Manufacturing composite products since 1965, Vello Nordic is an expert in pultrusion technology, particularly the production of fibre-reinforced plastic materials with carbon fibre (CFRP) and glass fibre (GRP).
Lightweight, high-strength composite materials
Since moving into the oil and gas industry in 2001, Vello Nordic has seen an increased demand for its lightweight, high-strength composite materials for use in advanced applications, as a driving force in new technology.
Vello Nordic has an outstanding competence and knowledge in this field, where the company combines specialists with PhD qualifications in polymer chemistry with years of experience in manufacturing of composite materials.
In particular, the business has seen a marked demand for its composite materials for use in advanced applications within the oil and gas industry. During the last ten years the company has participated in a number of advanced development projects, and contributed to widening the use of fibre-reinforced composite materials into new applications.
Pultrusion technology for customer-specified material combinations
Certainly one of the core benefits of using carbon fibre composite materials is its high strength to weight ratio when compared with steel. Given that any tensile reinforcement has to be engineered to also bear its own weight, the use of carbon fibre as a strengthening material significantly reduces overall weight, enabling operators to reach deeper depths or reduce the need for buoyancy elements offshore.
Another key property of Vello Nordic’s pultrusion technology is its ability to tailor material combinations to meet the requirements for the final product.
The process of creating a new product typically starts with the customer’s specifications of issues such as mechanical properties, heat and chemical resistance. With these specifications Vello Nordic first designs the material composition, then the tool and instrumentation for manufacture.
After a process of production trials and testing, the final product can be delivered. The complexity of this material technology and the product development process make keeping a close working relationship with the customer absolutely vital in order to meet common goals.
High-strength carbon fibre cables
Vello Nordic aims to drive forward the use of composite technology in several different areas, one of which is high-strength carbon fibre cables with various contents such as electrical conductors and fibre optics, for use in operations like well intervention and lifting.
Carbon fibre for strengthening umbilicals and flexible pipes
Carbon fibre is ideal as a strengthening member in umbilicals and flexible pipes for deep water installations. Together with Aker Solutions, Vello Nordic has already delivered such products for use with its umbilicals in deep water projects, both in the Gulf of Mexico and outside the west coast of Africa.
Recently, the company also entered into a new development contract with NKT Flexibles to manufacture lightweight reinforcement for their new Flextreme pipe concept for deepwater applications.
Fire-resistant lightweight composites
The company is working on fire-resistant lightweight composites to be used in areas where weight and fire resistance is critical. In these areas Vello Nordic has developed a new fibreglass panel in accordance to the ISO 9705 fire-resistance standard, and expects this will be an interesting material for use in topside offshore applications in the future.