The environmental conditions of the North Sea make oil extraction relatively expensive compared to many land based operations. It is difficult to generalise but production rates from individual wells tend to be higher to make extraction economic. Secondary recovery, if by water injection usually requires substantial volumes of water to be injected. Loss of injection capacity for whatever reason can rapidly lead to reduced production rates. Analysis of failures of materials of construction of equipment used for processing and injecting the seawater can lead to improved reliability of the equipment and help sustain injection and hence production rates.

This paper gives details of materials of construction for pumps, pipework and vessels for seawater handling. Reasons for failures are shared where they are known together with remedial solutions.

Subject
Water, Materials, Piping, Inspection, Seawater, Lead, Glass flake coatings, Filters, Construction, Oxygen, Deaerators, Carbon steel, Stainless steel
Keywords:
water injection, failures, pumps, pipework, vessels, coatings
© 1993 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
1993
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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