3 +shawcor+ (Pipeline+Performance+Group)

13 December, 2016
Influence of foam morphology on end of life U-value

for subsea foamed polypropylene pipeline insulation
AMI Oil & Gas Non-Metallics, London, 2016
Licensed for the exclusive use of NATIONAL COMPOSITES CENTRE downloaded on 22/12/2016 at 15:34:07. Must not be reproduced,
forwarded or distributed except in accordance with NATIONAL COMPOSITES CENTRE's agreement with Applied Market Information Ltd.
This document is digitally watermarked.
2
Foam Morphology and End of Life U-value

Contents
• Shawcor at a glance
• Hydrostatic compression
• Triaxial compression test
• Simulated Service Test
• U-value case study
• Foam morphology
• Triaxial test results
• SST results
• Thermal design process
• Hypothetical designs
• Summary
3
Shawcor at glance
Global Energy Services Company
Provides technology-based solutions for the pipeline and pipe services market, and the petrochemical
and industrial markets. Shawcor focuses on five core competencies: pipeline coating, welding
inspections, composite pipe, oilfield asset management and cables and connectors
~ 5,000
Employees worldwide
80+
Global locations
25
Countries across the globe
236 Issued Patents, 86 Proprietary Formulations

Solutions – Driven by Innovative Technology
~ $1.8 (CAD)
Billion revenues
4
Shawcor
Products and Services Offering
5
Shawcor – Wet flowline insulation solutions

• PPFoam
• 150 °C and 500 m
• High density foam. Nominal density 740 kg/m3.
3000
2500
UltraSolid
2000
(U > 3 W / m² K)
Water Depth [m]
sPP
(U > 3 W / m² K) XtremeTemp
1500
GsPU (U > 3 W / m² K)
(U > 3 W /
1000 m² K)
UltraFoam
(U > 2 W / m² K)
500
PPFoam
(U > 3 W / m² K)
100
80 120 150 180 200
Design
forwarded or distributed except in accordance with Temperature
NATIONAL [°C]
COMPOSITES CENTRE's agreement with Applied Market Information Ltd.
6
Hydrostatic Compression
• Hydrostatic pressure according to water depth,
from ̴1 MPa to 30 MPa
• Constant over the pipeline’s lifetime (30 years)
• Initial compression component
• Upon installation
• Considered instantaneous
• Recoverable
• Creep compression component
• Over entire lifetime
• Limited recovery
• ISO 12736* calls for determination of
“hydrostatic compressive behavior” of each
layer of insulation
• At 23 °C and max. rated temperature
• Shall be determined for each insulation layer
*Standard for Petroleum and natural gas industries —

Wet thermalforwarded
insulation coatings
or distributed for pipelines,
except in accordance flow
with NATIONAL lines, equipment
COMPOSITES and
CENTRE's agreement withsubsea structures
Applied Market Information Ltd.
7
MEASUREMENT OF HYDROSTATIC COMPRESSION

Triaxial Compression Test and Simulated Service Test
8
Triaxial Compression Test
Method
• Cylindrical test specimen
• Contained in cylindrical steel autoclave
• Piston pressing down on top of sample
• Produces a tri-axial stress state
• Mimics the stresses in pipe coating
• Temperature and pressure constant
• Compression recorded over time
• Measures initial compression
• Measures creep compression
• Common test on foamed

insulation at Shawcor
• Described in ISO 12736 Annex A
Essential test for design
of thermal insulation
9
Triaxial Compression Test
• Creep rates increase with temperature

• Thick insulation is split into test
sections (L1, L2, L3, ….)
• Average temperature is calculated
for each section.
• Cylindrical test specimen

• Typically Ø32 mm x 55 mm
• Machined to 0.03 mm tolerance
• Radial orientation L1
• One specimen can be made from
L1
several plugs
• Diameter is compensated for L1
thermal expansion - allows a snug
fit in the autoclave
10
20 years = 175200 h
25 years = 219000 h
Triaxial Compression Test 30 years = 262800 h
• Compression of PPFoam follows a
logarithmic trend
• Typical test duration is 100 h
• Short duration is verified by long term
testing
• Large library of historical data
End of Life (typically 30 years)

compression is extrapolated
Compression is dependent on
pressure, temperature, foam
density and foam morphology.
11
Simulated Service Test

