There’s no short answer to how metal spraying benefits the oil and gas industry. Realistically, industry operations and common machinery would not be operational if it weren’t for protective engineering coatings.
Read on to find out the various ways in which Alphatek’s coatings benefit, support, and provide safety to oil and gas industry operations.
Application Requirements Of The Oil And Gas Industry
The equipment and components used in the oil and gas industry must endure harsh conditions in every application. To function and work productively, specific materials must be used to meet the stringent requirements of industry equipment.
Machinery in the oil and gas industry is subject to extreme pressures and temperatures, corrosion, wear and tear, and chemical exposure. Here are some examples of recognisable equipment used in this industry and its material requirements.
How Metal Spraying Benefits The Oil And Gas Industry- Equipment Requirements
Drill Pipes
Drill pipes are used across a number of industries to extract valuable resources from beneath the Earth’s surface.
Throughout the drilling and extraction process, drill pipes succumb to immense mechanical stresses, such as torque, tension and internal/external pressure.
For this reason, it is essential that drill pipes are resistant to wear and tear. This is so they do not require constant replacement, which will not only be costly but disruptive to operations. They must also be resistant to corrosion, metal fatigue, and corrosion.
Wellhead Equipment
Wellhead equipment is used on the surface of an oil and gas well, providing structure and pressure-bearing interface for drilling operations and other production equipment.
Particularly when it comes to deep-sea mining, wellheads must be resistant to high-pressures and temperatures. Saltwater and hydrocarbons also increase the threat of corrosion, which jeopardises the integrity of the equipment, making it unsafe to use.
Heat Exchangers
Heat exchangers are industrial equipment, used to facilitate heat transfer between different media (usually a heated process fluid and a cooling gas or liquid).
It may go without saying that heat exchangers must be able to handle extreme temperatures. Materials used for heat exchangers must also be resistant to aggressive chemicals and pressures, so they do not corrode or lose structural integrity.
Examples Of How Metal Spraying Benefits The Oil And Gas Industry
There are various examples of how metal spraying benefits the oil and gas industry. Metal spraying drives down maintenance costs and accelerates production efficiency, so it is a no-brainer for businesses in the oil and gas industry.
By enhancing the surface properties of equipment, metal spraying improves the safety standards of large-scale mining structures. In some cases, metal spraying is considered a requirement, instead of a beneficial ‘luxury’.
Here are three pinpointed examples of how metal spraying benefits the oil and gas industry.
3. Enhanced Corrosion Resistance For Offshore Platforms
Offshore structures and oil rigs are constantly exposed to a highly corrosive environment. Saltwater and humidity make corrosion a major threat, and in some cases, can lead to structural failure and loss of life.
Corrosion protection coatings are a cost-effective and long-term solution for the oil and gas industry. Highly versatile coatings offer the benefits and necessary protection of the molten sprayed material, without using up expensive, scarce resources (zinc and aluminium).
A thin deposit of coating needs to be applied to achieve durable results, corrosion protection coatings can be applied to intricate components and meld to the equipment’s original shape.
By minimising the impact of corrosion on offshore platforms, the workers’ safety is enhanced, making it an incredibly necessary application. Furthermore, corrosion protection in offshore environments will lessen the need for part replacement or maintenance.
2. Improved Wear And Abrasion Resistance
As we know, drilling tools, such as drill pipes, drill bits, and downhole tools, must ensure extreme wear and abrasion, as they aggressively force their way through hard rock and sand.
Wear control coatings offer suitable protection against abrasion, so machinery can continue to operate at an effective efficiency. Oil and gas drilling operations can maximise their profitability, as they require less downtime for maintenance needs.
Wear control coatings also help maintain a consistent quality of drilling machinery, as they are susceptible to long-term wear. To achieve these results, Tungsten Carbide, metals, ceramics, or polymers are incorporated into the surface technology, which is projected via thermal spraying.
3. Thermal Protection For Refinery Equipment
The refining process involves extremely high temperatures that can cause rapid degradation of equipment. Often in refinery furnaces, turbines, and heat exchangers, extreme heat causes mechanical failure, due to oxidation, metal warping, or thermal fatigue.
Thermal barrier coatings are a dependable solution to combat and control thermal conduction. By isolating thermal energy to where it is needed and keeping it away from where it is not, machinery is safe to operate at full efficiency. They also prevent heat from damaging an underlying substrate, thereby protecting the structural integrity of refinery equipment against extreme heat damage.
Without thermal barrier coatings and the protection they provide, it is impossible for refinery equipment to achieve the level of performance that is required, as well as enabling the engineering team’s best flexibility.
How Metal Spraying From Alphatek Benefits The Oil And Gas Industry
Now you know how metal spraying benefits the oil and gas industry, have you considered working with Alphatek?
Businesses in the oil and gas industry and across multiple sectors have benefitted from our award-winning, proprietary thermal spray coatings for over 20 years. No matter the complexity of your problem or the material/current state of the substrate, our accumulative experience of over 120 years in metal spraying makes us uniquely qualified to address your engineering or manufacturing concerns.
If you wish to know more about our services or how our products may benefit your future projects, please give us a call. You can contact us on +44 (0) 1706 821021 or at postbox@alphatek.co.uk.
