Application of Carbon Fiber Composite Materials in Oil and Gas Extraction Equipment

Every leap in the oil and gas industry cannot be separated from the dual drive of technology and materials. In the wave of the new era, new materials have become a key force in promoting technological innovation in oil and gas exploration and development engineering due to their unique properties and wide application prospects. From the resilience of reinforced fibers to the green wisdom of biodegradable polymers, the application of each new material in upstream fields is a powerful challenge to the limits of oil and gas production. It not only improves the efficiency and benefits of exploration and development, but also demonstrates enormous potential in ensuring production safety and promoting environmental friendliness. This is a deep integration of materials science and oil and gas engineering, and also a profound transformation in the future development of energy.

Material characteristics

Carbon fiber is a new type of high-strength and high modulus fiber material with a carbon content of over 95%. Carbon fiber has excellent mechanical properties, with a diameter of only 1/15 of a hair and a specific gravity of less than 1/4 of steel. However, its strength is 7-9 times that of steel, and it also has the characteristics of corrosion resistance and high modulus. It is known as the "king of new materials" and has a wide range of application prospects in various industries.

Common products

The carbon fiber sucker rod can reach up to 5000 meters in length, successfully overcoming the disadvantages of the past sucker rods that required rod connections, long lifting and lowering times, metal rods that were prone to corrosion, short service life, and high power consumption during operation. Moreover, it is not easily deformed per kilometer of wellbore, and the fuel consumption and electricity consumption per ton of oil production can be reduced by about 30%, which helps oilfield enterprises reduce production costs.

Carbon fiber composite material stabilizers are corrosion-resistant, have high strength, and low friction coefficient, which can effectively solve the problems of downhole corrosion and eccentric wear. They play an important role in reducing the scrap rate of rods and pipes, extending the maintenance free period of oil wells, and improving production efficiency.

Carbon fiber cloth is suitable for the floating roof and tank roof reinforcement of oil tanks, especially for the construction of complex parts such as curved surfaces and bending components. It is easy to operate and helps to shorten the construction period and reduce project costs.

In recent years, carbon fiber composite materials have effectively solved many problems of traditional metal materials with their unique performance advantages, from making sucker rods to repairing gathering and transportation pipelines, improving the safety, efficiency, and economic benefits of oilfield production.

As early as 2016, Shengli Oilfield established the carbon fiber sucker rod project, embarking on the application journey of carbon fiber and developing the first generation of circular cross-section pure carbon fiber sucker rods based on flat belt shaped carbon fiber sucker rods. Carbon fiber sucker rods overcome the disadvantages of traditional steel sucker rods, such as easy corrosion, short service life, limited depth, high energy consumption, and long working time. They have significant effects on corrosion prevention, extended service life, deep extraction fluid, energy conservation, and consumption reduction. As one of the core R&D teams of the project, Shengli Oilfield Technology Testing Center has established a carbon fiber composite material sucker rod testing and evaluation index and method system through hard work to address issues such as the lack of evaluation indicators and method systems. It has achieved continuous on line full section testing of carbon fiber sucker rods, providing technical support for their on-site application.

The R&D team started with the production process of carbon fiber solidification time and extrusion speed to comprehensively test and analyze the influence of various parameters on the comprehensive performance of the rod body, focusing on the problems of rod body fracture and cracking encountered in the application of carbon fiber sucker rods. By adjusting the rod body structure, optimizing the solidification process and other measures, the product performance was continuously improved, and the fracture and cracking efficiency was reduced from 36% to 0.

Although carbon fiber composite materials have strong corrosion resistance, they also experience aging and damage under the combined effects of high temperature, high pressure, highly mineralized oil-water media environment and alternating loads underground. To this end, the Shengli Oilfield Technology Testing Center conducted simulation experiments to study the mechanical performance evolution law of carbon fiber sucker rods, and determined their application limits in different oil well conditions and environments, providing scientific basis for the design, selection, and maintenance of carbon fiber sucker rods. According to statistics, more than 1.12 million meters of carbon fiber sucker rods have been industrialized in 961 wells in Shengli, Northwest, Zhongyuan and other oil fields, with a cumulative increase of over 170000 tons of oil and a power saving of over 13 million kilowatt hours. The longest production cycle is 1526 days, and the average pump inspection cycle for corroded wells has been extended by 1.5 times. The direct economic benefits exceed 300 million yuan.

With the continuous deepening of research, the application fields of carbon fiber have also been further expanded. After continuous research and development, the R&D team has innovatively developed carbon fiber reinforcement technology, 3D composite material tank top structure design technology, in-situ repair and reinforcement integrated construction technology, etc., breaking through the technical problem that resin systems cannot cure in wet environments such as underwater, making carbon fiber highly effective in the repair of gathering pipelines and containers. The application of new materials not only significantly reduces the probability of safety and environmental incidents such as "leakage", but also effectively reduces material consumption and saves operating costs. Compared with traditional repair processes, there is no need to stop production, and the repair efficiency is more than twice as high.

In the future, with the in-depth application of carbon fiber composite materials in oilfield production, their enormous potential in improving energy extraction efficiency, reducing operating costs, and promoting environmental protection will further promote the development of China's oil and gas industry towards a more intelligent, efficient, and green direction.