Oil & Gas Industry
Description
Applications in the Oil & Gas Industry range from seals and components involved in exploration and drilling to high-pressure / high-temperature sealing components in down-hole wells. Extreme temperatures and pressures place great demands on elastomers for this industry. In addition, many chemicals either experienced in the reservoir, or used in the drilling, completion or intervention process can degrade many common elastomers.
Solutions
Regulating agencies for this industry are primarily the American Petroleum Institute (AP) Series 6 - Valves and Wellhead Equipment.
| Application | Nitrile NBR | Hydrog. HBR | Viton® FKM | Aflas® FEPM | Perfluoro FFKM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acetone | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent |
| Alkaline (Na/KOH) | Fair to good | Excellent | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Brines High Density (Na/CaBr) | Poor | Fair to good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Brines High Density (ZnBr) | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Brines Low Density (Ca/NaCl) | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Completion Fluid, acidic (pH=2) | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Fair to good | Excellent |
| Completion Fluid, basic (pH=11) | Fair to good | Fair to good | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Completion Fluid, oil based | Fair to good | Fair to good | Excellent | Fair to good | Excellent |
| Corrosion Inhibitors, amine based | Poor | Excellent | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Corrosion Inhibitors, K2C03 based | Poor | Fair to good | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Crude Oil, sour (<2,000 ppm H2S) | Poor | Excellent | Fair to good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Crude Oil, sour (>5% H2S) | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Crude Oil, sweet | Fair to good | Fair to good | Excellent | Fair to good | Excellent |
| Drilling Mud, diesel based | Fair to good | Excellent | Fair to good | Fair to good | Excellent |
| Drilling Mud, ester based | Poor | Poor | Poor | Fair to good | Excellent |
| Drilling Mud, silicate based | Fair to good | Excellent | Fair to good | Excellent | Excellent |
| Explosive Decompression (AED) | Poor | Excellent | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Hydraulic Fluid, oil/water (HFA) | Fair to good | Excellent | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Hydraulic Fluid, water/glycol (HFC) | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| Hydraulic Fluid, phosphate ester (HFD) | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Poor | Excellent |
| Hydrogen Sulfide, dry | Poor | Excellent | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Hydrogen Sulfide, wet | Poor | Fair to good | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Methyl Alcohol (Methanol) | Excellent | Excellent | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK) | Poor | Poor | Poor | Poor | Excellent |
| Steam | Poor | Fair to good | Poor | Excellent | Excellent |
| Toluene | Poor | Poor | Excellent | Fair to good | Excellent |
Description
The following guide is designed to assist the user in determining the suitability of different elastomers in various oil field environments. The ratings are based on published literature and chemical testing. No representation, guarantees or warranties of any kind are made to the accuracy or suitability of the information presented. Users are recommended to conduct their own evaluation to determine suitability for their specific application.
| Segments | Environment | Elastomers | Sealing Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drilling | -40 to 250 F to 7,500 psi | HNBR, FKM | Abrasion resistance,low compression set, drilling mud and hydrocarbon resistance |
| Measurement while drilling (MWD) | -40 to 250 F to 7,500 psi | HNBR, NBR | Extrusion resistance, low friction, high flex life drilling mud resistance |
| Blow-out Preventors (BOP) | -40 to 250F to 1,500 psi | NBR, HNBR | Abrasion resistance, resiliency, AED, Ambient temperature stability |
| Cementing Equipment | -40 to 250 F to 1,500 psi | NBR, HNBR | Abrasion resistance, chemical resistance |
| Logging Equipment | -40 to 250 F to 1,500 psi | NBR, HNBR |
High pressure, high temperature, chemical resistance |
| Perforating Equipment | -40 to 250 F to 7,500 psi | HNBR, FKM | High temperature, high pressure, chemical resistance |
| Well Head BOP/Choke & Kill | -40 to 250 F to 1,500 psi | NBR, HNBR, FKM | Abrasion resistance, resiliency, AED, ambient temperature stability |
| Flow Control | 32 to 300 F to 10,000 psi |
HNBR, FKM | High pressure, high temperature, chemical resistance, abrasion resistance |
| Sand Control | 32 to 300 F to 10,000 psi | HNBR, FKM | Abrasion resistance, chemical resistance |
| Packers | 32 to 300 F to 10,000 psi | NBR, HNBR, | High pressure, high temperature, resiliency, chemical resistance |
| Safety Valves | 32 to 300 F to 10,000 psi | FKM, FEPM | Resiliency, AED, chemical resistance |
| Fracturing Equipment | -40 to 250 F to 7,500 psi | HNBR, FKM | Chemical resistance, high pressure |
| Pumps | -40 to 250 F to 7,500 psi |
HNBR, FKM |
Chemical resistance, high pressure, high temperature |
| Chemicals | -40 to 250 F to 7,500 psi | HNBR, FKM, FEPM | Chemical resistance, high pressure, high temperature |
Oil & Gas Elastomer Temperature Range
Description
Applications in the Oil & Gas Industry can often be served by more than one type of elastomer. The following chart presents typical application ranges for several traditional elastomers based on the service temperature and environment.
| -50 °C | 0 | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 | 250 | 300 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Completion Fluid Acidic (pH=2) | FKM | FEPM | FFKM | ||||||||||||
| Completion Fluid Acidic (pH=11) | NBR | HNBR FEPM | FFKM | ||||||||||||
| Completion Fluid Oil based | NBR | HNBR FEPM | FKM | FFKM | |||||||||||
| Crude Oil - sweet | NBR | HNBR FEPM | FKM | FFKM | |||||||||||
| Crude Oil - sour (wet + amines) | NBR | HNBR | FEPM | FFKM | |||||||||||
| Crude Oil - sour (kerosene/H2S/H2O) | NBR | FKM FEPM | FFKM | ||||||||||||
| Sour gas - wet (H2S, C02, CH4) | HNBR | FEPM | FFKM | ||||||||||||
| Explosive decompression | HNBR | FEPM | |||||||||||||
| Geothermal | EPDM | FEPM | FFKM | ||||||||||||
| Drilling Mud oil based | NBR | HNBR FEPM | FKM | FFKM | |||||||||||
| Drilling Mud water based | NBR | FEPM | FFKM | ||||||||||||
| -58 °F | 32 | 122 | 212 | 302 | 392 | 482 | 572 | ||||||||