Subsea and downhole equipment reliability is of vital concern to the E&P sector. Whilst intervention may be possible for subsea equipment, it frequently requires mobilisation of specialised equipment. This can have a significant impact on production necessitating well shut-in and recovery costs of recovery for both on- and offshore fields.
With increasing need to produce in deepwater and plans for ultradeep water necessitating long tie-backs, greater emphasis exists on reliability for subsea systems, alongside considerations for more advanced capabilities (subsea separation etc).
Downhole environments can be extremely hostile and material requirements for such conditions combined with long?service life are demanding. With ultradeep wells being planned, industry requires assured equipment reliability.
Material selection and the influence of joining processes on material behaviour are vital to cost effective construction and long-term operation. Process conditions, including highly sour service, mild sour service and sweet corrosion, and external environments/sea water handling, need consideration in relation to environmentally assisted cracking, corrosion fatigue and corrosion failure modes for carbon steels and corrosion resistant alloys. TWI can provide support to assist in assuring reliable systems are developed and used.
Contact: oilandgas@twi.co.uk
