We’re a team committed to supplying high quality tubing products to every client. Our goods come in a myriad of sizes and shapes. Examples include oval, rectangular, round, and square. Therefore, you always have optimum choice. This is part of what makes us the leading ERW steel tube supplier in the West Midlands.
Two essential but different tools
Tubing and casing are two vital components used on oil wells. The tube primarily works as a transportation pipe. With them, you can move gas and oil in the reservoir to the processing facilities. You are also able to support the weight of the casing and drill bit.
Casing is a pipe you install while the drilling process takes place to secure the borehole. They also strengthen the well wall, stabilising it, and stop the well from collapsing.
Let’s have a deeper look at how tubes and casings differ here. It will help you decide which you need.
The structures
For one thing, they have individual structures. Tubes are relatively large in diameter and can be quite thin. They can be different materials, and come in seamed or seamless varieties. We have plenty of experience here as the top ERW steel tube supplier in the West Midlands.
Casing is relatively thick to withstand the pressure in oil wells. It is generally alloy or welded pipe. Additionally, you can separate it into multi-stage casing. This is a mixture of cylindrical pipes that possess differing diameters. These casings are typically employed to support drilling projects and reinforce the well wall.
Uses
Secondly, despite tubes and casing both being pipes for oil drilling, they have their own purposes. During oil well drilling, tubing is mainly utilised for discharging cuttings and mud from the well. They support the weight of the drill bit alongside its ancillary gear. You can find them shallowly in the well. You can also use tubes as water injection and production pipes. In addition, during the gas and oil extraction operation, tubing moves gas and oil to the surface from the well. It’s possible to deploy equipment at the wellhead for production testing.
As one of the most crucial aspects of oil wells, casing supports the well wall and wellbore. This stabilises the formation, fills the well wall space, and stops wellbore collapse.
Properties
Specific differences in the application environments between casing and tubing exist too. Thus, their properties aren’t the same. Tubing must put up with the corrosion and impact caused by the transported fluid. So, the exterior has to receive more complicated treatments. These enhance corrosion and wear resistance. If you need help from the greatest ERW steel tube supplier in the West Midlands, come to us.
The casing has to endure higher pressures. As such, you need to make it out of materials that resist it better. They also need to be more reinforced on the exterior.
Thickness
The two also vary in how thick they typically are. The thickness of tubing is relatively thin, sometimes surprisingly so. Considering the decent stability of materials like steel, corrosion resistance, and high strength, you don’t need overly thick walls.
As for the necessary thickness of casing, it is more than tubing. Generally you start with thicker steel plates when you make them. The goal is to provide more protection against high pressures and loads.
Production processes
It is relatively simple to make tubes. Manufacturers tend to use procedures like cold drawing or hot rolling. Manufacturing seamless steel tube calls for more complex processes though. Examples are perforation, rolling, and casting. Any hot working, especially for seamless tubing, can increase the cost.
Casing production is more complex. You need procedures like pre-bending, edge pressing, and cutting. It involves thread processing with high precision demands and many bends.
Ordering from the best ERW steel tube supplier in the West Midlands
At Union Steel Tubes, we always make sure there is plenty of choice available. Aside from sizes and shapes, we offer different finishes like deburred or zinc coated. There are even pre-galvanised and seamless tubes on offer. As a result, we can supply products for various applications in countless industries.
So, let us know if you’d like to work with the leading ERW steel tube supplier in the West Midlands. We can offer short lead times and fantastic quality.
