Engineered materialsOvercoming the many threats and dangers of the oil and gas industry

A meeting of might and materials

Safe, reliable and cost-efficientSandvik’s business mission is to not only help oil and gas producers overcome the adver-sity of the new wells, by developing tougher materials. Our job is to do so in a way that keeps their production safe, reliable and cost-efficient. At 2,500 meters below sea level, the pres-sure on all tubing is high, and the mechanical strength needed calls for thicker walls. This obviously makes the tubing heavier and also less elastic, which is counter-productive in areas with strong subsea currents. By using the right material, with superior strength, wall thicknesses can be reduced. The result is a lighter and more economical, yet more resistant installation.

The chemicals attackChemical corrosion poses an even bigger threat in many new oil fields. And the share of wells in production that are sour-service wells is rising rapidly. Apart from being highly corrosive, the oil from these wells is often very hot – up to 200ºC – which increases the corrosive powers of hydrogen sulphide and most other chemicals. The solution, in order to avoid costly and time-consuming workovers, is to use new types of tubing materials that resist these aggressions. Of course, the challenge is rarely to battle a single adverse element, but rather many of them in combination. And to balance their different (and compounded) effects when designing subsea and downhole equipment.

For example, high-strength martensitic or ferritic tubing steels are often able to resist pressure and mechanical stress – but are, by the same token, sensitive to sulphide stress cracking in sour service.

A losing battleAll carbon steel lose the battle against chlori-des, carbon dioxides and hydrogen sulphides – especially in situations where their corrosive effects are multiplied by high temperatures and/or pressure. Also, the more complex recovery methods needed today in deeper wells – including steam, seawater and carbon dioxide injection – contribute to making an already hostile environment even more hostile. Even when they are coated or inhibitor- protected in various costly ways, carbon steels fail to resist the many chemical and mechanical threats they must face in today’s more demand- ing oil production. This is why Sandvik, with a long history of making tubulars and wirelines for the oil and gas industry, avoids carbon steel. Our single-minded focus is to help the industry build the most advanced installations, requiring the most innovative technologies and materials. We design and produce these materials to be the obvious choice for such installations. We call them engineered materials.

There’s a battle being fought thousands of meters below ground. It’s a constant battle between the detrimental elements of nature and the materials made by man to overcome them. It’s the battle for oil and gas. And it’s been going on for decades – so far in man’s favor. Today, however, the economics of the business are spreading this battle to more wells, where conditions are even more aggressive.These wells are more remote and located at greater depths. They are wells with higher pressure and higher temperatures. And with higher contents of chlorides, hydrogen sulphide, sulphur, carbon dioxide and other aggressive chemicals. To succeed in such hostile environments, oil and gas producers need to arm themselves with even better materials in their equipment.

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The Pacific Blackdragon (Idiacanthus antrostomus) is a small, peaceful fish adapted to the extreme conditions prevailing at 1,000 – 4,000 m (3,250 – 13,000 ft) below sea level.

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After half a century in the oil and gas industry, we’ve learned a few things. And have engin-eered our products and materials based on the things we’ve learned. By now, we know about the many ins and outs and complexities of the business. And we understand the many different parameters governing the safety, reliability and economics of operating oil and gas wells – from drilling to completion and throughout production.Most of all, we’ve learned the art of resistance.

A joint ventureSandvik’s R&D center (one of the most extensive in the world of steel) systematically collects data about new or increasing chal-lenges facing our customers. Their engineers and specialists spend considerable time with our own, to jointly find ways of addressing these challenges by means of new or modified materials. The result over the years has been a string of advanced materials suited for a variety of applications in a variety of hostile environ- ments. Today, these acclaimed Sandvik mate-rials – Sandvik SAF 2205, SAF 2507, Sanicro 28, to mention but a few – are found in tubu-lars, wirelines and matching welding materials supplied to oil producers globally.

A mini steel mill in the labContinuous tests are performed on these pro-ducts – in the lab and on the job – demonstra-ting their ability to resist seawater and chemi-cal corrosion, mechanical stress from internal and external pressure, as well as unusually high temperatures and other adverse operating conditions.

Sandvik has even built a complete miniature steel mill, so we can analyze and test new ma-terial compositions under realistic conditions. Here we can also make sure that every new material and grade can be manufactured in a satisfactory way – for example, with regard to consistent quality.

