When the heat is on and the pressure is high polymer solutions come into play
Components used in offshore equipment must perform extremely reliably under severe service conditions of high loads and extreme temperatures – often where space is at a premium. Failures can add up to high costs for repair and especially for extended periods of lost production. Latest innovations in the sector of advanced polymer materials meet the challenges of higher temperatures and pressures posed particularly in deepwater applications.

A brief case study
During the design phase of a micro-turbine used in the offshore industry, the project engineer consulted with Quadrant EPP’s technical experts to identify a strong, stable sealing material that could withstand extraordinarily high PV (pressure & velocity) loading and temperature, with minimal wear over extended servicing periods. The carbon fibre reinforced material Duratron® T7130 PAI was the material chosen and machined into precision parts. This material has the high strength and stiffness to withstand the extreme pressures typical in use. Its unique combination of strength, stiffness and wear resistance out performs higher priced materials and its ability to hold precision tolerances over temperature swings and resist wear from dynamic loading made it an ideal candidate for use in the micro-turbine environment.

The advantages of light weight and corrosion resistant polymers in traditional applications have long been appreciated by engineers in the oil and gas industries. However there has been reluctance in some areas to consider plastics in far more demanding applications where temperature resistance and the ability to work at high pressures are key. The Polybenzimidazole-based polymer Duratron® CU60 PBI for instance, is the highest performance engineering thermoplastic available today. Thanks to its unique property profile, including the ability to work at continuous temperatures of 310ºC, it just might bring the ultimate solution where no other plastic material can.