60-m high-pressure hose for greater drilling efficiency

April 2011A new production line from ContiTech makes 50 percent longer hoses possible for oil field applications.

50 percent longer than was previously possible in the oil and marine sector, thanks to ContiTech Rubber Industrial‘s new 60-m production line in the plant in Szeged, Hungary. The high-pressure hoses produced on the line satisfy industry standards for high-pressure drilling and transport hoses for the oil and gas market. The company is presently the only provider on the market who can manufacture such high-pressure rubber hoses in these lengths which satisfy all three the standards of the American Petroleum Institute (API).

As resources become ever more scarce, greater interest is being shown in deposits of oil and gas located far below sea level. Previously, it was not economically feasible to tap these deposits. But the deeper the drilling and the greater the distance that the raw material must be pumped to reach the water surface, the higher the demands placed upon the technical equipment used. The oil and marine hoses, which must cover ever greater distances, are not spared these more demanding requirements.

But longer drilling hoses are needed on land as well. This is due to taller and bigger drilling rigs. The hoses travel over idler pulleys on some derricks. In order to save time, drilling is done even faster and longer drill pipe racks are used so that fewer drilling pauses are necessary. All this requires longer and even more robust hoses. To be able to meet these requirements, ContiTech Rubber Industrial invested around 3.8 million euros in new hose production.