March 20, 2014


Nearly 75 customers from 10 major oil and gas operators participated in a rig demonstration that showed the benefits of the TenarsHydril Wedge 623™ Dopeless® connection, a new technology for deepwater, at a training rig in Houston, Texas from February 25 - 28.

Many Tenaris employees were onsite to answer customer inquiries. "After having worked several months in presenting the Wedge 623™ Dopeless® technology to customers, we found the rig demonstration was a great way to show the customers the robustness of the connection, " said Andres Sanchez Sarmiento, Sales Manager - Gulf of Mexico.

The new 14 TenarisHydril Wedge 623™ Dopeless® connection has been chosen by Shell for their Olympus TLP project in the Gulf of Mexico. In order to push the limits of this connection, the following trials were preformed during the rig demonstration:

  • Multiple make-and-break operations to show anti-galling properties of the Dopeless® technology.
  • Demonstration that a double bump is not needed for Wedge™ technology with Dopeless® technology.
  • Make-up with different contaminants, such as drilling mud and running compound, to prove that these fluids do not have an effect on the performance of Dopeless® technology.
  • Break-out torque test to demonstrate that both break-out and make-up torque have the same ratio.
  • Make-up with misalignment to validate the connection's performance despite poor stabbing conditions.


"We're the only company giving customers the opportunity to view the complete cycle of tubular performance, not only design and lab testing, but also the simulation of actual rig conditions, said Tomás Castineiras, Dopeless® Development Director. "This specific rig demonstration showed the excellent match between the Wedge™ and Dopeless® technologies, achieving optimum field reliability and a level of robustness that is unmatched in the oilfield.

At the conclusion of the demonstration customers had an opportunity to provide feedback. Customer comments included:

"We use the Wedge Series 500™ all the time. The fact that the Wedge 623™ has an external seal is critical because of the high collapse loads we have to design for now. It's all positive

"This demonstration was a great introduction to the product as far as how it runs and its sealing properties as well as Dopeless® technology, which will be a great introduction to the Gulf of Mexico, providing a green aspect for running the connection… Seems like it is going to perform well, a great addition of the external seal for the HP/HT wells. I think it'll be a great addition to the TenarisHydril line of products.

 "As we introduce the Wedge 623™ Dopeless® connection for use in deepwater environments, it's extremely helpful to our customers to experience first-hand the running capabilities of this new product, said Jon Barton, Technical Sales Regional Manager - USA. "Overall the comments from many customers were that the product exceeded performance expectations.


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