CN106460129B

CN106460129B - Subterranean assembly with amorphous coating

Info

Publication number: CN106460129B
Application number: CN201580021714.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: J·康; C·P·金; H·杰克逊; L·安德伍德
Original assignee: Liquidmetal Coatings LLC
Current assignee: Liquidmetal Coatings LLC
Priority date: 2014-04-30
Filing date: 2015-04-30
Publication date: 2019-12-13
Anticipated expiration: 2035-04-30
Also published as: CN106460129A; WO2015168481A1

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods comprising: spraying a coating onto a surface of the component, wherein the coating is at least partially amorphous, wherein the coating is configured to protect the component for subterranean use. Disclosed herein are assemblies so coated. The coating may have an elastic strain limit that is greater than the yield strain of the component. The coating may have a modulus of elasticity that is lower than the modulus of elasticity of the component. The coating may have a hardness higher than the hardness of the surface. The coefficient of friction between the coating and the steel may be lower than the coefficient of friction between the steel and the steel.

Description

Subterranean assembly with amorphous coating

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/986,288, filed 4/30/2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to assemblies suitable for subterranean use (e.g., drill pipe for oil and gas recovery drilling) and methods of making such assemblies.

Background

Components for subterranean use are exposed to challenging environments such as high pressure, chemical corrosion, and physical erosion. These assemblies are useful or even necessary in applications such as oil and gas recovery, tunnel construction and infrastructure.

for example, drilling for oil and gas recovery may involve the use of drill pipes connected to each other in a drill string and equipped with a drill bit at the end. The drill string provides torque, force, and circulating fluid to the drill bit to penetrate various types of subterranean formations. Fig. 1 schematically shows a portion of an exemplary drill string including drill rods 1 each having a length of about 30 to 45 feet and connectable to each other at the ends of the drill rods 1 by tool joints 2. Fig. 1 shows the drill rods before they are connected to each other. These tool joints can be protected against wear by the wear resistant covering 3 and they may have a diameter significantly larger than the body of the drill rod 1. In vertical drilling conditions, the tool joint 2 may protect the body of the drill rod 1 due to the larger diameter of the tool joint 2, which effectively avoids that the body of the drill rod 1 is in direct contact with the wall of the well being drilled by the drill string.

If the well is not perfectly straight, such as in horizontal drilling, the drill string or individual drill rods in the drill string may be elastically bent. Bending of the drill string or individual drill pipe, using an increased length of drill pipe (e.g., about 45 feet) or a pipe diameter closer to but less than the tool joint diameter may reduce the effectiveness of the tool joint in protecting the drill pipe body and may result in the drill pipe body being in direct contact with the well wall. Such direct contact may expose the drill rod to wear mechanisms, which may significantly affect the integrity of the drill rod. Such mechanisms may include wear from contact with the subterranean formation, wear and/or scratches between metal components, and wear from contact with drilling fluids and cuttings.

Possible methods of protecting the drill pipe may include placing one or more grippers on the drill pipe body to hold the drill pipe away from the borehole wall, placing gripper rubber sleeves on the drill pipe, applying paint, epoxy coatings, applying powder metallurgy for oxidation resistance, welding or melting processes to alloy specific materials with the base material of the drill pipe by case hardening or by transferred plasma arcs, and thermal spraying the wear layer with a crystalline steel matrix microstructure containing precipitates of chromium carbides and borides.

These methods may not be sufficient to eliminate direct contact of the drill pipe with the borehole wall, or to prevent the drill pipe from being worn by such contact. These methods may introduce additional risks including catastrophic failure of the drill pipe, such as undesirable metallurgical changes in the drill pipe base material (e.g., weakening due to thermal effects on the drill pipe itself and/or corrosion resistant layers on the inner surface of the drill pipe) caused by the downhole gripper and drill pipe separation, welding or fusion processes, and delamination of the thermally sprayed crystalline coating under stress caused by substantial rotation of the drill pipe.

