Environmentally assisted fatigue failure of drill pipe connections
Judy Turnbull A * , Roger G. Metcalfe A and Roger Costanzi AA Bureau Veritas-Asset Integrity & Reliability Services, Cardiff, NSW, Australia.
The APPEA Journal 62(1) 116-124 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ21186
Submitted: 10 December 2021 Accepted: 16 February 2022 Published: 13 May 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of APPEA.
Abstract
Failure of three drill pipe connections occurred relatively early in the service life and without the more gradual reduction in operating pressure or other factors that are typically associated with a pending fatigue failure. Of the three drill pipe connections, two had fractured and the third had cracked but remained intact. The drill pipe connections were investigated to determine the mode and likely cause of the failure. Failure of the drill pipe connections was the result of fatigue that had initiated on the outside surface within the first thread root adjacent to the change in section to the barrel or at the change in the section itself. Crack propagation was radially inwards towards the connection bore. Chlorine was present in the drilling mud at low concentrations and fine pitting was identified, but overall, the rods were free of corrosion. However, positive identification of corrosion pits, albeit few in number and significant cracks emanating from said pits, suggest failure of the drill pipes could be attributed to a corrosion fatigue mechanism. This would more so be the case for two of the drill pipe connections, as the stress concentration associated with a corrosion pit would be exacerbated in the threaded region. Fatigue had subsequently propagated under bending loads, likely reverse bending loads, applied to the drill string. Such loads would likely be the result of directional drilling within strata of higher than usual hardness.
Keywords: corrosion fatigue, drill pipe connection, drill string, environmentally assisted cracking, failure analysis, pitting, stress concentration, thread root.
Judy Turnbull is a Senior Consultant Metallurgist within the Materials Science & Engineering Group of Bureau Veritas, undertaking component failure investigations. She has held this role since 2013. Judy has more than 30 years of experience in the engineering field, having worked in heavy engineering, hard rock mining, concrete, oil and gas and pipeline inspection as well as information technology. Judy holds a Bachelor of Metallurgy as well as a Diploma in Software Development. |
Roger Metcalfe is a Principal Consultants Metallurgist within the Materials Science & Engineering Group of Bureau Veritas, undertaking component failure investigations, a position he has held since 2006. Roger has more than 40 years of experience in heavy industry, including more than 30 years of failure analysis, in addition to experience in quality control and project management, within an iron and steel foundry, and process development and improvement within a steel making and primary rolling mill environment. Roger holds Bachelor’s degrees in Metallurgy and Arts along with a Master’s degree in Educational Studies. |
Roger Costanzi is the Manager of the Materials Science & Engineering Group of Bureau Veritas, a position he has held since 2007. The group provides a broad range of technical support and failure analysis investigations of plant and equipment used in the Australian mining, transport, manufacturing, power and process industries. A trained metallurgist with over 25 years of experience, Roger initially worked in the steel manufacturing sector during the early years of his career in the areas of research and development, product development and process improvement. Roger holds a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in Materials Science. |
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