END USER INTERVIEW
Manufacturing of Valves
Valve Engineer – Global Production , ConocoPhillips
deposited onto powdered metal or sand creates the geometry and is typically followed by sintering to fuse the powder .
“ If the evolution of technology in the oil & gas industry continues , we can expect the objects produced in this manner to be of better quality , higher repeatability , and lower cost ,” said De Bernardi . Although the aerospace industry is currently leading in the additive manufacturing market , the potential cost benefit to the oil & gas industry would be significant . “ One major potential improvement that I am excited about is the impact that 3D printing could have on current supply chain issues . Right now , the supply chain is linear , but with additive manufacturing it could become circular , and therefore more accessible to manufacturers and consumers ,” he explained . “ If you think of a print bed , that is the area where all the printing is happening , you do not need to print 100 of the same objects to reach any type of efficiency , you can print 20 different objects at the same time just to optimize the print bed ; that is not doable with traditional manufacturing .” This system of 3D printing would allow companies to minimize the number of physical spare parts that they have in stock , as they would be able to produce the necessary parts on demand and close to the point of utilization .
With valves , many manufacturers have begun to 3D print the control element of their control valves . Some valves have very complicated castings from a manufacturing perspective , so every time you have to cast multiple components and join them together , it is a time consuming and expensive task . With additive manufacturing , you can combine many components in one . “ Investing in new technology like 3D printing is not really investing in machines , it is investing in knowledge ,” he said .
Additive Manufacturing : What are the Obstacles ?
3D printing technologies are still relatively new to the oil & gas industry , and for companies like ConocoPhillips , this means that extensive testing and quality control measures are required before this technology can be implemented in any meaningful and wide scale way . The main difference between 3D printed materials versus
ABOUT CONOCOPHILLIPS forgings and castings , is that forgings and castings are anisotropic in terms of mechanical properties , while 3D printed materials are isotropic . “ Filtering and analyzing the data is key . Right now , we are learning as an industry how to do it ,” said De Bernardi .
Given that standardization is one of the main goals of both the oil and gas and the valve industries , one can understand the unique potential and challenge that additive manufacturing simultaneously poses ; casting and forging evolves at a steady pace , making standardization across the industry relatively simple . Additive manufacturing technology , on the other hand , evolves at a very fast pace , making standardization more expensive . “ An industrial metal 3D printer can costs millions of dollars . Understandably , some companies are hesitant to make this kind of investment with what they may feel is insufficient data ,” explained De Bernardi . “ Standardization is key to keeping companies moving efficiently , and for ensuring consistency and reliability in products . Valves are one of the first applications that we , as an Industry , are evaluating through a lens of standardization via 3D printing .”
The only solution to this user ’ s hesitancy is to actually utilize the technology . “ I recommend more field trials . Through data analysis and further testing , ConocoPhillips hopes to find a way to circumvent these hurdles of 3D printing ,” he continued .
Case Studies
Some data analysis and testing of additive manufacturing has already taken place at ConocoPhillips . The ConocoPhillips team in Alaska recently 3D printed choke valves cages , which are flow control devices used in water injection wells . “ They identified numerous choke valves that had become obsolete by the OEM . The solution was to retrofit the existing valve bodies with 3D printed valve cages made of Inconel 718 . We will be able to extend the life of the choke valves using an optimized design ,” he explained . “ Using additive manufacturing , the engineers were able to resolve the problem without having to source , locate , and purchase a whole new fitted valve .”
ConocoPhillips is an exploration , development , and production ( E & P ) company focused on oil & gas . It has been in operation since 2002 across 14 countries and has over 9,000 employees . The history of Conoco Phillips ‘ illustrates a relentless commitment to safety , a passion for innovation , and an ability to adapt to a dynamic marketplace .’ Its devotion to innovation and adaptability is certainly evident in its cautious yet optimistic approach to the integration of additive manufacturing in its business . The scientists at ConocoPhillips are continually researching , and implementing new technology to increase efficient and effective process for the dynamic industry .
Looking Ahead
According to De Bernardi , the sky is the limit for what is to come in the additive manufacturing industry . He believes that first and foremost , this technology can benefit both operators and manufacturers : “ Being an operator , we need our manufacturers and we do not want to do their job . However , we want to enable our manufacturers to make things better . Additive manufacturing can make control valves more efficient , because it is possible to make geometries that are not possible with traditional manufacturing ; it also enables the prototyping of new products to be much quicker ,” he said . “ Additive manufacturing takes away the margin of human error , since you are not welding things together .”
There is a lot of excitement in the Industry around the concept of “ Digital Inventory ” that can be summarized as the ecosystem to enable the just-in-time manufacturing of spares through an authorized network of equipment OEM and additive manufacturers . This approach will boost the adoption of the AM technology in our Industry and will potentially benefit significantly all parties by
“ Standardization is key to keeping companies moving efficiently , and for ensuring consistency and reliability in products . Valves are one of the first applications that we , as an Industry , are evaluating through a lens of standardization via 3D printing .”
drastically reducing the inefficiencies of the traditional supply chain model .
De Bernardi expects 3D printing to be widespread in few years . “ It is a combination of demand , and the technical time to do testing and then collect and analyze data . Once that data is compiled , the future of additive manufacturing in the industry is certainly bright ,” he concluded .
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Phone 281-478-4701 - davebuse @ zwick-valves . com www . zwick-valves . com
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