The equipment, tools, and machinery used in high-stress environments such as those found in the oil and gas industry need to be exceptionally strong and durable to perform safely and effectively. In high-temperature, high-pressure environments, where corrosive damage is a present factor, the integrity of critical infrastructure will rely on the quality, durability, and precision of its components. High-performance fasteners, which include the nuts, bolts, screws, studs, and so on play an essential role here, which is why they need to come with high fatigue resistance and tight tolerances to avoid accidents, damage, and unplanned shutdowns. In this post, we’ll explore the role and value that these fasteners provide in the global oil and gas industry, highlighting their roles in downstream, midstream, and upstream settings.
The Importance of Fasteners Across the Oil and Gas Industry Value Chain
Oil exploration and the extraction of it takes place in what’s referred to as the upstream stages of the industry. Here, drilling tools, subsea equipment, and massive offshore oil rigs operate under extreme environmental conditions. Here, materials can experience temperatures exceeding 400F and pressure of over 20,000psi, in addition to the corrosive effects of saltwater and hydrogen sulfide. A fastener failure here may lead to blowouts that pose a risk to worker’s lives and damages, costing millions of dollars.
The midstream stages involve pipelines and storage facilities. These need to be resistant to vibrational stress, corrosive substances, and thermal cycling (the expansion and contraction caused by temperature changes). Producers rely on fasteners such as bolt flanges to ensure their product flows securely from the production sites to the refineries.
The downstream sector is where intense heat and pressure are brought to bear on the oil and gas. Petrochemical plants and refineries operate under extreme heat and pressure, and the pressure chambers, heat exchangers, and reactors that make up these facilities must endure these conditions while meeting the strict industry standards regulating the industry. Should fasteners fail here, catastrophic leaks and explosions may be the result.
The Role of Fasteners in the Oil and Gas Industry
The high-performance fasteners used in the oil and gas industry need to be of the highest quality to effectively perform their roles. To achieve this, you need to use the right materials. Stainless steel (duplex grades, 316, etc), titanium, Inconel (nickel-chromium alloys), coated carbon steels, and so on are some of the specialized materials used to manufacture the quality components used in the global energy sector.
Below are some of the specialized areas that depend on these precision solutions to be productive:
- Refineries: Catalytic crackers rely on fasteners of all kinds to ensure their continuous operation in the face of constant thermal shocks and 24/7 operations.
- Pipelines: These rely on flange bolts to maintain their joint integrity and prevent leaks.
- Offshore Rigs: BOPs (blowout preventers) are anchored by bolts that must be resistant to the dangers of corrosion and fatigue, such as led to the disaster that befell the Deepwater Horizon offshore rig.
How Fasteners Minimize Failures and Downtime
The durability of your engineered components, such as fasteners, has a direct correlation with the profitability and sustainability of your operation. A corroded or degraded fastener, such as a load-bearing bolt on an offshore drilling platform, will need to be replaced. This operation may put a stop to your production for days, costing you hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost output.
Fasteners for the oil and gas industry need high fatigue resistance and tight tolerances. Anti-galling coats on fasteners will speed up repairs by preventing seizures during maintenance operations, and fitting preloaded bolts in vibrating compressors will help them absorb cyclic loads. Such measures work to significantly reduce the possibilities of costly and time-consuming system failures.
Why Choosing the Right Fastener Supplier Matters?
The best way to ensure you get the best fasteners for your needs is to source them from suppliers you can trust. These are manufacturers of precision components who are conversant with the demands of the energy sector, meeting protocols such as NACE MR0175 (for sour service) and API 6A (wellhead standards).
They will anticipate the challenges faced in the global energy industry, such as chloride stress corrosion, hydrogen-induced cracking, and so on by offering solutions such as specialized heat treatments and low-stress stamping.
Conclusion
The global demand for high performance fasteners for oil and gas applications has grown tremendously in recent years, particularly boosted by its deep connections with other vibrant fields such as the renewable energy sector. Because these precision solutions play such a vital role in our global operations, we need to ensure that we get the very best.
B&G Manufacturing has been at the forefront of the contract manufacturing and precision solutions industry for many decades now, supplying leading operators in aeronautics, oil and gas, renewable energy, medical, automotive and other industries. With their commitment to customer safety and satisfaction, you can rely on them to deliver high-performance quality components at great value every time. Place your order today.
Hatfield
