Petrobras Sets Composite Pipe Contract in Motion for Brazilian Post-Salt Cluster

Petrobras has let a contract to Strohm BV and its subsidiary, Strohm Brasil, for thermoplastic composite pipe destined for the Brazilian post-salt cluster. The agreement establishes a supply and service package supporting offshore deployment in Brazil.

The contract covers more than the delivery of TCP products. Its scope also includes qualification testing, project engineering, field services, and support for offshore trials and installation.

Petrobras plans to use the composite pipe in water injection and gas lift applications. Both applications will be carried out offshore Brazil under the terms described for the project.

The TCP is intended for operations in water depths reaching as much as 1,500 m. That depth forms part of the operating conditions under which the product will be deployed and assessed.

During the project, the pipe will be evaluated under actual operating conditions. The assessment will examine how the TCP performs as part of the planned offshore work.

Handling is one of the specific areas included in the evaluation. The project will also assess the ability of the pipe to be installed using typical pipe lay vessels from the Petrobras fleet.

That installation work brings the pipe and vessel elements of the program together during offshore trials. Strohm will provide support for those trials as well as for the installation activities covered by the agreement.

Qualification testing is another defined part of the contract. It sits alongside project engineering and field services within the wider package awarded by Petrobras to Strohm BV and Strohm Brasil.

The project therefore combines pipe supply with technical and operational support. Each of those elements relates directly to preparing, testing, handling, and installing the TCP for the specified Brazilian offshore applications.

Thermoplastic composite pipe is manufactured from a combination of fiber and polymer. The fiber can be carbon or glass, while the polymer can be polyethylene or polyamide.

Those material combinations distinguish TCP products from the flexible and rigid pipe solutions traditionally used across the industry. According to the project description, the resulting composite products are lighter and easier to handle than those conventional alternatives.

Lower weight and simpler handling are central characteristics of the pipe covered by the contract. They will be relevant to the project’s assessment of handling and installation from typical vessels within the Petrobras fleet.

The TCP products are also spoolable, allowing the pipeline to be managed in that form for the offshore work. The agreement specifically provides support for the installation phase in which those handling characteristics will be evaluated.

Another stated characteristic is resistance to corrosion. The pipelines are described as noncorrosive, separating them from pipe solutions that can face corrosion during service.

The composite pipelines are designed to deliver long term reliability without associated maintenance costs. At the same time, the products continue to allow pipeline integrity inspections throughout their operation.

That combination of reliability, maintenance characteristics, and inspection access forms part of the stated product profile. The project will place the TCP in actual operating conditions rather than limiting the work to qualification testing alone.

Water injection and gas lift will provide the two application settings for the supplied pipe. Both will be evaluated within the offshore Brazilian environment specified by Petrobras, including operations in water depths of up to 1,500 m.

The contract ultimately links material supply, engineering, qualification, field assistance, offshore trials, and installation support in a single project. Petrobras will assess the TCP’s handling and installation capability using typical pipe lay vessels from its own fleet.

For Strohm BV and Strohm Brasil, the work centers on delivering the composite pipe and supporting its offshore use. For Petrobras, the project provides an operating assessment of TCP across the defined water injection and gas lift applications in the Brazilian post-salt cluster.