Interview with Pilar Esteban, OCTG & CCUS Downhole R&D Manager.
After completing your PhD in Materials Physics and Metallurgy of Stainless Steels, you joined Tubacex as a metallurgist in the Quality Department at TTI. How was the transition from academia to an industry-leading company in tubular solutions? What were your key learnings from those early years?
The transition from academia to the industrial sector was a significant challenge. During my PhD, I worked on a collaborative project with Tubacex, and upon completing my thesis defense, I immediately joined the company. In the first few months, I had the opportunity to engage daily with the plants and their teams—operators, process engineers, and plant executives alike. This experience helped me familiarize myself with the dynamics of an industrial company.
One of the biggest challenges was adapting my communication style. In academia, the language is primarily technical, with a long-term perspective, whereas in the industry, decisions must be made quickly, often with limited information. I learned to rely on and trust my team and to integrate myself into the company’s organizational structure. Additionally, I had to shift my focus toward applied solutions, transitioning from a purely academic environment to one where innovation must translate into tangible results for the company and its clients.
I joined Tubacex at a time when its R&D department was just beginning to take shape on a technical level, laying the groundwork for what would later become Tubacex Innovation. The current R&D Director, Alejandra López, and I were among the first members of this new team, and my research background played a crucial role in its development.
Tubacex is renowned for its ability to develop advanced alloys for demanding applications in the energy and mobility sectors. From your experience in innovation, how do you tackle the challenges of designing materials that can withstand extreme corrosion, pressure, and temperature conditions?
At Tubacex, each development is tailor-made, specifically designed for each client and their particular application. The first step is to deeply understand their challenges in order to industrialize a solution that meets their needs.
Our key competitive advantage is having an in-house steel mill within a fully integrated production process. This allows us to define the chemical composition of materials and control the entire process—from ingot production to the final tube delivery. Collaboration between different plants, quality departments, and process engineering teams is essential to carrying out and optimizing each development.
Moreover, we have a dedicated R&D laboratory where we analyze the microstructure of materials at every stage of the process. This enables us to generate fundamental knowledge that we then apply to the development of innovative products.
In the coming months, our R&D unit and laboratory will relocate to the Energy Intelligence Center (EIC), enhancing its capabilities and integrating with other sector players in the pursuit of new, more sustainable energy solutions. This will be a pivotal step, as this knowledge hub will allow us to interact with new industry stakeholders.
Tubacex has solidified its leadership in CRA-OCTG solutions for gas exploration and production. How has this segment evolved, and what role does the innovation department play in ensuring Tubacex remains a leader in this field?
Our journey in OCTG began with the 28Cr alloy, and since then, we have significantly expanded our portfolio of tubular solutions. One of our biggest milestones has been the development of the Sentinel® Prime premium connection, the result of eight years of research.
At Tubacex R&D, we have worked on developing these materials and products from chemical formulation to validation, incorporating new statistical methods to assess their properties. This rigorous approach has enabled us to establish an advanced development protocol that fosters trust among our clients.
Furthermore, we maintain a close relationship with our clients and end users, including the world’s leading Oil & Gas companies. We also actively participate in global standardization committees such as API, AMPP, and ISO, where I represent Tubacex in defining OCTG regulations.
Our vertically integrated model provides a key competitive advantage, allowing us to oversee the entire process—from design to in-well implementation—ensuring agility in decision-making and adaptability to each client’s requirements.
As Tubacex’s representative on international standardization committees for CCUS and OCTG, you play a key role in the company’s Low Carbon strategy. How does this work influence Tubacex’s overall strategy, and what opportunities do you see in the decarbonization of the energy industry?
Our extensive experience in OCTG has been instrumental in expanding into the CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage) sector. Our CRA-OCTG product is designed to operate in highly corrosive environments, making it ideal for CO₂ transportation and injection applications.
Tubacex is strategically committed to decarbonization and the energy transition through the development of solutions for hydrogen, CO₂ capture, and other sustainable industrial processes. Our NT2 strategic plan reinforces this commitment, aiming not only to reduce our own emissions but also to help our clients decarbonize their production processes.
In this context, we are continuously innovating, leveraging the knowledge gained in OCTG to develop optimized products for CCUS. Our strategy focuses on providing integrated solutions to capture and store CO₂, preventing its release into the atmosphere and contributing to a more sustainable future.
Today marks the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a key occasion to highlight female talent in scientific and technological disciplines. As a woman in the metallurgy sector—traditionally a male-dominated field—what message would you share with young women interested in pursuing careers in science and technology?
I am very proud that more than 50% of the workforce at Tubacex Innovation are women—something quite uncommon in such a male-dominated sector. Let me give you an example: in our last ISO standardization committee meeting, out of 50 participants, only four were women… and two of them were leading the committee.
It is essential to promote greater female participation in the industry. I encourage girls and women to explore careers in science and technology. There is still so much to develop and contribute. Creativity and logic are crucial in our work, and curiosity is the driving force behind knowledge.
February 11th is a great reminder that diversity drives innovation and progress. Visibility is crucial to inspiring more women to pursue scientific and technological careers.
I invite all young women to embrace their curiosity for science and engineering, as these fields offer incredible opportunities to transform the world and build a more equal and innovative future.
