Benefits and Applications of 3D Printing in the Oil and Gas Industry

One of the biggest areas of untapped potential for additive manufacturing is the oil and gas industry. Relatively slow to adopt additive technologies, the oil and gas industry lags behind industries such as automotive and aerospace in finding applicable use cases for AM.

However, with the industry facing serious challenges, from oil price volatility to a shift to alternative energy sources, the need to reduce operating costs is becoming increasingly pertinent for industry stakeholders.

From product development to equipment maintenance and more, we’ve identified four key opportunities where the industry can take full advantage of 3D printing technology.

Faster product development and design flexibility

One of the main benefits of 3D printing is its ability to speed up the product development process. Using additive manufacturing, product designers and engineers can visualize, develop, and validate their designs quickly and cost-effectively.

This advantage can be leveraged by the oil and gas industry to better react to opportunities in emerging markets and assess any potential risks or failures at the design stage, prior to production.

Precedents in this area have already been set: multinational corporations have used 3D printing to successfully prototype a buoy for an oil and gas drilling station.

By using 3D printing to produce the miniature prototype, engineers were able to produce plastic versions of the prototype in the space of four weeks, as opposed to the months it took with conventional manufacturing.

Engineers were also able to evaluate how to improve components and establish the most efficient assembly sequence before building the actual buoy.

Another example: A 3D printed burner for an industrial gas turbine has been produced. Thanks to the additive manufacturing process, the burner could be produced in one piece instead of being produced in 13 separate pieces to be welded together.

This improvement in design will help extend the operating life of the component and, ultimately, the gas turbine. Similarly, a burner for a gas turbine was developed using additive manufacturing to reduce the development and validation phase by 50%.

3D printing will require oil and gas companies to rethink traditional approaches to design, with the added benefit of producing complex components with improved performance.

However, the benefits of such a change are enormous: from shorter product development cycles to greater material savings.

Cost-effective, low-volume production

Although the oil and gas industry has been slow to embrace 3D printing for manufacturing, the technology holds great promise for the industry. Due to high tooling costs and the need for longer lead times, traditional manufacturing is typically unsuitable for low-volume production. Additive manufacturing can help significantly reduce lead times (e.g., delivering parts in days instead of weeks) while lowering manufacturing costs.

For example, additive manufacturing can be used to produce small quantities of complex, specially designed parts while making efficient use of materials. It is believed that 3D printing can revolutionize the production of numerous components, including high-value gas turbine pumps, turbomachinery, valves, and nozzles.

Faster repair of high-value components

Planned or unplanned downtime due to equipment maintenance can be costly, especially in remote or offshore platforms. Again, 3D printing can make all the difference.

Some additive technologies, such as direct energy deposition, can be used not only to produce complex, custom-made components, but also to efficiently repair or remanufacture worn-out equipment. Applying the technology to obsolete or damaged components such as shafts, valves, and pumps, can increase its life and performance, thereby reducing overall operating and maintenance costs.

Simplifying Complex Supply Chains

Additive manufacturing could have a positive impact on supply chain management within the oil and gas industry. One of the main benefits is the shift to digital inventories and on-demand production of spare parts.

In remote and offshore regions, where the supply of spare parts is limited or where logistical issues are likely to cause delays, the ability to produce parts at the time of need could help significantly reduce the time and expense associated with sourcing spare or replacement parts.

In addition, oil and gas operators currently maintain large inventories of spare parts to minimize unplanned downtime in the event of component failure.

With additive manufacturing, many spare parts, for example for legacy equipment, can be reverse-engineered to create a digital inventory for on-demand production, thus reducing warehouse inventory and storage costs.

In the long term, on-demand manufacturing and digital file storage could transform the supply chain and distribution network within the industry.

Top Challenges for Wider Adoption of 3D Printing in the Oil and Gas Industry

To date, the adoption of 3D printing in the oil and gas industry has been limited. In a typically risk-averse industry, there is currently a lack of manufacturing infrastructure to fully integrate additive manufacturing into the manufacturing process and supply chain.

Another challenge is the certification and qualification of parts. Ensuring a repeatable and reliable manufacturing process is critical for a tightly regulated industry, and 3D printed parts must meet stringent quality standards.

For this reason, it’s critical for companies to consider ways to ensure production repeatability to improve confidence in 3D printed parts and streamline the path to certification. This must include a robust regulatory framework, digital production planning, and advanced automation and connectivity.

To improve the qualification of additive manufacturing in the oil and gas and marine sectors, several Joint Innovation Projects (JIPs) brought together 20 partners from all sectors. Concluded in 2020, the JIPs have made significant progress in developing qualification guidelines and an economic model for AM in the oil and gas industry.

In particular, the latter can be challenging for oil and gas companies. The key problem in developing an economic model for the adoption of additive manufacturing lies in identifying suitable use cases for 3D printing.

In other industries, manufacturers have generally chosen to print highly complex parts needed in small batches. However, this approach may not always be suitable for the oil and gas industry, due to the complexity of its supply chain. That’s why it’s essential for the industry to develop its own 3D printing framework to identify suitable cases and technologies. Early adopters will be needed to pave the way for this pathway, as has been the case in the aerospace and automotive industries.

Overcoming the Challenges of 3D Printing in the Oil and Gas Industry

However, as demonstrated by the likes of aerospace and automotive, the benefits of additive manufacturing far outweigh the challenge of developing a strategic approach to the technology. As the oil and gas industry seeks to improve operational efficiency, disruptive technologies such as additive manufacturing will increasingly take center stage.

The industry will need to focus its transformation efforts on three key approaches:

• • develop its own “specific framework for additive manufacturing” to manage the diversity of additive technologies and identify appropriate use cases;
• • Try to develop partnerships and collaborations with specialized companies to solve technological problems;
• • Investments in additive manufacturing facilities and research centers will help build the infrastructure needed to ensure long-term adoption of the technology.

Overall, additive manufacturing could enable companies in the oil and gas industry to streamline operational processes, achieve significant cost savings, and create new, more efficient ways to develop, manufacture, and maintain equipment.

3D printing could become a common technology in offshore facilities or regional hubs that innovate supply chain operations. Over the next decade, as applications are identified and new opportunities arise with 3D printing materials and technologies, the oil and gas industry is set to open up to the benefits of 3D printing and capitalize on them.