Two examplesOne oil producer came to Sandvik because he feared that the unusually aggressive chlorides attacking his production tubulars would be too much even for the highly resistant Sandvik Sanicro 28. Together we developed a new San-icro version, using additional molybdenum.It stood the test. Today, Sandvik Sanicro 29 is a preferred material for wells with very high chloride content or severely sour conditions. Or both. In another instance, we developed a mate-rial for making umbilicals significantly lighter. With greater operating depths and the deploy-ment of vast subsea tie-back systems for new fields, umbilicals easily become 8-10 kilome-ters (some 30,000 ft) long – and obviously very heavy. By reengineering our super-duplex Sandvik SAF 2507, we were able to reduce the weight while retaining its mechanical strength.

Define and redefineFew things are more front-of-mind at Sandvik than the concerns and evolving requirements of the oil and gas industry. Our teams of metallurgical, chemical and manufacturing experts continue to redefine even the most resistant materials. Simply because tomorrow they’ll have to resist even more.

Engineered to resist And resist. And resist

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Famous engineered materials from Sandvik

Sandvik SAF 2304®A lean duplex offering a very good alter-native to carbon steel. Replaces ASTM 304L and 316L, especially when there is a risk of stress corrosion cracking.

Sandvik SAF 2205® High resistance to carbon-dioxide induced corrosion. Its overall corrosion resistance is superior to 316L, particularly in chloride-rich environments.

Sandvik SAF 2205SH®A “souped-up” version of Sandvik SAF 2205. The metallurgy is identical, but the production process is modified. This gives Sandvik SAF 2205SH super-high tensile strength for medium sour wells, providing higher breaking loads than carbon steel. Very good corrosion resistance in chloride environments.

Sandvik SAF 2507®This high-alloy, high-strength super- duplex stainless steel has an optimum combination of high corrosion resistance

and high mechanical strength. With excel-lent resistance to seawater and marine environments, it is particularly well-suited for applications exposed to high stress in aggressive chloride-rich environments. The resistance to sour environments is superior to Sandvik SAF 2205.

Sandvik SAF 2906® This high-chromium, super-duplex al-loy offers corrosion properties similar to Sandvik SAF 2507 – but with even higher yield strength.

Sandvik SAF 2707 HD® The latest offering in Sandvik’s duplex evolution. It’s a hyper-duplex material that outperforms most other materials in severe chloride environments, such as seawater-cooled heat exchangers. It is extremely resistant to pitting and crevice corrosion, has high mechanical strength and excellent weldability.

Duplex stainless steelsSandvik’s family of duplex stainless steels are highly corrosion-resistant – especially when it comes to chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking and erosion corrosion. Their high mechanical strength translates into lighter installations and more compact system designs.

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High-alloy austenitic stainless steelsThese steels, like the most advanced duplex grades, are used in the most aggressive environments, where extremely exacting demands are imposed on corrosion resistance.

Sandvik 254 SMO™ This so-called 6Mo austenitic stainless steel shows excellent resistance to sea- water and chloride-bearing environments. It is a suitable alternative to the super- duplex material Sandvik SAF 2507 in many demanding applications.

Sandvik Sanicro® 28 This material has good resistance to sea-water and marine environments, combi-ned with excellent resistance to sour envi-ronments containing hydrogen sulphide.

Sandvik Sanicro® 29 This is a further development of Sandvik Sanicro 28. Its higher PRE value assures even greater corrosion-resistance in chlor-ide environments and severely sour condi-tions. The material was especially developed for production tubulars and casing.

Sandvik Sanicro 36Mo™ This is the toughest material in Sandvik’s wireline assortment. It has excellent cor-rosion properties for sour environments with high resistance to hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide. This material also has very high mechanical strength, with break-ing loads on a par with carbon steel. Sandvik SAF 2205, SAF 2304, SAF 2507, SAF 2906, SAF 2707 HD and Sanicro are trademarks of Sandvik AB. 254 SMO is a trademark of Outokumpu Oy.

TitaniumIn environments where even high-alloy steels do not fully meet corrosion-resis-tance requirements, titanium can be used for a wide range of applications. Our commercially pure (CP) and alloy-ed titanium grades offer a wide selection of properties, including excellent resist-ance to general and localised corrosion in seawater and other chloride-rich envi-ronments. They are also highly resistant to stress corrosion cracking in chloride and sour gas environments. Their thermal expansion is low and strength-to-weight ratio high. Available titanium grades (ASTM/ASME) include 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 16, 17, 26 and 28.

