NUST MISIS has completed another series of experimental heats for the development of new steel grades for use in oil-field pipes. Several promising concepts of new steel, which will have increased corrosion resistance and improved mechanical characteristics, have been worked out jointly with “Tsniichermet” and other designated organizations from Samara and Saint Petersburg. The work on the preparation of experimental heats for Severstal has already started.
In January 2016, at the request of Severstal, which is one of the world`s largest steel companies, NUST MISIS began the development of SeverCorr, a new corrosion-resistant steel grade with improved mechanical properties. The new finished steel will significantly reduce environmental risks and operating costs for oil production in Western Siberia.
The university staff proposed four original concepts for the corrosion-resistant grade, all of which are now being tested in laboratories. The primary objective for developers is to find new schemes of doping, which in combination with specially selected hire conditions, will ensure the end goal of specified microstructure and corrosion properties.
In the first half of 2017, a pilot batch of metal will be melted in Severstal. After that, the so-called “bypass tests” will start in the Western Siberian oil fields. The aim of the tests is to determine the lifetime of new-hire oil line pipes.
The creation of this new grade of steel stems directly from the special working conditions of developmental technologies in Russia’s oil fields. Existing oil field pipes work in continuous contact with a corrosive water-emulsion mixture of oil and a concentrated salt solution. This leads to both short periods of operation and accidents, which are often accompanied by the pollution of immense swaths of land and water.
“The new steel-grade SeverCorr pipes will allow oil and gas companies to reduce their cost of owning pipelines. That cost includes not only construction, repair, diagnostics, and operation, but also fines and damage control from the consequences of natural disasters”, said Andrey Ioffe, head of the department of special metallurgy at “IT-Service” LLC, a company which provides a wide range of engineering services to FES companies.
In addition, the pipe’s production occurs through a welding method that is more efficient than modern production techniques, thus further reducing costs.
“NUST MISIS is one of Russia`s leading technological universities. Our scientists have registered more than 130 patents in the fields of metallurgy and mechanical engineering. The fulfillment of large-scale research and the solution of complex tasks at the request of one of the world`s largest metallurgical companies has become another recognition of NUST MISIS in this field”, said Alevtina Chernikova, Rector of NUST MISIS.
