Celanese signs partnership deal for deepwater thermoplastic composite pipes

Specialty materials maker Celanese Corporation has signed a deal with Airborne Oil & Gas B.V. to develop and supply composite materials for deepwater thermoplastic composite pipes.

The Netherlands-based Airborne manufactures spoolable thermoplastic composite pipe systems for deepwater offshore operations.

“This multi-year alliance promises to further improve materials, systems and solutions that will meet the oil and gas industry requirements for harsh deepwater operations,” said Marcus Kremers, Airborne’s chief technology officer. “Together, Airborne, with its expertise in offshore thermoplastic composite pipe systems, and Celanese, a leading global producer of high-performance thermoplastic composites, will be able to drive the development of the right material solutions. This strategic alliance is an important milestone in achieving a robust supply chain, ready for scaling up.”

The durable, spoolable, lightweight composite pipe systems designed and manufactured by Airborne, have high mechanical strength to withstand the extremely high pressures and tensile loads of deep-sea offshore operations. They need to be more robust than existing pipe systems used in the offshore industry. Airborne’s pipe technology has won several innovation awards, including the JEC Europe 2012 Innovation Award.

The Airborne pipes incorporate Celanese’s Celstran CFR-TP composite technology, which is a continuous fibre-reinforced thermoplastic material.