When it comes to properly aligning pieces of casing, tubing, and drill pipe, stabbing guides are essential. Proper alignment of female/male connections is a key aspect of pipe protection, and stabbing guides ensure that pipe sections are properly and safely connected. When adding replacement pieces to a new drill, casing, or tubing string, they enable the safe, controlled, and accurate connecting of separate pipe sections.
Why are Proper Connections Important?
You might wonder what happens when pipe string connections aren’t secure. An improperly connected and misaligned section of pipe can compromise the safety of the entire system. It can also cause serious damage to pipe threads and other crucial surfaces. Incorrectly aligned or paired pipe sections are inefficient and can cause a complete failure within the system.
How Do Stabbing Guides Work?
A stabbing guide consists of a shell and collar. The shell’s role is to minimize metal-to-metal shock to ensure that damage to the pin and box threads and seal surfaces do not occur. High-quality guides have a polyurethane shell which is a low-maintenance and long-lasting material. Collars are generally spring-loaded torsion mechanisms that enable the user to manually open, place and remove the guides. For use in seaside locations, stainless steel collars are better suited due to their resistance to corrosion. Collars are adjustable to suit a variety of casing sizes and pipe connections.
Are High-Quality Guides Available?
All guides are not created equal, and users would do well to make sure they are using stabbing guides that are of the highest quality and reliability, yet also suited to their particular process and application. Purchasing stabbing guides from MSI Pipe Protection Technologies means you’re purchasing products backed with a solid industry reputation for quality. It also means that your tubular connections make up safely. A high-quality guide should be extremely heavy-duty and durable. A quality standard pipe protection provider, like MSI, will have a number of guides to choose from with adjustable latches and closures as well as various sizes to suit a wide range of applications. View all of our pipe protection products here, or request a free quote today.
Using the correct stabbing guide is the best way to protect your pipe connections during makeup and ensure proper alignment has taken place. This also ensures that your entire piping system has the utmost strength and durability, while also maintaining safety requirements and regulations.
Speak with one of our service experts for orders and information toll-free at 1-877-276-9208.
