PLASTICS CENTURY IN THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

Derkunska Zhanna, Volynets Valentyna

Poltava Petroleum and Gas College

Poltava National Technical

Yuri Kondratyuk University

 

        Modern plastics astonishingly diverse, they have become common attributes of our everyday life, engineering, chemical, food, quite confidently took its place in the oil and gas industry, although recently the discovery was just a huge step forward in the development of industrial technologies.

         In 1862, at the Great International Exhibition in London, English chemist, metallurgist, inventor Alexander Park presented to the public the first plastic, which he called parkezyn. It was hard, ivory material made from cellulose treated with nitric acid and solvent. Parkezyn was a brand name to first artificial plastic.

        Modern plastics are produced by chemical reactions - polymerization and polycondensation processes of different polymers, natural and synthetic origin. Their unique structure and properties not only cause the creation of innovative products, but also areas of industry.

        Oil and gas industry provides production, transportation, storage and processing of oil and natural gas, which are the main sources of primary energy in the world today, and are crucial for economic development of any country.

        In the oil and gas industry clearly defined the following main areas of application of plastics, as structural materials for machine parts and devices; as a material for pipes; as material containers for storage and transportation of oil; protection of machines and pipes from the effects of chemically aggressive environments; as the plugging material for severe conditions of posting well; for mounting productive zones; to improve the technological properties of mud.

       The use of plastics as construction material for the equipment in manufacture is used. Developed and implemented a large number of plastic parts, the most interesting of which are the following: responsible rig parts - brake pads; rotor and stator Turbine drills; impellers submerged centrifugal pumps which normally operate in oil wells with sulfur; impeller internal combustion engines; pump impellers; Pulleys for machine-beam units; plastic piston ring compressors; gaskets for sealing flange joints fountain fixtures; safety plugs and rings to protect threaded connections geology exploration pipes; Cuff seal valves and pistons pump discharge line for condensate and oil from the receiving apparatus oil and  gas storage compressor stations in industrial parks; filters. Plastic pads for receiving and exhaust lines in the cooling system of compressors and auxiliary equipment are successfully operated. The use of plastic seals in valves (seals rods, etc.) has reduced gas losses and gas area.

      The oil and gas industries are the largest consumers of pipes. Plastic pipes began to be applied to fields in the US since 1949. Gradually, these technologies are spread increasingly displacing traditional pipe materials for oil and gas pipelines, pump - compressor pipes. With the success of polyethylene pipes used for injection and vacuum prefabricated piping for gas compressor stations and compressors for refrigeration systems. Experience has shown that the use of pipes made of plastic due to several advantages over pipes made of traditional materials, including: a lack of corrosion on the inner surface of the influence of the environment, which is pumped, and the external influence of soil and groundwater; no wax deposits when transporting high sulfur crude oils; high hydraulic characteristics; High resistance to stray currents; no condensation on the outside of the pipe; connectivity of pipelines with other materials; high flexibility, allowing you to store and transport tubes in coils and coils; low cost installation and padding compared with steel pipes. The service life of pipelines is about 50 years.

          Nowadays the widely growing use pipes with fiberglass, which at the same strength four times lighter than steel, do not corrode, resistant to oil, gas condensate, do not require electrical safety of stray current, easy to install, different low combustibility, increased physical and mechanical properties, durability and resistance to overload, not overgrown with smooth inner surface, which allows the use in pipelines of smaller diameter tubes, suitable for transporting oil, can be used for drainage devices. Glass - a promising material for non-metallic tubing and casing that work in specific severe conditions of high mechanical stress, chemical exposure environment, high temperature.

    Plastic storage tanks for oil and petroleum products appeared relatively recently. They have a square shape, greatly facilitates transport and have low capacity. This is a small fortress walls, which is used to manufacture a variety of special plastic. The amount of storage does not exceed five cubic meters, so they are unsuitable for use in industrial scale. To give greater strength of the walls, they are reinforced on the outside. No need for available viewing window because the manufacturing of storage used light translucent plastic.

       Soft containers called "flexible tankers" used for shipping. There are floating containers for transportation and storage of submarine oil. The material for the manufacture of cylinders is nylon, PVC reinforced film or fabric impregnated rubber. Polyethylene and fiberglass manufacturing capacity is in a hard road and rail tankers and containers of different sizes.

          Protection of equipment and pipelines against corrosion is another major area of ​​application of plastics. To eliminate the premature destruction of isolated working surfaces chemically resistant coatings is special plastic, y that ensures no penetration of various aggressive environments.

          Covering with plastic made as a lining, taxation of the working surface sheet or synthetic material, or as a coating.

          Plastics are used for fighting absorption of drilling fluid during the drilling of porous rocks. For that purpose, such as mud injected pieces of cellophane as filler. Cellophane swells in water and prevents the release of mud into the pores of the rock.

       Plastics are used in the process of strengthening the productive sands poorly connected areas. The sand forms a shaft hole plugs that block access to the surface of the oil and gas and much destroy underground and ground service equipment. For fixing bottom hole used phenol resins mixed with coarse sand. The effectiveness is proved by laboratory and industrial research.

 

                  

        Nowadays, scientists around the world actively continue to  work towards a new, modern construction materials. It is proved that the use of plastic profitable economically. For example, one ton of plastic replaces three tons of non-ferrous metals, besides plastic parts 9-10 times less expensive bronze and about 15 times - babbitt. The complexity of the processing  plastics is much less than the processing of metals. Analyzing the properties of modern plastic, gives an opportunity to say that this material is closely related past, present and future of major industries and humanity in general.

RESOURCES

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