Author(s)

V. N. Kuskov & N. F. Kolenchin

Abstract

The problem of reducing the mass of modern equipment while increasing its working properties is challenging today. The application of aluminium alloys in the oil and gas industry creates an oxide layer on their surfaces, with wear resistance of up to the level (or above) that of the steel materials that are currently applied. The effects of ozone and the use of ultrasound to increase the hardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the anode coating have been determined. Three facilities for the anodizing of aluminium and its alloys have been patented. The injection of ozone into the air mixture increases the thickness of the alumina by 45–53% and an additional application of the ultrasound increases the microhardness of the coating by almost a factor of 1.5. The facts are explained by the increase of the proportion of the alumina crystals in the coating. The structure of the anode film has been studied with an increase of more than 2200 times. First, the possibility of the formation of secondary channels due to the amorphous component of the coating has been established. On the basis of the obtained data, a technology for anodizing the real parts of the oil and gas equipment made from aluminium alloys instead of steel equipment has been developed. The nozzle and the mixing chamber of the jet pump, the sliding bearing collar, safety shirts, guide vanes and intersection pump packings for maintaining the reservoir pressure have been manufactured from the alloy D16. Anodized aluminium parts are successfully operated in an aggressive environment without shock loads. The magnitude of wear decreased by more than a factor of seven in comparison with the serial parts. Keywords: aluminium alloys, ozone, ultrasound, anodizing, microhardness, wear.

Keywords

aluminium alloys, ozone, ultrasound, anodizing, microhardness, wear.