Carbon Life Cycle Assessment of Non-Metallic Downhole Tubulars

Non-metallic oil and gas pipes are replacing their metal alternatives due to their various advantages such as mitigating corrosion issues, lowering total cost of ownership and reducing carbon footprint. Reduction of carbon footprint is an important aspect to consider due to environmental concerns and global initiatives while developing new products. As an effort to assess the impact of utilizing non-metallic tubulars in a downhole environment, this paper explores the carbon life cycle and footprint of metal and non-metallic tubulars. This paper presents a step-by-step process of the carbon life cycle assessment (LCA) which includes the fabrication of the selected base materials, the loadings, environment conditions, manufacturing techniques used for non-metallic pipe development, logistics and transportation from the manufacturing facility to the destination, deployment and completion in field, as well as end of product life accounting for product disposal and/or recycling. The methodology of evaluating the carbon footprint at each stage is described throughout the composite tubular life cycle. A comparison with metal tubular carbon life cycle is also performed. An assessment is conducted on the carbon life cycle of non-metallic tubulars starting from base material fabrication, end product development and manufacturing, transportation and logistics, final implementation of the product in the well to the end of lifespan. The study shows a comparison between metal and non-metallic pipes from a carbon life cycle perspective. Various inputs to the methodology (e.g., types of base materials, transportation distance, manufacturing energy input and percentage of recyclable material) are considered, including their impacts on the carbon footprint outcomes. In this publication, an effort is made to explore the carbon life cycle and footprint of non-metallic pipes focusing on downhole applications. The study shows that non-metallic pipes may provide the potential to reduce carbon emissions with respect to their metal alternatives.