Paper: Economics of Used Tubing Inspection

Considering today's high operating costs most producers are constantly in search of ways to save money. Downhole production tubing represents one of the more sizable investments that the operator will make when putting a well on production. Often the costs involving the tubing string does not end with that original investment. During the service life of tubing, it is subjected to various environments and stresses which result in degradation of the integrity of the material. Tubing frequently fails in service due to development of various types of defects, such as those found in Fig. 1. This necessitates the investment of more monies in workovers and material replacement. While the well is down, the producer suffers with loss of production.