Overview of GRP Pipes (PDF)

whatispiping.com/grp-pipe/

Anup Kumar Dey September 10, 2019

GRP Pipes or Glass Reinforced Plastics pipes are composite material pipes
consisting of a polymer matrix that is reinforced with glass fibers. They have very
high corrosion resistance ability and are thus used widely for low-temperature
corrosion-resistant applications. In recent times, The GRP pipes are slowly
replacing the steel in various services like fire water services. At the same time,
GRE or GRP pipes can withstand high pressures. In many places, the term FRP is
used interchangeably for GRP pipes. In this article, we will explore an overview of
GRP Pipes.

GRP Family
GRP: Glass – fibre reinforced plastic.
GRE: Glass – fibre reinforced epoxy.
GRV: Glass – fibre vinyl ester.
GRUP: Glass – fibre reinforced unsaturated polyester.

The different types of pipes are selected according to the required properties like
chemical resistance, temperature resistance, and mechanical properties.

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 Typical GRP pipes

Characteristics of GRP Pipe

Corrosion resistance: Corrosion resistant to both inside and outside corrosion. As a
result, additional linings and exterior coatings are not required.
When the ratio of strength per unit of weight is considered, fibreglass composites
surpass CS and SS.
Lightweight: Fibreglass piping is only one-sixth the weight of steel products and
10% the weight of similar concrete products.
Electrical properties: Standard fibreglass pipes are nonconductive. Some
manufacturers offer conductive fibreglass piping system for transporting fluids like
Jet Fuel.
Dimensional stability: Fibreglass material meets the most stringent material
stiffness, dimensional tolerance, weight and cost criteria.
Low maintenance cost: Fibreglass piping is easy to maintain because it does not
rust, is easily cleaned and requires minimal protection from the environment.

What are the advantages of GRP Pipes

GRP Pipes provides various beneficial advantages as listed below:

Long life; highly durable.

Low maintenance cost.
High Corrosion resistance.
Low lifecycle cost.
No need for cathodic protection.
Less transportation and handling cost.
Environmental friendly.
Wide application range.
Economic when compared with DSS pipe (Duplex stainless steel)

Types of Manufacturing of GRP Pipes

Different types of manufacturing methods are applied for GRP pipes like

Filament winding.

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 Centrifuge
Continuous winding or Drostholm Method.
Helical Filament winding (Fig.1)

Fig. 1: helical filament welding method

Materials used:

Polyester Resins – (Temperature limit is 70 deg C.)

Isophthalic Polyester (Tg is 90 deg C)-Rarely used in for chemical services but can
be used in

underground GRP gasoline storage tanks.

Bisphenol A Polyester (Tg is 120 deg C)- High temperature, chemically resistant
resin extensively used in chemical services.
Chlorinated polyester (Tg is 110 deg C)-Properties same as Bisphenol A Polyester,
but has an inherent fire retardant characteristics. This property can be enhanced by
addition of antimony oxide particles to the resin mix.

Note: Tg is Glass transition temperature, shall be determined by either Differential

Scanning Calorimetry according to ISO 11357 or Differential Thermal Mechanical
Analyses according to ISO 6721.

Tg shall be greater than 30 deg C above the maximum design temperature.

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 Vinyl ester resins – (Temperature limit is 100 deg C.)-Compared to polyester resins,
vinyl ester resins have improved corrosion resistance and high temperature
resistant.
Epoxy resins – (Temperature limit is 110 deg C.)- Epoxy resins have excellent
resistance to a wide range of moderately strong acids and alkalis and most
hydrocarbons. Aliphatic amines, Aromatic amines, anhydrides are few examples of
base epoxy resins.

Reinforcing materials:
Reinforcing material shall be a suitable grade of glass fibre having glass finish
compatible with the resin system used.
Glass-fibre materials typically used for GRP Pipes and vessels are E-Glass, C-
Glass, ECR Glass, Synthetic etc.

Codes and Standards for GRP Pipes

BS EN ISO 14692: Petroleum and natural gas industries – Glass-reinforced plastics
(GRP) piping.
AWWA M45:Fibreglass Pipe Design.
SHELL DEP 31.40.10.19:GRP Pipelines and Piping Systems (Supplements to ISO
14692)
UKOOA: United Kingdom Offshore Operator Association.

GRP Pipes and Fittings

Refer to Fig. 2 which shows some typical GRP pipes and fittings.

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 Fig. 2: GRP Fittings

GRP Pipe Joining methods

Adhesive Joint (Fig. 3)
Flange Joint (Fig. 5)
Lamination Joint (Fig. 5)
Rubber Seal Lock Joint (Fig. 4)

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 Fig. 3: Adhesive joints

Fig. 4: Rubber Seal Lock Joint

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 Fig. 5: Flanged and lamination joint

Applications of GRP and GRE Pipes

GRP Pipes are widely used in the following plants:

Chemical process.
Desalination.
Industrial effluents.
Mining.
Oil fields.
Potable water.
Power plant cooling and raw water.
Seawater intake and outfalls.
Metal Production
Slurry piping.
Water distribution.
Pulp and Paper Mills.
Sewerage & Drainage
Transportation of oils, alcohols, fats, disposal, and solutions for food industries.

GRP Pipe Failures

Fig. 6 shows a typical failed GRP pipe.

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 Fig. 6: GRP pipe failures

Metallic-GRP Piping interface

In order to have reliable flange sealing, generally, steel ring elastomer gaskets are
used.
Gasket material should match with pressure, temperature, chemical resistance
requirements
PTFE-envelope type gaskets should be avoided for large size and high pressure.
Refer to Fig. 7 which clearly shows the GRP-Metallic interface in a piping system.

Fig. 7: Metallic GRP Interface

GRP/GRE pipe Supporting

Refer to Fig. 8 to Fig. 10 for typical GRP piping supports.

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Standard CS support may not
match GRP as pipe Outer Diameter
may be different.
Use of Saddles & Elastomeric pads
may allow the use of standard
support.
The support design should be as
per the vendor catalog.
GRE pipes are generally rested
with clamp & shoe for all supports.
Heavy in-line items like valves,
strainers should be independently
supported.
Parasite support (pipe to pipe) is
not allowed.
Supports on fittings to be avoided.
Excessive clamping forces can Fig. 8: Clamped shoe support on GRP Pipes
cause pipe crushing.
GRP spans are much less than the CS spans, in absence of vendor data ISO
14692 can be used.
Piping should be supported for shock loadings
Special care to be taken in a freezing environment.

Few more related articles to give you

more insights into the subject.

An Article on HYDROSTATIC FIELD

TEST of GRP / GRE lines
Stress Analysis of GRP / GRE / FRP
piping system using Caesar II
Basic Principles for an aboveground
GRP piping system
Buried GRP/FRP pipe Laying and
Installation Procedure
Stress Analysis of GRP / GRE / FRP
Piping using START-PROF

Fig. 9: Flange Support on GRE Pipe

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 Fig. 10: GRE Pipe support with Guide and Line
Stop

Stress Analysis of GRP Piping System

In piping stress analysis guide or flexibility specifications, GRP/GRE composite lines are
considered critical irrespective of their sizes. So, a formal stress analysis must be
performed to investigate the stresses, loads, displacements, supports, etc. to decide if the
GRP piping system will work smoothly throughout its design life. I have developed an
online course explaining step-by-step procedures for GRP piping stress analysis. You
can check it here.

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