Transient liquid phase bonding of high strength low alloy steel coiled tubing

The oil and gas industry of Alberta, Canada use coiled tubing made from high strength low alloyed steel (HSLA) to extract oil from reservoirs deep beneath the earth's surface. The repeated use of the coiled tubing in down-hole wells results in fatigue failure of the tube material. In order to repair the coiled tube, a section of tubing is fusion welded using tungsten inert gas welding onto the remaining tube steel. However, the fusion weld often fails within the weld region and therefore, alternative joining methods need to be explored to minimize detrimental changes at the joint region. In this study transient liquid phase (TLP) bonding is used with the aid of metal interlayers based on the Ag-Cu and Ni-P systems. These interlayers form a liquid at the melting point and the gradual diffusion of alloying elements into the joint and the diffusion of elements out of the joint region induces isothermal solidification whilst the joint is held at the bonding temperature. The TLP bonding behaviour of the HSLA steel as a function of bonding parameters was investigated and the quality of the joint region determined using metallurgical techniques (light and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy) and mechanical testing. (author)