Industries · Oil & gas
Copper Alloys for Oil & Gas: Drilling-Tool Bushings and Bearings
Downhole drilling tools run under heavy load in corrosive fluids, often next to instruments that call for non-magnetic parts. VAN INTERTRADE supplies Materion ToughMet and beryllium copper for drilling-tool bushings, bearings and components.
What downhole parts face
Bushings and bearings in measurement-while-drilling (MWD), logging-while-drilling (LWD) and directional drilling tools slide under heavy load with little room for lubrication, in fluids that can carry seawater, chlorides and sulfides. Galling, wear and stress-corrosion cracking are the usual ways they fail, and tools that carry measurement sensors are often specified with non-magnetic materials.
How the alloys answer it
Materion states that ToughMet resists galling, wear under heavy load, and corrosion and stress-corrosion cracking in seawater, chlorides and sulfides, and that it is non-magnetic. Per Materion, ToughMet 3 in the AT temper reaches up to 140 ksi tensile strength. Materion also describes beryllium copper as nonmagnetic and C17200 (Alloy 25) is used in oil & gas drilling equipment.
Materials for oil & gas
- ToughMet
MWD/LWD and directional drilling tools and drill-bit bearings, among ToughMet 3's typical uses.
- Beryllium Copper
Drilling equipment that needs the highest-strength beryllium copper grade in a non-magnetic material.
Sources: materion.com (toughmet-alloys) · materion.com (high-strength-copper-beryllium) · materion.com (in-our-element-what-are-the-magnetic-properties-of-copper-beryllium)
Frequently asked questions
- Why is ToughMet used in drilling tools?
- Because Materion states that ToughMet resists galling, wear under heavy load, and corrosion and stress-corrosion cracking in seawater, chlorides and sulfides, and is non-magnetic.
- How strong is ToughMet 3 AT?
- Materion states that ToughMet 3 AT reaches up to 140 ksi tensile strength and keeps its strength at elevated temperature.
- Does ToughMet contain beryllium?
- No. Materion states that ToughMet alloys are lead- and beryllium-free.
Choosing a material for oil & gas?
Tell us the part, the grade or form you have in mind, the size and the quantity, and we will send a quotation.