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You find them topside, subsea and downhole. In drilling, completion, production and workover. In every part of every offshore oil and gas operation, there are those mission-critical, high-risk, high-stake tasks that need to be performed safely, reliably and cost-efficiently – or else. Despite the nearly inconceivable complexity. And despite the worst possible physical environments. Those are the tasks where you’re most likely to find Sandvik’s engineered materials at work. Simply because their ability to withstand these adverse conditions is second to none.

Right the first timeSubsea infrastructures such as umbilicals, flowlines and production risers are deployed in deep and ultradeep waters – where the pressure is high. In addition to pressure, flowlines need to withstand corrosion from sour crude, chlo-rides and various aggressive chemicals. Riser tubing needs to withstand the mechanical stress from sea currents and storms. The common requirement on all these critical infrastructures is reliability over very long periods – preferably decades – with a minimum of maintenance. You simply must get them right the first time. Then there is the weight factor. Instead of adding wall thickness to withstand pressure and corrosive attacks, technical designers really want to make the walls thinner to save precious weight.

A preferred materialEngineered duplex materials have exceptional mechanical strength, which translates into thinner tubing walls. Sandvik SAF 2507, for example, can reduce the weight of a hydraulic line in a drilling riser by up to 70% compared with conventional 316L material. And its corrosion-resistance eliminates the need for additional protection otherwise required by lower-grade steels. As for umbilicals, the strength and fatigue properties of Sandvik SAF 2507, in additon to its high corrosion resistance, has made it the preferred material for hydraulic control tubing and chemical injection tubing in all major offshore regions.

Different jobs Same challenge

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Horrendous conditionsDownhole, hot and chemically polluted crude is rushing through production tubes under high pressure – while processes are being controlled through wires and sensitive hydrau-lic control lines. Conditions here are often horrendous. Fortunately, Sandvik offers several grades of engineered materials, to cope with a variety of downhole threats. All while keeping lines and walls thin and equipment weights low. For severely sour and corrosive conditions, with high contents of hydrogen sulphide and chlorides, there is Sandvik Sanicro 28, Sanicro 29 and Sanicro 36Mo. If the main issue is high carbon-dioxide content, Sandvik SAF 2205 is the right choice. And where there is simply a very high chloride content, Sandvik’s super-duplex Sandvik SAF 2507 will yield excellent results.

Engineered for a longer lifeTopside, too, conditions can be more than harsh on equipment and materials. A wide range of piping systems for proces-sing, cooling and seawater supply, as well as hydraulic and instrumentation tubing, are all subject to rough treatment. Corrosion from salt and sulphides in seawater is a major concern, as is the often very high operating pressures involved. Again, Sandvik SAF 2507 and other engin-eered materials from Sandvik, used in these applications, can dramatically improve the longevity of the installations, while increasing the flow rates and reducing the equipment weight by 50-80%, compared with 90/10 Cu/Ni steel.

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Half a century of cooperation between Sand-vik and the oil and gas industry has resulted in an impressive range of products for just about any aspect of operating oil and gas fields. What they all have in common are the engineered materials they are made of. Duplex steels, high-alloy austenitic stainless steels, titanium – whatever is necessary to give each product the exact properties needed in each situation of duty. This is, of course, also the reason for the vastness of our oil and gas product portfolio. Multiply shapes by grades by sizes – then add many special versions and a few oddities you hadn’t even imagined – and you end up with a total offering that’s almost impossible to present in a manageable way. Consequently, what you find here is merely an overview. For the full story, please visit our website www.smt.sandvik.com/oilgas or con-tact your nearest Sandvik sales office.

Downhole casing and production tubingSandvik supplies production tubing and casing for getting the oil and gas up from the wells in the ground. In order to cope in a production string that may be tens of thousands of feet long, the tubes are threaded in both ends and joined with special couplings. This arrangement increases the speed with which the tubing can be lowe-red into the ground. If the well is sour from hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide and other chemicals, the ag-gressive corrosion necessitates duplex stain-less steels or Ni-based alloys such as Sandvik

SAF 2205 (22Cr), SAF 2507 (25Cr), Sanicro 28 (28Cr)

and Sanicro 29 (29Cr). Predominantly, Sandvik’s downhole casing and production tubing is supplied in cold-worked condition to ensure high strength despite its low weight.