SST description
• A 28 day test of the pipe at operational conditions:
• Internal operation temperature
• External water temperature and hydrostatic water pressure
• Measures heat loss and radial compression
• Primarily used to verify the U-value (next slide) of the pipe
• In some cases the SST is used to verify cool-down or thermal
cycling performance
• The SST is not an ageing test
Shawcor CR&D test vessel: • Shawcor CR&D vessel

• Heat loss measured through surface of insulated pipe
• ≤ 6 m pipe specimen
• Displacement of pipe surface measured using LVDTs
• 7 electrically heated
temperature zones
• 20 pipe surface heat
flux sensors in 7 zones
• 12 high resolution
LVDTs in 4 zones
12

LVDT sensitivity
2,0
1,5
1,0
Compression [%]
Internal heaters
turned on
0,5
0,0
Thermal 0 500 1000 1500 2000
expansion
-0,5
-1,0
Time [minutes]
Start pressurization
13

SST U-value
• The U-value is an engineering concept.
• Convenient for calculating a heat loss rate for a given
temperature differential:
|𝑞ሶ 𝑅ref | Ro
𝑈 𝑅ref =
|𝑇o − 𝑇i |
𝑅ref - radius of a cylindrical reference surface
𝑞ሶ 𝑅ref - heat flux through the reference Rref
surface, i.e. heat loss rate per unit area
Ri
|𝑇o − 𝑇i | - the temperature difference driving the
heat loss
• 𝑇o and 𝑇i are kept constant during the test. Ti

• Shawcor will measure the heat flux 𝑞ሶ 𝑅o through the
outer surface of the pipe (at 𝑅o ) and calculate 𝑞ሶ 𝑅ref : To
𝑅o
𝑞ሶ 𝑅ref = 𝑞ሶ 𝑅o
𝑅ref
• 2𝑅ref is defined by the Client. It is always the inner or
outer diameter of the steel pipe.
• Shawcor will design an isulation that meets the
Client’s U-value requirement at 2𝑅ref .
• Shawcor measure U-value at an accuracy of approx.
3%
14

SST compression
• SST compression is reported as an average over the 28 day test duration

OK for low compression materials Caution required for high
• Glass syntactic PP compression materials
• PPFoam at high pressure and
• Solid materials
high temperature
• PPFoam at low pressure and • Other foams with a long term
low temperature creep trend.
• PPFoam creep compression occurs on a time scale longer than the 28 day test duration
• For PPFoam, less than 50 % of the total compression over the lifetime of the pipe may
occur during the test duration.
• High compaction will increase the density of the insulation, in turn increasing the U-
value.
• Operation temperature typically drops with time in service and lowers the minimum
downstream temperature where hydrate formation is critical => EOL is important!
• Very limited SST compression data is available. Must cover a wide range of
temperatures and pressures (and pipe/layer geometries and foam densities).
15

U-value as function of compression
• The insulation should meet the U-
value criteria at the end of the life
(EOL) of the pipeline.
• Coating compression as function of
time is determined with low uncertainty
and can be extrapolated to EOL
• Typically no significant trend to
determine EOL U-value.
• Accurancy of U-value measurement
is ̴ 3 %
• Shawcor will design insulations that
meets the U-value at the end of life of
the pipeline based on EOL
compression data.
• Requires knowledge about the creep
compression rate of the coating.
16
DESIGN CASE STUDY

U-value for poor vs. improved foam morphology
17
DESIGN CASE STUDY
Poor foam morphology

vs.
Improved foam morphology
• SST and triaxial compression measurements taken from full scale pipes:
• Pipes produced with poor foam morphology. High compression.
• Pipes with improved foam morphology due to process improvements.
• Test results are directly comparable:
• Same pipe OD
• Same foam density (740 kg/m3)
• Same test pressure (5.6 MPa)
• Same test temperature
• Similar thicknesses
• Hypotetical thermal designs were made to illustrate:
• Impact on material consumption
• Impact on U-value
18
Foam Morphology Identification

