Oil and gas companies develop 3D printing technology

3D printing using printers and digital models has been around for decades, but some industries include the oil and gas industry. 3D printing technology called "Additive Manufacturing" (AM) is improving product development and accelerating prototype development and production. manufacture. According to Accenture's "3D Technology in Oil and Gas Industry Potential Report 2014", 3D printing is entering mainstream manufacturing and consumer markets as technology complexity increases, device costs decrease, and printable materials diversify. This has become a news headline that has attracted much attention.

With the expiration of patent protection for a number of 3D printing technologies, more companies can enter the 3D field. The application of 3D printing in some industries has surpassed non-functional prototypes. A group of technology companies has emerged. The printed materials are also available in quality and available. People's interest in 3D printing has increased significantly. From aerospace to dentists, parts are being produced in 3D. The advantage of 3D printing is that it can produce smaller parts with complex shapes and save costly materials.

Oil and gas companies develop 3D printing technology

Seccon, head of materials and manufacturing technology at GE Oil & Gas, said that the company started 3D printing technology development activities five years ago. The company installed the first metal laser direct fusion machine at the Additive Manufacturing Technology Laboratory in Florence, Italy. After DMLM, the development activities in the past three years have been further accelerated. As the laboratory has increased the development of turbine components and special alloy devices, the manufacturing capacity has been improved. In particular, after the company established a new addition manufacturing laboratory in Bangalore, India, its manufacturing capacity accelerated.

General oil and gas companies are mainly engaged in three development activities in the laboratory. First, the rapid prototyping of components supports the introduction of new production. This technology accelerates the testing of design concepts and greatly shortens the development cycle. Such as the successful development of NovaLT16 new type of gas turbine fuel, it uses DMLM to manufacture four different design components, and quickly tested on full-scale gas turbine, so that the development, production approval cycle has been reduced by half, using the selected design has been successfully produced. The first NovaLT16 engine.

The second is the ability to develop complex geometric components with almost no cost. The company redesigned the combustion components of the gas turbine and adopted innovative geometries to improve the technical performance of the gas turbine and reduce the combustion emissions. Secuni said that technological innovation requires engineers to change their design thinking. Compared with traditional manufacturing technologies, there is now more room for design and more geometric shapes. Now that the entire piece can be printed successfully, instead of brazing, welding or riveting multiple parts as before, the manufacturing and assembly process is simplified.

Third, users can get more frequent technical upgrade services. Users have always complained about the need to store spare parts in warehouses in order to reduce the impact of plant shutdowns and factory shutdowns. 3D printing brings this paradigm shift. Due to the shortened production cycle, it is possible to quickly produce parts with the same or better quality than the original. At present, general oil and gas companies are using 3D printing technology for other production lines, such as underwater devices, and are preparing to manufacture valve components. The company announced last year that the addition of a manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania, which will be operating in Pennsylvania, will accelerate the sharing of knowledge and experience in different businesses, including the oil and gas business.

Secuni said: "The majority of the application opportunities for 3D printing have not yet been developed, and our method of designing and producing parts also takes time to recreate." Halliburton has applied 3D printing technology across different lines of business, including Well tools, cables and perforating tools, testing and underwater work tools, drills and service support.

Zhong Allen, the manager of Halliburton’s R&D department, said that it takes several days to develop a prototype of a component using 3D printing, but it is still faster than the traditional prototype manufacturing process. With 3D printing, it is possible to rapidly fabricate parts with complex geometric shapes. However, the traditional manufacturing of complex parts must be divided into several pieces in order to machine the inside of the parts. 3D printing can reduce the number of blocks. If a flow control device is manufactured, the traditional process is divided into two pieces and then welded together. The 3D printing can be completed as a whole.

3D printing technology in oil and gas industry faces challenges

Researchers point out that the application of 3D printing technology in the oil and gas industry has potential limitations. Because people are highly concerned with the responsibilities and reliability of manufacturing components for 3D printing technology in the oil and gas industry, the application of 3D printing technology will be delayed. The aerospace industry spent 10 years developing internal processes to ensure the quality and reliability of 3D printed parts. In the current market environment where oil prices are falling, oil and gas companies need to save money in 2016 and delay the development of 3D printing plans. In the next 5 to 10 years, the research and development task of 3D printing is how to save money.

Bryan Richard, Accenture’s North American head of energy innovation, said that people consider starting with less important components such as custom tools, but if there is still a problem with the failure, there is also a problem of intellectual property ownership because of some components. Intellectual property rights belong to third parties. The need to develop new types of 3D printers and printing materials to adapt manufactured parts to high-temperature, high-pressure environments is a common operating condition for energy companies. In addition, the manufacture of complex, surface-specific components will challenge software and computing, and the oil and gas industry has not made progress in this area.

Compared with onshore oil and gas operations, offshore oil and gas application 3D printing technology has more potential. One advantage of 3D printing, away from machinery manufacturers and skilled craftsmen at sea, is that the required accessories can be manufactured on-site without having to stop work to dismantle the air transport parts. Such as drilling rigs, as long as there are printers and printing materials can be made parts, 3D printing a part only 6 to 24 hours. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the waiting time for replacement of parts, but there is no factory-integrated quality control or inspection tool on the rig platform.

In short, if the components are complex, materials are expensive, and the batch size is small, 3D printing can be used. Accenture's manufacturing capabilities in remote locations help oil and gas companies better manage the supply chain. For oilfield service companies, they can sell them digital templates or print licenses. However, in the recent five years, don't expect 3D printing technology to bring "real" income to oil and gas companies. Industry insiders suggest that oil and gas companies should first start with modeling, be familiar with the current status of this technology, and establish the most valuable technical goals and development strategies.

3D printing is more than just copying equipment components. 3D printing technology provides more applications for the oil and gas industry. In the past, the engineering drawing taught by the school had to be transformed into a modern design, and the current design concept must also be changed. Using standard manufacturing techniques, it is not visible when designing components. The current manufacturing standards and restrictions within the engineers also need to change. The unfavorable aspect of the current manufacturing standards and restrictions is to curb innovation and curiosity. In addition, machined parts have a smooth, shiny surface that may look rough but have the same performance. This is a preference rather than a functional problem, and printing can create any part. In the economic downturn environment, the oil and gas industry needs to manufacture products in a better and more economical way.