RTP Pipes

Reinforced thermoplastic pipe, or RTP pipe, is a generic term referring to pipes reinforced by high-strength composite fibers, such as glass, aramid, or carbon. It is developed to replace medium-pressure steel pipes in response to the growing demand for non-corrosive conduits for application in the onshore oil and gas industry. The material used in the construction of RTP pipes is usually PE, PA-11, or PVDF, and the reinforcement is mainly Aramid or Polyester fiber.

RTP Pipe Structure

The reinforced thermoplastic pipe consists of 3 basic layers: an internal thermoplastic liner, a continuous fiber reinforcement helically wrapped around the pipe, and an external thermoplastic jacket. The liner acts as a bladder, the fiber reinforcement provides strength, and the jacket protects the load-bearing fibers.

RTP pipe three-layer structure material and process

NameMaterialsProcess
Linerpolyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyurethane, polyamide and polyvinylidene fluoride, etc.Extrusion
ReinforcementPolyethylene, Aramid, Polyester, Polyamide, Glass, Carbon, Metal Fiber, etc.Winding or weaving
Jacket layerPolyethylene, PVC, Polypropylene, Polyurethane, Polyamide, etc.Extrusion

Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe Features

  • High-pressure resistance: The maximum pressure resistance of the system is 50 MPa, 40 times of plastic pipes.
  • High-temperature resistance: The maximum operating temperature of the system is 130℃, 60℃ higher than plastic pipes.
  • Long lifetime: 6 times of metal pipes, 2 times of plastic pipes.
  • Corrosion resistance: Non-corrosive and environmental.
  • Wall thickness: The wall thickness is 1/4 of plastic pipes, improving the 30% flow rate.
  • Lightweight: 40% unit length of plastic pipes.
  • Non-scale: The inner wall is smooth and non-scale, and the flow speed rate is 2 times of metal pipes.
  • Noiseless: Low friction, low material density, no noise in flowing water.
  • Strong joints: Double-layer glass fiber superposition in joints, hot-melt socket, never leak.
  • Low cost: Close to the cost of metal pipes and 40% lower than plastic pipes.

TOPOLO RTP Pipes

In TOPOLO, we provide T-UD series GPE continuous glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic tapes for the material of your pipes, which performs much better in tensile strength and flexural strength.

n TOPOLO, you can see the HDPE pipes reinforced by our continuous glass fiber composites in three layers. The length can be more than 1000m, the width is between 30mm and 300mm, and the thickness can be as thin as 0.2mm.

The most important parameter of pipes in heavy industries is tensile strength. For instance, to meet the demand for oil and gas pipes in deep-sea or undergrounds, the strength of the reinforcement should be at least 800Mpa. For this, the fiber content in HDPE should be around 60-65%. TOPOLO can even produce such reinforced materials containing 70% glass fiber, with the tensile strength even higher (900Mpa).

Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe Application

Our RTP pipes are generally applied in the following fields:

  • Municipal pipes:

including drainage pipes, water transmission pipes, sewer pipes, etc.

  • Chemical pipes:

Glass fiber reinforced pipes replacing metal and plastic products

  • Construction pipes:

including hot gas transmission pipes, mud and slurry pipes, coal transmission pipes, etc.

Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe Application

RTP Pipe Specifications

ITEMUNITVALUE
Compression Strength Under Low and Medium TemperatureMPa1.0~10
Maximum Service Temperature℃130
Coefficient of Linear Expansion for Directly Buried/Exposed Pipe1/℃2.3/15X10-5
Elasticity Modulus of Reinforcement LayerGPA23
Thermal Conductivity at Room TemperatureW/m℃0.24
Inner Wall Roughnessmm≀0.01
Vicat Softening Temperature℃β‰₯130
Cyclic Tensile Yield StrengthMPaβ‰₯90
Axial Tensile Yield StrengthMPaβ‰₯16
Ring StiffnessKN/mΒ²β‰₯4
Elasticity (β‰₯50%)DNβ‰₯99% in 24 hours
Bending RadiusDNβ‰₯5 times