The World Is Round - But Your Pipe Isn't

The pipe we use in the oilfield is made to very high standards, but that doesn't make it round. Trying to convince people their pipe is not round is something most engineers have to see to believe. To the left, is an ID Pipe Map, with radii (different colors) measured to .001". The pipe is oval, and then it goes into the machined pin, steady blue.

If we start to understand the true geometry of our OCTG and Line Pipe, think of what we might find:

1. Better interaction between Plugs, Packers, and Liner Hangers and the parent casing.
2. Increase of the collapse rating by sorting your pipe stock based on roundness.
3. Better welds: Match.com for pipe; find the two that have similar characteristics and weld those two together vs. two next to each other on the rack. Rotate the pipe to match highs and lows on fit up.
4. Baseline for caliper logs to ensure when you run a caliper log later, you are not misinterpreting an ovality feature for a keyseat.

The future is now......