Optimizing performance in oil and gas drilling equipment
Learn how Lesjöfors developed durable compression springs designed to reduce pressure on offshore drilling equipment and support more reliable operation at sea.
Project overview: Project overview: supporting offshore drilling performance
Oil and gas drilling equipment needs to perform reliably in demanding and often unpredictable offshore conditions. When drill bits encounter particularly hard rock formations, the resulting impact loads can lead to breakage, resulting in downtime and costly replacement operations.
A Norwegian oil company approached Lesjöfors with a clear objective – to develop a carefully engineered solution that would help reduce peak loads when the drill bit came into contact with hard rock, supporting the long-term performance of essential offshore drilling equipment.
Design criteria for the drilling equipment project
What was the brief?
The brief was to develop a series of powerful custom springs for oil and gas applications capable of withstanding the extreme loads generated by drilling equipment, while maintaining optimum performance in high operating temperatures.
What makes the project special?
During offshore drilling, the mechanical process of drilling beneath the seabed generates very high temperatures as the drill advances through hard rock formations. This extreme heat directly affects the material properties of compression springs.
As a result, the project introduced an additional challenge – developing a spring material that could maintain consistent performance and reliability despite prolonged exposure to elevated temperatures.
What did Lesjöfors do?
Working closely together, our expert material scientists and design engineers identified a material solution capable of meeting the strict performance requirements of the application. Access to a wide range of spring materials was essential in selecting the most suitable option for both load capacity and temperature resistance.
As a leading spring manufacturer, Lesjöfors maintains extensive material availability to support demanding applications, including the largest stock of chrome silicon in the world.
What challenges did Lesjöfors overcome?
Our ambition has always been to find the most efficient solution possible – both for us and for our customers. It is essential that our solutions deliver high-quality engineering, with the right product for the right function, delivered cost-effectively and on time. The extreme conditions associated with this offshore drilling application challenged these objectives, but through careful engineering and material selection, we successfully overcame them.
What our clients say
Manufacturing offshore drilling equipment springs
Large springs with wide wire diameters, commonly used across oil and gas drilling equipment, mining, and rail applications, require a hot winding process. The controlled application of extreme heat allows wire diameters of up to 80 mm to be coiled accurately.
During manufacturing, the wire is heated to approximately 900 °C, oil quenched, and then tempered to complete the heat treatment process. This approach enables the spring material to be formed to precise specifications, supporting reliable performance in demanding offshore drilling environments.
A collaborative process for offshore drilling applications
Due to the specific requirements of the application, a dedicated cross-functional team – including material scientists, geoscientists, and design engineers – worked closely together to deliver a precision-engineered solution for our client within the oil and gas industry.
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