Global leader in seamless pipes Vallourec announced that main operators on the Norwegian shelf are adopting dope free solutions as part of their OCTG standards and CLEANWELL, the VAM dope-free solution, has been successfully used by Wintershall Dea on its recent projects, confirming the advantages and associated savings it provides throughout the OCTG product’s life cycle. In 2019, Wintershall Dea successfully introduced CLEANWELL into their operations in the Norwegian North Sea. The first running of CLEANWELL strings took place on an exploration project. In total, over 7,000 CLEANWELL joints have been delivered to Wintershall Dea in Norway, for both casing and tubing, in all types of grades, from carbon steel to CRA. Most of these joints were successfully run in Wintershall Dea’s Nova and Vega fields.In the early 2000’s Vallourec started the development of its dope-free solutions to meet customers’ needs and environmental challenges. The latest and newest version is CLEANWELL, a non-polluting, multi-functional coating which replaces both storage and running compounds and is applied directly on the surface of VAM connections. The robustness and durability of the plating has been assessed though accelerated cyclic corrosion tests and outdoor exposure in various climates proving storage resistance for over 3 years. A thermoset lubricant applied on top of the electro-plated surface completes the solution, providing extreme repeatability and stability throughout make-up, since it is carefully controlled at the mill, thus not subjected to the common variability observed upon dope usage, regarding its nature, application process, quantity and so on.While there was no clear normative guidance on how to approach dope-free validation at the time, VAM carefully assessed customer demands and developed a thorough validation methodology, ensuring that performances were compliant with the most stringent connection qualification norms. VAM 21 CLEANWELL has been the first product line extensively tested and validated based on this approach. The validation included physical testing for sealability, torque and anti-galling behavior according to API RP 5C5:2017 / ISO 13679:2019 CAL-IV. In addition, the compatibility between a CLEANWELL end with a regular doped end was assessed as per a similar stringent protocol, since this may be a common configuration when combining CLEANWELL with standard dope pipes and accessories is required. The first full-length CLEANWELL line was deployed at Vallourec’s mill in Aulnoye-Aymeries in France.Stringent HSE-related regulations in Norway, such as REACH and OSPAR classifications, request Oil & Gas operators to eliminate all discharge to the environment. One of the contributors of discharge while running casing and tubing is running compound.
Global leader in seamless pipes Vallourec announced that main operators on the Norwegian shelf are adopting dope free solutions as part of their OCTG standards and CLEANWELL, the VAM dope-free solution, has been successfully used by Wintershall Dea on its recent projects, confirming the advantages and associated savings it provides throughout the OCTG product’s life cycle. In 2019, Wintershall Dea successfully introduced CLEANWELL into their operations in the Norwegian North Sea. The first running of CLEANWELL strings took place on an exploration project. In total, over 7,000 CLEANWELL joints have been delivered to Wintershall Dea in Norway, for both casing and tubing, in all types of grades, from carbon steel to CRA. Most of these joints were successfully run in Wintershall Dea’s Nova and Vega fields.In the early 2000’s Vallourec started the development of its dope-free solutions to meet customers’ needs and environmental challenges. The latest and newest version is CLEANWELL, a non-polluting, multi-functional coating which replaces both storage and running compounds and is applied directly on the surface of VAM connections. The robustness and durability of the plating has been assessed though accelerated cyclic corrosion tests and outdoor exposure in various climates proving storage resistance for over 3 years. A thermoset lubricant applied on top of the electro-plated surface completes the solution, providing extreme repeatability and stability throughout make-up, since it is carefully controlled at the mill, thus not subjected to the common variability observed upon dope usage, regarding its nature, application process, quantity and so on.While there was no clear normative guidance on how to approach dope-free validation at the time, VAM carefully assessed customer demands and developed a thorough validation methodology, ensuring that performances were compliant with the most stringent connection qualification norms. VAM 21 CLEANWELL has been the first product line extensively tested and validated based on this approach. The validation included physical testing for sealability, torque and anti-galling behavior according to API RP 5C5:2017 / ISO 13679:2019 CAL-IV. In addition, the compatibility between a CLEANWELL end with a regular doped end was assessed as per a similar stringent protocol, since this may be a common configuration when combining CLEANWELL with standard dope pipes and accessories is required. The first full-length CLEANWELL line was deployed at Vallourec’s mill in Aulnoye-Aymeries in France.Stringent HSE-related regulations in Norway, such as REACH and OSPAR classifications, request Oil & Gas operators to eliminate all discharge to the environment. One of the contributors of discharge while running casing and tubing is running compound.
