Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2022 - MD-10

Testing and Validating 3D-Printed Parts
for Oil and Gas
K
eeping
oil and gas
production
facilities running
smoothly is among the toughest
challenges in any industry. The
stresses of the high-pressure,
severe service conditions in the
Oil and Gas (O&G) environment
result in part failure and
the need to replace critical process-control
components.
O&G operators and original
equipment manufacturers
(OEMs) alike have become increasingly
open to considering
metal additive manufacturing
(AM) as a potential answer to
such challenges. AM is being
viewed as an alternative to
conventional manufacturing
technologies - one that can
provide more efficient, cost-effective
solutions to ongoing inventory
and geographic roadblocks.
The first-ever O&G-industry-sanctioned
specification for metal AM, API20S, was
published in the autumn of 2022. This
spells out processes, testing, documentation,
and traceability, among other requirements,
for manufacturers of metal
AM components being used in O&G
facilities of all types.
quirements, were printed on a
Velo3D Sapphire Laser Powder
Bed Fusion (L-PBF) system
operated by contract manufacturer
Knust-Godwin.
Updating a Design for AM
For the team project, the O&G
operator selected a commonly
installed choke valve cage. The
part had previously been manufactured
with simple slotted
holes for ports, which can have
problems with vibration and
damage due to trim erosion in
high-pressure-drop operations.
The flow-control industry has
considerably between
legacy part was
evolved
the time this
Figure 1. Two choke valves optimized with IMI's DRAG technology, pictured
in a VELO3D Flow software build file. (Image: Velo3D)
The API20S draft was drawn up with
input from hundreds of companies, ranging
from operators to OEMs to AM machine
manufacturers. While not detailing
Flow w/o any
generalized override
complete success criteria (i.e., required
mechanical or nondestructive testing acceptance
criteria), API20S does outline
what kinds of testing and validation will
be required depending on different risk
levels within an O&G operation.
IMI Critical, partnering with a major
O&G operator that is also an API committee
member, has delivered highest
criticality
(Additive Manufacturing
Specification Level 3), first-article component-builds
intended for field service.
The parts, which also meet API20S reFlow
w/ generalized Miniature
override on 0° only
created and today; the CAD
software file for the new design
consists of an array of discrete,
multi-stage flow paths that better control
fluid velocity and prevent problems with
vibration and trim erosion (Figure 1).
The AM system's print-preparation software
automatically responds to a part's geometry
without any complex part-specific
parameter development. It applies a generalized
set of recipes based on the design's
native CAD geometry and user-defined
inputs relating to surfaces of importance.
This allows design engineers to prioritize
end-part functionality without complex,
pre-print parameter manipulation.
Flow w/ generalized Miniature
override on <90°
Figure 2. Three surface finish test conditions in Velo3D Flow software. (Image: Velo3D)
10
Motion Design, August 2022
Tech Briefs Magazine - August 2022

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