High-Temperature Elastomer Study For Minerals Management Service (MMS)

Since the advent of oil drilling, high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) well conditions have always been interesting to blow-out preventer (BOP) manufacturers, operators, contractors, and regulators because they represent the upper limit of equipment performance (or performance envelope of the equipment). A BOP is primarily a safety device and is expected to perform flawlessly for all anticipated drilling, completion, and workover conditions. However, BOPs rely on molded elastomers to effect their containment seal, and a basic characteristic of elastomers is softening at high temperature. This softening makes it challenging to form a reliable seal at high pressure because the elastomer tends to extrude through any unsupported gaps.

In the quest for difficult-to-find oil, ever deeper and more challenging wells are being drilled. As the industry pushes towards deeper wells, drillers tap into hotter geological formations. Since safety is paramount at these drilling depths, it behooves the industry to investigate the state of HPHT technology every few years, looking for advances/breakthroughs in technology or required revisions to existing standards. The present study builds upon previous studies from the mid 1990s and assesses the changes since then.