Advances in design of polymer composite overwrap system for repair of pipeline damages induced by quasi-static and impact loading

Oil and gas industry uses pressure pipes extensively, some of them in potentially hazardous circumstances when exposed to quasi-static and impact-loading scenarios. Most steel pipes are normally repaired according to conventional wisdom by either removing the damaged portion and replacing it with new pipe or by reinforcing the damaged area with an external steel sleeve. Unfortunately, these conventional repair methods are both labor- and money-intensive. Thus it is imperative to advance a new method for accelerating the repair of pipeline damages. Recently, the use of polymer composite overwrap system as an alternative for repair of pipeline damages has been receiving increasing attention and have achieved great improvements in time, cost, and performance efficiency. In this chapter, we first outline the reinforced composite system manufacturing approaches in pipeline repair and then highlight ASME standard for pipeline repairs via the polymer composite overwrap system. Then, the current research status is reviewed with regard to application steps of finite element analysis and the appraisal of fiber reinforcement, resin, and infill material deployed in the design of polymer composite overwrap systems was done using illustrative examples with glass/epoxy, glass/vinyl ester, carbon/epoxy, carbon/vinyl ester, aramid/epoxy, aramid/vinyl ester, glass/polyester, glass/phenolic, carbon/polyester, carbon/phenolic, aramid/polyester, and aramid/phenolic composites. Furthermore, quasi-static indentation testing, ballistic impact penetration, and perforation were reviewed. Finally, we discussed various limitations of the polymer composite overwrap system, identified gaps in literature, and forecasted potential directions of future research.