4th Feb 2016 09:10
LONDON (Alliance News) - Haydale Graphene Industries PLC Thursday said it has finished installing the composite pipe-testing facility in Loughborough where the company will develop graphene-enhanced polymer materials for oil and gas pipelines.
The facility consists of eight independently controlled tanks which can perform short- and long-term pressure testing of composite pipes up to 500 bar at temperatures of up to 80 degrees Celsius. The facility is very versatile as it can conduct numerous different tests to a wide range of international standards.
The facility can conduct short-term burst pressure tests and determine the long term hydrostatic pressure rating of the pipes, as well as performing dynamic, fatigue and cyclic testing.
"We see a wide range of benefits in utilising graphene enhanced polymers for oil and gas pipeline systems, including improved strength, stiffness and toughness, increased permeation resistance and enhanced fatigue performance. We can quantify these benefits through the use of this test facility, which will lead to potential customers having access to graphene-enhanced composite pipelines with improved performance and lower cost," said Managing Director Gerry Boyce.
Graphene has many admirable properties as it is significantly stronger than steel even though a sheet can be very thin - making it an attractive material to construct heavy-duty pipelines and other types of storage. It is also used in other industries including electronics, biological engineering and filtration.
The facility is backed by a GBP261,000 grant through the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership, with the support of Leicester City Council and the European Regional Development Fund.
Haydale shares were trading up 0.8% to 177.91 pence per share on Thursday morning.
By Joshua Warner; [email protected]; @JoshAlliance
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