excellent, well-researched construction materials looking for practical applications that are economically viable. However, this simplistic overview is not valid for offshore installations, where the combination of high strength, light weight and supreme resistance to corrosion has ensured their economic viability. In many potential practical applications, the main hindrance to their widespread acceptance is cost. However, in the demanding offshore environment, it is more likely to be their performance in fire. Offshore, the main applications that have been considered to date are pipes, tanks and vessels including fire deluge systems, fire protection systems, cladding panels, gratings and stairways. The most successful practical applications have been in pipework and fluid handling. More recently, a feasibility study has been carried out that considers the use of composites for the primary structural members of offshore platforms. This paper will briefly review these applications before proceeding to summarise some of the research that has been carried out at the University of Manchester in order to demonstrate that advanced composites can meet the design requirements for offshore applications. Particular attention will be given to the fire performance of composites, and it will be shown that, although all the plastic materials used in the manufacture of composites are flammable, it is not necessary to be pessimistic regarding their performance in hydrocarbon fires, even in certain fire-critical situations.