RGD Paper
APPENDIX A: Interim Report
1. Introduction – aim & objective
Oil & Gas industry are facing extreme challenges especially as the demand of oil resources is growing every day. The extraction of oil is becoming more technically and geographically challenging as we are going deeper under severe conditions i.e. pressures and temperatures and using complex systems. These complex system and extreme conditions like in wide range of fluids, temperatures and pressures puts elastomeric sealing elements and the designer under lot of pressure. Problems with elastomeric seals in these critical applications can lead to small defects or catastrophic failure which could be very expensive or even danger to human life and the environment.
In high pressure gas applications for example, valves, this includes gas compressors, down-hole applications, etc. Rapid Gas Decompression (RGD) resistance of the sealing material is very important. Rapid gas decompression failure is defined as a structural failure of the seal in the form of blistering, internal cracking and splits caused when the gas pressure (system pressure), to which the seal is exposed, is rapidly reduced from high to low [2].
This project is about optimisation of the manufacturing process to improve the RGD resistance of a fluorocarbon compound (FKM90). This project also involve the characterisation of the compound (FKM90), assessment and optimisation of the manufacturing processes such extrusion and moulding and testing the material at different cross-section, different temperature and different decompression rate as per NORSOK M-710 specification.
2. Elastomers 2.1 Definition of elastomers
Polymers can be divided into three broad categories: thermoplastics, elastomer (rubbers) and thermosets. In general terms, thermosets resist deformation whereas
1. Introduction – aim & objective
Oil & Gas industry are facing extreme challenges especially as the demand of oil resources is growing every day. The extraction of oil is becoming more technically and geographically challenging as we are going deeper under severe conditions i.e. pressures and temperatures and using complex systems. These complex system and extreme conditions like in wide range of fluids, temperatures and pressures puts elastomeric sealing elements and the designer under lot of pressure. Problems with elastomeric seals in these critical applications can lead to small defects or catastrophic failure which could be very expensive or even danger to human life and the environment.
In high pressure gas applications for example, valves, this includes gas compressors, down-hole applications, etc. Rapid Gas Decompression (RGD) resistance of the sealing material is very important. Rapid gas decompression failure is defined as a structural failure of the seal in the form of blistering, internal cracking and splits caused when the gas pressure (system pressure), to which the seal is exposed, is rapidly reduced from high to low [2].
This project is about optimisation of the manufacturing process to improve the RGD resistance of a fluorocarbon compound (FKM90). This project also involve the characterisation of the compound (FKM90), assessment and optimisation of the manufacturing processes such extrusion and moulding and testing the material at different cross-section, different temperature and different decompression rate as per NORSOK M-710 specification.
2. Elastomers 2.1 Definition of elastomers
Polymers can be divided into three broad categories: thermoplastics, elastomer (rubbers) and thermosets. In general terms, thermosets resist deformation whereas
References: 4. Ho, Emily, 2006, Elastomeric seals for rapid gas decompression applications in high-pressure services (Research report 485 – HSE), 1 – 8 . 5. Campion R.P, Thomson B and Harris J.A, 2005, Elastomers for fluid containment on offshore oil and gas production: Guidelines and review (MERL Ltd, Research report 320). 8. Ho, Emily, 2006, Elastomeric seals for rapid gas decompression applications in high-pressure services (Research report 485 – HSE), 29 – 35. 9. K Edmond, R K Flitney and E Ho, 2002, High pressure gas permeation testing, 2. 12. MERL Ltd., HSE research report 320, 2005, Elastomers for fluid containment in offshore oil and gas production: Guidelines and review. 23. Ho, Emily, 2006, Elastomeric seals for rapid gas decompression applications in high-pressure services (Research report 485 – HSE), 36 – 42. 24. Warren P, Douglas A and Embury P, Low temperature sealing capability of o-rings: the relationship between laboratory tests and service performance, 2010. 27. V.A. Cox, 1985, Proceedings of conference on offshore engineering with elastomers, Service failures – A user’s view of explosive decompression in oilfield elastomers, 1 – 19.