Oil and gas firmVallourec通过设计和3D打印安全至关重要的水衬套组件，在海上设备制造业中打破了新的地面。
Designed for French oil major全部的, the part is reportedly the first ever pressure-containing component to be 3D printed using the Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) process. Standing 1.2m high with a weight of 220kg, the water bushing has been housed on Total’s Elgin-Franklin rig in the North Sea since February.
“Additive manufacturing has the potential to revolutionize the O&G supply chain by enabling companies like Total to order made-to-measure components as and when they are needed,” says Andrew Heddle, Drilling & Wells QA/QC Lead at Total. “This project is a testament to the quality of the collaboration among everyone involved, from design through manufacturing, qualification and testing.”
Additive manufacturing: an answer to safety
水衬套是石油和天然气钻井行业中众多基本安全组件之一。瓶形结构用于对抗建造时经常发生在井的碳氢化合物踢。因此，强度和可靠性是水衬套的关键特征，部分故障可能导致昂贵的设备破坏。
Edwige Ravry是Total Manufacturing的增材制造业的负责人，他说：“这是第一次使用能源行业的增材制造创建了至关重要的组件。对于我们来说，拥有合适的合作伙伴和一个好的业务案例至关重要。Vallourec作为一个长期的合作伙伴，为我们提供了这种信心。”
WAAM 3D打印的好处
Using WAAM 3D printing, Vallourec leveraged its decades-long expertise in welding, metallurgy, and non-destructive testing to deliver the water bushing according to Total’s specifications in just over a year. The 3D printing process, through lightweighting efforts, enabled a whole new level of geometric freedom, with the resulting component being only half the weight of a conventionally manufactured counterpart.
通过现已完成设计，备件生产也可以从几个月到几周的时间减少，从而减少了维护期间钻机的停机时间。
“该项目来自与总部位于鹿特丹的初创公司Ramlab的开放创新合作，” Vallourec增材制造业务发展经理Bertrand Maillon解释说。“该项目的目的是超越概念证明，以成功地开发使用WAAM技术为组件的质量保证和质量控制框架。”
Dotal最近还宣布，其目标是在未来三十年中将其全球碳排放量减少60％。通过为该项目雇用WAAM，该公司设法将水衬套的碳足迹减少了45％左右，将其延伸到其可持续性目标。
Vallourec集团创新总监Sylvie Dubois-Decool总结说：“ Vallourec正在利用其设计和焊接专业知识来为我们的客户创新，并帮助他们实现其效率和可持续性目标。这充分反映了我们的创新策略，这是通过利用我们的特定优势来为客户带来附加价值。”
3D printing in heavy industries
石油和天然气等重工业经常带有令人垂涎的交货时间，这为3D打印提供了改造备件生产的机会。就在上个月，法国国家铁路公司宣布采用3D打印软件开发商3您的敏捷PLM软件。该组织将使用数字合格的库存平台来识别，评估和存储其添加剂制造部件数据，以降低成本并简化按需备件生产。
在其他地方，荷兰海军最近投资了一套Intamsys3D打印机改善自己的按需备件制造能力。By housing high-performance 3D printers on board its frigate ships, the Navy hopes to be less dependent on its conventional supply chains and reduce operational downtimes.
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Featured image shows Vallourec’s WAAM 3D printing process in action. Photo via Vallourec。
