DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF HIGH STRENGTH AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL FOR DOWN-HOLE APPLICATION IN SOUR ENVIRONMENT WITH SUPERIOR CORROSION AND WEAR RESISTANCE

摘要

Stainless steel alloys were made in the present study for application in Qatar gas wells which contain significant amounts of sour acid gas, a very corrosive environment. The alloys made in the present project contain very small amounts of nickel compared to the commercial available high-nickel alloys. In the present work, nickel is replaced with the elements nitrogen and carbon which are very abundant and are inexpensive. Because of the low nickel content of the alloys from the present study, the alloys should be economical to produce. The study showed that the new alloys resist attack by sour acid gas very effectively. Specifically, the alloys exhibit equal or better resistance to attack than commercially available high-nickel alloys made for application in sour gas environments.