case studies
The VICTREX® PEEK™ polymer family of thermoplastic products has helped make important advances in the exploration and production of energy, particularly oil and gas.
A range of applications incorporating VICTREX PEEK polymer have provided longer equipment service life in more severe conditions, including higher temperatures and pressures. It has been instrumental in helping companies achieve higher production rates, reduce downtime, and lower maintenance requirements.
Greene, Tweed & Co.: Sub-sea and Down Hole Connector Moldings
The Challenge
Greene, Tweed & Co., of Houston, Texas, is a leading manufacturer of specialty seals and precision engineered plastic components for a variety of industries including industrial, oilfield, semiconductor, aerospace and more.
For their SealConnect® XCD electrical connector line, designed for use in oilfield exploration both onshore and offshore, Seal-Connect connectors are used to communicate data reliably and effectively at extreme depths and pressures. Insulation resistance must be maintained at highly elevated temperatures: Seal-Connect connectors are rated for continuous service at 30,000 psi and temperatures of up to 500°F
(260°C).
The Solution
Greene, Tweed & Co., specified VICTREX® HT™ polymer as the base for its ARLON® 2000 thermoplastic material used in its SealConnect® XCD electrical connector line. VICTREX HT provides the insulation resistance necessary to protect signals at the extreme temperatures reached during oil recovery.
VICTREX HT also enhances Greene, Tweed’s ARLON 2000 thermoplastic capabilities, allowing overmolding conductive pins to create a void-free connector, completely isolating the conductor.
The Seal-Connect connector is designed to operate within a very tight space. Compared with conventional hermetic connectors, which use glass, ceramic and metal parts, these state-of-the-art connectors feature a single ARLON 2000 component that is injection molded and machine-finished to meet precise tolerances. Greene, Tweed’s proprietary manufacturing process has eliminated product failure caused by traditional assembly and secondary operations, and provides cost-effective opportunities for design modification, tooling and prototyping.
Fully tested and proven in downhole and sub-sea environments, VICTREX HT was selected because it provides long-term product reliability when exposed to the extremes of temperature and pressure in these adverse conditions. This is complemented by cost effectiveness and the polymer’s ability to provide high precision part reproducibility.
VICTREX HT polymer has been specifically developed to provide superior high temperature performance. With a glass transition temperature of 315°F (157°C) and a melt temperature of 705°F (374°C), it retains mechanical and physical properties at temperatures up to 54°F (30°C) higher than traditional VICTREX PEEK polymer grades.
It also delivers up to three times the wear resistance, substantially higher tensile strength, flexural modulus at 482°F (250°C) and long-term creep and fatigue resistance over a wide temperature range.
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