Standards Development

Scope

The proposed Publicly Available Specification will be for manufacture, type and structure, technical requirements, inspection and testing, marking, packing and transportation of ceramic lined tubing for wells.

This standard will apply to ceramic lined tubing ranges from 42.16 mm to 114.30 mm. The matrix tubing grades include H40, J55 and N80.

Purpose

Oilfield tubing - both for water injection and oil transmission – experiences corrosive conditions because of the presence of CO2, H2S, O2, and various ions and bacterial agents. In addition, complex scaling processes give rise to various types of scale that are difficult to prevent and remove.

Ceramic lined tubing is a composite pipe comprised of a base steel pipe and a ceramic layer formed by self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) on the inner surface of the base pipe. The ceramic layer is insoluble in acid, base, and water, and is highly resistant to corrosion and scaling. In addition, the ceramic layer during forming can fill up areas of a previously-used base pipe that has been worn or corroded, thus “recovering” the physical dimension and mechanical property of the pipe. Due to its advantages, it is expected that world-wide use of the ceramic lined tubing will grow substantially. Our background search has indicated that currently there is no international standard specifying the manufacture, inspection, quality control, purchase of ceramic lined tubing in petroleum and natural gas industries. This causes many inconveniences for manufacturers and users of this composite pipe. For example: 1) It is inconvenient for the international trade of product; 2) It is difficult for the manufacturer to provide requirements for selecting and treating a previously-used tubing with ceramic lining; 3) It is not conducive for pipe manufacturers putting forward technical requirements for heat treatment of different composite pipes; 4) It operates to the disadvantage of tubing construction companies to evaluate the quality and choose the right product for a specific application, etc.

Consequently, it is desirable to set up an international standard about ceramic lined tubing in petroleum and natural gas industries, commencing with a ISO PAS and possibly later evolving to higher standardization levels. It can be expected that standardization of the ceramic lined tubing will facilitate and increase its successful and beneficial use world-wide.

Over the last ten years, active research and development has been conducted on various aspects of ceramic lined tubing production and use. A relatively complete set of specifications has been established for fabrication, joining, heat treatment, quality control and purchase system. The key technical parameters of the ceramic lined tubing have also been reviewed and confirmed. Those results have been successfully used in the tubing construction and play an important role in ensuring the safety and reliability of tubing system.

The proposed ISO Publicly Available Specification will serve as guidance to manufacture, inspection, quality control, acceptance and purchase etc. of ceramic lined tubing in petroleum and natural gas industries.