Product details

RTPs were first developed and produced in long-lengths by Pipelife Nederland B.V. in the year 1998. The basis of this 'Long-Length Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe' (LLRTP) was (and still is) a modified version of a flexible thermoplastic pipe, which was already produced by Pipelife since the 1960's. To be able to withstand high pressures, a reinforcement layer was added to the flexible thermoplastic pipe. Hence the name 'Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe', or RTP.

Due to the advantages of RTP, more and more major oil and gas companies and operators started to replace their steel pipelines with this new technology. This also meant that additional RTP products were developed and produced. These new products used various ways to reinforce the pipe. With the growing number of pipe types, producers and users, certification needed to be implemented to include all versions of reinforcement. Therefore, it was decided by the major industry associations to change the name from 'Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipe' to a more general 'Flexible Composite Pipe' (FCP) in the year 2010.

Flexible Composite Pipes are sometimes also called: "Flexible Flowline", "Flexible Linepipe", "Spoolable Reinforced Plastic Linepipe", "Flexible Reinforced Pipe", "Reinforced Line Pipe" or "Spoolable Composites". For offshore use other names include "Offshore Flexibles" or "Flexible Umbilical Risers"