Paper Title
INVESTIGATING THERMAL STABILITY AND POLYMER MATRIX RESISTIVITY OF GLASS REINFORCED PLASTIC PIPES EXPOSED TO OIL FIELD CHEMICALS

Abstract
Glass-reinforced Plastic (GRP) pipes serve as a viable alternative to carbon steel pipes in petroleum field applications due to their exceptional qualities, including chemical resistance, thermal resistance, and mechanical properties. Thorough research is essential to understand the impact of diverse reactive mediums such as oil field chemicals and acids. This work aims to investigate the influence of the oil field environment, including crude oil and well stream chemicals, on the polymer matrix and thermal stability of GRP, utilizing scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric (TGA) instruments.Pipe samples were subjected to aging in wet crude, effluent water, and chemical media to replicate various conditions experienced in desert oil field service exposure. TGA testing results indicated minor changes in onset and endset temperatures for GRP samples aged in effluent water for one month and three months, whereas samples exposed to wet crude exhibited negligible differences in their onset and endset temperatures. SEM images provided a detailed view of the distribution of glass fibers and surface irregularities in the matrix. Additionally, matrix erosion and debonding between the glass fibers were more noticeable in samples aged under wet crude. In general, the tested GRP pipe samples, exposed to various harsh aging media, exhibited satisfactory thermal stability, demonstrating their ability to withstand challenging conditions. Consequently, these pipes are deemed suitable for service-temperature applications and can endure crude impurities in the well stream over an extended period Keywords - GRP, TGA, Polymer Matrix, Effluent Water, Crude Oil