Picking The Proper Pipe Protection
Years back, when you went shopping and made it to the checkout line, you’d hear the cashier ask, “Paper or plastic?” Well, when it comes to the oil and gas industry, customers may hear “Steel or plastic thread protectors?” It’s important to know when and which kind to use for protecting pipes during production.
Most oilfield operators have learned the hard way that there is no place on earth where tubular goods are completely protected from damage. Even if you stored your inventory in a bank vault, some meteorite is likely to crash down and burr up the ends, just when you can least afford to replace all that pipe stock. There is really only one rule of thumb that counts---always protect your tube ends with the proper sort of thread protectors.
Of course there are a multiplicity of available types of thread protectors, so it is sometimes not easy to decide which sort is the proper one to use in any specific set of circumstances. In general, thread protectors tend to fall into two basic categories: plastic thread protectors and steel thread protectors. There are of course some hybrid varieties floating around out there as well.
In the most extreme cases where tubular goods are really getting exposed to harsh conditions and a lot of wear and tear, it might be better to employ one of the steel models that offer a higher degree of direct thread protection, particularly in cases of severe impact. Apart from this very unusual circumstance, plastic thread protectors are probably the better option. They still offer a significant amount of impact resistance at a considerable savings in unit cost per item.
In addition, there is one place where plastic is far superior to steel. When pipe is in storage, the rust-resistance offered by plastic protectors conveys significant advantages. Even in the driest of climates, the condensation of atmospheric moisture onto steel pipe means that there is a surprising risk of rust damage even in a desert environment. Regardless of which of these types is preferred, however, they must be actually used on the pipe stock for full benefit.
