Design, testing and field deployment of a composite clamp for pipeline repairs

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Abstract
A novel method of repairing leaking or otherwise damaged metallic pipelines using composites is presented. The method uses a uniquely designed resin-infused composite clamp. This is a significant improvement over commercially available metal clamps, providing lightweight and corrosion-resistant benefits. The design, analyses and testing presented here show that these benefits are in addition to providing uncompromising strength and reliability to the repaired structure. The design includes a combination of calculations and design of experiment optimisation with Finite Element models. The developed design methodology is shown to be robust for designing different clamp sizes. Testing involved short- and long-term survival tests of the clamps as per industrial standards, as well as hot-wet conditioning followed by mechanical testing of the composite material. Finally, a case study field deployment of the clamp on a 4-in propane pipeline with internal corrosion is presented.