Explosive Decompression of Elastomeric Materials in Oil & Gas Sealing Applications

Explosive Decompression of Elastomeric Materials in Oil & Gas Sealing Applications:

Explosive decompression (ED), also known as rapid gas decompression (RGD), is a phenomenon that occurs in elastomeric parts such as o-rings under high pressure of gases which is then released slowly or quickly to a much lower pressure, or atmospheric pressure, causing damages to the elastomer in the form of blisters, cracks or other form of damages, making the part unable to perform its sealing capability. This paper studied the phenomenon of ED primarily on O&G elastomeric materials and the gases they are commonly exposed to such as CO2, with the goal to understand its causes and the mechanisms by which it occurs, the factors that affect ED, which gases and their major properties that contribute to ED and finally how to minimize or even prevent the damage from occurring, by designing explosive decompression (EDR) resistant elastomers.