Protecting Drill Pipe Tubes with Wear Pads

Why Hasn’t this Been Done Before?

Everybody knows the tubes wear just like the tool joints, but no good solutions have existed to protect them. In the past, everything has been tried from composites to odd alloys, but none of it has worked. The answer was easier than anyone imagined: just weld the hardfacing onto the tube itself. This idea was ignored because it was universally accepted that the tubes are too thin and welding on them would damage them. But with Arnco’s low heat input welding process, Heatless Welding Solutions (HWS™), this is not the case. The tubes retain their manufacturing properties even after being welded, and the hardbanding doesn’t spall off or crack downhole.

Tested and Proven

Before ever putting any pipe with hardbanding on its tube downhole, Arnco performed extensive testing to prove that the material properties don’t change. Once this was clear, Arnco performed downhole field trials to prove the hardbanding wear pads would stay on the pipe and not crack. Now, months later, Arnco has completed many downhole field trials with hardbanded drill pipe tubes in different formations with absolutely no issues.

How Does It Work?

Arnco performed computer modeling to determine the best location to put these hardbanding wear pads to make sure the middle of the tube, which is most prone to wear, could never touch the formation or casing. Instead, the wear pads are sacrificial and wear down slowly. Initial applications and reapplications are a fraction of the cost of new pipe, passing hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings to operators that would otherwise have to replace the pipe. It’s time to save the pipe!

Revolutionary Benefits:

• Increase Lifespan: Keep drill pipe and tubing in the hole longer, by protecting its most vulnerable areas
• Save Money: Don’t buy new joints when you can protect your existing pipe at a fraction of the cost
• Protect the Casing: Protect the drill pipe and the casing, with Arnco’s casing-friendly hardbanding applied on the tube body
• Reduce Risk: Work safely with a computer-controlled welding system, with less room for human error
• Embrace the Future: Use the same advanced welding technology in the oilfield that SpaceX uses to build rockets