Trust us with your bottom line-employing the highest quality inspections now means less tubing leak expense down the road.
During our inspection services, casing and tubing are drifted their full length with a cylindrical drift mandrel in order to detect ID reduction. Our drift mandrel is manufactured to API specifications. Adjustments can be made if the customer’s project requires a specialized drift.
As with the End Area Inspection, the Special End Area Inspection (SEA) is required to supplement the EMI inspection procedure; additional requirements are for special upsets, integral connections, high strength material, and pipe intended for critical service.
The SEA inspection is designed to detect defects, transverse and longitudinal, ID and OD—including threads and couplings.
During the inspection process, exposed threads and end areas are cleaned thoroughly, then visually scanned for irregularities such as thread damage. After ensuring all surfaces are free of contaminants and powder dry, the pipe is then inspected with magnetic particles to ensure no irregularities are overlooked. The magnetic particles are a variety of shapes, variety of sizes, mobile and highly magnetic. They are also colored to provide a contrast with the test surface in order to enhance the visibility of small indications.
The magnetizing source for the SEA is a capacitive discharge unit with a through-bore conductor. This conductor induces a field within the pipe for a residual circular magnetization. For longitudinal magnetization, coils are used. Strength and direction of the magnetic field are confirmed with a magnetic field indicator or Burmah-Castrol strip.
This service determines standoff dimension and tolerance in accordance with API 5B, and checks for mechanical damage to threads with working ring and plug gauges. The working gauges are regularly checked against master gauges to verify their accuracy. (Though master gauges are not used in the field, they serve as the best standard to qualify the working gauge.)
Visual Thread Inspection is usually performed in conjunction with cleaning ends, full-length magnetic particle, or other services in order to locate imperfections. This service is primarily applied to 8rd, Buttress, and SMAX threads and involves only the exposed threads.
J.D. Rush offers well-site inspection services through the affiliated West Coast Pipe Inspection & Maintenance, Inc. (WCPI). Inspections are performed by one of five mobile inspection units, which are each manufactured by Oilfield Equipment Marketing (OEM). These fully digital units’ capabilities can inspect tubing from 2-3/8” OD through 3-1/2” OD. The units can also pull wet tubing, and their compact size enables the operator to change sizes within 15 minutes. With improved sensor design technology, the units excel in detection of pitting, wall loss, rod wear, and splits.
J.D. Rush services include real-time information scans sent directly to your assigned Project Engineer. Using real-time information allows the engineer to provide immediate feedback on the condition and state of the tubing. It also provides the means to determine real-time wear and corrosion issues, and reduces the chances of repeat failures.
