The world’s first nylon 6,6 oilfield pipeline

As a subsidiary of the privately held Koch Industries Group, Invista has launched Raptor? Nylon 6,6 pipe. Raptor® nylon tubing is the industry's first nylon 6,6 homogeneous single-wall liner tubing. Not only can the product withstand temperatures up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius) and pressures up to 500 pounds per square inch, but it's also quick to install. During the development of this new line pipe, INVISTA's technical team first considered how to make the product able to withstand the test of corrosive liquids, impact, abrasion, high temperature and daily wear and tear.

Raptor® nylon pipe is 2,000 feet long in one roll, ready to lay, and suitable for multi-phase flow lines, low-pressure natural gas collection and waterway transportation. The product portfolio of Raptor® nylon tubing includes 2-inch, 3-inch, 4-inch and 6-inch as well as SDRs 7, 9 and 11. 6-inch tubing is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2014. Key features of Raptor® nylon tubing include:

Can withstand temperatures up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 degrees Celsius)

Can withstand pressures up to 500 pounds per square inch

·Quick coil installation

No need to downgrade liquid hydrocarbons

Stronger wear resistance than steel pipe and high-density polyethylene

Stronger impact resistance than glass fiber, high-density polyethylene and composite pipes

Vikram Gopal, vice president of Engineering Plastics Solutions Technology at INVISTA, led the development of Raptor® nylon pipes. The installation is quick and easy, allowing the engineering plastics industry and midstream companies to make flexible arrangements. Therefore, INVISTA's scientific and technological talents have worked together to develop the first nylon 6,6 piping system product for the oil field.”

Typical Raptor® Nylon piping takes significantly less time to install than steel pipe. Installation is even easier when used with standard fusion butt technology and a range of ready-to-use transition fittings.

According to INVISTA, the strength and durability of Raptor® nylon pipes have been verified by installation, testing and rapid wear in different environments. The product's resistance to corrosion, impact and abrasion is unmatched by any plastic piping product, including steel pipe. For 3-inch pipes, compared with the test results of 188 ERW A53/x42 steel and 4710 high-density polyethylene, this pipe has 2 to 5 times better wear resistance than steel pipes; it can be better anti-static; and high-density Compared with polyethylene pipes, the abrasion resistance is 25 times higher. In addition, it outperforms fiberglass, high-density polyethylene, and their composites in terms of impact resistance. "As North American shale gas production continues to increase, we expect our company's new nylon 6,6 pipe will bring new solutions for the transportation of oil, gas and water," said Gopal.