CLIN™ within the Oil & Gas Industry
Posted on Jan 09, 2025The HEF Group is suppling its CLIN™ nitrocarburizing treatments: SURSULF™, TUFFTRIDE™, ARCOR™ and QPQ™ into the Oil & Gas industry.
Many OEM’s such as Baker Hughes, Schlumberger, Aker Solutions, Halliburton, Weatherford etc. are specifying CLIN™ treatment for improved corrosion, wear, seizure and fatigue resistance on their rotating and sliding parts.
The surface hardness and corrosion protection of treated parts is determined by key process parameters and part material. The key process parameters of bath chemistry, bath cleanliness, temperature and time are completely controlled by HEF. Therefore the material selection becomes the main variable that determines the key part characteristics benefits provided by CLIN™ treatment.
Therefore, we are modifying the surface of the material which offers a more robust solution for these heavy complex components used in dynamic applications.
Materials selection
Selecting the correct surface treatment to work in combination each substrate and application is an important choice. Below we look at High and Low Nickel alloy steels where CLIN™ is specified and why.
High Ni Alloy steels such as 718 & 925 which inherently have good corrosion protection and high surface hardness. Traditionally, magnesium phosphate or a PTFE enriched paint such as Xylan has been specified for their anti-friction properties. However, these are soft coatings that are easily damaged, especially on heavy components with complex geometrical forms. Not only is the anti-friction benefit of the coating reduced or eliminated but it could also introduce contamination.
CLIN™ treatments
CLIN™ are thermo-chemical diffusion treatments that enriches the surface of ferrous materials with nitrogen and a small amount of carbon and oxygen. This diffusion is leading to the formation of layers enhancing the characteristics of treated parts: the compound layer, the diffusion zone, and the oxide layer created through post-oxidation step.
Parts manufactured from low Ni alloy steels such as valves components neither have good corrosion protection or a high surface hardness. Therefore these components require a treatment to improve their tribological properties: Corrosion protection, wear and seizure Resistance. Traditionally this has been achieved with induction hardening in combination with a phosphate or Xylan coating system. The increased lead time, cost and complexity of this multistage process can be avoided by using a CLIN™ treatment. QPQ™ or ARCOR™ PC will greatly increase surface hardness and enhance corrosion, wear, seizure and Fatigue resistance.
Global availability of CLIN™ supported by HEF groupe
Globally availability is also of paramount importance to our oil & gas OEM’s. Consistent and repeatable results regardless of location is needed to align with their operating locations.
SURSULF™, TUFFTRIDE™ and QPQ™ are all patented salt bath nitrocarburizing treatments owned, manufactured and distributed globally too our customers, including both subcontract heat treatment companies and in-house processing plants achieve this.
We also have our own global network of treatment centers known as Technique Surfaces (TS). Our operating system and product managers are linked across all sites for optimum traceability and uniformity. Also, all our TS sites have the capability of processing the large, heavy components used within the oil and gas industry.
It is important to note that all nitriding treatment do not have the same performances. ARCOR™ represents the latest development in Liquid Nitriding technology and is only available from our Technique Surfaces companies.
Blow Out Preventer Parts
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