Recent Developments in The Use of Hip for The Offshore Industry

Abstract

The use of additive manufacturing (AM) technology is growing rapidly for offshore use, whilst established production technologies such as powder metallurgy near-net-shape (PM-NNS) continue to be used. New standards are being introduced and many of the oil and gas majors are now developing supply chains to ensure rapid supply of high-quality complex parts. Environmental concerns are helping to drive this with use of near-net-shape technologies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions through more efficient designs and metal forming methods. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) has been used to remove shrinkage porosity and internal defects in cast products for many years, predominantly to improve mechanical properties and fatigue resistance. Recently, there has been an increasing focus on AM processes for demanding applications where localized corrosion and similar internal defects and porosity are a concern. HIP technology is being used to either produce PM-NNS parts, or for the post processing of AM produced components to ensure defect free material prior to service in demanding environments. This paper will present a broad overview in the use of HIP equipment to produce parts and components to the offshore industry.