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ECONOMICS OF USED DRILL PIPE INSPECTION
The high cost of new drill pipe provides tremendous incentive for getting optimum use from every length. While most wells are drilled by independent contractors, the condition of the drill pipe which is used equally important to both contractor and operator, since failure can be very expensive for both.
TUBOSCOPE provides inspection techniques to optimize the life of your drill pipe. It is not necessary to rely on visual inspection or past service performance when you can determine the condition of your pipe with the following TUBOSCOPE Inspection Services:
- Sonoscope Pipe Body Inspection.
- Electronic End Area Tool.
- Outside Diameter Gauging.
- Tool Joint Measurement.
- Thread and Seal Inspection.
- Ultrasonic Wall Measurement.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN USED DRILL PIPE INSPECTION
While the use and service conditions of drill pipe may vary from well to well, the following service-induced defects should be located and evaluated. TUBOSCOPE inspection services are the most effective way to find them.
Fatigue Cracks
These defects are usually transversely oriented in drill pipe and may exist in either the inside or outside surface. They result from the cyclic stressing to which the pipe is subjected during drilling operations.
Corrosion pitting
The corrosive environment to which drill pipe is often subjected can result in dangerous well reduction and may also serve as a focal point for the initiation of fatigue cracks.
Abrasive wear
The rotation of the drill pipe against the wall of the of the hole or casing can often result in the thickness of the tube wall being reduced dangerously. This type of damage is impossible to visually evaluate without the accuracy of TUBOSCOPE's inspection techniques.
Slip Area and Other Mechanical Damage
The rough handling to which drill pipe is necessarily subjected often results in mechanical damage to the tube. The slip areas are repeatedly subjected to high level stressing and are particularly susceptible to this damage.
Internal Erosion
Potentially dangerous wall thinning can result from the erosion of the inside surface of the pipe from the abrasive action of particles in the drilling fluids when combined with multiple pitting, the type of wall reduction can be particularly dangerous.
