How Canadian Infrastructure Can Benefit from Composites in Oil and Gas Pipelines

The Canadian oil and gas industry will now have greater access to high-quality composites material and expertise, thanks to Composite One’s acquisition of leading Canadian composites supplier BMB Solutions. A key player in the composites market for aerospace, infrastructure and other industries, Composites One provides high-quality composites throughout North America, including Canada, and broaden the application of these materials. 

Canadian oil and gas industry leverages composites for pipeline installation and repair

One area where Canada has been benefiting from composites is in the oil and gas sector, with pipeline repair and installation. In one example, composite-reinforced line pipe was used as an affordable alternative to steel on the Saratoga section of the Western Alberta system mainline expansion.

While steel has long been the favored material for natural gas pipelines, it can be expensive and time-intensive to repair and prone to fracture and corrosion. Cost can also be a prohibitive factor. In Western Alberta, the composite-reinforced line pipe (CRLP) features a low-alloy steel surrounded by composite fiber reinforcement. This delivers better corrosion resistance, faster installation time and a longer service life. Welding time on the section is estimated to be reduced to 40 percent thanks to the lower ratio of steel in the pipeline. The CRLP also makes corrosion coating unnecessary, further lowering costs and repair time.

Composite pipes can also be repaired quickly and with minimal digging using the cured in place pipe (CIPP) approach. This allows service teams to pull a resin-saturated polyester tube into damaged areas, then cure the resin with hot water, ultraviolet light or steam. This creates a tight, corrosion-resistant area with a curing time between five and 30 hours. Suppliers with specific expertise can aid in product selection and design considerations to make sure installation is effective.

Let Composites One supply advanced composite materials for your next infrastructure project

At Composites One, we are the leading distributo of composite materials throughout North America, delivering the highest quality advanced composite materials to infrastructure and other industries. To learn about the composite materials we supply in Canada, contact our team today.