Abstract
Titanium alloys have been found to provide substantial cost and operational benefits in offshore production and drilling systems. Properties such as high strength, low density, exceptional corrosion resistance, and inherent flexibility have made the alloys a viable choice for equipment including drilling risers, drill pipe, and tapered stress joints. In most cases the most successful applications will marry titanium and steel together in a hybrid fashion. This paper provides an overview of known and potential benefits of certain high strength titanium alloys in a variety of offshore applications.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
R.W. Schutz and H.B. Watkins, “Recent Developments in Titanium Alloy Application in the Energy Industry”, Materials Science and Engineering, A243 (New York: Elsevier Science, 1998), pp. 305–315.
C.F. Baxter and R.W. Schutz, “Critical Design Aspects of Dynamic Titanium Alloy Risers,” OMAE-96-731M (Paper presented at the 15th ASME Int. Conf. Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Eng., Florence, Italy, 1996).
C.F. Baxter, S. Pillai, and G. Hutt, “Advances in Titanium Risers for FPSO’s,” OTC 8409 (Paper presented at the Offshore Technol. Conf., Houston, TX, 1997).
V. Baugus, C. Baxter, and A. Trim, “Use of Titanium Taper Joints in Risers-the Neptune Field and Future Designs,” OMAE-98-0365 (Paper presented at the 17th Int. Conf. Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Eng., 1998.
C.W. Sauer et al, “Lighter Titanium Translates into Lower Riser Costs,” Drilling Technology, Hart Publications, Houston, TX, 1996).
J. Smith et al., “Titanium Pipe Proving Ideal for Short-Radius Drilling,” The American Oil & Gas Reporter, (September 2000), p. 69.
A. Trim, “Progress in Metallic Riser Technology,” (Paper presented at the Fourth Int. Conf. Advances in Riser Tech., Aberdeen, Maryland, May 1999).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
For more information, contact R.W. Schutz, RMI Titanium Company, 1000 Warren Avenue, Niles, Ohio, 44446; (330) 544-7846; fax (330) 544-1002; e-mail rschutz@rmititanium.com
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schutz, R.W., Baxter, C.F., Boster, P.L. et al. Applying titanium alloys in drilling and offshore production systems. JOM 53, 33–35 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-001-0145-1
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-001-0145-1