Strohm, Evonik ink MoU to bring TCP carbon fibre to green hydrogen market

Strohm and Evonik have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to develop and qualify the use of their respective thermoplastic composite pipe (TCP) technology and unidirectional Carbon Fibre PA12 tape for energy transition applications.

As part of the collaboration, the companies will work on a green hydrogen transportation solution for offshore wind developers that is non-corrosive, has a carbon-neutral manufacturing footprint and has been qualified by DNV for dynamic and static hydrocarbon services for a lifetime of up to 30 days.

Strohm and Evonik have been collaborating since 2009, with the first TCP featuring PA12 produced in 2011. The combined technology is currently in use by conventional energy operators in North and South America.

Now, the new MoU will allow the two companies to prove its versatility for hydrogen and bring it to market, Strohm said.

Due to its fatigue resistance and permeation behaviour for hydrogen, Carbon Fibre PA12 TCP is considered to be an ideal solution for surface-to-seabed dynamic hydrogen transport for offshore wind to hydrogen applications.

On the other hand, TCP is non-metallic, corrosion-resistant, and insensitive to hydrogen and hydrogen embrittlement. It is proven and accepted in the offshore oil and gas sector, which is said to be one of the most risk-averse industries, as it requires no maintenance and has a long design life. 

Additionally, TCP technology delivers cost savings to the client and reduces CO2 emissions.

Commenting on the MoU, Strohm’s managing director, Martin van Onna, said: “We are very excited to sign this MoU with Evonik and start the process of developing and qualifying TCP with PA12 to support the offshore wind sector with a pipe solution to transport green hydrogen.”

Ralf Düssel, head of Evonik High Performance Polymers, added: “At Evonik, we strive for solutions that give our customers high sustainability benefits, and we are glad to bring a solution to the market together with our partner Strohm via this MoU. We’re proud of the role our jointly developed, environmentally friendly technology for transporting hydrogen is playing to support the transformation to greater sustainability and climate-friendly solutions.”

At the beginning of the year, Strohm and Evonik secured full certification from DNV attesting that the unidirectional Carbon Fibre PA12 tape used for Strohm’s TCP is fit to use for dynamic sweet and sour hydrocarbons, water, and gas injection applications.

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