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非金属解决方案
沙特阿美始终致力于通过研发技术解决方案，应对全球最紧迫的能源和材料挑战。其中，非金属材料的创新是我们做出重大贡献的一个领域。
非金属材料的重要性
● 材料腐蚀是全球工业界面临的一大挑战。据估计，全球每年因材料腐蚀而产生的损失高达2.5万亿美元，相当于全球GDP的3.4％，对企业、政府和社会都造成了影响。而非金属解决方案（如先进塑料的开发）可以帮助缓解这一问题。
● 由于耐腐蚀、重量轻、耐久性好和廉价等优点，非金属材料在油气行业中发挥着举足轻重的作用。非金属材料行业正在不断发展壮大，为助力沙特阿美成为行业领军者，我们已经确定四个重点发展领域，即汽车、回收、建筑施工和包装，我们将促进各领域的发展，探索部署机会，以争取行业发展红利。
沙特阿美在五个主要行业的增长机会
油气行业
在石油和天然气领域，非金属材料被应用在陆上和海上管道、储罐、船舶、冷却塔、阀门、泵，以及二级海上结构等设施中。我们增加了整个作业过程中的非金属材料使用，相关项目包括2400公里长的陆上应用以及约80口常规油气井。非金属材料具有更长的使用寿命、几乎不受腐蚀影响，并有助于减少碳排放。
汽车行业
汽车工业已成为非金属产品的消费大户。例如，碳纤维增强塑料比钢材更轻，这意味着采用该材料制造的汽车具有更低的燃料消耗和排放，以及更好的车辆性能。我们正在开发和推广碳纤维与聚合物基技术，探索在量产中降低碳纤维制造成本的方法。
建筑和施工行业
非金属材料在建筑和施工行业拥有广阔的增长前景，复合钢筋、聚合物混凝土、结构部件、地板、建筑附件和复合材料覆层等材料或部件都可以实现非金属化。2018年，在为吉赞经济城（Jazan Economic City）项目建设一条长达21公里的雨水排放管道时，我们应用了纤维增强聚合物（FRP）钢筋，该项目也是世界上最大的FRP应用项目。
包装行业
我们为包装行业提供可降解和可回收的非金属聚合物材料，这些材料可以用作塑料托盘、容器等产品的生产原料。首先，我们计划用塑料托盘替代木制托盘。我们还在探索在我们的合资企业、本地供应商的包装环节中部署其他非金属应用的机会。
可再生能源+
使用聚合材料替代太阳能光伏面板中的玻璃，是非金属材料应用拓展的潜在领域，我们已经启动高分子和混合高分子材料的研发项目。我们已经与一家太阳能光伏发电板制造商建立合作关系，采用面向未来的解决方案，并将产品商业化。我们还与沙特国家可再生能源计划（National Renewable Energy Program）合作，旨在将光伏板生产本地化，并在沙特的大型项目中推广聚合物基光伏面板。
沙特阿美在非金属领域取得的重要成就
胡莱斯油田
沙特阿美应用非金属材料的历史由来已久。过去20多年来，我们一直在众多油气设施中使用非金属管道，非金属管道已成为沙特阿美工厂中大多数设备设施的标准配置。早在2015年，我们便在胡莱斯（Khurais）油田这一大型项目中进行了增强型热塑管（RTP）的大规模部署，这也使得我们的非金属材料应用达到新的水平。
RTP管道无需焊接，可以缠绕，所以RTP管道较传统管道更易铺设。例如，胡莱斯项目的RTP管道连接与施工仅用时不到两天，而铺设传统碳钢管道则需要70天。RTP管道具有更耐久、成本效益更高、安装速度更快、重量更轻等优点，使得安装过程中的能耗更低，碳排放更少，有望改变油气行业的游戏规则。
增强型热塑管（RTP）更加结实、耐用，具有耐腐蚀、重量轻、不受温度和压力影响的特点，通常由高密度聚乙烯和聚乙烯耐热树脂合成，结构主要分为三层：内层——容纳工艺物料流；中间层——对管道进行加固；外层——保护管道免受冲击和风化。沙特阿美在胡莱斯油田部署了400多公里的RTP管道。
非金属创新中心
为了充分抓住非金属材料在石油和天然气行业中的增长机会, 沙特阿美、英国焊接研究所和阿布扎比国家石油公司联合成立了非金属创新中心（NIC）。中心致力于推广非金属管道的应用，汇聚了著名学术机构、研发机构、复合材料制造商和领先的油气企业，旨在为石油行业开发一整套聚合物解决方案。
NIC还将推广先进高分子材料在全球的大规模应用、对产品应用过程中对技术难题进行研究、开发产品与技术以加快其部署、设立行业标准并降低非金属复合材料产品的成本。
2022年1月11日，沙特阿美和中国建筑材料科学研究总院（“中国建材总院”）宣布启动全新的非金属材料创新中心（“NEXCEL”），以进一步推动非金属材料在建筑领域的应用。NEXCEL将利用中国建材总院的专业知识和资源来促进非金属技术的开发和应用。这些技术将赋予非金属在全生命周期成本、效率和环境等方面的优势，使得非金属成为理想的金属替代品。
非金属创新中心汇聚了学术机构、研究机构和行业领袖，为石油工业和其他产业开发非金属解决方案。图片由TWI提供。
战略合作
作为沙特阿拉伯王国非金属应用领域的先行者，我们在全球范围内同步开展工作，通过与当地或国际供应商和研究机构合作，加速非金属的开发和部署。例如，作为NIC合作的一部分，我们已经与未来管业集团（Future Pipe Industries Group）签署了一项协议，对RTP的应用进行研究。我们还与美国贝克休斯公司（Baker Hughes）成立了一家合资企业，生产用于能源行业各领域的非金属材料。
通过沙特阿美「王国内整体价值提升」（IKTVA）计划，我们为沙特发展提供直接支持。国民油井华高公司（National Oilwell Varco）已经在沙特建立了第一座RTP制造工厂，该工厂有望成为海湾合作委员会和中东及北非地区（MENA）的RTP供应中心。所有这些努力都将为「沙特制造」的非金属产品创造出口机会。
沙特阿美研发中心的科学家与国际机构合作，以期加快非金属解决方案的开发和部署。
非金属与未来
● 我们相信非金属材料的增长、发展和应用有可能是颠覆性的——它不仅能颠覆油气行业，更有机会改变全球经济。从汽车到可再生能源，再到城市规划与城区开发……这些领域对更具成本效益、耐用、可持续和更耐久材料的需求都将不断增长。
● 在明确了这个下游业务多元化发展的机会，并延伸到非金属领域后，沙特阿美当前的定位便是抓住该领域的增长机会，对研发施加影响，创新技术和产品，并与领先的国际研究机构携手合作。
