PRE AND POST-SWELLING MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF A WATER-SWELLING ELASTOMER
Swelling elastomers are a very recent development in the world of advanced polymers, and are being successfully used in the form of packers and other sealing elements in various oilfields. Improved design of sealing elements and prediction of seal performance under different well conditions require a good knowledge of mechanical response of the swelling elastomer. This study reports results of hardness and tensile testing carried out on disc and ring samples of a water-swelling elastomer. Material properties of the elastomer were measured before swelling and periodically after swelling for a total testing time of 15 weeks, under water salinities of 0.6%, 12%, and 25%, and temperatures of 25°C, 50°C, 80°C, and 97°C. Reported results can be used by oilfield engineers as prequalification of the elastomer for downhole applications, and by designers using numerical simulations for improvement of elastomer-based sealing and packer design.
Mechanical Testing and Characterization of a Swelling Elastomer
Elastomers are being increasingly used for sealing and other applications in the oil and gas industry. Specifically developed elastomers possess durable properties and have the ability to withstand detrimental effects of heat, chemicals, and harsh environments. For successful modeling and simulation of various downhole processes, it is very important to determine the behavior of elastomer materials under realistic well conditions. Of special interest is the class known as swelling elastomers. This article reports some results from experiments conducted on mechanical testing and characterization of an inert (nonswelling) and a water-swelling elastomer (both belonging to the EPDM family) used for sealing purposes by a local petroleum development firm. Experiments were designed and conducted in accordance with standard ASTM test methods. Apart from regularly available testing equipment, some simple test rigs and fixtures were designed and fabricated. Elastomer behavior was tested for hardness, compression set (at different temperatures and for different periods of time), tensile set (for different periods of time), tensile properties (fracture strength and percent elongation), and swelling. In the swelling test, different sample geometries (unconfined samples and samples mounted on steel plate) were tested for a total duration of 1000 h (roughly 45 days) in salt solutions of different concentrations and at different temperatures. Results show that compression set increases with increasing temperature and testing time, while room temperature tensile set also increases with longer testing time. Compared to the inert elastomer (exhibiting nonlinear elastic behavior like normal rubbers), swelling elastomer surprisingly showed linear stress—strain response. As expected, the inert elastomer did not exhibit any change in volume, while the swelling elastomer showed significant volume/thickness increase with increasing test temperature and decreasing salt concentration.
Preparation and properties of water-swellable elastomer
A series of water-swellable elastomers were prepared by blending chlorinated polyethylene (CPE) with poly(acrylic acid–acrylic amide) [P(AA–AM)]. The effect of component on its water-absorbent properties such as degree of swelling, swelling ratio, and weight loss ratio was discussed. Mechanical behavior of blends was also investigated. The results indicate that swelling rate of CPE/P(AA–AM) was very quick; the blend reached its equilibrium state in only 30 min. The equilibrium swelling ratio increased with increasing amounts of water-absorbent resin, the greater the amount of P(AA–AM), the higher the swelling degree. The effect of temperature on swelling ratio was very interesting, below 30°C, with an increase of temperature, the swelling ratio of blend increased, but above 30°C, with an increase of temperature, the swelling ratio decreased, indicating that this is a temperature-sensitive water-swellable elastomer. The effect of pH of solutions on the swelling behavior showed that water absorption of blends was heavily influenced by pH. The effect of different metal ions on the swelling behavior were also studied and the results showed that the absorption of blends was decreased dramatically with increasing the charge number of the cation, but was not influenced by radius and valence state of the anion. Owing to the compatibility of the amphiphilic graft copolymer (CPE-g-PEG), the equilibrium swelling ratio of the blends increased and the weight loss ratio decreased. Adding CPE-g-PEG can improve the mechanical behavior of blends. But too much grafted copolymer can worsen the tensile strength of blends. Tensile strength of blends decreased with an increase in P(AA-AM). After absorbing water, the material's strength is greater than in the dry state. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 1719–1723, 2004