Flexible pipeline technology offers major performance advantages and cost savings. Proposal prepared by Geoff Croker in conjunction with Docklands Science Park.

1. Armoured Gas Pipelines
Current technology for transporting gas via pipeline uses rigid materials such as polyethylene lined steel, fibre glass reinforced rigid plastic or high
density polyethylene. Nearly all high pressure (100 bar operating pressure at sea level) pipelines of diameters of over 600mm (24”) are made of steel.
This means such pipe must be made in short lengths in a factory and transported to site where it is fitted together using butt welds.
It is now possible to manufacture high pressure pipe of over 750mm (30”) diameter that is flexible and in continuous lengths.
This pipe will be made of a high tensile Kevlar cover that reinforces a polyethylene liner. The cover can be wound in layers over a PE liner using a tape
winding machine and inner rigid die or PE pipe and fused in an oven in a continuous process of very long lengths dependent on the installation
requirements. Such a machine could even be transported and run on-site. A site may be on a ship or mounted on truck trailers. Hydrostatic testing
and wall thickness measurement would also be continuous.
A continuous flexible pipeline once inflated at its operating pressure of 100 bar (sea Level) is rigid. It can be hung from a stainless steel cable
connected to the sea floor (at great depths) or across land over very long distances.
A final polyethylene winding and/or rigid inner polyethylene lining can make a finished product for burying and/or waterproofing. Various outer windings
are available that can modify operating temperature parameters beyond Kevlar properties.
Typical undersea gas pipelines must be installed by specialised contractors at great expense and such pipe is extremely difficult to move, lengthen,
shorten, make additions or maintain. A flexible (when deflated) pipe connected to a cable has none of these problems. A polyethylene lined pipe with
no steel has few marine, hydrocarbon or acid corrosion problems. It need not be externally tensioned during the installation process as it will go into
tension if inflated.
It is possible to transport gas across an ocean floor from Australia to Japan or Qatar to India or SE Asia using a flexible, armoured gas pipeline at a
compelling price.
At depths of 1,000 metres the operating pressure would be 200 bar. At 2,000 meters 300 bar. The pressure can be maintained within a range by
varying the distance from a variable ocean floor depth.

2. Project Plan
Phase 1: Detailed Design Study (2 months)
Identification of preferred fibres, fabric structures, inner and outer
covers.
Manufacturing requirements.
Preliminary assessment of freedom to operate.
Decision on preferred route for Tape Winding machine prototype.
Cost $375,000
Phase 2: Prototype Manufacture and Testing (10 months)
Investigation of both knitting and winding as prospective approaches.
2.1 Knitted tubes
2.2 Tape Winding prototype machine design, build & test
2.4 Inner and outer covers
2.4 Short Pipe Testing for pressure, durability, abrasion, tear, creep,
UV, accelerated weathering, marine exposure
2.5 Reports, samples, test results. Plan for Phase 3.
Cost $1,500,000
Phase 3: Scale up & Commercialisation (12 months)