Disclosure of Invention

Disclosed herein are methods comprising: spraying a coating onto a surface of the component, wherein the coating is at least partially amorphous, wherein the coating is configured to protect the component for subterranean use.

According to an embodiment, the coating is not metallurgically bonded to the surface.

According to an embodiment, the coating is completely amorphous.

According to an embodiment, the component is a drill pipe, a work string or a production tubing.

According to an embodiment, the coating has an elastic strain limit of greater than 0.103%.

According to an embodiment, the coating has an elastic strain limit that is greater than the yield strain of the component.

According to an embodiment, the coating has a modulus of elasticity lower than the modulus of elasticity of the component.

According to an embodiment, the coating has an elastic modulus of at most 150 GPa.

According to an embodiment, the coating has a hardness higher than the surface hardness.

According to an embodiment, the coefficient of friction between the coating and the steel is lower than the coefficient of friction between the steel and the steel.

According to an embodiment, the coating is sprayed onto the surface by a thermal spraying process.

According to an embodiment, the coating is sprayed onto the surface by a cold spray process.

According to an embodiment, the thermal spray process is selected from the group consisting of twin wire arc spray, high velocity oxy-fuel spray, high velocity air-fuel spray, and plasma spray.

According to an embodiment, the coating comprises a fully or partially amorphous metal alloy.

According to an embodiment, the amorphous metal alloy has a chemical formula of Fe_a(Cr,Mo)_b(B,C)_c M_dWherein a is the weight percent of Fe, B is the sum of the weight percent of Cr and Mo, C is the sum of the weight percent of B and C, M is one or more transition metals and d is the sum of the weight percent of all transition metals.

According to an embodiment, the value of a is between 40 and 56, the value of b is between 40 and 50, the value of c is between 4 and 6, and the value of d is between 0 and 10.

According to an embodiment, the weight percentage of B is equal to or less than the weight percentage of C.

According to an embodiment, the weight percentage of Mo is smaller than the weight percentage of Cr.

According to an embodiment, the amorphous metal alloy has a melting point less than or equal to 1150 ℃.

According to an embodiment, the coating further comprises particles selected from the group consisting of tungsten, carbides and borides, wherein the particles are distributed in a matrix of amorphous metal.

According to an embodiment, the component comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of steel, aluminum, titanium, and cast iron.

according to an embodiment, the method further comprises roughening the surface before spraying the coating.

According to an embodiment, the coating has a neutral or compressive surface residual stress.

Disclosed herein is a component suitable for subterranean use comprising at least a portion having a coating thereon, wherein the coating is at least partially amorphous.

According to an embodiment, the portion is a middle section of the drill rod.

According to an embodiment, the portion comprises a portion of a tool joint.

Disclosed herein is a method of drilling a well at the surface, comprising: obtaining a drill string comprising a drill bit and a plurality of drill rods connected thereto, wherein at least a portion of the drill rods comprise a coating thereon, the coating being at least partially amorphous; the drill bit is driven.

According to an embodiment, the well is not straight.

According to an embodiment, the well has a section parallel to the surface.

According to an embodiment, the well has a section that is non-parallel to the surface.

Disclosed herein is a system for drilling a well at the surface, comprising: a drill bit; a plurality of drill rods connected to each other; wherein the drill bit is connected to the drill rod; wherein at least a portion of the drill rod includes a coating thereon, the coating being at least partially amorphous.

According to an embodiment, the system further comprises a chain tong, a degasser, a desander, a winch, a hoist, a mud motor, a mud pump or a mud tank.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a drill pipe having a wear resistant coating on a tool joint at the end of a pipe for connection with the end of an adjoining pipe in a drill string.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a middle section of a drill rod to which an amorphous metal alloy coating is sprayed according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of the spray coating of the fully amorphous metal alloy on the drill rod of FIG. 2 taken along section line III-III showing the microstructure of the drill rod, the fully amorphous metal alloy coating, and the mechanical bond therebetween.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of the sprayed partially amorphous metal alloy coating on the drill rod of FIG. 2 taken along section line III-III showing the microstructure of the drill rod, the partially amorphous metal alloy coating, and the mechanical bond therebetween.

