Coflexlite, the specialised reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) to be produced in a partnership between Technip-Coflexip and Cosmoplast, part of Group Harwal, will bring significant advantages to the oil and gas production industry.

"This agreement combines the technology of the world's leading oil field services and flexible pipe systems manufacturer with the largest thermoplastic pipe producer in the Middle East to introduce an advanced pipe specifically designed for locations and conditions such as those that exist throughout this region," said Cosmoplast general manager Jim Dymock

The exclusive production and sales partnership agreement covering the Gulf and Middle Eastern countries was formally signed recently at Technip-Coflexip's principal flexible pipe plant in Le Trait, north-west of Paris. Graham Guy, head of the Drilling, Refining and Onshore Division of the Offshore Branch, commented that RTP pipe designs were "the most advanced of their type available for the onshore distribution of oil, gas and water, both in the Middle East and around the world."

Following the signing, Cosmoplast additionally announced it had already allocated the project a brand new production facility in Abu Dhabi, and that the unit was expected to be in full RTP production before the end of the year. A Cosmoplast statement said the use of Coflexlite RTP pipes allowed the land-based oil and gas production industry to quickly install flow lines in virtually any conditions. Coflexlite's light weight, flexibility, long continuous lengths, speed and ease of installation, maintenance-free operation, and corrosion and abrasion resistance, would be a great boon to the industry and its economics.

"Coflexlite offers a permanent economical solution to the corroding pipe systems with their associated leaks and maintenance requirements. A further advantage of lightweight RTP pipes is that they can be quickly disconnected, removed from a location, and re-laid elsewhere, reducing future pipeline costs and damage to the environment," it said.

Commented Guy: "The ability to replace the vast networks of corroding and un-used pipeline systems with a corrosion-free pipeline which can be laid directly on virtually any ground, and subsequently removed at the same high speed as its installation, has long been an aim of the onshore pipeline industry, and high pressure Coflexlite RTP pipes provide the solution".

Dymock noted that "with the combination of Technip-Coflexip's advanced technology and recognised reputation for high quality flexible pipes throughout the world oil industry and Cosmoplast's unsurpassed production knowledge and agility in manufacturing high volumes of speciality plastic pipe products, the establishment of this new production plant will be used as an opportunity for both companies to establish this pipeline technology as a major advance in onshore oil and gas production, both throughout the Middle East and elsewhere in the world."