API 7K Rotary Drilling Hose Passes ABS Certification for Offshore Oilfield Application

A Chinese rubber hose manufacturer announced its API 7K rotary drilling hose has obtained ABS Q1 certification, qualifying the product for global offshore and onshore oil & gas drilling projects.

The rotary drilling hose, also known as kelly hose, serves as the critical flexible pipeline on drilling rigs to deliver high-pressure drilling mud between standpipe and swivel. The upgraded LT301D series adopts multi-layer high-tensile steel wire reinforcement and special anti-aging elastomer material. It can stably work under 5000psi high pressure and adapt to extreme conditions, including high temperature in Middle East deserts and low temperature in arctic regions, with field failure rate lower than 0.5%.

In a field test at a Middle East oilfield, this rotary drilling hose ran continuously for 12 months without leakage. Its service life is extended by 40% compared with previous hoses, cutting rig downtime and replacement costs greatly.

Industry analysts state that global demand for API 7K compliant rotary drilling hoses keeps rising, especially corrosion-resistant types for deepwater and sour gas wells. Manufacturers are also developing smart rotary drilling hoses built-in pressure and temperature sensors to realize real-time wear monitoring and predictive maintenance, which will further reduce non-productive time for drilling operators in the next few years.