Super 13Cr-110 tubing used in high-pressure, high-temperature (HP/HT) gas wells in the Tarim oil field has experienced numerous failures. After a series of investigations for root-cause analysis, the conclusion was that fracture of the tubing mechanistically is categorized as stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and is closely related to the application of phosphate-based completion fluid. Further tests indicated that Super 13Cr (S13Cr) tubing specimens experienced SCC with phosphate-based completion fluids contaminated with mud and oxygen, whereas formate-based completion fluid is compatible with S13Cr tubing. At present, 55 HP/HT gas wells in the field have used formate-based completion fluid with no tubing string fracture.
Introduction
Compared with the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, the South China Sea, the Qiongqiong Basin, and various Chinese oil and gas fields, the oil pipelines in the Tarim field are among the most difficult with regard to service conditions, which are characterized by extreme operating conditions such as high pump pressure and large displacement reform.
