Thermomechanical rolling in well casing production (research review)

Introduction. The modern oil and gas industry requires the development of high strength materials for well casing. Changes in rolled steel production technologies are one of the urgent tasks. Reducing the cost of high quality steel well casing is becoming a major challenge for the oil and gas industry. Multiphase microstructures containing acicular ferrite or an acicular ferrite-dominated phase exhibit good complex properties in HSLA steels. This paper focuses on the results obtained using modern methods of thermomechanical rolling. Results and discussion. This work analyzes the characteristics of thermomechanical rolling technologies and its impact on the microstructure of rolled steel for well casing. It is shown that predicting mechanical properties based on the microstructural characteristics of steel is complicated due to the large number of parameters involved. This requires an optimal microstructure of the steel. A satisfactory microstructure depends on several factors, such as chemical composition, hot work processing, and accelerated cooling. Alloying elements have a complex effect on the properties of steel, and alloying additives are usually introduced into the steel composition. From a metallurgical point of view, the choice of alloying elements and the metallurgical process can greatly influence the resulting microstructure. Conclusion. This review reports the most representative study regarding thermomechanical rolling technologies and microstructural factors in well casing steels. It includes a summary of the most important process variables, material properties, regulatory guidelines, and microstructural and mechanical properties of the metal for well casing production. This review is intended to benefit readers from a variety of backgrounds, from non-metal forming or materials scientists to various industrial application specialists and researchers.