Abnormal drilling conditions are often due to near ultimate loads such as high temperatures, vibrations, and harsh environment. In this context an issue of a need for equipment modification, which not only extends the service life, but ensures safe drilling, is thrown into sharp relief. Development and use of a drill string made of aluminum pipes are of great practical importance to improve drilling efficiency and failure-free operation in different mining and geological conditions. Light-alloy drill pipes have a number of advantages, including the possibility for transportation to remote drilling areas, and development of long vertical wells. During well construction the drill string interacts with aggressive environment, which affects pipe operational performance and drilling process as a whole. Superalkalinity drill fluids with pH more than 10 impact on materials the tubular billets are made of. In order to increase the efficiency of pipe serviceability, not only composition of drilling fluids, but also the pipe material processing methods shall be modified and changed. This article presents the existing methods of light-alloy drill pipe material processing and the ways to increase the corrosion resistance of D16T, the most common alloy, to aggressive environment
