Drill Pipe Damage and Common Causes

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At MSI, we take pride in providing various pipe protection solutions designed to maintain tubular products in optimal working conditions before they reach the job site. If you are uncertain whether investing in pipe protection products is necessary, understanding how drill pipes typically sustain damage can illustrate the importance of having effective prevention strategies in place.

Drill Pipe Failure

Drill pipe failures are frequent and may arise from numerous factors, including:

Drill Pipe Fatigue: Fatigue manifests as microcracks, macrocracks, or fractures within the drill string and pipe. This damage stems from a mix of corrosion and cyclic stress.

Twist-off: This term refers to the phenomenon where the drill string separates into two parts, typically due to over-tightening or intense torque experienced during directional drilling.

Parting: This occurs when excessive tensile stress leads to separation, mostly as a result of overpull used to counteract sticking.

Burst or Collapse: Burst or collapse happens when drill pipes experience excessive internal or external pressure, leading to catastrophic failures.

While completely preventing drill pipe failures may be impossible, proper handling, storage, and inspection protocols can significantly alleviate stress on tubular products.

Cyclic Stress

Cyclic stress is prevalent in directional wells where the drill string undergoes simultaneous stretching and compression. When navigating the well’s curvature, one side of the drill string experiences more tension while the other side feels higher compression, leading to structural stress. This stress can drastically reduce the lifespan of the drill pipe.

To minimize cyclic stress, operators should aim for smoother transitions to reduce the severity of doglegs and maintain control of drill string vibrations, which helps decrease related structural stresses.

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Corrosion

A range of chemicals found in drilling mud can trigger corrosion of the drill pipe. Key agents include oxygen, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide, along with salts and organic acids. Given the invasive nature of this corrosion, modifying the chemical makeup of the drill pipe and employing corrosive scavengers to stabilize mud pH, especially in hydrogen sulfide cases, can help mitigate damage.

Pipe Sticking

Pipe sticking occurs when a drill pipe becomes lodged inside a hole and cannot be extracted without risk of damage. Two primary forms of pipe sticking are differential and mechanical.

Differential-pressure sticking occurs when part of the drill string embeds into the mud. Diluting the mud with nitrogen often helps relieve the induced pressure.

Mechanical sticking arises from the accumulation of drilled cuttings or borehole instability which must be rectified by clearing the annulus.

Damaged Drill Pipe Threads

Drill pipe threads can suffer damage from factors such as harsh drilling conditions, operator error, improper storage, or manufacturing defects. Ensuring diligent care, appropriate storage and thorough inspections will aid in preventing thread damage. The consistent use of quality thread protection is critical for maintaining functional threads, and MSI proudly provides a wide selection of thread protectors, including both standard and customized options.

Borehole Instability

Borehole instability refers to a situation where the borehole fails to retain its intended shape, size, or integrity, caused by factors like earth movement, water absorption, or pressure changes. This instability can lead to various issues such as stuck pipes, bridging, logging difficulties, and borehole enlargement.

To mitigate the risk of instability, drilling operators should utilize the best borehole fluid and hydraulics, determine suitable hole trajectories, select adequate mud weight, and minimize the duration spent in the open hole.

Over Torque

Over torque is a leading cause of damage to drill pipe threads, occurring when excessive torque is applied, particularly after the drill pipe has already been under-torqued before insertion. Correctly pre-torquing all connections can avert these issues and requires thorough planning to find optimal torque settings, ultimately protecting the integrity of drill pipe threads.

Lost Circulation

This term reflects the unregulated flow of drilling mud into formations, a situation that occurs when pressure against formation exceeds total formation pressure, often seen in large, porous, or fractured formations. Lost circulation can escalate costs and provoke subsurface blowouts.

Preventing lost circulation typically involves maintaining proper mud weight, minimizing annular fracture losses, utilizing relevant formation pressures, and avoiding constrictions in the annular space.

MSI Products Assist in Pipe Protection

MSI’s drill pipe protection solutions enable operators to safeguard their pipes and drilling equipment. We offer an extensive array of products designed for pipe protection, storage, and handling, including thread protectors, bumper rings, pipe chocks, and our RHINO tubular handling systems. Our product offerings are aimed at preventing thread damage, corrosion, and other pipe failures. You can take comfort knowing that your tubular products will arrive at the worksite in excellent condition.

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