Did you know that nearly 1700 years
ago, oil wells of up to 800 feet deep were drilled in China using drill bits
attached to bamboo? In the late 16th century, Persian oil wells were dug by
hand to depths of up to 115 feet. Drill pipe in one form or another has been
around for a very long time. Fortunately, today's drill pipe complies with
international standards so that it gets the job done efficiently and maximizes
crew safety.
ASTM Standards in the Petroleum
Industry
In 1921, ASTM D 86, a method for
distilling petroleum products at atmospheric pressure was approved, and this
standard became one of the most-used ASTM standards ever. ASTM D 86 is
considered one of the fundamental building blocks of standardization in the
petroleum industry. ASTM steel pipe used in the petroleum industry has to
conform to strict standards as well, preserving standardization and meeting
safety and design standards.
ASTM A53 Steel Pipe
Tubing and pipe complying with ASTM
A53 are used in oil and gas drilling. ASTM steel pipe is used in all aspects of
the petroleum industry, including exploration drilling, oil production, and
transport of gas, oil, water, and natural gas in numerous challenging environments.
As drilling operations become more remote, ASTM pipe assures project managers
that their steel pipe will stand up to whatever Mother Nature dishes out.
What Drill Pipe Does
Drill pipe is tubular steel conduit.
The ends of drill pipe are outfitted with distinct threaded ends that are
called tool joints. Drill pipe is what connects the surface equipment of a
drilling rig to the bottomhole assembly and the drilling bit. Drill pipe pumps
drilling fluid to the bit, and is used to raise, lower, or rotate the bit and
bottomhole assembly.
You and Your Oilfield Drill Pipe
Supplier
You don't have time to educate your
steel pipe supplier on what you need and why you need it. Choose an oilfield drill pipe supplier that is conversant in ASTM standards and that has both the
mill network and worldwide transport network to deliver your products to you on
time.
Steel pipe is most commonly associated
with the petroleum industry. Drill pipe assemblies use steel pipe, and once the
production phase of an oil or gas project is underway, pipeline supplied by a
steel pipe supplier is used to transport the product to refineries. Success of
petroleum drilling and transport projects depends heavily on the quality of the
products made by the steel tubing manufacturer.
Oil and Gas Transport
Oil and gas transport and steel pipe
have long been closely associated. Pipelines require significant up-front
investment, but when petroleum products have to travel long distances over the
long term, pipeline transport is the best type of transport. While rail or
truck transport works well over shorter distances, and can be used while a
pipeline is under construction, pipeline transport is the gold standard for
long term, long distance transportation of petroleum products.
Infrastructure
Bridges, runways, seawalls, and
highways are just some of the infrastructure projects that depend on steel
tubing manufacturers to come through with products that meet standards and
arrive on time. Structural steel, steel pipe, or both are widely used in
infrastructure projects. Suppliers of these products must have knowledge of how
infrastructure is built, and they must have the transportation and logistics in
place to meet demand and schedule.
Commercial and Industrial Development
Structural steel used in commercial
construction comes in a range of sizes and cross sections. Architects and
contractors depend upon structural steel for skyscrapers, parking garages,
manufacturing plants, and other industrial applications due to structural
steel's safety, strength, and versatility. If you're in charge of a development
project, you don't have time to educate your steel supplier on what cross
sections you need, or which standards it must conform to. That's why it's
always best to trust experienced structural steel suppliers.
Food Services
Demand for steel pipe is high in the
food services sector. Whether it transports waste or finished products, steel
tubing in the food industry has to withstand difficult environments and resist
corrosion while safely handling food products. Does your steel pipe supplier
have a commitment to on-time delivery, high quality, and worker safety? Don't
settle for less.
If your project involves down-the-hole
(DTH) drilling, your tubing and API drill pipe cannot let you down, regardless
of what you are drilling through, what type of rig you're using, and how deeply
you need to drill. Your tubing must be uncompromising on durability,
measurements and threads must be accurate, and getting the pipe you need
delivered to your location must be a given.
Dedication to Quality from Mill to
Jobsite
Whether you need hot-rolled tubing,
cold drawn tubing or any other type of structural or transport tubing, your
provider should be committed to quality and have quality assurance procedures
from the mill to the point of delivery. Today's OCTG line pipe has to make it
to increasingly remote jobsites, and you definitely don't want to have to send
it back due to quality issues.
End Pieces that Won't Let You Down
Weak links are unacceptable for your
OCTG products. Whatever type of end you require for your pipe, your provider
should have it ready to go when you need it. The joints between the tubing and
the end pieces are vulnerable points, and you need assurance that your steel
pipe supplier heat-treats end pieces and sees to the quality of the threading
on pipes so that you get optimum performance, with no question.
Quality Threading for Long Life
Correct threading is absolutely
essential to the success of your drilling project. You need to be able to fit
tubing together at the correct angle, get a tight fit, and be able to
disconnect later when you want to reuse the tubing. When threads are not
properly added, the result is frustration and possible safety hazards. Does
your OCTG line pipe and drill pipe provider understand the importance of
quality threading?
Logistics and Distribution that Won't
Shy Away from Tough Jobs
The highest quality tubing in the
world isn't useful if your supplier can't get it to you. Top suppliers have
logistics engineers on staff and are prepared to deal with all methods of transport
including Customs requirements in order to get your products to your jobsite
exactly when you need them.
