ABSTRACfThis paper presents results of a Joint Industry Program (I.J.P.) to qualify high performance composite tubes, made from carbon fibres/glass fibres and resin, for use as individual TLP production rIsers. The program covered the design, fabrication and testing of six samples of composite tube (9"1.0.) for such an application. It was conducted by the INSTITUT FRANCAIS DU PETROLE between 1985-1987 and was supported nine other organisations (see Acknowledgements).

In the oil and gas industry, polymer materials are used for their excellent barrier properties and their main function is to ensure leakproofness. Moreover, these semicrystalline polymers are exposed to different gases (alone or mixed) under extreme conditions of temperature and pressure (up to 130uC and up to 1000 bar). Different phenomena may take place over time: solubilisation of the gas molecules within and diffusion through the polymer. The present paper presents the continuing work at Institut Franc ¸ais du Pe ´trole (IFP) on the permeability of polymers in term of experimental equipment dedicated to the study of gas mixtures and data obtained. Permeation measurements were performed at different temperatures on a high density polyethylene with pure or mixed gases (methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen). Hence, the intrinsic permeability coefficient of each component of a gas mixture was determined along with its temperature dependency in one particular case. The objective of such measurements is to assess the existence of specific interactions between the matrix and one type of diffusing molecules.

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The work presented in this paper was carried out as part of a Joint Industry Program to qualify composite tubes for use as TLP production/injection risers. The program included the study of the influence of different kinds of damage on tube performance and fatigue life, the assessment of NDT methods for detecting damage and its evolution, as well as ways of predicting the ultimate performance of severely fatigue tested tubes. The following oil companies supported the program: Agip, Chevron, Conoco, Elf Aquitaine, Shell IPM, Statoi!. BACKGROUND Composite TLP Risers