Premature failure of your equipment’s hydraulic system poses significant risks to the oil and gas industry—including unplanned downtime, costly repairs, environmental hazards, and compromised worker safety.
You can’t eliminate corrosive elements from your work site, but you can minimize the damaging effects of corrosion and wear on your hydraulic systems.
The total annual direct cost of corrosion in the U.S. oil and gas production industry is estimated at $1.4 billion. (AMPP)
That’s an alarming number to consider. However, those costs are likely to rise even higher as exploration uncovers new hydrocarbon sources. The increasingly complex environments where oil resides can mean greater risk to your equipment.
Oil rigs and fracking operations often encounter harsh conditions, including extreme rain, snow and temperatures. In some environments, temperature fluctuations from -50°F to 100°F, which put stress on equipment.
Exposure to corrosive elements like salt water, sand and wind, or high-pressure environments deep underground, changing geological formations, hazardous gases and toxic chemicals also cause equipment failure. Ensuring replacements for fluid power components, such as hoses, fittings, and filtration systems, is critical due to the harsh conditions and corrosive elements of fracking and wellhead operations.
Over time, the combination of these corrosive elements compromise the integrity of equipment, leading to:
Increased risk, coupled with restrictive environments and limited opportunity for emergency repairs, means you need to minimize the potential for failure before it becomes a problem.
Often, corrosion problems go unnoticed due to a lack of awareness from management or those responsible for operation, inspection and maintenance. To promote awareness of premature failure conditions, train your employees to spot early warning signs of wear, rust, degradation or contamination and clearly outline next steps for alerting and addressing these issues.
Corrosion happens when the material used in a hydraulic hose assembly interacts with its environment and begins to degrade. These reactive elements are usually moisture, oxygen, salt or acids.
The oil and gas industry is especially harsh on fluid power equipment due to the presence of hydrogen sulfide, a naturally occurring compound in crude oil and natural gas that poses both corrosive and safety risks. Hydrogen sulfide is acidic when dissolved in water, leading to localized pitting corrosion and uniform degradation of metal surfaces.
The corrosion process starts when these reactive elements come into contact with the internal parts of the hose or the metal components.
Signs of early corrosion include:
The internal surfaces of hoses can corrode if hydrogen sulfide interacts with water or abrasive materials like sand in fracking operations. For valves and pumps, prolonged exposure to hydrogen sulfide and high pressures increases susceptibility to cracking and pitting. Filters can become compromised if the housing materials are not resistant to hydrogen sulfide corrosion or become clogged with sand and dirt particles.
Once corrosion occurs in hoses and fittings, it can impact other system components, creating unwanted pressure changes, fluid flow constriction and hydraulic oil contamination—leading to decreased performance, increased wear on expensive machinery, and safety issues such as burst hoses leading to hydraulic injection injuries.
Applications such as drilling and hydraulic fracturing expose hydraulic systems to constant stress. This continued exposure increases degradation of components like hoses, fittings, seals, cylinders and valves.
Some examples of high-abrasion applications in oil and gas include:
Under this constant stress, those components will eventually break down, usually at the worst time.
Corrosion risk can’t be eliminated but it can be prevented.
When a critical piece of equipment is offline due to an unexpected failure, it can have disastrous effects on a business’s ability to operate and generate revenue. That’s why we offer consultative training programs to help your crew learn how to address potential issues before they lead to failure.
Prevent unplanned downtime from asset corrosion and abrasion by:
Choosing the right hoses, fittings and filtration systems constructed from the right material at the start can save thousands and prevent unnecessary downtime.
We recommend choosing hydraulic hose components from the same product line.
Hydraulic manufacturers work within a specific set of tolerances. Using a component from another manufacturing line decreases the likelihood of proper fitment and increases liability. If hydraulic hoses, fittings and seals are from different brands, the manufacturer may not honor their warranty on a failed component.
At MCE, we carry a full line of Parker hoses and fittings designed to withstand high pressures, extreme temperatures and abrasive environments common in oil and gas applications.
This ensures products are rated following Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) guidelines and each system component is compatible and appropriate for the application. Staying within the same brand simplifies maintenance activities, asset tracking and communication for a more reliable and efficient system.
Hydraulic systems operate under high pressure, and any leak, crack, or worn component can lead to potential hazards for workers and the environment.
Regular inspections allow for early detection and preventative action. We can help your team develop proactive maintenance strategies to reduce those risks and create a maintenance program that covers the following areas:
Note: For repairs, be sure to isolate the system, safely relieve pressure, and replace damaged components like seals, hoses, or valves using OEM parts to maintain compatibility.
Filtration systems are your first line of defense against contaminants in your hydraulic assembly. Maintaining hydraulic fluid quality is essential to a healthy hydraulic system. Blockages or contamination in the hydraulic fluid can cause systems to lock up or component failure.
Prevent contamination and ensure clean hydraulic fluid using proper filtration products that meet your assemblies' specific requirements. We recommend using Parker filters to maximize machine uptime, reduce maintenance costs and extend equipment life by preventing system contamination.
Partnering with a hydraulic assembly expert streamlines your purchasing activity, provides in-depth knowledge of your industry needs and ensures your hydraulic system operates at peak capacity and reliability. We supply consulting as well as training opportunities for your team.
The experts at MCE can train your crews on the correct use of hoses, fittings, and crimping equipment, ensuring compatibility and reducing the risks of failure from improper assembly. We also provide tailored training sessions to address specific challenges or failures.
At MCE, we solve problems with tailored service and support. Our consultative approach helps you plan effective corrosion prevention with material and coating selection, design modification and potential corrosion inhibitors.
MCE is a preferred partner for many in the oil and gas industry because we understand and work around your unique constraints. We know that downtime is costly and we ensure customers have immediate access to frequently used or essential components, minimizing downtime. Our teams have frequent communication and collaboration with customers and adjust stocking levels based on these conversations and quarterly forecasts. And MCEs Proactive Stocking Agreements guarantee that specific items are available based on order history and forecasted needs.
Additional services for inventory management include:
Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI)
An effective asset management plan means you always have the critical spares and inventory you need for rapid repair. Enrolling in our VMI program gives you access to all MCE solution categories—fluid power, flow control, automation, rotating equipment and filtration—and full access to VMI software for better inventory management.
Customer-Managed Inventory (CMI)
Similar to our VMI program, except you direct product replenishment when you need it on any Apple or Android device. Set up your own self-checkout and inventory management controls for easy purchasing from MCE, whether on-site or remote.
Proactive Stocking
For our VMI customers, we offer proactive stocking agreements based on usage and data trends. We hold your critical stock, parts and supplies in one of our many conveniently located warehouses, helping you avoid stockouts and unplanned downtime.
Whether your worksite is an onshore oil rig, a refinery plant or another remote location, we’ve got you covered with quality products, consultative support and reliable inventory management services. We can help you:
Contact MCE for industry-leading fluid power solutions and support.