3509 Guidelines for the assessment of ageing and life extension of non-metallic components in the offshore oil and gas industry

Overview:

This document captures industry good practice, knowledge and learning on these elements of composite materials. This guidance will provide a starting point for assessment of ageing and life extension of non-metallic composite materials used offshore in pressure containing or structural applications in the offshore oil and gas industry, specifically composite equipment and repairs.

This document is concerned with the ageing, degradation and failure mechanisms of composites in offshore environments – whether they be subsea, in the splash zone, buried, or atmospheric/topside. Internal and external environmental effects are considered where applicable. The configurations of interest include:

• composite pipe and liners;
• composite handrails, gratings, stairways (although there is limited experience in these areas, therefore this is an area for future expansion of the guidance), and
• repairs to metallic pipe/pressure containing equipment and tanks and/or structures, noting EI Guidance on management of engineered composite repairs: End user good practice guidance.

Excluded from consideration are:

• composite repairs on composite pipe;
• composite rotating and reciprocating equipment;
• composite subcomponents of complex equipment, e.g. flow meters, turbines, and
• downhole and drilling equipment.