Strohm and Petronas Join Forces to Commercialize TCP

Strohm’s New Agreement

Strohm, a leading manufacturer of fully bonded Thermoplastic Composite Pipe (TCP), has signed an agreement with Petronas’ technology arm, Petronas Technology Ventures, to commercialize TCP in the industry and scale its utilization across the Malaysian state-backed energy company’s facilities.

The partnership has ensured these products are available in the market with immediate effect, said Strohm.

Strohm

“The agreement will also be instrumental in expanding the knowledge of the design, production and qualification standard from Strohm’s technology backbone – DNV (standard ST-F119), allowing operators to qualify and utilize TCP, instead of metallic pipes, creating substantial cost reduction potentials in all stages of oil and gas projects life cycle,” claimed the company.

Collaborating History

Strohm and Petronas have been collaborating since 2012 when both companies embarked on a qualification programme for TCP, followed by a successful pilot installation project for a full well stream production pipeline on the West Lutong field in Sarawak waters offshore Malaysia.

“TCP has become widely acknowledged for its many benefits compared to steel alternatives, including zero corrosion, reduced weight leading to improved transportation and installation costs, and lower carbon footprint,” said Strohm.

For flowlines, an added benefit is the reduction in pressure drops and improvement of multiphase flow conditions, thanks to a smooth bore, bonded pipe, immune to any gas permeation risks.

Jumper on Demand

For jumpers, a particular edge is the elimination of offshore metrology requirements, which has considerable impact on the cost and schedule risk associated with vessel standby and onshore rigid spool fabrication.

A logical step forward from the single jumper application is Strohm’s ‘Jumper on Demand’ concept whereby a long length of pipe is fabricated and stored on a single reel or cradle, ready to be cut and terminated in-country into individual jumpers as required.

Fabienne Ellington, Strohm’s Vice President, Middle East and Asia-Pacific said:

“We are very excited to take this next step together with Petronas. Their visionary spirit recognized at an early stage the potential for TCP and this extended commitment will build on our existing footprint with them in Asia Pacific and provide further robust business opportunities across the sector.”

“Another recent key development has been the confirmation that the cost-effective glass fibre polyethylene material used for the Petronas pilot project is now complemented by carbon fibre polyamide and carbon fibre PVDF materials, which are fully qualified for full hydrocarbon well stream fluid applications. These materials are not susceptible to corrosion, blistering or embrittlement from CO2, H2S or hydrogen, making them particularly suitable for highly sour service applications, carbon sequestration projects and hydrogen transportation.”

“With these milestones achieved and the signing of the commercialization agreement with Petronas, our TCP solution is on track to further revolutionize the sector and support the energy transition.”

CEO of Petronas

Dr Mahpuzah Abai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Petronas Technology Ventures said that, Petronas believes innovation is key to unlocking a sustainable future. “Through our proprietary non-metallic pipe technology, we can provide an effective solution to corrosive and challenging operational environments. Having Strohm onboard will create a progressive partnership in this area.”