Elastomer Seals for Oil Production Equipment

The technology of creating water-swellable elastomeric materials for making packer seals usable in the oil production industry is discussed. The effect of hydrophilic additives on the degree of swelling of ethylene-propylene based elastomers in water is studied. Mathematical modeling methods are used to make a predictive estimation of the maximum degree of swelling and rate constants of the swelling process as a function of the composition of water-swellable elastomer composites.