Non-cracking Duraband NC, developed by Hardbanding Solutions, a business unit of Postle Industries, is the first product ever developed that offers 100% crack-free protection. Without cracks, high temperatures, steam, abrasives, and drilling fluids cannot penetrate into and underneath the hardband. Duraband NC also offers superior wear resistance and longer downhole life to reduce drilling costs.
Drilling HPHT, sour gas, highly deviated and geothermal wells can be very hard on hardbanding and drill pipe tool joints. The casing can also show excessive wear in these types of harsh drilling environments. When ordinary hardbanding products are used, which contain cracks, the result is often spalling and chipping caused by unwanted materials getting into and under the crack. This may require premature removal of the drill pipe for repair and re-application of the hardband, adding cost to the drilling operation.
Duraband NC microstructure consists of a hard, but tough, tool steel matrix with a high volume of tightly packed micro-constituents. This combination ensures excellent wear resistance in open hole drilling, as well as being casing friendly. In addition, the product can be applied directly over itself without removal or special preparation. Duraband NC can also be applied over most competitive hardband products without removal substantially reducing of re-application cost. With other hardbanding products, the cost of re-application can be three or four times higher since they have to be removed before re-application.