Saint-Gobain Seals has been selected by a major U.S. oil and gas corporation to qualify its Fluoroloy® sealing solutions and polymer materials to enhance oil recovery for an ultra-high pressure field in the Gulf of Mexico, contributing chemical compatibility tests with requirements for 20,000 psi pressure (20K) valve qualification. Purpose of the testing will assess the suitability of non-metallic sealing materials in specific stimulation hydrofluoric acid fluid mixtures representative of the composition commonly used in the Gulf area.
Saint-Gobain Seals was asked to partner on the Gulf project due to their decades of experience in designing engineered sealing systems such as OmniSeal® spring-energized seals for critical valve stems and heavy R&D investment such as their Kontich laboratory expansion, related to high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) conditions where pressure rating is greater than 15,000 psi and/or temperature rating is greater than 350°F (177°C).
The testing procedure consisted of ageing material samples and complete seal stacks in a hydrofluoric acid mixture at 20,000 psi pressure and 300°F (149°C) temperature for 160 hours. Material physical property measurements were made to account for changes in tensile, hardness, mass, density, volume and deformation under load before and after exposure. Official pass and fail criteria are based, at minimum, on NORSOK M-710, edition 3 standard, which defines the requirements for critical non-metallic (polymer) sealing, seat and back up materials for permanent use in subsea, including well completion, X-mas trees, control systems and valves as well as topside valves in critical gas systems.
Carried out by a third party laboratory, the complete immersion test campaign resulted in the confirmation of each of the four Saint-Gobain Seals’ Fluoroloy® materials meeting the requirements of NORSOK M-710, edition 3 standard after hydrofluoric acid fluid exposure up to 300°F (149°C) temperature.
