The Oil Drum

100 comments on Saudi oil production revisited

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BaSE on August 15, 2006 - 12:45am

What sort of metal do they use for deep sea piping? I know the Navy uses a material called monel which is mostly nickel and copper, for their pipes and fittings that are exposed to seawater. But I imagine that monel is probably too expensive for kilometers of piping. Is there an industry standard? And what sort of piping did BP have that gave them problems?

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jkissing on August 15, 2006 - 5:29pm

Almost certainly the pipe is garden variety low-carbon steel, painted on the outside for protection from the elements. Internal corrosion, at least enough to eat through the wall, was not expected - normally, oil protects steel from corrosion.