1. Excellent characteristics of fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) pipes

1. Lightweight and high strength:

① Lightweight: The specific gravity of fiberglass pipes is about 1.6, which is only 1/4 to 1/5 of steel or cast iron pipes. Practical applications show that under the same internal pressure, fiberglass pipes of the same diameter and length weigh about 30% of that of steel pipes. Because of this, fiberglass pipes can be transported in a nested manner, saving fuel and other costs; during installation, medium and small diameter fiberglass pipes generally do not require heavy machinery, and some can even be moved manually, improving installation speed.

② High strength: The axial tensile strength of strong-wound fiberglass pipes is 160 to 320 MPa, close to that of steel pipes, with a higher specific strength.

2. Excellent corrosion resistance:Fiberglass pipes have excellent corrosion resistance compared to traditional pipe materials; they have good resistance to the atmosphere, water, and general concentrations of acids, bases, salts, and various oil solvents. They can transport most fluids without the need for additional linings and coatings.

3. Good durability

Fiberglass pipes have excellent corrosion resistance and mechanical properties, providing a longer service life than traditional materials, making them more economical.

4. Good insulation, no secondary pollution. Because fiberglass has good insulation properties, there will be no electrochemical reactions and electrochemical corrosion during fluid transport, resulting in no secondary pollution.

5. Excellent hydraulic performance: The inner surface of wound fiberglass pipes is smooth, with an absolute roughness of only 0.01 mm, much smaller than that of steel and cast iron pipes, classifying them as hydraulically smooth pipes.

6. Strong designability: The specific performance and shape of the pipes can be designed according to specific usage conditions:

① The winding angle during winding can be designed to give the pipe different longitudinal/circumferential strength distributions;

② The wall thickness of the pipe can be designed to withstand different internal and external pressures;

③ The materials can be designed to achieve different corrosion resistance, flame retardancy, dielectric purposes, etc.;

④ The joint methods can be designed to suit different installation conditions, improving engineering installation speed;

⑤ The product shape can be designed to meet specific shape requirements.

7. Lightweight and easy to construct. Fiberglass is a lightweight and high-strength material, weighing only 25% of similar steel pipes. It is easy to handle during construction and installation, significantly reducing labor intensity.

2. Application fields of fiberglass pipes

1. In the petroleum industry

In the large number of pipelines used in oil field production, 80% are used to transport high water content oil, oil-gas mixtures, and produced water. Due to the harsh conditions of oil field wastewater, such as the wastewater from the Shengli Oilfield, which can have a mineralization of up to 5.7×104 mg/L, a chloride content of up to 3×104 mg/L, and corrosive substances like dissolved oxygen, CO2, sulfides, and sulfate-reducing bacteria, the corrosion of metal pipes is quite severe. Steel pipes can start to perforate as soon as three months after being put into production, and it is common for them to be scrapped within a year. Therefore, in 1983, the Shengli Oilfield began to try using fiberglass pipes with good corrosion resistance as a substitute for steel pipes. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, fiber-wound fiberglass pipes were produced in large quantities in China and quickly gained widespread acceptance in oil fields. Between 1991 and 1992, the Shengli Oilfield used nearly 30 km of fiberglass pipes in surface application projects, making oil fields a very important application market for fiberglass pipes in recent years. Currently, nearly a thousand kilometers of medium and low-pressure fiberglass pipes are used in oil fields, with most of the selected pipe diameters ranging from DN50 to 700 mm, and the medium transported can reach temperatures of up to about 78°C, with pressures generally between 0.1 and 1.6 MPa.

2. In the chemical industry

In chemical plants, power plants, pharmaceutical factories, etc., fiberglass pipes were first applied in the chemical field in the 1960s in China; since the 1990s, the application of fiberglass pipes in the chemical field has become increasingly widespread; to date, they have gained widespread recognition in the chemical field. Many domestic chemical enterprises or projects have extensively selected fiberglass pipes, and the use of fiberglass pipes in the chemical field is on the rise. It is predicted that by 2000, the chemical field will require about 30,000 tons/year of fiberglass, a large portion of which will be for pipes. By 2010, the use of fiberglass in the chemical anti-corrosion field is expected to increase at an annual rate of over ten percent, outpacing other fields, with broad application prospects. Currently, fiberglass pipes used in the chemical field are mostly used as process pipelines and long-distance transport pipelines. The diameters of fiberglass pipes used in the chemical field are generally smaller, mostly below DN800 mm, with pressures ranging from atmospheric pressure to 4.0 MPa, and temperatures from -40 to 100°C. Due to the large number of chemical manufacturers, the involved medium conditions include various aspects such as acids, bases, salts, solvents, and alternating acid-base conditions.

3. In municipal applications

Such as water supply and drainage projects, sewage treatment plants, etc. In recent years, due to the mass production of food-grade resins in China and their stable quality, which has met the sanitary requirements for the use of fiberglass pipes in water supply, the use of fiberglass pipes in the water supply and drainage field is on the rise. Fiberglass pipes used for water supply are mostly of medium and small diameters, while those used for drainage are mostly of large and medium diameters, with pressures generally being very low during water supply and drainage. Therefore, with good corrosion resistance, lightweight, easy installation, and excellent hydraulic performance, the application of fiberglass pipes in this field will continue to increase with the development of China's economy and municipal construction.

4. In other industrial and commercial applications

In the power industry, applications include: cooling tower pipes, circulating water systems, pressure pipelines, public service pipelines; cable conduits; ventilation and dust removal systems, etc. In the marine transportation industry: ballast pipes for oil tankers and cargo ships; oil-water, sewage transport and drainage pipes; seawater cooling and cleaning pipes, etc. In heating and ventilation industries: district heating networks; geothermal transport pipelines; supply and exhaust systems, etc.

3. Specifications and models of pipes

The conventional medium and low pressure fiberglass pipes produced by our company are classified by diameter, ranging from DN50 to DN1000 with 18 types of pipelines and pressure levels from 0.6MPa to 2.5MPa, totaling 4 pressure levels. In total, there are 59 combinations. We can also manufacture pipelines of any length and pressure level below 12 meters at 2.5MPa, tailored to customer specifications.

4. Main Forming Process

Our company adopts internationally advanced computer-controlled continuous fiberglass winding forming technology, sequentially producing the inner lining layer, inner structural layer, resin mortar layer, outer structural layer, and outer protective layer on the core mold according to the design program, and then performing heat treatment through far-infrared heating plates. After curing, water pressure tests are conducted according to standards.

5. Connection Methods

Double "O" ring socket connection, single "O" ring socket connection, butt joint and socket bonding, flange connection, etc.