Equipment used in the oil and gas exploration and production industry must be able to withstand the harsh conditions found in oilfields, offshore drilling rigs, and petrochemical processing plants. When high pressures, high temperatures, abrasive fluids, and saltwater combine, plastics are ideally suited for the challenge. When the proper material is selected, performance plastics provide longer lifespans under conditions that would significantly deteriorate most metals over time.
Advantages of Plastics
When cost, downtime, and rig personnel safety are critical, plastics are often the best choice for oil and gas drilling applications. These high-performance plastic materials result in equipment component solutions that provide benefits such as long life, low maintenance, and significant cost savings. These materials are perhaps the most efficient products to use because they were specifically designed to be versatile and durable in a variety of harsh environments. Piedmont Plastics supplies a wide range of engineering thermoplastics used in petrochemical refining, oil and gas exploration, oil refining, fracking, pumping and sub-sea systems, LNG and LPG gas transfer.
Common Plastics for Oil and Gas Applications
PEEK is a high-performance material that exhibits exceptional strength, dimensional stability, and abrasion resistance. PEEK is also resistant to moisture like steam and salt water, and it can operate in a variety of high temperature ranges. Despite the high pressures and extreme temperatures of oil and gas environments, PEEK can still retain its physical properties Some common applications for PEEK include downhole drilling tools and valve seats.
PTFE has a low coefficient of friction, excellent electrical properties, high chemical resistance, and stability in wide temperature ranges. PTFE can be used for applications such as downhole drilling tools, bearings and bushings, seals and gaskets, valve seats, and thrust washers.
Phenolic Materials are hard, dense materials made by applying heat and pressure to varying weighted layers of paper, cotton, or a glass fabric mix that is impregnated with a synthetic resin. Phenolics are approximately half the weight of aluminum and their physical toughness resists abrasion and friction, as well as impact and material fatigue. Phenolics also have low water absorption and dissipation factors, corrosion resistance to several chemicals, and superior electrical characteristics exhibited over a wide range of temperatures and humidity. Some common phenolic applications include bushings, thrust washers, gaskets, spacers, rings, collars, and violent storm or ballistic protection.
Cast Nylon has exceptional toughness, resistance to wear, and great tensile strength. It is lightweight and exhibits a low coefficient of friction and is chemically and thermally resistant. Cast nylon has almost limitless production possibilities and is easy to machine and fabricate. It also is very cost efficient! Nylon can be used in applications such as bearings and bushings, seals and gaskets, thrust washers, and valve seats.
Polycarbonate is a transparent plastic material with exceptional impact resistance, toughness, low moisture absorption, dielectric properties, and flame retardance. Polycarbonate is 30 times stronger than acrylic and over 200 times stronger than glass. It is also lightweight, weighing six times less than glass. Polycarbonate can be used in applications such as safety partitions and heavy equipment glazing.
