Solubility and Diffusivity of CO2 in Elastomers Containing CNT

Understanding the structure-property relationship of elastomers is of critical importance in developing next generation elastomers for high temperature high pressure (HTHP) application, and in extending the application temperature and pressure range of existing Cameron products. Gas dissolution and diffusion in elastomer are essential to understanding the relationship among elastomer structure, rapid gas decompression (RGD) resistance and sealing performance. In this study, solubility and diffusivity (or diffusion efficiency) of CO₂ in HNBR and FKM elastomers comprising CNT were measured using gravimetric method. Rubotherm method was also used to estimate the solubility and swelling of HNBR in both subcritical liquid and supercritical CO₂. It was demonstrated that CNT had a direct impact on CO₂ solubility, diffusion and mechanical properties of elastomers, hence improving the RGD resistance of the elastomers.