The Choice of Seal Materials for Oil and Gas Industry

A comparison of the properties of rubbers, that are mainly used as materials for the manufacture of seals used in the oil and gas industry, is presented. These are technical vulcanized rubbers based on the following rubbers: ethylene-propylene diene, butadiene-acrylonitrile, hydrogenated butadiene-acrylonitrile, fluoroelastomer, tetrafluoroethylene propylene, perfluoroelastomers. Their resistance to the action of physical and chemical factors that determine the properties of working environments is assessed: the temperature range of working capacity, resistance to ozone and aging under the influence of atmospheric factors, chemical resistance to the action of materials of working environments. The list of environments to which the considered rubbers are resistant and not resistant is given. Resistance to high-speed gas decompression has been noted. For rubbers based on tetrafluoroethylene propylene and perfluoroelastomers, the possibility of using them for work in vacuum is indicated. It is concluded that, despite the high cost, rubbers based on tetrafluoroethylenepropylene and perfluoroelastomers have the best set of properties for operation in the oil industry.