The oil and gas industry relies heavily on the usage of metal in numerous stages, from extraction to delivery to the final customer. To serve the purpose of various applications involved in the industry use of metals is more than 60 percent. The weldability of metals is why carbon and stainless steel are the two most common metals in the oil and gas industry.
Oil and gas applications usually require equipment that withstands high temperatures and pressures during regular operation. Types of equipment for these applications must be fabricated from versatile materials to adapt to the fluctuating demands of oil and gas environments. Most importantly, all equipment must ensure long service life with minimal maintenance.
The oil and gas industries are superior, and the final products are fuel oil and gasoline. Primarily, three processes are involved:
- Upstream– This process involved the exploration of underground natural gas and crude oil wells and drilling.
- Midstream– In this process, crude oil is transported, stored, and processed in the refinery. Pipelines and oil tankers can be used in transportation.
- Downstream– This process includes refining, crude oil filters, and purification of natural gas.
Oil and gas Industry applications like transporting, storage, drilling, and tools made of metals require properties of strength, ductility, flexibility, density, and malleability to accomplish the requirements of the applications.
Transporting Oil & Natural Gas
- Tankers and pipelines connect petroleum supply and demand efficiently and economically.
- Supply-end pipelines and railroads carry crude oil from production areas to a loading terminal at a port.
- Tankers then carry the crude oil directly to demand-side pipelines that connect to the refineries that convert the raw material into valuable products.
The above three processes are associated with challenges, including functioning in demanding environments in different temperatures in chemical processing.
- Crude oil contains sulfur and hydrogen sulfide, which creates corrosion in pipelines.
- Crude oil drilling, production, processing, storing, and transporting impose stress and corrosion on equipment.
- Pipelines have to endure extreme temperatures.
An increase in hydrogen sulfide ingress in steel increases stress levels and hardness, which can lead to premature failure.
How to avoid challenges and premature failure in metal.
For standard applications, grades of metal need to withstand corrosion resistance in extreme temperatures for quality purposes. The hardness of metal plays a significant role in the oil and gas industry. Hardness testing is performed on manufactured units for quality and in-service parts to identify any issues in the hardness. Hardness testing can reveal susceptibility issues, including cracking due to exposure to environmental factors.
Why choose King Portable Brinell Hardness Tester for the oil and gas Industry?
Hardness testing is done both in a lab and in the field. King Portable Brinell Hardness Tester is the most reliable, user-friendly, and affordable portable Brinell tester and the ONLY portable Brinell tester on the market that is calibrated and certified per ASTM E-10.
Portability allows the hardness tester to be taken to a part or have parts taken to the tester. The King Hardness Tester also allows versatility of testing position, right side up, upside down, or sideways. The King Hardness Tester is lightweight and easy for one person to maneuver. Additionally, the King Hardness Testers can be used with multiple bases.
Source: kingtester.com
