Next generation polymer based thermal insulation material

The Vikotherm® R3 Project has had the goal of developing a New, rubber based thermal insulation system for Subsea use at high temperatures and with unlimited water depth capability. The system should also be capable of being applied quickly and efficiently on subsea equipment such as Xmas trees, manifolds etc. in order to deliver a highly value competitive product. As the product has to be applied in the field, one of the major challenges in the formulation work was to create a final product mix that could be vulcanised at low temperature (40 ? 50oC), which also was stable enough over a period of time to allow for the logistics of a hand lay-up process. In order to simplify the logistics of supply as much as possible it was decided that the product would be a 2 component system, supplied to site and mixed at the point of use. A wide range of different chemical families were investigated for potential use, both as reactive diluent systems for dissolved rubbers and for standard rubber compounds. Liquid systems based on reactive diluents into which rubber polymerisates were dissolved and reacted at point of use were one viable pathway. These systems are of promise as their processing is similar to that performed on existing products. Such systems have the disadvantage, relative to the project intention, of requiring moulds for casting. This requires additional cost and up-front engineering, which weakens their competitiveness. Following a period of determined formulation work aimed at eliminating this requirement this path was abandoned. Focus was, thus on formulated rubber systems based on commodity materials, where the inventive step lay in the unique vulcanisation technology developed in the project, along with the use of tailor made processing agents to enable extend scorch time, reduce nerve and enable efficient amalgamation of the product. The result of the work is a self-amalgamating rubber compound, blended on site from a single component and curative using standard industrial mixing equipment. The components are stable for transport and storage, but, when combined, have a scorch time, akin to pot-life, of 2-3 hours. This allows for the use of a convenient batch process, where the batch size is adjusted to match the application rate. The material can also be stored refrigerated for several days to allow for production stoppages or movement of small amounts of ready compound local to the mixing. The system has been subjected to a full qualification in accordance with ISO 12736, the industrial standard for qualification of subsea thermal insulation products. This includes material characterisation, extended ageing tests, tests of the applied system to substrates and ultimately full scale simulated service tests, where a coated full scale specimen is subjected to the combined effect of pressure and internal heat in a pressure vessel. This work is now completed and the product documentation approaching completion. Studies of methods for measuring critical parameters have been performed during the Vikotherm® R3 project; particularly degree of cure and temperature inside the curing system. This has shed light on the use of dielectric and acoustic methods for use both in the R3 project, but also in other areas of work within Trelleborg. The use of RF-ID foils for the measurement of temperature within a region of the product which is otherwise inaccessible has also been shown. This is of particular interest in QC of systems in order to document the vulcanisation process. The use of RF-ID foils can also be considered for use in smart systems for subsea temperature monitoring. The Vikotherm® R3 project has given a highly competitive hand lay-up system, with unique properties, for use in subsea thermal insulation. * Low thermal conductivity 0.165 w/m/K * High heat capacity 2,000 J/kg/K * Unlimited water depth capability * High continuous useage temperature 180oC * No requirement for mouds * High application rate 50-70 kg/hr Some observations from the early work on the use of reactive solvents have been re-visited during the final year of the project, where the need for an injectable material was needed in the event of a need to fill cavities. This has led to the demonstration of a radically new precipitation based product using a hydrocarbon solvent and an olefin metathesis catalyst to give a biphasic material with very promising mechanical and thermal Properties. This concept is subject to a patent Application and will be further developed in the future.

Det er frembragt et nytt gummibasert termoisoleringsmateriale for undervanns bruk. I alle ledd i utviklingen er det vurdert miljømessige, forretningsmessige og sosialøkonomiske aspekter for så å balanse best bærekraft og verdiskapning. Ingen helseskadelige eller miljøskadelige materialer er brukt i formulering eller applisering av produktet. Unik posisjon i markedet - kan brukes på inntil 180C og ved ubegrenset vanndyp. Lavkost mobilisering - applisering krever ikke støpeformer. Energibesparende - vulkanisering (50C). Unik teknologi med sterke salgbare egenskaper garderer mot komoditisering Stabiliserer eksisterende forretningsmodell, men åpner også for markedsutvidelse ved direktesalg av materiale, utleie av utstyr, opplærings- og tekniske tjenester

Thermal insulation is necessary to avoid formation of hydrate plugs and wax build-up in oil and gas subsea production structures. The build-up begins when the oil/gas composition temperature is not maintained and begins to cool. Without thermal insulation the cold seawater rapidly cools down the oil, forming hydrate/wax blockages making it impossible for a safe flow. Novel, improved insulation systems applicable for complex geometries like XMT's are increasingly requested by operators on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) and globally. Trelleborg Offshore in Norway (TON) is a world leading provider of insulation solutions for pipe, bends, jumpers, valves and manifolds to the oil and gas subsea sector. The VIKOTHERM R3 next generation insulation material solutions will enable TON to secure and expand its thermal insulation business into the field of XMT insulation that is not accessible using today's VIKOTHERM solutions. Meeting the VIKOTHERM R3 objectives will enable higher recovery rates from new and existing fields as well as cost-effective and energy-efficient production solutions for the NCS thus contributing in the Petromaks 2 priority area 4 "Future technologies for production, processing and transportation".