ELASTOMERS IN THE OIL FIELD

Even before Spindletop "gushered" in the great Texas oil boom in 1901, rubber chemistry and technology played a key role in the pressure and flow control of hydrocarbons from petroleum reservoirs. This key role for rubber in the oil field continues today, where the cost of construction of an oil or gas well can exceed a billion dollars. Almost all equipment used in downhole drilling and completion operations currently depends on elastomers and other sealing materials to provide steady, reliable performance during service. Although the cost of the individual seals used downhole in a well represents only a fraction of the total well cost, the seals are critical to well performance and safety. Sealing mechanisms are at the heart of any drilling, completion, or production system and are the primary components on which the functional success and longevity of the system rests. Modem drilling systems, with their significant use of onboard electronic components and sensors, rely heavily on nonmetallic seals to prevent well environmental contamination while withstanding sustained dynamic loadings throughout service. Well completion systems can be categorized by either relatively short-term applications, after which seals can be changed or maintained, or long-term applications, in which seals are expected to perform without change or maintenance for 20 years or longer. The assurance of these systems' continued performance throughout the life of the well, whether the expected life is short or long, is of vital importance.