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Nonmetallic Solutions
At Aramco, we are a catalyst for developing technology solutions to address some of the world’s most pressing energy and materials challenges. Innovating nonmetallic materials is one such area in which we are making significant contributions.
Why Are Nonmetallics Important?
● Corrosion is a big problem in industries around the world. The global cost alone is estimated to be US $2.5 trillion, equivalent to 3.4% of global GDP, impacting businesses, governments, and society. Nonmetallic solutions – such as the development of advanced plastics – can therefore play a significant role in helping to reduce this problem.
● Thanks to the elimination of metallic corrosion, their lightweight properties, durability, and cost efficiency, nonmetallic materials could play a major role in the oil and gas industry. But, as part of Aramco’s journey to be a major player in this expanding industry, we have identified four other sectors, which could benefit from accelerated growth; automotive; recycling; building and construction; and packaging. We are working within each to grow development and deployment opportunities.
Aramco’s Growth Opportunities
across Five Key Industries
Oil and Gas
Nonmetallic applications in the oil and gas sector include onshore and offshore piping, tanks, vessels, cooling towers, valves, pumps, as well as secondary offshore structures. We are increasing the deployment of nonmetallic materials across our operations, including 2,400 km in onshore applications, and use in some 80 conventional gas wells. Nonmetallics can expand life-cycle cost, reduce the impact of corrosion, and reduce our carbon footprint.
Automotive Sector
The automotive industry is already a large consumer of nonmetallic products. For example, carbon fiber reinforced plastics are lighter than steel, which means less fuel consumption, better vehicle performance, and lower emissions. We are developing and promoting carbon fiber and polymer-based technologies, and we are exploring how to reduce the manufacturing costs of carbon fiber for mass production.
Building and Construction Sector
The building and construction sector has huge growth opportunities for nonmetallic materials, such as composite rebars, polymer concrete, structural components, flooring, building accessories, and composites claddings. In 2018 we used fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) rebar in a 21-kilometer long storm water drainage channel in the Jazan Economic City project, considered to be the world’s largest project utilizing FRP.
