Offshore oil and gas production worldwide is conducted in increasingly deep waters, leading to more and more stringent demands on line pipes. Higher grades and heavier wall thicknesses in combination with deep temperature toughness properties, good weldability and suitability for sour service applications are among the characteristics called for. It is necessary that pipe manufacturers develop materials to meet these at times conflicting requirements. An alloying concept based on steel with very low carbon content is presented. This type of material provides excellent toughness properties at deep temperatures in line pipe with a wall thickness of up to 70 mm, produced by hot rolling followed by QT heat treatment. Pipes from industrial production of identical chemical composition and heat treatment achieved grades X65 to X80, depending on wall thickness. The properties of the steel used in pipes are presented. The resistance of the pipe material to the influence of sour gas was assessed by standard tests. To demonstrate weldability, test welds were performed and examined.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.