Quality and integrity of drill pipe are keys to proper installation.
Each drill pipe manufacturer has different specifications. The “Drilling Data Handbook” (Gabolde and Nguyen, 1999) provides guidelines keyed to grade of steel for tubing sizes and associated tensional and torsional load capacities as well as bend radii. In addition to tubing load capacities, other important considerations include: 1) diameter, wall thickness and length; 2) manufacturing process (e.g., inertia welded vs. forged); 3) minimum tool joint makeup torque and maximum tool joint torque capacity; and 4) thread type as it relates to life of the pipe, ease of connection and allowable bend radius. Once the proper drill pipe has been selected for an application, sound practices must be followed to ensure long life and reduce risk of downhole failure.