Fig. 4A and 4B are schematic views of respective thermal spray systems for applying a coating on an outer surface of a middle section of a drill rod.

Fig. 5A shows the characteristics of the completely amorphous part of the thermal sprayed coating material (sample 1 in fig. 3A) obtained by XRD (x-ray diffraction), which shows that there is no crystalline microstructure in the coating material.

Fig. 5B shows the load-unload indentation curve of sample 1 obtained from the nanoindentation test, from which the elastic modulus (young's modulus) of the coating can be determined.

Fig. 6A shows the characteristics of a partially amorphous portion of the thermal spray coating material (sample 2 in fig. 3B) obtained by XRD (x-ray diffraction), which shows a multiphase crystalline microstructure coexisting in a majority amorphous matrix.

Fig. 6B shows the load-unload indentation curve of sample 2 of fig. 6A obtained from the nanoindentation test, from which the elastic modulus (young's modulus) can be determined.

Fig. 7 depicts DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) of a fully amorphous coating material showing the transparent glass transition and melting temperature.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of a spray coating of tungsten carbide particles in a partially amorphous metal alloy matrix on a drill rod taken along section line III-III showing the microstructure of the drill rod, the partially amorphous metal alloy coating, and the mechanical bond therebetween.

Fig. 9 shows a high magnification Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of the coating of fig. 8 showing carbide particles in the partially amorphous alloy matrix and identifying a region of interest.

Fig. 10 shows the chemical composition of the region of interest identified in fig. 9 as determined by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, which confirms the composition of the carbide and partially amorphous alloy matrix (the spectra are shifted vertically for clarity).

fig. 11 shows the load-unload indentation curve of the sample of fig. 8 obtained from the nanoindentation test, from which the elastic modulus (young's modulus) can be determined.

Fig. 12 shows the hardness vs. displacement curve for the sample of fig. 8 obtained from the nanoindentation test from which the hardness can be determined.

Detailed Description

The disclosure herein may be useful in improving the protection and wear resistance of components used underground (e.g., drill pipe or production tubing) without increasing the risk of component failure.

According to embodiments, at least a portion of a component for subterranean use (e.g., drill pipe, production tubing) may be thermally sprayed with a coating having a high elastic strain limit that exceeds the strain of the component in subterranean use (e.g., by bending of the drill pipe as it is drilled down). The portion thermally sprayed with the coating may comprise a portion of the component (e.g., the middle section of the drill pipe) that may be directly contacted, or may scrape against the subterranean structure. The coating may comprise an amorphous metal alloy. The coating may comprise an at least partially amorphous, non-crystalline, disordered atomic scale structure. The coating may have a higher hardness than the surface of the component on which the coating is disposed. The coating may be mechanically bonded to the underlying surface of the component without the use of a metallurgical bond. When the component is a drill pipe, the coating may improve the wear or thermal shock resistance to thermal shock and thermal cycling of the drill pipe without increasing the risk of failure in the drill pipe. The hardness of the coating may be greater than or equal to 500HV, as compared to only about 310HV (vickers hardness) for steel commonly used in drill pipe. The elastic modulus of the coating may be at most 150GPa, or at most 120GPa, as compared to about 200GPa for steel commonly used in drill rods. The coefficient of friction between the coating and the steel may be lower than the coefficient of friction between steel (which is commonly used in drill rods) and steel. For example, the coefficient of friction between the coating and the steel may be at most 0.15.

the coating may be a band (e.g., a band along the circumference of the drill pipe). The coating may have other configurations, such as a spiral (e.g., a spiral along a drill pipe). The coating may be applied to an intermediate section or other portion of the drill pipe. The coating may be built up using multiple thermal spraying of the amorphous metal alloy to a thickness of, for example, 0.005 to 0.1 inches. The coating may be applied to the component (e.g., drill pipe) by a thermal spray process selected from the group consisting of twin wire arc spraying, high velocity oxy-fuel and high velocity air-fuel, and plasma spraying. The coating may be applied to the component (e.g., drill pipe) by a cold spray process.

