Polyaryletherketones supplier Victrex Polymer Solutions (VPS, Thornton Cleveleys / UK; www.victrex.com) has installed its own extrusion lines for production of PEEK pipe and established a new business, Victrex Pipes. The move comes in response to market demand for high-performance pipes for harsh and demanding environments, typically as replacements for increasingly expensive corrosion resistant alloys (CRAs) by lining pipes made from other metals in the oil and gas industries. However, James Simmonite, VPS business leader Pipes, points out that Victrex pipes and piping can also be used for electrical sheathing and conduit in a broad range of industrial and aerospace applications.

Victrex pipes are currently available in a range of sizes from 6mm up to 200mm, with wall thicknesses ranging from 0.8mm up to 5.0mm. They are supplied in straight lengths or, for smaller diameters, in coiled lengths of up to 3,000mm. The pipes are joined using a range of connectors and adhesives, and also by using conventional welding equipment. For oil and gas applications, it has been shown that the extruded pipes show chemical resistance to hydrogen sulphide at high temperatures above 140 °C, and are unaffected by 2,000 hours of exposure to steam at 200 °C.

“Mounting performance expectations and harsh environments are increasing the emphasis on material selection in application design,” Simmonite explained. “Drilling deeper to access crude oil reserves requires a material that will withstand the harshest conditions.”

A new website (www.victrexpipes.com) has been developed to support the group’s PEEK pipes business. The site showcases the many benefits of the Victrex Pipes product family and enables direct contact with technically skilled members of the pipes team.