Control lines and chemical injection linesFor downhole applications, Sandvik supplies coiled tubing for control lines and chemical injection lines. These can be continuous small sizes, typi-cally 1/4” OD, used as downhole control lines, to hydraulically control the sub-surface safety valve shutting in the well. Similar lines, slightly larger (typically 3/8”–3/4” OD) or longer, are also provided for downhole chemical-injection purposes, e.g., methanol or acid injection. Because these control lines are often expo-sed to corrosive well fluids, Sandvik makes them in corrosion-resistant duplex steels and Sanicro alloys. Whether the requirement is for straightforward, cut-to-length lines, long-length orbital-welded lines, or a group of lines, encapsulated, flushed, filled and tested, we can supply them on the customer’s own re-els and deliver directly to the site.

3,768 premium pipes, tubes, lines and wires. (At last count)

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Umbilical tubingSandvik is the global market leader in stainless steel umbilical tubing, thanks to our acclaimed super-duplex Sandvik SAF 2507. In the last 15 years alone, we have supplied over 50 million meters to all major fabricators and oil compa-nies in all offshore regions. Our offering includes long-length orbital welded tubing for subsea hydraulic control lines and chemical injection lines. Dimensions range from 3/8” to 3 ½” ID. Sandvik is devel-oping new materials for greater water depths and more demanding conditions in terms of pressure and corrosion.

Riser and flowline pipingSandvik supplies a complete range of piping for flowlines and production risers – in duplex and super-duplex steels, as well as high-alloy austenitic stainless steels. They are all produ-ced either hot- or cold finished in sizes up to 8”. In addition, Sandvik provides hydraulic line tubing for drilling risers.

Tube and pipe for oil and gas processingSandvik can deliver tube and pipe in all major stainless grades for subsea applications, includ- ing hydraulic and instrumentation tubing and process piping. Sandvik is also one of the world’s largest manufacturers of seamless tubes for heat exchangers, covering a broad range of ma-terials from stainless steels to titanium and zirconium. Our in-depth knowledge of oil and gas-processing applications and expertise in corrosion resistant materials help us provide state-of-the-art technology and solutions for heat exchangers operating with highly corrosive fluids.

For other equipment carrying corrosive seawater on offshore platforms – for example, fire-extinguishing systems, ballast systems and seawater supply for water cooling, drilling and various utilities – Sandvik SAF 2507 or 254 SMO are two great choices.

Fittings and flangesSandvik offers a complete package of fittings and flanges in most of the Sandvik special grades. In Sandvik SAF 2205 duplex, we stock a complete range of fittings and flanges from 1/2” up to 12”. In Sandvik SAF 2507 super-duplex, the stock range covers 90º LR elbows, 45º elbows, equal tees and concentric reducers.

Sandvik ClikLoc™ connectorSandvik ClikLoc is a patented rapid-action connector suitable for demanding topside and subsea applications. Thanks to its revolution-ary design, Sandvik ClikLoc reduces the time needed for make and break to 20-30 seconds, instead of the 15 to 45 minutes required by most conventional connectors. Sandvik ClikLoc is designed according to ISO 13628-7 require-ments, with either metal-to-metal seal or soft seal. A minimum of moving parts makes opera- tion simple, safe and intuitive, without tools.

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WirelinesWirelines, used for lowering tools and instru-ments into oil and gas wells, are subject to cor-rosion attacks and mechanical damage. Very deep wells often place extreme demands on wireline materials: high corrosion-resistance, high mechanical strength and uniform tensile properties. Sandvik’s vast wireline program includes eight engineered materials that are especially well-suited for either single-strand slicklines or multi-strand logging cables – used in a wide variety of hostile environments.

Powder metallurgy products Sandvik manufactures tailor-made near net shaped products such as manifolds, pump housings, swivels and wye-pieces. By using pure duplex and Ni-based alloy powder and Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), the products have excellent resistance to corrosion and hydro-gen-induced stress corrosion cracking (HISC). The fine microstructure and isotropic pressure with which the goods are processed result in mechanical properties that are equal in all directions. The ability to manufac-ture products with irregular shapes and complex geometry means less need for costly operations like machining and welding.

