Metallurgist, Vol. 43, Nos. 5-6, 1999

JUBILEES

T H E S I N A R S K I I P I P E P L A N T AT T H E T H R E S H O L D

O F A N E W C E N T U R Y - A FUSION O F T R A D I T I O N

AND T H E S T A T E - O F - T H E - A R T

L. G . M a r c h e n k o

The Sinarskii Pipe Plant is a specialized modern facility that makes tubular products on the latest equipment made by

domestic and foreign manufacturers, including Mannesmann-Demag, Emag, Wagner, and Fisher. The plant also has advanced

equipment and instruments for the nondestructive testing of the bodies of tubes and welds (for drill pipe with welded joints).

Deserving of special mention among the factory's products are the pipes for oil-field service:

�9 line pipe 57-168 mm in diameter, including corrosion-resistant pipes made in accordance with TU 14-161-174-97,

TU 14-161-147-94, and TU 14-161-148-94;

�9 pump-compressor tubing 33-114 mm in diameter, including smooth tubing with upset ends, angular threads, and spec-

ifications satisfying the requirements for all strength groups under GOST 633. The "SinTZ" Company was one of the first in

Russia to begin the production of corrosion-resistant tubes in accordance with TU 14-161-150-94 and TU 14-161-173-97;

�9 casing 14-146 mm in diameter, made with angular threads, thermomechanical treatment, and "Buttress" technology

(coordinated with VNIITneft' (All-Union Scientific Research Institute for the Transport, Storage, and Use of Petroleum

Products) and Gosgortekhnadzor (State Committee for the Supervision of Industrial Safety and Mine Inspection) in all strength

groups, as well as a corrosion-resistant design conforming to TU 14-161-149-94;

�9 drill pipe 60, 73, 89, 102, 114, and 127 mm in diameter with friction-welded joints of strength groups D-L, including

high-durability 127-ram-diam. pipe conforming to TU 14-161-138-94;

* process tubing 73 • 5.5 mm in diameter with friction-welded joints, of strength groups D and E under

TU 3%0147016-42-93; these tubes are very promising for use in repairing oil wells.

The factory has recently mastered the production of casing 102 x 6.5 mm in diameter with a reduced-diameter 114-ram

coupling. The casing is intended for use in repairing wells and reinforcing inclined and horizontal lateral shafts drilled with

146 mm-diam, casing.

Working with VNIITneft', the "SinTZ" company has mastered the production of pump-compressor tubing, casing, and

oil-line pipe characterized by high impact toughness at low temperatures and a high resistance to pitting and general corrosion,

sulfide corrosion cracking, and hydrogen embrittlement in corrosion-active and highly mineralized oil-field media containing

natural or bacterial hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide. The pipes are also highly stable during hydrochloric acid treatments

(their resistance being 2-3 times greater than that of pipes made in accordance with GOST).

The pipes are made by a single unitized technology (patented by the company) which uses steel 20 for the low-strength

groups (Ds) and steel 30KhMA for strength groups Ks and Es. Stand tests conducted at VNIITneft' in standard test media,

including medium NACE TM 0177-90, stratal water from the Belozernyi and Yakushevsk fields, and 12% hydrochloric acid

showed that the pipes have a corrosion resistance equal to that of pipes made by Sumitomo Metal and other firms.

The high resistance of the pipes to corrosion was confirmed in field tests performed over periods ranging from 1.5 to

4 yrs by the oil companies "Permneft'," "Aktyubinskneftegaz," "Orenburggeologiya," "Nizhnevartovskneftegaz,"

"Surgutneftegaz," and other firms that regularly conduct business with the Sinarskii plant. "Nizhnevartovskneftegaz" tested the

pipes for local corrosion resistance at a Russian Federation science center - the Scientific Research Physico-Chemical Institute.

Based on the test results, the pipes were recommended for service - including in the Samotlor field.

"SinTZ" Company (Sinarskii Pipe Plant). Translated from Metallurg, No. 5, pp. 3-4, May, 1999.

0026-0894/99/0506-0197522.00 �9 Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers 197

Long-term field testing has shown that the pipes are 5-10 times more resistant to corrosion than conventional pipes.

Special mention should be made of oil-line pipes 114, 219, and 324 mm in diameter made of nodular cast iron, which

are unique in world metallurgy. Nodular cast iron has the properties of steel while offering greater resistance to corrosion in

aggressive media. Patented methods that improve the corrosion resistance of the pipes are used along with the latest equipment

from the Fisher Company (Switzerland) to make, modify, cast, and heat-treat the cast iron. Different types of joints are used,

depending on the diameter of the pipes. Pipes 114 mm in diameter are made with threaded joints, while pipes with diameters of

219 and 324 mm are butt-joined with a bell-shaped end. This unique design of butt joint, protected by Author's Certificates,

makes it possible to form a reliable seal at high pressures and minimize longitudinal stresses. The joint improves the overall reli-

ability and corrosion resistance of the pipes and completely eliminates the need for welding during pipeline assembly. The sim-

plified assembly operation can be performed even by relatively unskilled personnel. The connectors (fittings) are included along

with the pipes delivered to the customer.

The excellent performance characteristics of these pipes is attested to by the fact that the "Samarneftegaz" Association

has successfully used the 114-ram-diam. pipes on a pipeline over 2 km long since 1994. Since 1998, the same organization has

been using an experimental batch of 219-mm-diam. pipes over a stretch of pipeline more than 1 km long. The company

"Niznevartovskneftegaz" has been operating three pipelines over 2 km long since 1997.

The engineers and production staff at "SinTZ" are active participants in mastering the production of new types of pip-

ing. We need only mention that 18 of the company's own patents are used in the production of tubes for the oil and gas indus-

try. The total savings from the practical application of inventions and innovations amounted to more than 20 million denomi-

nated rubles in 1998.

The plant is continually working on introducing new types of tubular products to meet customers' needs and make those

products more competitive.

In order to satisfy demand in the internal market and gain entry to markets abroad, the factory has successfully intro-

duced the production of petroleum-grade pipes in accordance with the requirements of the specifications API-5CT, 5L, 5D,

ASTM A 106, ASTM A 103, and DIN 162912448.

One prerequisite to making products more competitive is improving their quality. This aspect of production is given

special attention at "SinTZ," and a quality control system meeting the requirements of ISO 9001 has been introduced and is in

operation.

Control of product quality begins with the receipt of the tubular semifinished product, auxiliary supplies, and raw mate-

rials, and it continues to the very end of the production process.

The plant has several modern laboratories: chemical, mechanical, metallographic. It also makes extensive use of non-

destructive methods in product inspection.

Proof of the successes of the Sinarskii plant is the certification of its quality control program for petroleum-grade pipes

by the American Petroleum Institute (API). As a result of this certification, "SinTZ" has been granted several licenses giving it

the right to place a special seal on the pipes it makes for the oil industry. The factory itself has been entered into the registry of

licensees of the API. The Sinarskii plant is now in the process of having its products certified in accordance with the internal

standards of the Shell Corporation.

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