The amorphous metal alloy included in the coating may be in the form of a powder or wire having a composition consisting essentially of Cr 25-27%, B2.0-2.2%, Mo 16-18%, C2.0-2.5%, with the balance being Fe (expressed as a weight percentage). Table 1 shows exemplary compositions of amorphous metal alloys that may be included in the coating.

TABLE 1

In an embodiment, the amorphous metal alloy included in the coating may have a chemical formula of Fe_a(Cr,Mo)_b(B,C)_cM_dWherein a is the weight percent of Fe, B is the sum of the weight percent of Cr and Mo, C is the sum of the weight percent of B and C, M is one or more transition metals and d is the sum of the weight percent of all transition metals. The value of a may be between 40 and 56. The value of b may be between 40 and 50. The value of c may be between 4 and 6. d has a value of 0 to 10. In an embodiment, the weight percent of B is equal to or less than the weight percent of C. In an embodiment, the weight percentage of Mo is less than the weight percentage of Cr.

The melting point of the amorphous metal alloy may be less than or equal to 1150 ℃ when the coating is applied by a thermal spray process. The relatively low melting point of the amorphous metal alloy reduces heat input to the base material during coating. The low heat input during coating avoids or reduces undesirable metallurgical changes in the base material. The low heat input also avoids or reduces undesirable metallurgical changes in the corrosion-resistant layer when the coating is applied to a drill rod having the corrosion-resistant layer on the interior of the drill rod. The low melting point of the amorphous metal alloy also contributes to the amorphous microstructure of the coating.

The amorphous metal alloy may serve as a matrix material for the coating when the coating further comprises at least one of wear resistant particles selected from the group consisting of tungsten, carbides and borides. The wear resistant particles may be pre-mixed into the amorphous metal alloy powder or wire, or incorporated during spraying.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a partial view of a drill rod 1 (as an example of an assembly) with a coating 5 according to an embodiment. The drill rod 1 is connected to another at a tool joint 2And (5) drilling a rod. The coating 5 may be applied to a portion such as the intermediate section 4 of the drill pipe 1. The coating 5 may have an elastic strain limit that is greater than the strain that the assembly (e.g., drill pipe 1) will experience when used in the subsurface (e.g., used in drilling, caused by bending of the drill pipe during drilling from vertical to horizontal, for example). The component may experience a strain of up to 0.103%. The coating 5 may have an elastic strain limit greater than the yield strain of the component, which may be between 0.076 and 0.155%. For example, the coating 5 may withstand a strain of, for example, 0.17% before it fails. The coating 5 may have a higher modulus of elasticity than the component. The coating 5 has in this example an elastic modulus of 150GPa or less or 120GPa, which is lower than the Young's modulus of the drill rod 1. The Young's modulus E of the steel usually used in drill rods is about 29X 10⁶PSI (200 GPa). The coating 5 may have a higher strength (hardness) than the surface of the component (e.g., drill pipe 1) to which the coating is applied. The coating 5 has a hardness of > 500HV (Vickers hardness) in this example. The hardness of the steel commonly used in drill rods is about 310 HV. The higher hardness, lower modulus of elasticity, higher elastic strain limit, or a combination thereof of the coating 5 may be due, at least in part, to the coating having an atomic microstructure that is at least partially or fully amorphous, rather than a crystalline atomic structure, and may make the coating more wear resistant in subterranean use.

