InnerArmor Coatings for the Oil & Gas Industry

The Oil & Gas industry continues to face dilemmas regarding the efficiency of its operations. The downtime created by frequent part replacement and the use of expensive base materials and coatings increases operating costs, Oil & Gas industry customers in the past, have attemped various techniques to protect, strengthen or enhance the internal-surface performance of their parts, but each method has shown basic limitations. For example, parts were sometimes manufactured from special high-grade metals and then machined for extra smoothness, proving to be an expensive proposition. And traditional coating methods— electroplating, sprays and others—provided limited effectiveness because they were primarily intended for external surfaces, not internal. Plus, they were often toxic or environmentally dangerous. InnerArmor technology eliminates all of those problems and produces a hard, smooth, corrosion-and erosion-resistant internal surface on a variety of base materials.

Applications

InnerArmor coatings can be applied to a range of oil & gas applications that require protection against corrosion, erosion, or sliding wear. The technology can be applied across multiple upstream applications including:

• Directional drilling tools— Drill string components' exposed surfaces can be eroded by the slurry flow from drilling mud flowing downhole. Many of these tools are also susceptible to metal fatigue from the torque applied during the drilling process. InnerArmor coatings deliver erosion protection for directional drill components and protect against metal fatigue by sealing the surface with a compressive coating.
• Lifting operation components— When extracting oil, components are often subjected to sour flows (i.e., high H₂S content), heavy sand, salt water, or other conditions which cause premature wear and corrosion. InnerArmor coatings deliver erosion and corrosion protection for pump cylinders, pump barrels, plungers, valves, and other components. See more on Crossover Sub Coating.
• Oil Country Tubular Goods (OCTG) — In addition to protecting against corrosion and wear, InnerArmor technology improves flow and prevents fouling to ensure optimal lifting in regular and steam flood environments. See more on Pipe Coating.

Some examples of customer deployments include:

• Churchill Instant Bypass Tool
• I-TEC Completion Valve
• Pump barrel
• Flow Spool

Key Features

Blocks Corrosion

Providing a high performance barrier against corrosion in salt water, acids or other corrosive chemistries, InnerArmor coatings offer an intrinsic chemical inertness that shields inner surfaces from many kinds of chemical attacks. The coatings are inert to the application environment and are uniquely amorphous. Like glass, they have no crystalline grain structure. By providing smooth, uniform coverage, even across very long lengths, InnerArmor coatings eliminate pin-holes or “holidays” to maximize protection against substrate corrosion.

Reduces Wear / Halts Erosion

Offering a unique combination of hardness, smoothness and a low coefficient of friction, InnerArmor coatings provide an unprecedented level of protection against erosion, wear and abrasion. A layered structure allows thickness and composition of individual layers to be adjusted for an application. For example, the toughness factor can be increased for an erosion application just by changing the chemistry of a layer. Due to InnerArmor technology, many parts that previously required expensive metal alloys can now use less costly base materials—simply coat the inner surfaces with InnerArmor – and achieve improved performance.

Minimizes Friction / Maximizes Flow

With an exceptionally low coefficient of friction for maximizing flow dynamics, InnerArmor coatings help maintain line pressure and reduce the amount of energy needed to move product—which further reduces cost. The coatings are hydrophobic (they repel water) thus liquids slide quickly across an InnerArmor coated surface. The net result is that InnerArmor coatings produce substantial operational cost savings.

Key Benefits

Extended Service Life

With strong corrosion protection and wear resistance, InnerArmor coatings enable longer component life. Delivering over twice the hardness and wear rate of hard chrome, InnerArmor coatings protect parts in sliding, abrasive and erosive wear applications. Test results show a 10,000 times improvement in the wear resistance of InnerArmor coated versus uncoated stainless steel.

Improved Efficiency

Eliminating the inherent roughness of older internal coatings—such as metal cladding and thermally-sprayed metal films—or from corrosion and sludge build-up, InnerArmor coatings are extremely hard, have an exceptionally low coefficient of friction, and are hydrophobic—they repel water. Thus, liquids slide quickly across an InnerArmor-coated surface. The net result is that InnerArmor improves flow dynamics and reduces line-pressure loss. It means that smaller diameter pipe—which costs less—can be used to move the same amount of fluid.

The low surface energy of InnerArmor coatings also reduces friction and energy use for applications involving reciprocating action, such as pistons moving inside of cylinders.

Reduced Material Costs

Rather than deploying expensive metal alloys, InnerArmor coatings can deliver improved performance on much lower cost base substrates. With a hard protective layer the coatings deliver wear and corrosion protection which can outperform many specialized metals.

To download an InnerArmor Oil & Gas Industry datasheet, click here.