Packaging Sector
There are opportunities for nonmetallic solutions related to polymer degradability and recyclability associated with the packaging industry, such as plastic pallets and containers. As an initial step, we are planning to replace our future demand of wood pallets with plastic pallets. We are also exploring deployment of other nonmetallic applications in the packaging industry, and within our joint ventures and local suppliers.
Renewables+
The use of polymeric materials to replace glass in solar photovoltaic (PV) panels is a potential expansion of nonmetallics, and we have initiated R&D to develop polymer and hybrid polymer materials. We have aligned with a solar PV panel manufacturer to adopt and commercialize future solutions, and are also working with the National Renewable Energy Program to localize PV panels, and promote the use of polymer-based PV panels in Saudi mega-projects.
Key Milestones on
Aramco’s Nonmetallic Journey
Khurais Oil Field
Our own application of nonmetallics is not new; we have been using nonmetallic pipes in most of our oil and gas facilities for over two decades, and it is also standard for most utility applications in our plants. But it was our mass deployment of reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP), at our Khurais megaproject in 2015, that brought our use of the material to a new level.
RTP ensures there is no need for welding, and because the pipes can be spooled, laying them is easier than traditional options. For example, the Khurais RTP flowline tie-in and construction timeframe was reduced to less than two days, compared to the typical 70 days for laying carbon steel. RTP is a potential game-changer in the oil and gas industry, being longer-lasting, more cost-efficient, faster to install, and lighter in weight; all this has made for a less energy efficient intensive installation process and a lower carbon footprint.
Reinforced thermoplastic pipe (RTP) refers to the high strength and durable synthetic piping that is corrosion resistant, light weight, and immune to temperature and pressure problems. It is typically made from high-density polyethylene and polyethylene raised temperature resins, and consists of three layers: the inner layer contains the process stream; the intermediate layer reinforces the pipe; and the outer sheath protects the pipe from impact and weathering. We deployed over 400 km of RTP at Khurais Oil Field.
Nonmetallic Innovation Centre
Capitalizing on the growth opportunities in the oil and gas sector, the Nonmetallic Innovation Centre (NIC) is a partnership between Aramco, The Welding Institute, and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. This partnership will focus on expanding the use of nonmetallic pipes, bringing together prominent academic institutions, research, technology organizations, composite manufacturers, and leading oil and gas companies to develop a suite of polymeric solutions for the petroleum industry.
The NIC will also promote widespread global use of advanced polymeric materials more generally, conducting research that addresses challenges in their implementation, developing products and technologies that accelerate their deployment, establish industry standards, and drive down the cost of nonmetallic composite products.
On January 11, 2022, Aramco and the China Building Materials Academy (CBMA) announced the launch of NEXCEL, a new Nonmetallic Excellence and Innovation Center to further advance the use of nonmetallic materials in the building and construction sector. NEXCEL will leverage CBMA’s expertise and resources to promote the development and application of nonmetallic technologies that offer superior lifecycle cost, efficiency and environmental advantages over their metal alternatives.
The Nonmetallic Innovation Centre brings together academic institutions, research organizations, and industry leaders to develop nonmetallic solutions for the petroleum industry and beyond. Image supplied by TWI.
Strategic Collaborations
A pioneer in the application of nonmetallics within the Kingdom, we are also working globally, through collaborations with local and international suppliers and research institutes, to accelerate nonmetallics development and deployment. For example, as part of the NIC partnership, we have signed an agreement with Future Pipe Industries to develop research into RTP applications. We have also initiated a joint venture with Baker Hughes to manufacture nonmetallic materials to be used in a variety of areas of the energy industry.
We are directly supporting in-Kingdom growth through our localization program IKTVA. National Oilwell Varco has built the first RTP manufacturing facility in the Kingdom, and it has the potential to be a tremendous hub for the GCC and MENA regions. All this is an opportunity to export nonmetallics with a “Made in Saudi Arabia” label.
Our scientists at our Research & Development Center collaborate with international institutions to accelerate the development and deployment of nonmetallic solutions.
Nonmetallics and the Future
● We believe the growth, development, and application of nonmetallic materials has the potential to be transformational – not only within our own industry, but nonmetallic solutions will also have the opportunity to transform global economies. From applications in automotive and renewable industries, to city planning and urban development, the increasing demand for more cost effective, durable, sustainable, and longer-lasting materials will be significant.
● Having identified this opportunity to diversify our downstream activities and expand into nonmetallics, we are now positioning ourselves to take advantage of the opportunities in this sector, influencing research and development, innovating new technologies and products, and collaborating with leading international research institutions.
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