There’s more to life than tubes and pipes

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Steels for machiningSanmac, Sandvik’s family of bar and hollow bar, is available in a number of different sizes and grades, including the high-strength, corro-sion resistant Sanmac SAF 2205. In addition, solid bar is available in super-duplex Sandvik SAF 2507. The consistency of Sanmac, along with its superior machining properties, not only slashes set-up times, but also increases cutting speeds and reduces tool wear – thus improving productivity and saving production cost.

Welding productsSandvik offers the industry’s broadest as-sortment of stainless steel and Ni-based alloy welding products for demanding applications. For the most critical of these applications, we have secured the necessary international quality approvals. For all of Sandvik’s engineered-material tubing, we have developed matching welding products. This means installations can be built using tubulars, tube fittings and welding prod-ucts in corresponding materials, thus adding extra security.

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“Engineered by Sandvik” is a quality stamp re-cognized and respected by oil and gas profes-sionals around the world. It assures designers, builders and users of offshore platforms that systems and components will perform to their highest standards. This widespread trust in Sandvik materials and products naturally makes us proud. It also keeps us on our toes. Because everything we make is put to the test day after day, year after year, under the most punishing circumstances.Something our customers never let us forget.

When speed is everythingOne of the “super-majors” in subsea develop-ment was redesigning some of the company’s fields in the North Sea. As a result, an imme-diate need for an additional riser for gas lift became evident. The material selection, duplex 22Cr, was made by the end-user. Fast delivery was critical – not exceeding 16 weeks. Very efficient direct communication between the customer and Sandvik (involving both the mill and the local sales team) made it pos-sible to conduct an extensive, yet rapid test program, and meet the very tight production schedule. The complete delivery, a 6” riser and some motherpipe for bends – all in Sandvik SAF 2205 – was successfully produced in less than 12 weeks from the date of order.

The African challengeThe coast of Western Africa is the scene of one of the largest and most challenging subsea developments in the world. At more than 1000 meters below sea level, with massively cor-rosive and warm production fluids, the correct materials selection and project execution are crucial. For this development, 22Cr duplex was specified for the in-field flowlines and jumpers. The URF contractor was looking for a sup-plier with a long duplex experience, who could deliver against the very demanding material specs for the project. Despite a slightly higher price, the contrac-tor chose Sandvik SAF 2205 over competing

materials for the supply of 6” pipe (both straight parts and bends). In addition, the super-duplex Sandvik SAF 2507 was picked for umbilical tubes.

Under pressureLooking to provide a completion solution for a major oil producer in the Gulf of Mexico, its service company ran into severe space constraints in the downhole completion profile. Sandvik was consulted to work with the technical designers. By being involved at such an early stage, Sandvik was able to propose a smaller tube size using its high-strength super-duplex Sandvik SAF 2507. Thanks to their smaller size, these tubes could meet the space limita-tions – and yet withstand the high downhole pressures involved. Working closely with Sandvik, the service company was able to deliver the solution on time.

Engineered by Sandvik Trusted by an industry

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Sandvik’s fully integrated steel mill gives us total control of the entire production process – from the exact content of the raw materials to the blending of the steel melt through to the finishing of the end products. This gives us complete independence of any outside party that might influence the desired result of our design and manufacturing efforts – with one important exception: Our customers.

Great on the jobIf it weren’t for the insight, experience and expectations of oil and gas producers around the world – and their willingness to share that with us – our materials and products might end up being greater in the lab than on the job. Thanks to hundreds of encounters, exchan-ges and cooperations each year between our customers’ engineers and our own, we mini-mize the risk of this occurring.

We systematically pick their brains – as they pick ours. We invite them to metallurgical seminars and application workshops. We bring them into our research projects. We form joint task forces to anticipate tomorrow’s needs and requirements.

A matter of trustWe do, after all, depend on each other for success in our respective businesses. Oil and gas producers need materials they can trust for those tough jobs in those rough environments. And Sandvik needs to supply them – on spec, on time and on budget – to earn that trust. That interdependency is the best form of partnership, in our opinion, and therefore the foundation of Sandvik’s business philosophy. You’re welcome to see for yourself what it means in practice.

Oil and gas And partnership

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Sandvik Materials TechnologySE-811 81 Sandviken, Sweden, Phone +46 26-26 30 00, Fax +46 26-26 02 20

www.smt.sandvik.com/oilgas

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