Image Segmentation
• Identify each foam cell

• Find the centroid of the cell
• Measure cell size, cell orientation and
aspect ratio
• Calculate the number density of cells,

i.e. number of foam cells per mm3.
• If applicable: Calculate foam transport
properties or mechanical properties
19
Foam Morphology Improvements

Improvement of Morphology
• Use different foaming agent

• Pellet size and distribution
• Foaming agent powder size and Low dosage
distribution Coalescence
• Nucleation mechanism
• Fine tune loading of foaming agent: Too
much will cause course foam structure with
much cell coalescence
• Set moderate melt temperature: High end
temperature will increase foam cell size Deformation Improved
and reduce number density
• Reduce mechanical distortion of foam cells: Micrographs have the same scale
Elongated foam cells have low
compressive strength
• Same density
• Cell size down 35 %
• Aspect radio down 40 %
20
Triaxial Test Results 5.6 MPa

• Poor foam morphology: 8.1 % compression end of test and 12 %
extrapolated to EOL at 73 °C.
• Improved foam morphology: 4.3 % compression end of test and 6.4 %
extrapolated to EOL at 73 °C.
• Excellent fit to logarithmic function for all temperatures. R2 ≥ 0.95.
• Same density ± 2 %.
9
6
Compression [%]
Poor morphology, 30 °C
5 Poor morphology, 50 °C
4 Poor morphology, 73 °C
Improved morphology, 30 °C
3
Improved morphology, 50 °C
2 Improved morphology, 73 °C
1
0
0,01 0,1 1 10 100 1000
forwarded or distributed except in Time [h] with NATIONAL COMPOSITES CENTRE's agreement with Applied Market Information Ltd.
accordance
21
SST Compression Test Results 5.6 MPa

SST compression data: EOL extrapolation:
3,5 5,0
y = 0,2713ln(x) + 1,2126
4,5
3,0 R² = 0,9985
4,0
2,5 3,5
Compression [%]
Compression [%]
3,0
2,0
y = 0,1650ln(x) + 0,4070
2,5
R² = 0,9997
1,5
2,0
1,0 1,5
1,0
0,5 y = 0,1560ln(x) + 0,2774
0,5 R² = 0,9983
0,0 0,0
0 200 400 600 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000
Time [h] Time [h]
30 years Log. (After improvement 2)
Before improvement After improvement 1
After improvement 2 Log. (After improvement 1) Log. (Before improvement)
LowLicensed
compression
for the exclusive usecritical
of NATIONALfor strapped
COMPOSITES on units
CENTRE downloaded requiring
on 22/12/2016 pretension
at 15:34:07. Must not be reproduced,
22
Triaxial vs. SST Compression 5.6 MPa

Tri-axial compression SST compression
Before improvement:
Thickness EOL triaxial compression [%]
3.0 % end of test compression
Layer [mm] Before opt. After opt.
FBE 0,3 0,0 0,0 4.7 % EOL compression
Adhesive 0,3 0,0 0,0
3L 5,4 1,0 1,0
Foam layer 1 30 12,8 6,4
After improvement:
Solid intermediate 3 1,0 1,0 1.3 % end of test compression
Foam layer 2 30 10,2 5,1
2.2 % EOL compression
Solid intermediate 3 1,0 1,0
Foam layer 3 30 5,4 3,4
Solid topcoat 4 1,0 1,0 Shawcor SST have high accuracy on
Thickness weighed compr. [%] 8,2 4,4
compression LVDTs. Measurement can
be considered the actual compression of
the pipeline.
• Triaxial compression results are conservative

compared to SST compression results
• Better models are needed for the relationship
between triaxial tests and actual compression (SST)
23
Thermal Insulation Design Process
Requirements and Design Verification

Conditions • Select insulation • Triaxial compression
• U-value system • Other material tests
• Cool-down time • Foam density • Installation tests
• Max. compression • Compression • Simulated Service
• Max. thickness • Thermal properties Test
• Buoyancy • Proven capability • Other system tests
• Design temperature =>
• Water depth • Layer thicknesses
• Lifetime • U-value
• Installation type • Cost
• Other input • Etc.
24
Thermal Insulation Design Process

