Integrity analysis of polyamide 12 applied in oil pipelines: Integrity analysis of polyamide 12 applied

This work aims to study the use of polyamide 12 in oil pipelines to replace steel, which is more susceptible to corrosion. Pipes of polyamide were installed in oil fields and, after 1 year of operation, were removed and analyzes. The outer layers of all field samples and the unaged sample did not show, in the DSC, any primary peak close to the melting peak. This is due to the extrusion and the formation of different crystalline structures on the inner surface, giving rise to two melting peaks. All layers of the field samples showed endothermic peaks, but the unaged sample did not. This can be attributed to the annealing process, but this phenomenon does not affect the properties PA12. The results showed no degradation and PA12 can be a viable alternative for oil pipelines, providing savings of more than 50% compared to steel, in addition to operational, human and environmental safety.