According to an embodiment, to form the coating 5, the amorphous metal alloy is applied to a portion (e.g., the intermediate section 4) of the component (e.g., the drill rod 1) by a thermal spray process, for example, using a twin wire arc spray system as schematically depicted in fig. 4A. In the process, two wires (6 and 7) of amorphous metal alloy are fed and charged, one positive and one negative, by a wire feed 8. The wire is forced together and an arc is formed, melting the wire. The compressed air passing through the nozzle 10 atomizes the molten metal from the wire and sprays it onto the part (e.g. the middle section 4 of the drill rod 1). By moving the assembly or nozzle 10, the area of coating can be controlled. For example, the drill pipe rotates while the nozzle is stationary resulting in a band being formed near the outer surface of the middle section of the drill pipe. The higher the current rating of the system (e.g., 350 amps, 700 amps, etc.), the higher the spray rate. In an example embodiment, a system having a current rating of 200-225 amps is employed. The length of the intermediate section 4 coated by the coating 5 may vary. The thickness of the coating 5 can vary. The length and thickness may be selected based on the desired radius of curvature experienced by the drill pipe during drilling, the relative diameters of the drill pipe and the drill sleeve, and the like. In the example, the middle third of the drill pipe is coated, but smaller or larger lengths may be coated to reduce the expected wear on the pipe surface during drilling.

The coating may be a thin layer, for example on the order of 30 milli-inches (0.030 inches). The thin coating undergoes rapid cooling on the component (e.g., drill pipe), resulting in the formation of at least a partially (e.g., mostly (shown in fig. 6A) or fully (shown in fig. 5A)) amorphous structure, rather than a crystalline structure. Multiple passes of the thermal spray coating may be applied to build up a coating 5 of a desired thickness to protect the component from wear. In the example, the coating 5 has a thickness of 0.05 inches formed by multiple thermal spray passes. Although twin wire arc spraying is used in the examples, other thermal spray processes (which include high velocity oxy-fuel and high velocity air-fuel) or cold spray, plasma processes may be used to apply the coating. The amorphous metal alloy of the coating may be in powder form instead of or in addition to the wire form. Fig. 4B depicts an arrangement for spraying a powdered amorphous metal alloy using a high velocity oxy-fuel process. Wear resistant particles such as tungsten, carbides and borides may also be applied as a mixture within the amorphous metal alloy wire or powder, wherein after deposition of the coating, the amorphous metal alloy serves as the matrix for the wear resistant particles. The surface of the portion to be coated may be roughened by sandblasting prior to coating (see, e.g., fig. 3A and 3B) to facilitate bonding of the coating to the surface.

The coating 5 may form a mechanical bond with the surface, as opposed to having a metallurgical bond with the surface. The mechanical bond is shown in the microstructure of the coated drill rod depicted in fig. 3A and 3B. The bond strength of the coating to the surface can be in the range of 7,000 to 10,000 psi.

According to embodiments, because the sprayed coating 5 on the component experiences little or no shrinkage due to the mostly or completely amorphous state, the coating 5 has a residual surface stress that is neutral or slightly compressive. In contrast, crystalline metal coatings solidify and shrink, which results in tensile surface stress. Tensile surface stresses can buckle the coated object in a concave fashion and can lead to delamination. Neutral or slightly compressive surface forces in the coating 5 can improve the bond strength of the coating to the underlying surface.

The at least partially amorphous structure of the coating may help to improve wear resistance and delamination resistance during drilling with high circulation of certain components (e.g., drill pipe). More specifically, Fe-Cr-B-Mo-C alloy, Ni-Cr-Si-B-Mo-Cu-Co alloy, Fe-Cr-B-Mn-Si alloy, Fe-Cr-B-Mn-Si-Cu-Ni-Mo alloy, Fe-Cr-B-Mn-Si-Ni-Ni alloy, Fe-Cr-Si-B-Mn-Ni-WC-TiC alloy, Fe-Cr-Si-Mn-C-Nd-Ti alloy, Fe-Cr-P-C alloy, Fe-Cr-Mo-P-C-Ni alloy, Ni-Cr-Si-B-Mn-Cu-Ni-Cr-Si-, One or more of Fe-P-C-B-Al alloy, Fe-Cr-Mo-B-C-Si-Ni-P alloy, Fe-Cr-Mo-B-C-Si-W-Ni alloy, Ni-Cr-Mo-B alloy, Fe-B-Si-Cr-Nb-W alloy, Fe-Cr-Mo-B-C-Y-Co alloy, Fe-Cr-Mo-W-Nb alloy, Fe-Cr-Mo-B-C-Si-W-Mn alloy, and Fe-Cr-Si-W-Nb alloy.

