/Oil Duct

A new type of pipeline to be used in the oil industry will help the exploitation of the pre-salt reserves. Patented by Coppe, the “sandwich-duct” (duto-sanduíche) consists of two steel layers, with a polymeric material between these layers.

The steel provides to the pipeline resistance to high pressures of deep water, and the polymer provides thermal insulation. The operations at the pre-salt reserves will deal with pressures at depths of 2.5 thousand meters and temperatures that vary between 4ºC in water and 60ºC in oil and gas when they leave the well. Maintaining the temperature of the oil and the gas so that it does not solidify and block the pipeline is a challenge that the new concept of the duct will help to face.