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Petrochemical Industry

Smithers Rapra is a world leading supplier of polymer related services to the petrochemical industry solving polymer issues that might impact on the industry. Our specialist laboratories under the guidance of our polymer consultants have developed a range of core skills in a package of high quality services.

Our understanding of rubbers, plastics & other polymers & how they interact in contact with oil derived products & our experience & knowledge of the use of polymers ensures our response to the industry need is prompt & accurate.

Smithers Rapra provides support in:

Specific areas of specialism include.

Failure Analysis

When petrochemical products fail they can damage equipment, injure personnel & cause environmental pollution. Smithers Rapra can assist with safety & quality by providing:

  • On-site audits & investigations
  • Forensic examinations to determine the cause of failure
  • Reviews of documentation
  • Provision of expert reports

Compatibility Testing

The interaction between polymers & the operating environment has a significant influence on long-term performance. Any fluid in contact with a polymer can either swell the material or act as a solvent. The fluid can also cause chemical attack resulting in loss of molecular weight & mechanical properties.

For elastomeric seals & gaskets, fluid compatibility is critical in terms of performance; shrinkage can cause leakage whereas excessive swelling can seize valves & lead to other failure modes. To assess performance, simple immersion tests (ISO 1817, ASTM D471) can be carried out to determine the changes in mechanical properties, hardness & volume.

For plastic materials, however, simple immersion tests are not adequate to assess compatibility as environmental stress cracking (ESC) occurs in the absence of any chemical attack.

A major change in the petrochemical industry is the use of biofuels such as RME & FAME. This can have a significant influence on the compatibility of the rubber & plastic materials used in the supply chain & on vehicles.

Smithers Rapra is able to undertake accelerated ageing programmes to establish the influence of fluids on both rubber & plastic materials. In addition, we can provide a range of reference fluids for use in compatibility testing.

Hose Testing

Smithers Rapra is one of the few independent test facilities that can provide a fully supported service for both hose testing & technical consultancy. Testing includes:

  • Pressure/burst testing
  • Leakage
  • Impulse testing
  • Minimum bend radius
  • Bending fatigue
  • Low temperature flexibility
  • Dimensions
  • Abrasion resistance
  • Permeability
  • Compatibility
  • Ozone resistance
  • Ageing
  • Security of couplings

Life Prediction

For many offshore applications, test data needs to be generated to demonstrate that the materials can meet the service life requirements:

  • Bespoke test programmes can be put together to simulate the test environment.
  • To predict performance, Smithers Rapra can generate the material property data required for use in finite element analysis of rubber & plastic components.

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