Fig. 5B and 6B show the results of the nanoindentation test on samples 1 and 2 of coating 5 as identified in fig. 3A and 3B. The coating 5 is thermally sprayed on the drill rod. The Young's modulus of elasticity can be calculated from the load-unload indentation curves of FIGS. 5B and 6B obtained by testing to 120GPa or less to provide an elastic strain limit greater than the strain caused by bending the drill pipe during drilling (drilling has a deviation from vertical to horizontal), along with a high coating strength (hardness) of 500HV or more. Fig. 5A and 6A represent XRD plots of the fully amorphous coating material and a partially crystalline phase comprising the amorphous matrix coating material. Fig. 7 depicts differential scanning calorimetry of the coating, showing the transparent glass transition temperature and the melting temperature.

According to an embodiment, the coating may be a composite comprising particles such as tungsten carbides and borides distributed in an amorphous metal alloy matrix of the coating. Table 2 shows the following composition, young's modulus and hardness: a homogeneous coating of amorphous metal alloy "a" (sample 1), a homogeneous coating of amorphous metal alloy "B" (sample 2), a composite coating of tungsten carbide (WC) particles distributed in matrix amorphous metal alloy "a" (samples 4 and 5), and a composite coating of tungsten carbide (WC) particles distributed in matrix amorphous metal alloy "B" (samples 3 and 6). Nanoindentation measurements were performed using nanoindenter XP from MTS. The indentation was performed with a load of up to 700mN and with a penetration depth of maximum 2 μm. The hardness and young's modulus of the coating were determined from the load vs. displacement curve during the complete load/unload cycle.

TABLE 2

Referring to sample 1 of table 2 as an exemplary embodiment, it is seen that its modulus of elasticity is 110GPa, which is only about 55% of steel. Steel is commonly used in subterranean assemblies such as drill pipe and other downhole tubulars. Coatings with a low modulus of elasticity may be beneficial for the following reasons. The subterranean assembly can experience tensile, compressive, and bending loads during downhole operations. These loads result in deflection or engineering induced strain. Because the coating is mechanically bonded to the component, the coating can withstand substantially the same strain as the component. By definition, for a given amount of strain, the lower the modulus of elasticity, the lower the stress. Thus, at a given strain, a coating with a low modulus of elasticity will experience a lower stress level than a coating with a high modulus of elasticity. As such, coatings with low modulus of elasticity have a lower likelihood of cracking than coatings with high modulus of elasticity. Although sample 1 has a higher modulus of elasticity than steel, it has a hardness of 6.8GPa, which is more than twice that of steel (around 3.0 GPa). Hardness is a common indicator of wear resistance. The coating of sample 1 is thus seen to provide high wear resistance along with a reduced tendency to crack due to downhole loading.

Fig. 8 shows an exemplary composite coating of sample 4 of table 2. The coating of sample 4 was applied to a thickness of about 20 milliinches by HVOF spray on a substrate roughened by grit blasting. As indicated by Table 2, the coating of sample 4 included about 20% tungsten carbide particles disposed in a matrix of a partially amorphous metal alloy (Cr 25-27%, B2.0-2.2%, Mo 16-18%, C2.0-2.5%, balance Fe).

Fig. 9 is a high magnification image of the coating of fig. 8. Tags 1, 2 and 3 identify the sites where the chemical properties of the components were assessed with EDX.

Fig. 10 shows the chemocomponents at the sites identified in fig. 9 at tags 1, 2 and 3. The tungsten carbide particles are still optically and chemically seen to be discrete and contained by the surrounding matrix, but chemically unaffected.

