FlexSteel can be used to transport many different products in many different applications. The primary markets for FlexSteel are the oil & gas and gas utility industries. Applications include oil & gas gathering, water disposal and injection, condensates, fuel gas and others.
Frequently Asked Questions
FlexSteel has products in the 300, 400, 600 and 900 ANSI Class pressure categories
FlexSteel is easy to install and any contractor will be able to install FlexSteel. If a contractor is installing FlexSteel for the first time, we will send out a representative to provide handling and installation support.
FlexSteel is joined by the time proven, highly reliable swaging system. Either a FlexSteel joining technician or a contractor that has completed the joining system course can join FlexSteel. Prime Flexible Products offers joining courses on site.
The standard end connection material is 316L stainless steel. The lap or swivel flange is made of ASTM A105 carbon steel.
The end fitting can be swaged onto the end of the pipe in approximately 20-30 minutes.
FlexSteel does not require the use of risers or riser supports. You can bring FlexSteel right to surface as is.
FlexSteel can be installed by conventional trenching, plowing, pulling through failed pipelines for remediation, or simply laid on the ground as a surface pipeline.
No – FlexSteel's reinforcing steel layer removes the need for a tracer wire.
FlexSteel is designed with a robust, rugged outer shield making it ideal to install in challenging terrain conditions without rock shielding.
The severity of the damage will dictate the repair method. Severe damage will require the affected section of pipe to be cut out. Minor damage can be repaired using Canusa wrap or similar products.
FlexSteel has approximately 10% gap space between the steel strip reinforcement. This gap not only provides flexibility for the pipe but also provides a path for permeated gases to travel and then be vented at the vent ports on the end fitting.
The standard yellow shield may be left on the ground for approximately 2 years. Longer outdoor exposure is possible using our UV resistant white shield pipe series giving you 20 years plus of UV protection.
Prime Flexible Products recomments that the exposed section (above ground) of pipe be covered with an appropriate wrap, cladding, or tape to protect the outer polyethylene shield from the effects of ultraviolet rays contained in sunlight.
Barlow’s formula is not applicable to FlexSteel pipe as it is based on a simple cylinder formula. FlexSteel is designed in accordance with API 17J.
Thermal and pressure expansion is not an issue with FlexSteel. As the pipe temperature changes, the elongation or contraction of the polyethylene layers is accommodated by a corresponding change in the helix angle of the strip reinforcement.
Current FlexSteel designs are suitable for mildly sour applications. A review of fluid or gas composition by Prime Flexible Products’s engineers can determine if the application is acceptable.
FlexSteel may be used in shallow water applications. The actual depth depends on the diameter of pipe but typically the pipe can be used in water depths up to 25 feet. For rehabilitation applications, lower depths are possible since the host pipe will bear the hydrostatic pressure.
In submerged applications, consideration must be given to the conveyed fluid and the FlexSteel pipe. When filled with air or other gases, most FlexSteel™ designs will float. If oil or water is the conveyed fluid, the pipe will typically stay submerged.
FlexSteel Pipeline Technologies has not conducted any testing to verify the suitability of FlexSteel for down-hole applications.
© FlexSteel Pipeline Technologies, Inc. 2013
