How to evaluate an FRP manufacturer for an industrial project
Selecting a fibreglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) manufacturer requires more than comparing a general list of products or materials. The evaluation should connect documented service conditions, geometry, loads, interfaces and acceptance requirements to a defined engineering and fabrication scope.
Troy Dualam Inc. custom-fabricates industrial FRP and dual laminate equipment at its shop in Elizabethtown, Ontario. The questions below show how to compare a manufacturer’s proposed scope with the inputs and controls required for a specific project.
Start with a documented design basis
For equipment in corrosive service, a manufacturer needs the complete fluid or mixture, concentrations, temperatures, internal or external pressure including vacuum conditions, cleaning conditions and relevant process variations. Loads, connections, supports, shipping limits, site access and acceptance criteria also affect the proposed construction and scope.
FRP and dual laminate are not universal solutions. The material system must be evaluated for the complete service. Applicable codes, inspections, testing, certification and turnover documents should be identified for the project rather than assumed to apply to every item of equipment.
Confirm the relevant fabrication scope
Compare the requested equipment with the manufacturer’s stated fabrication scope. Define shop work, field work, interfaces and exclusions before treating a general capability statement as applicable to the project.
Tanks and vessels
TDI fabricates custom FRP and dual laminate tanks and vessels. Construction is defined according to service chemistry, dimensions, pressure or vacuum, loads, connections and site conditions.
Piping, prefabricated spools and ducting
The scope may include FRP or dual laminate piping, prefabricated spools, fittings, headers, manifolds and duct sections fabricated to approved dimensions and documented service requirements.
Scrubbers and towers
TDI fabricates FRP or dual laminate scrubbers, absorbers and process towers with connections, supports and internal components defined for the project.
Dual laminate equipment
In dual laminate equipment, a thermoplastic liner selected for the project forms the chemical barrier and the structural FRP backing carries the loads. This construction is selected when documented service conditions justify the liner; it is not automatically superior to conventional FRP.
Review how materials are selected for the full service
Conventional FRP uses a project-selected thermosetting resin system—commonly a vinyl ester resin—with a resin-rich corrosion barrier and a separate load-bearing structural laminate. Dual laminate construction uses a project-selected thermoplastic liner as the chemical barrier and structural FRP backing to carry loads.
The material evaluation should account for the complete fluid or mixture, concentration range, contaminants, solids, normal and design temperatures, abnormal operating temperatures, operating cycle and cleaning chemicals. No resin or liner should be presented as compatible with every chemical or every temperature.
Match fabrication methods to the approved design
TDI provides engineering support according to each project’s scope and performs shop fabrication. Methods are selected for the approved design and geometry. They may include hand lay-up (contact moulding), filament winding for suitable cylindrical components, thermoplastic forming and welding for dual laminate liners, secondary bonding, fitting and spool fabrication, controlled curing and shop assembly.
This list does not mean that every method applies to every product. Pultrusion and general structural-panel manufacturing are not TDI fabrication capabilities.
Define quality controls, inspections and tests
Fabrication is performed using controlled procedures. Quality controls are established according to the equipment, design basis and project quality plan. Depending on the approved scope, they may include material traceability, resin formulation and cure records, visual and dimensional inspection, laminate thickness checks, Barcol hardness measurement, acetone sensitivity testing, thermoplastic weld inspection, high-voltage spark testing of a thermoplastic liner where applicable, and leak or hydrostatic testing.
Each method answers a limited question. Inspections, tests, documentation and acceptance criteria should be confirmed for each project rather than presented as universal controls or a service-life guarantee.
Verify code and ASME RTP certificate applicability
Troy Dualam Inc. holds an active ASME RTP Certificate of Authorization, RTP-51, for its Elizabethtown, Ontario facility. Its authorized scope is: “Fabrication of reinforced thermoset plastic corrosion resistant vessels through shop fabrication using hand lay-up and filament winding fabrication methods; and fabrication of reinforced thermoset plastic corrosion resistant vessels with fabric and chemically bonded thermoplastic linings (Dual Laminate) through shop fabrication.”
The applicability of ASME RTP-1 and use of the ASME Certification Mark with the RTP Designator are confirmed for each project. The certificate scope does not include piping, ducting, field fabrication, field assembly or field repairs. Review the certificate scope and official verification guidance.
Information to give a prospective manufacturer
- Equipment type, quantity, function and capacity;
- complete fluid or mixture, concentrations, contaminants, solids and cleaning chemicals;
- normal, design and abnormal operating temperatures;
- internal pressure, external pressure or vacuum, operating level and specific gravity;
- dimensions, orientation, drawings, nozzles, flanges and connection points;
- agitation, internal components, connected-equipment loads, supports and foundations;
- wind, snow, seismic conditions, outdoor exposure, shipping limits and site access;
- required codes, specifications, certification, inspections, tests and documents; and
- any separately defined field assembly or installation scope.
Discuss your FRP project requirements
Send the available service conditions, drawings and requirements. Troy Dualam will review the requested scope and identify the information needed to proceed.