U-value
• A thermal design defines the thickness of −1
𝑛
insulation required to reach an insulation ln(𝑅𝑗+1 /𝑅𝑗 )
𝑈 𝑅ref = 𝑅ref ෍
requirement 𝑘𝑗
𝑗=1
• The most common requirement is U-value
• Insulation coatings consists of several layers
• Each layer in the thermal insulation is defined
at start of life (SOL) and end of life (EOL) Rj Rj+1
• Thickness Rref
• Density 𝜌
• Thermal conductivity 𝑘
• Foam density increases with compression
• Thermal conductivity increases with
increasing foam density
• For small changes in density
𝜌EOL
𝑘EOL = 𝑘SOL
𝜌SOL
• U-value increases with increasing thermal
conductivity
25
Cost Impact, SST compression

Poor foam morphology. U = 2.36 W/m2/K. Improved foam morphology. U = 2.36 W/m2/K.
Layer Build Start of Life Layer Build Start of Life
Material Thickn. [mm] k [W/(m·K)] Dens. [kg/m3] Material Thickn. [mm] k [W/(m·K)] Dens. [kg/m3]
FBE 0,3 0,300 1300 FBE 0,3 0,300 1300
Adhesive 0,3 0,219 900 Adhesive 0,3 0,219 900
PP Solid 5,4 0,223 920 PP Solid 5,4 0,223 920
PP Foam Inner 30,0 0,173 740 PP Foam Inner 28,0 0,173 740
PP Solid 3,0 0,228 920 PP Solid 3,0 0,229 920
PP Foam Mid 30,0 0,174 740 PP Foam Mid 28,0 0,174 740
PP Solid 3,0 0,233 920 PP Solid 3,0 0,233 920
PP Foam Outer 30,0 0,174 740 PP Foam Outer 28,6 0,174 740
PP Solid 4,0 0,236 920 PP Solid 4,0 0,236 920
Total 106,0 Total 100,6
Layer Build End of Life Layer Build End of Life

FBE 0,3 0,301 1304 FBE 0,3 0,301 1304
PP Solid 5,4 0,224 925 PP Solid 5,4 0,224 925
PP Solid 3,0 0,230 925 PP Solid 3,0 0,230 925
PP Solid 3,0 0,234 925 PP Solid 3,0 0,234 925
PP Foam Outer 29,2 0,180 762 Matching the PP Foam Outer 28,2 0,178 755
PP Solid 4,0 0,237 925 PP Solid 4,0 0,237 925
SST
Total 101,0 compression Total 98,4
Coating mass [kg/m] 121,19 Coating mass [kg/m] 115,50
Coating compression 4,7 % Coating compression 2,2 %
5 % reduction in thickness and PP consumption with improved foam

26
U-value Impact, SST compression

Poor foam morhology. Thickness 106 mm. Improved foam morphology. Thickness 106 mm.
Layer Build Start of Life Layer Build Start of Life
FBE 0,3 0,300 1300 FBE 0,3 0,300 1300
PP Solid 5,4 0,223 920 PP Solid 5,4 0,223 920
PP Solid 3,0 0,228 920 PP Solid 3,0 0,229 920
PP Solid 3,0 0,233 920 PP Solid 3,0 0,233 920
PP Foam Outer 30,0 0,174 740 PP Foam Outer 30,0 0,174 740
PP Solid 4,0 0,236 920 PP Solid 4,0 0,236 920
Total 106,0 Total 106,0
Layer Build End of Life Layer Build End of Life

FBE 0,3 0,301 1304 FBE 0,3 0,301 1304
PP Solid 5,4 0,224 925 PP Solid 5,4 0,224 925
PP Solid 3,0 0,230 925 PP Solid 3,0 0,230 925
PP Solid 3,0 0,234 925 PP Solid 3,0 0,234 925
PP Foam Outer 29,2 0,180 762 Matching the PP Foam Outer 29,5 0,178 755
PP Solid 4,0 0,237 925 PP Solid 4,0 0,237 925
SST
Total 101,0 compression Total 103,6
2 2
U-value of LP on OD 2,36 W/(m K) U-value of LP on OD 2,25 W/(m K)
Coating compression 4,7 % Coating compression 2,2 %
5 % reduction in U-value
27
What compression data to use in design?

