Thermoplastic composite

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11529781-B2
Application number	US-201716338236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Dec 20, 2022
Grant date	Dec 20, 2022

Abstract

A method of making a flexible pipe layer, which method comprises: commingling polymer filaments and carbon fibre filaments to form an intimate mixture, forming yarns of the commingled filaments, forming the yarns into a tape, and applying the tape to a pipe body to form a flexible pipe layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thermoplastic composite comprising fluoropolymer filaments and carbon fibre filaments, wherein the fluoropolymer filaments and carbon fibre filaments are commingled to form an intimate mixture, and wherein the fluoropolymer has a melt flow index (230° C./2.16 kg) in the range of 50 to 80 g/10 min, wherein the carbon fibre filaments have a tow size of 3000 to 12000.

2. A composite according to claim 1 , wherein the fluoropolymer has a melt flow index (230° C./2.16 kg) in the range of 60 to 70 g/10 min.

3. A composite according to claim 1 , wherein the fluoropolymer is selected from at least one of perfluoroalkoxy alkanes (PFA), poly(ethene-co-tetrafluoroethene) (ETFE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).

4. A composite according to claim 1 , wherein the fluoropolymer is polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).

5. A composite according to claim 1 , wherein the fluoropolymer is present in an amount of 30 to 70 weight % of the total weight of the fluoropolymer and carbon fibre.

6. A composite according to claim 1 , which is in the form of a yarn.

7. A composite according to claim 6 , wherein the composite is a tape formed from a plurality of yarns.

8. A composite according to claim 7 , wherein the tape comprises a first region formed from a plurality of yarns having a first concentration of carbon fibre, and a second region formed from a plurality of yarns having a second concentration of carbon fibre, wherein the first and second concentrations are different.

9. A composite according to claim 7 , wherein the tape comprises a region formed from a plurality of yarns, and a different region formed from a plurality of yarns consisting essentially of the fluoropolymer filaments.

10. A flexible pipe comprising at least one pipe layer formed from a tape of a composite according to claim 1 .

11. A pipe as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the at least one pipe layer formed from a tape of the composite is a pressure armour layer, which is positioned adjacent to a tubular polymer layer.

12. A pipe according to claim 11 , wherein the tubular polymer layer is formed on the inside of the pressure armour layer as a fluid barrier layer.

13. A pipe according to claim 10 , wherein the pipe layer is obtainable by wrapping the tape around a pipe body to form a pipe layer, and heating the tape so that the fluoropolymer filaments melt around the carbon filaments to form a fluoropolymer matrix.

14. A method of making a thermoplastic composite according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises commingling fluoropolymer filaments and carbon fibre filaments to form an intimate mixture.

15. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the filaments are commingled using a compressed gas or a series of combs to form the intimate mixture of the filaments.

16. A method according to claim 14 , wherein the method comprises forming yarns of the commingled filaments, and compressing or extruding the yarns to form a tape of the thermoplastic composite.

17. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the method comprises:
arranging a first region of yarns having a first concentration of carbon fibre adjacent to a second region of yarns having a second concentration of carbon fibre, and
compressing or extruding the yarns to form a tape, whereby the tape has a first region having a first concentration of carbon fibre, and a second region having a second concentration of carbon fibre.

18. A method according to claim 16 , wherein the method comprises arranging a first region of yarns that contain carbon fibre adjacent to a second region of yarns consisting essentially of fluoropolymer, and
compressing or extruding the yarns to form a tape, whereby the tape has a first region containing carbon fibre, and a second region consisting essentially of fluoropolymer.

19. A method as claimed according to claim 16 , wherein the method comprises wrapping the tape around a pipe body, and heating the wrapped tape so that the fluoropolymer filaments melt around the carbon filaments to form a fluoropolymer matrix.

20. A method according to claim 19 , wherein the pipe body comprises an extruded tubular polymer layer.

Assignees

• Ge Oil & Gas Uk Ltd
• Baker Hughes Energy Technology UK Ltd

Inventors

• Al-Zubaidy Majeed
• Dodds Neville
• Jha Vineet
• Latto James
• Finch David

Classifications

• B32B2262/106

  Carbon fibres, e.g. graphite fibres · CPC title

• B32B15/043

  of metal (B32B15/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C08K7/06 Primary

  Elements · CPC title

• D02G3/402

  the adhesive being one component of the yarn, i.e. thermoplastic yarn · CPC title

• B32B27/12

  next to a fibrous or filamentary layer · CPC title