Glue-bonded process adapts mechanically lined pipe for reel-lay

摘要

IN THE EARLY 1990s, Butting developed the mechanically lined Butting-Bimetal-pipe (BuBi pipe), a longitudinally welded pipe made from stainless steel or a nickel-based alloy which is telescopically aligned inside a carbon-manganese steel pipe and mechanically connected by means of a hydro-forming process. This product combines the strength and toughness properties of carbon-manganese steels with the high corrosion resistance of stainless steels or nickel-based alloys. BuBi pipes have since been used widely for demanding applications in oil and gas production, mainly offshore pipelines, risers, and steel catenary risers. They can be installed via S-Lay, J-Lay or in bundles, although the reel-lay method is, in general, the most cost-effective. Cost considerations were also the basis for the company's most recent innovation, the GluBi pipe: this is a glue-bonded, mechanically lined product that can be installed by the reel-lay process without using inner pressure or increasing the wall thickness of the corrosion-resistant alloy (CRA) liner.