SST compression data Triaxial compression data
U = 2.36 W/m2/K U = 2.36 W/m2/K

4.7 % => 2.2 % compression 8.2 % => 4.4 % compression
106 mm => 101 mm thickness 116 mm => 105 mm thickness
121.2 kg/m PP => 115.5 kg/m PP (5 % 134.5 kg/m PP => 120.2 kg/m PP (11 %
down) down)
Thickness 106 mm Thickness 116 mm

4.7 % => 2.2 % compression 8.2 % => 4.4 % compression
2.36 W/m2/K => 2.25 W/m2/K (5 % down) 2.36 W/m2/K => 2.18 W/m2/K (8 % down)
Compression data Compression data

- Only known after test (PQT stage) - Overly conservative
+ Actual compression + Wide range of historical data available
In general, historical triaxial compression data is used in design.

However, 8.2
Licensed for the % use
exclusive would beCOMPOSITES
of NATIONAL considered unrealistically
CENTRE downloaded on 22/12/2016 at high.
15:34:07. Must not be reproduced,
28
Summary
• ISO12736 calls for determination of ”hydrostatic compressive behavior”

• Triaxial compression test is a good method for measuring creep compression, but
conservative
• Detailed knowledge of foam compression is essential for accurate thermal designs
• Triaxial compression data is primary source of compression data for design
• Future work: Better models are needed for the relationship between triaxial test results
and actual compression (SST)
• U-value EOL can not generally be determined in SST test
• Poor PPFoam morphology can double foam compression
• Foam morphology (aspect ratio, cell size, cell number density) can be quantified using
image segmentation to show foam improvement
• Foam compressibility can be improved by process improvements
• Improved foam morphology reduces project cost
29
Foam Morphology and End of Life U-value
Thank you for your attention.
JAN PEDER HEGDAL

QUESTIONS? Research Manager – Global Flow Assurance
Pipeline Performance
Shawcor Norway A/S

P.O. Box 214, N-7301 Orkanger, Norway
m +44 (0) 794 966 2302
m +47 902 19 913
e jphegdal@shawcor.com
shawcor.com

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13 December, 2016

Influence of foam morphology on end of life U-value

Foam Morphology and End of Life U-value

236 Issued Patents, 86 Proprietary Formulations

Shawcor – Wet flowline insulation solutions

*Standard for Petroleum and natural gas industries —

MEASUREMENT OF HYDROSTATIC COMPRESSION

Triaxial Compression Test

• Common test on foamed

Triaxial Compression Test

• Creep rates increase with temperature

• Cylindrical test specimen

End of Life (typically 30 years)

Simulated Service Test

Shawcor CR&D test vessel: • Shawcor CR&D vessel

Simulated Service Test

Simulated Service Test

• 𝑇o and 𝑇i are kept constant during the test. Ti

Simulated Service Test

• SST compression is reported as an average over the 28 day test duration

Simulated Service Test

DESIGN CASE STUDY

DESIGN CASE STUDY

Poor foam morphology

Foam Morphology Identification

• Identify each foam cell

• Calculate the number density of cells,

Foam Morphology Improvements

• Use different foaming agent

Triaxial Test Results 5.6 MPa

SST Compression Test Results 5.6 MPa

Triaxial vs. SST Compression 5.6 MPa

• Triaxial compression results are conservative

Thermal Insulation Design Process

Requirements and Design Verification

Thermal Insulation Design Process

Cost Impact, SST compression

Total 106,0 Total 100,6

Layer Build End of Life Layer Build End of Life

5 % reduction in thickness and PP consumption with improved foam

U-value Impact, SST compression

Total 106,0 Total 106,0

Layer Build End of Life Layer Build End of Life

What compression data to use in design?

U = 2.36 W/m2/K U = 2.36 W/m2/K

Thickness 106 mm Thickness 116 mm

Compression data Compression data

In general, historical triaxial compression data is used in design.

• ISO12736 calls for determination of ”hydrostatic compressive behavior”

Foam Morphology and End of Life U-value

Thank you for your attention.

JAN PEDER HEGDAL

Shawcor Norway A/S

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