Insulated fluid conduit
The present invention provides an insulated fluid conduit useful in facilities in which a hot fluid susceptible to deleterious phase changes in response to heat loss to a cold environment is transported. Such conduits may be particularly well suited to improve thermal control in subsea hydrocarbon production operations in which hot production fluids may undergo deleterious phase changes as a result of heat loss to the cold subsea environment. The fluid conduit includes an insulating material containing a silicone rubber and a phase change material such as octadecane. One or more barrier layers inhibit migration of the phase change material from the insulation layer and into the environment. In one or more embodiments, the phase change material is present as a microencapsulated phase change material.
1. An insulated fluid conduit consisting of:
a fluid conduit having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a flow channel;
a thermally conductive layer disposed on the outer surface of the fluid conduit;
a barrier layer disposed on an outer surface of the thermally conductive layer;
a first insulating layer disposed on an outer surface of the barrier layer and comprising a silicone rubber and a first phase change material, wherein the silicon rubber of the first insulating layer is configured as an open cell foam defining a network of voids and wherein the first phase change material is disposed therein the voids and including at least one barrier layer disposed on an outermost surface of the silicon rubber to inhibit migration of the first phase change material into an ambient environment; and
a second insulating layer disposed on an outer surface of the first insulating layer and comprising a silicone rubber and a second phase change material, wherein the silicon rubber of the second insulating layer is configured as a continuous phase and wherein the second phase change material is dispersed within the silicone rubber as a microencapsulated discontinuous phase, wherein at least one barrier layer surrounds the second phase change material of the second insulating layer in discrete domains dispersed within the silicone rubber to inhibit migration of the second phase change material into an ambient environment, and wherein the continuous phase of the silicon rubber of the second insulating layer is an outermost layer of the insulated fluid conduit and in contact with the ambient environment.
2. The insulated fluid conduit according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one barrier layer comprises a silicone material which is impermeable with respect to phase change material.
3. The insulated fluid conduit according to claim 1 , wherein the first phase change material is materially different from the second phase change material.
4. The insulated fluid conduit according to claim 1 , wherein the first phase change material is essentially the same as the second phase change material.
5. The insulated fluid conduit according to claim 1 , further comprising a third insulating layer.
6. The insulated fluid conduit according to claim 5 , wherein the phase change material comprises eicosane.