Referring again to table 2, the elastic modulus of sample 4 was 173GPa as measured by the nanoindentation method and plotted in fig. 11. The modulus of elasticity is about 87% of steel and about half of a conventional tungsten carbide coating. The hardness (as plotted in fig. 12) is 11.6, which is nearly 4 times that of steel, and comparable to that of conventional tungsten carbide coatings. It is thus seen that the coating of sample #4 can provide greatly increased wear resistance in coatings having a modulus similar to steel, and also provide wear resistance that can be similar to tungsten carbide coatings, but with a much lower modulus and thus a lower tendency to crack due to strain imposed by downhole loading.

Coatings of various designs, including spiral arrangements, bands, or simply thin layers through the entire assembly, can also be sprayed. The coated component may also be formed from steel or other materials such as aluminum or titanium. Workers skilled in the art and technology to which this disclosure pertains will appreciate that alterations and changes in the described structure and processes may be practiced without meaningfully departing from the principle, spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Accordingly, the foregoing description should not be read as pertaining only to the precise structures described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, but rather should be read consistent with and as support for the following claims, which are to have their fullest and fair scope.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

Spraying a coating having a modulus of elasticity of at most 150GPa onto a surface of a component, wherein the coating is at least partially amorphous, wherein the coefficient of friction between the coating and the steel is lower than the coefficient of friction between the steel and the steel, and wherein the coating has a modulus of elasticity lower than the modulus of elasticity of the component,

Wherein the coating comprises a volume fraction of less than 80% of an amorphous metal alloy having the chemical formula Fe and a volume fraction of more than 20% of tungsten carbide particles dispersed in the amorphous metal alloy_a(Cr,Mo)_b(B,C)_cWherein a is the weight percent of Fe, B is the sum of the weight percent of Cr and Mo, C is the sum of the weight percent of B and C, and the amorphous metal alloy has a melting point less than or equal to 1150 ℃.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating is not metallurgically bonded to the surface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating is fully amorphous.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the component is a drill pipe, a work string, or a production tubing.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating has an elastic strain limit of greater than 0.103%.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating has an elastic strain limit greater than a yield strain of the component.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating is configured to protect the component for subterranean use.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating has a hardness higher than a hardness of the surface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the component comprises steel.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating is sprayed onto the surface by a thermal spray process.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating is sprayed onto the surface by a cold spray process.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the thermal spray process is selected from the group consisting of twin wire arc spray, high velocity oxy-fuel spray, high velocity air-fuel spray, and plasma spray.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a has a value of 40 to 56, b has a value of 40 to 50, and c has a value of 4 to 6.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight percent of B is equal to or less than the weight percent of C.

15. the method of claim 1, wherein the weight percent of Mo is less than the weight percent of Cr.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating further comprises particles selected from the group consisting of carbides and borides, wherein the particles are distributed in a matrix of the amorphous metal.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the component comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of steel, aluminum, and titanium.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising roughening the surface prior to spraying the coating.

19. the method of claim 1, wherein the coating has a neutral or compressive surface stress.

20. A component configured for underground use comprising at least a portion having a coating thereon, wherein the coating has a modulus of elasticity of at most 150GPa, the coating is at least partially amorphous, the coefficient of friction between the coating and steel is lower than the coefficient of friction between steel and steel, and wherein the coating has a modulus of elasticity lower than the modulus of elasticity of the component,

21. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the assembly is a drill pipe or a production tubing.

22. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the portion is a middle section of a drill pipe.

23. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the portion comprises a portion of a tool joint.

24. The component of claim 20, wherein the coating is fully amorphous.

25. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the coating has an elastic strain limit of greater than 0.103%.

26. The component of claim 20, wherein the coating has an elastic strain limit greater than a yield strain of the component.

27. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the coating is configured to protect the assembly for subterranean use.

28. The component of claim 20, wherein the coating has a higher hardness than a surface of the component to which the coating is applied.

29. The component of claim 20, wherein the component comprises steel.

30. The assembly of claim 20, wherein a has a value of 40 to 56, b has a value of 40 to 50, and c has a value of 4 to 6.

31. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the weight percent of B is equal to or less than the weight percent of C.

