How Does the Oil and Gas Industry Use Hardness Testing

METSUCO has been based here in Houston, TX for over 30 years. For Houston and Texas in general, there has been one industry that stands out above others, oil and gas. METSUCO has partnered with many oil and gas companies over the years to provide them their hardness testing supplies and metallurgical testing supplies. Yet, how does the oil and gas industry use hardness testing? How important is hardness testing to a vital national industry such as oil and gas?

What is a Hardness Test?

The hardness of material refers to its ability to resist wear, tear, scratching, and abrasion cutting. The hardness test is a rigid indenter, according to a predetermined condition, that is slowly pressed into the surface of the sample, and then testing the indentation depth or size, in order to determine the material hardness. There are different types of hardness tests that measure the hardness of metal and materials in different scales, Brinell, Vickers and Rockwell. We go into depth about the differences in Brinell, Rockwell, and Vickers Hardness Tests: The Differences Explained Hardness testing is used by different industries, including oil and gas, to certify the hardness of the metal as per an API (American Petroleum Institute) or ASTM standard.

Uses and Example of Hardness Testing for The Oil and Gas Industry.

Hardness testing is typically performed on new components but can also be used on in-service components to identify any issues. Hardness testing can reveal susceptibility to cracking as a result of exposure to environmental factors. This means they know what the metal they used to build from can tolerate and what its breaking points are. This can be done both in a lab and in the field. Portable hardness testing devices were developed because bringing a stationary Brinell, Rockwell or Vickers tester to the field was impractical.

For example, hardness testing is used to determine yield strength in storage facility pipes including testing metal exposed to hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is one of the most dangerous elements which exists in oil and gas reservoirs. H2S acidifies water which causes pitting corrosion to carbon steel pipelines. An increase in hydrogen ingress in steel increases the stress level and hardness leading to premature failure.

A Supply Source You Can Rely On.

From testing pipelines to rigs, it is not hard to see that hardness testing is vital to the oil and gas industry. The impacts of understanding metallurgical stress and failure points have huge implications, from saving thousands to millions of dollars due to pipeline breakage to protecting the environment from spills, to even saving lives.

In an industry such as this where there is so much at stake in regard to these tests, it’s important to have the right metallurgical testing supplier. METSUCO has been supplying the oil and gas industry in Houston and around the country for over 30 years with quality hardness testing supplies. This includes benchtop and portable hardness testers and testing blocks. We are here to build relationships with companies so as their hardness testing needs change, we can supply them with what they need at a reasonable cost. Call 713-827-0700 or email sales@metsuco.com with inquiries.