Drilling tools operate in extremely abrasive, erosive and corrosive environments which reduce tool
life, especially in the case of sour well applications. This paper discusses a new family of low
temperature Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) Tungsten Carbide coatings proven to increase tool life
and thus reduce expensive downtime and drilling operation costs particularly in new frontier, harsh and
difficult drilling conditions.
The coating consists of Tungsten Carbide nano-particles dispersed in a metal Tungsten matrix
which results in enhanced hardness and abrasion resistance. The coating can be produced up to 100
microns thick, which is unique for hard CVD coatings. As a nano-structured material, it demonstrates
outstanding toughness, crack and impact resistance.
The gas-phase CVD process enables the coating of internal surfaces and complex designs such as
valves, hydraulic components and pump cylinders. The pore-free coating is resistant to acids and
aggressive media. This combination of wear resistance and chemical resistance makes CVD Tungsten
Carbide coating an attractive solution to coat critical components in high wear and/or aggressive media
environments including downhole tools, mud-driven hydraulic systems, pumps for abrasive fluids,
valves and aerospace applications. CVD Tungsten Carbide coating is an attractive replacement for
Hard Chrome, which is to be phased-out due to environmental and health and safety considerations.
KEYWORDS: Hard coating, CVD, Tungsten Carbide, wear resistance, erosion resistance, acid resistance,
toughness, nano-structured material, downhole tools, sour well tools, Hard Chrome replacement