T-ALL Inspection’s NDT team has officially launched an Integrated Arc Burn Inspection Solution for tungsten-plated tubing after dedicated technical research and development. The solution is specifically designed for hidden defect screening of tungsten-plated tubing used in highly corrosive oil and gas wells, ensuring the safety and reliability of tubing before downhole deployment.

In highly corrosive oil and gas well production environments, tungsten-alloy-plated tubing is widely used due to its excellent performance. However, arc burns are highly likely to occur in the electroplated areas of tubing, causing hidden defects such as martensitic phase transformation, micro-cracks, and surface pits. These damages are completely covered by the thin coating, with no visible abnormalities on the surface, making them typical “hidden risks”.

Due to limitations of conventional inspection principles, traditional methods such as magnetic particle testing, conventional eddy current testing, and magnetic flux leakage testing cannot penetrate the tubing coating to identify shallow material changes. Tubing containing such defects may experience leakage after being deployed downhole, leading to production accidents. This has become one of the most challenging and urgent issues requiring solutions in highly corrosive well operations.

To address the above industry challenges, T-ALL Inspection’s NDT team has developed an Integrated Arc Burn Inspection Solution for tungsten-plated tubing, using Array Eddy Current Testing (AECT) combined with specially designed flexible probes as the core inspection method. The solution integrates Leeb Hardness Testing and Metallographic Re-inspection to establish a three-stage verification workflow.

The key advantages of this solution include:

• Strong Penetration Capability and Comprehensive Defect Identification：The solution can penetrate nickel-tungsten coatings and accurately identify various defects, including coating peeling, wear, cracks, and uneven coating distribution, as well as substrate micro-cracks, pits, and microstructural phase transformations. It overcomes the limitations of conventional inspection technologies.

• High Inspection Accuracy： Based on multi-element dedicated probes and dual-dimensional analysis of phase and amplitude signals, the solution can identify defects with a minimum depth of 0.1 mm. Combined with C-scan visualization imaging, defect locations and morphologies can be clearly displayed, enabling more accurate interpretation.

• Accurate Inspection Results： Through various testing programs, the relationship between signal characteristics and defects has been established. By analyzing signal responses displayed in inspection maps, different types of defects can be distinguished, enabling accurate defect characterization, localization, and quantitative evaluation.

• Outstanding Inspection Efficiency：A single probe scan provides a wide inspection coverage area, eliminating the need for surface grinding preparation. Compared with conventional inspection methods, this solution significantly improves operational efficiency and fully meets the requirements for large-scale tubing screening.

  

This technology has been successfully applied in tungsten-plated tubing inspection at an oilfield. During practical applications, it successfully detected multiple issues, including coating-substrate interface cracks, substrate corrosion and defects, and coating wear. The inspection performance was outstanding, receiving high recognition and positive feedback from the client.

The successful application of the Integrated Arc Burn Inspection Solution for tungsten-plated tubing will ensure tubing integrity and prevent downhole safety risks.

In the future, T-ALL Inspection will continue to advance integrated arc burn inspection technologies for tungsten-plated tubing, promote the standardized application of Array Eddy Current Testing throughout the entire lifecycle of tungsten-plated tubing—from manufacturing to field operation, and build a stronger safety barrier for safe oil and gas production in highly corrosive wells.