Tungsten Carbide Parts for Oil & Gas and Oilfield Tools
Oil and gas equipment wears out where fluid carrying sand moves fast past a hard edge: the trim of a choke, the ball and seat of a downhole pump, the bearings of a mud motor, the nozzles of a drill bit. Tungsten carbide is used at these wear points because it resists erosion and abrasion far better than hardened steel, and it is tougher than most technical ceramics when the part also takes impact.
We supply tungsten carbide parts for oilfield tools made to your drawing, in cobalt-bonded or nickel-bonded grades chosen for the conditions in the well.
Where carbide is used, and how it fails
Choke valves and flow control
Chokes take the full pressure drop of the well. Stems, needle tips, seats, cages and fixed choke beans are made in carbide because sand at high velocity cuts steel trim in a short time. Typical damage is wash-out erosion of the flow path and wire-drawing across the seating edge, which changes the flow rate the choke was set for and weakens its shut-off.
Sucker-rod pumps: valve balls and seats
The standing and travelling valves of a rod pump open and close on every stroke. Carbide balls and seats keep a tight seal longer in sandy, gassy or corrosive fluid; when they wear or pit, the valve leaks and the pump loses efficiency. Ball and seat sizes for sucker-rod pumps are standardized in API Spec 11AX, so most orders are specified by size and material.
Downhole motors and submersible pumps: bearings and sleeves
Mud motors and electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) run with drilling mud or produced fluid as the lubricant, and that fluid carries solids. Tungsten carbide sleeves, radial bearings and bushings for the oil and gas industry resist the abrasive wear that destroys softer bearing materials and lets shafts start to vibrate.
Drill bit nozzles
Nozzles in PDC and roller-cone bits direct high-velocity mud to clean the cutters and the hole bottom. Carbide nozzles keep their bore and exit shape against the erosion of the mud stream; a worn nozzle changes the hydraulics of the bit.
Pumps and mechanical seals at surface
Transfer, injection and pipeline pumps use carbide seal faces, shaft sleeves and throat bushings. Where the pumped fluid carries abrasive solids, seals are usually run hard face against hard face — carbide against carbide or against silicon carbide — because particles trapped between the faces wear a softer face quickly.
Choosing the grade: erosion, impact and corrosion
- Erosion and abrasion — lower binder content and finer grain give higher hardness and better resistance to sand erosion. These grades suit choke trim, choke beans, nozzles and bearing surfaces.
- Impact — parts that are struck by debris or by each other, such as a ball landing on its seat on every stroke or choke trim in slugging flow, need more toughness. A higher binder content and a coarser grain trade some wear resistance for resistance to chipping and cracking.
- Corrosion — in produced water and brine, in sour service with H2S, and in fluids with CO2 or acids, the cobalt binder can be attacked and the carbide grains wash out. Nickel-bonded grades resist this better and are the usual choice for corrosive service.
Our standard cobalt-bonded and nickel-bonded grades, with binder content, density, hardness and transverse rupture strength, are listed on our Grades page. For a quotation we name the grade we propose for your part and send its data sheet.
If your specification references a sour-service standard such as NACE MR0175 / ISO 15156, tell us when you ask for a quote and we will confirm what the documentation for the proposed grade covers.
Parts we supply for oil and gas
- Valve Seats, Balls & Trim — valve balls and seats, choke beans, stems and trim components
- Bushings & Sleeves — radial bearings, shaft sleeves and bushings for downhole tools and pumps
- Nozzles — bit nozzles and nozzles for abrasive flow
- Seal Rings & Seal Faces — mechanical seal faces and mating rings for surface pumps
For a fast quotation, send
- The drawing, or the part number and the standard it follows (for example an API 11AX ball and seat size)
- The service: fluid, sand or solids content if known, H2S and CO2 partial pressures or chlorides, temperature and differential pressure
- How the current part fails — erosion, chipping, cracking or corrosion — and what it is made of today
- Quantity, and the documents you need with the shipment (for example an EN 10204 3.1 certificate)
Questions buyers ask
Should I choose a cobalt or a nickel binder for oilfield parts?
Choose by what attacks the part. Where the damage is mainly sand erosion in a mild fluid, a cobalt-bonded grade gives the highest hardness. In sour service with H2S, in fluids with CO2, and in heavy brine, the cobalt binder can be leached out, and a nickel-bonded grade lasts longer. Tell us the fluid and we propose the grade.
Do you supply carbide valve balls and seats for sucker-rod pumps?
Yes. Balls and seats are made to the size you specify, including the sizes in API Spec 11AX, in cobalt- or nickel-bonded grades. If your purchase specification calls for API-monogrammed parts, tell us before we quote.
Can you make choke trim and choke beans to our drawing?
Yes. Send the drawing with the bore size, tolerances and surface finish, and tell us the service. Erosion along the flow path and impact at the seating edge pull the grade in different directions, so the flow conditions decide the grade.
Why use tungsten carbide instead of hardened steel or ceramic?
Tungsten carbide is much harder than hardened steel, so it resists sand erosion far longer, and it is tougher than most technical ceramics, so it is less likely to chip or crack when the part takes impact or thermal shock.
What documents can you provide with the parts?
Tell us in your request. An EN 10204 3.1 inspection certificate reporting measured values for your batch is the usual request; the documents are confirmed in the quotation, and the grade data sheet is sent with it.