32. The component of claim 20, wherein the weight percent of Mo is less than the weight percent of Cr.

33. The component of claim 20, wherein the coating further comprises particles selected from the group consisting of carbides and borides, wherein the particles are distributed in a matrix of the amorphous metal.

34. The component of claim 20, wherein the component comprises a metal selected from the group consisting of steel, aluminum, and titanium.

35. The assembly of claim 20, wherein the coating has a neutral or compressive surface stress.

36. A method of drilling a well at the surface, comprising:

Obtaining a drill string comprising a drill bit and a plurality of drill rods connected thereto, wherein the drill rods areAt least a portion comprises a coating thereon, wherein the coating has an elastic modulus of at most 150GPa, the coating is at least partially amorphous, the coefficient of friction between the coating and steel is lower than the coefficient of friction between steel and steel, and wherein the coating has an elastic modulus that is lower than the elastic modulus of the component, wherein the coating comprises a volume fraction of less than 80% of an amorphous metal alloy having the chemical formula Fe and a volume fraction of more than 20% of tungsten carbide particles dispersed in the amorphous metal alloy_a(Cr,Mo)_b(B,C)_cWherein a is the weight percent of Fe, B is the sum of the weight percent of Cr and Mo, C is the sum of the weight percent of B and C, and the amorphous metal alloy has a melting point less than or equal to 1150 ℃;

Driving the drill bit.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the well is not straight.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein the well has a section parallel to the surface.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein the well has a section that is non-parallel to the surface.

40. A system for drilling a well at the surface, comprising:

A drill bit;

A plurality of drill rods connected to each other;

Wherein the drill bit is connected to the drill rod;

Wherein at least a portion of the drill pipe comprises a coating thereon, wherein the coating has an elastic modulus of at most 150GPa, a coefficient of friction between the coating and the steel being lower than the coefficient of friction between the steel and the steel, and wherein the coating has an elastic modulus that is lower than the elastic modulus of the component, wherein the coating comprises an amorphous metal alloy in a volume fraction of 80% or less and a dispersion in a volume fraction of 20% or moreTungsten carbide particles in the amorphous metal alloy having the chemical formula Fe_a(Cr,Mo)_b(B,C)_cWherein a is the weight percent of Fe, B is the sum of the weight percent of Cr and Mo, C is the sum of the weight percent of B and C, and the amorphous metal alloy has a melting point less than or equal to 1150 ℃.

41. The system of claim 40, further comprising a chain tong, degasser, desander, winch, elevator, mud motor, mud pump, or mud tank.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating comprises 70% to 80% by volume amorphous metal alloy, 20% to 30% by volume particles dispersed in the amorphous metal alloy.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein the amorphous metal alloy consists of Cr 25-27%, B2.0-2.2%, Mo 16-18%, C2.0-2.5%, and the balance Fe, expressed in weight%.

44. The component of claim 20, wherein the coating comprises 70% to 80% by volume of an amorphous metal alloy, 20% to 30% by volume of particles dispersed in the amorphous metal alloy.

45. the component of claim 20, wherein the amorphous metal alloy consists of, by weight percent, Cr 25-27%, B2.0-2.2%, Mo 16-18%, C2.0-2.5%, and the balance Fe.

46. The method of claim 36, wherein the coating comprises 70% to 80% by volume amorphous metal alloy, 20% to 30% by volume particles dispersed in the amorphous metal alloy.

47. The method of claim 36, wherein the amorphous metal alloy consists of Cr 25-27%, B2.0-2.2%, Mo 16-18%, C2.0-2.5%, and the balance Fe, expressed in weight%.

48. The system of claim 40, wherein the coating comprises 70% to 80% by volume amorphous metal alloy, 20% to 30% by volume particles dispersed in the amorphous metal alloy.

49. The system of claim 40, wherein the amorphous metal alloy consists of, by weight percent, Cr 25-27%, B2.0-2.2%, Mo 16-18%, C2.0-2.5%, and the balance Fe.