Mechanics, Materials & Corrosion
Multidisciplinary approaches are essential for most downhole or pipeline problems. Any aspect of materials selection or material issues has to incorporate metallurgy, mechanics and chemistry. As operators drill and complete deeper, higher pressures and higher temperatures integration of these skills are essential to identify an optimal solution. Blade brings such integration, when needed, and has a long track record of developing innovative and creative solutions. The success of drilling/completion and producing wells is dependent on the performance of the materials used in the design and construction of wellheads, risers, casing, drill pipe, tubing and drilling and pressure control devices. Safety and Economic constraints should be reflected in materials selection and corrosion control decisions. This is achieved by first defining the downhole environmental conditions from initial production through to end of the well life. Tubing hydraulics through different phases during the life of a well has to be well defined. Material options are evaluated using existing models, laboratory testing, literature data and field performance data. Following establishment of the need for autoclave testing; experiments are conducted to ensure appropriate simulation of downhole environments in a laboratory. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative data along with uncertainty in corrosion and cracking parameters, a reliability-based decision is delivered to our clients. This solution is targeted to optimize total system cost through the well life cycle. Tieback and casing designs are optimized through appropriate evaluation of completion fluids, and design for relevant SSC resistance.
Blade Energy engineers have experience in the material selection, fracture mechanics and corrosion control for a variety of downhole applications:
- OCTG (Casing, Drill Pipe, Tubing, Rods, Connections)
- Carbon Steel and/or Corrosion Resistant Alloys, CRA’s
- Wellhead, Downhole Tools, Flowlines, Risers, SCSSV’s and other completion equipment
- Welding
Materials Selection and/or Corrosion Inhibition Design are utilized to manage issues such as:
- Hydrogen Sulfide attack (HIC, SSC, HSSC)
- Corrosion Control (oxygen, CO2, H2S, etc.)
- Low temperature, Extreme Loading conditions,
- Fatigue, Corrosion Fatigue & Fracture Design
For example, casing design in highly sour conditions requires utilization of fracture mechanics to quantify the brittle burst pressure. Blade engineers pioneered this approach, and have the ability to design and execute such tubular designs using failure assessment diagrams with input from DCB, NACE tensile and other fracture testing. Blade offers a full spectrum of metallurgical testing in conjunction with our engineering analysis tools to evaluate the root cause of component failure. Blade has the ability to perform corrosion investigations, surface condition studies, corrosion testing, mechanical and fracture mechanics testing, SSC/HSC testing and evaluations including:
- Chemical and mechanical analyses & fracture mechanics testing
- Metallographic examination & Fractography (SEM and TEM)
- Low temperature, Extreme Loading conditions,
- Accelerated testing of failure modes & Corrosion Testing