Tungum Instrumentation Tube specified by BP
Wednesday 4th November 2009
BP (British Petroleum) have recently issued a new document GP36-15-1 entitled ‘Mitigating/Preventing External Corrosion in Topside Small Bore Tubing’. This document looks at material selection practices for pneumatic and hydraulic tube. It covers tube materials used by BP and discusses their features and benefits. It recommends that Tungum Tube is the material to use in non-process gas and liquid services below 5,000 psi. It is not recommended for: H2S, mercury, ammonia, or unqualified production chemicals.
The report also covers the use of 316/L Swagelok fittings with Tungum tube. BP found that ‘All examinations showed good ductility of the Tungum in the connecting areas and no signs of fatigue cracks, intergranular corrosion, or stress corrosion were detected. Therefore, it can only be concluded that, within the limits of the tests performed, no significant detrimental effects had occurred which are liable to cause failure or leakage of the fitting’.
Although initially more expensive than stainless steel, the proven life expectancy of Tungum tube makes the long-term operating costs far more attractive. For example, the price of instrumentation tubing for a standard rig is approximately £ 63,000 GBP using stainless steel compared with £ 156,000 GBP for Tungum tube. However, by using stainless steel you can expect 5-10 refits over the life of a rig and just by taking the price of replacement tubing into account the use of Tungum tube, long term is far more cost effective. This cost difference is further increased if you take into account the cost to re-fit, shut down times and the cost of disposal of the old tube.
For more information please contact our sales department.
