Traditional testing technologies in drilling rigs for oil production could soon become a thing of the past, if a promising new method developed by Russian scientists is adopted, Realnoe Vremya reports.
The technology is likely to get a direct practical application in industry, as it may help the Russian energy industry increase efficiency and safety of operations, scientists from St Petersburg’s Peter the Great Polytechnic University (SPbPU) said.
The special method of nondestructive testing of drilling rig elements in oil wells will ensure the efficient oil production and reduce the time and cost of equipment repair.
Scientists say that the use of traditional nondestructive testing technologies is nowadays ineffective for the diagnosis of modern structures made of corrosion-resistant and high-strength structural materials.
The new method based on the study of mechanical stresses, plastic deformations and microcracks in industrial structures allows experts to give numerical estimates of damage throughout the structure.
The research results obtained for the cases of plastic deformation of samples made of high-strength steels have confirmed the effectiveness of the new technology. It can be extended to a wide class of deformation and lead to direct practical application in industry, the report said.
Europe’s largest industrial manufacturing company, Siemens, has already expressed its interest in the application of the method of nondestructive testing to gas turbine engine blades.
