Interfacial friction effects on sealing performances of elastomer packer

Elastomer sealing performance is of critical importance for downhole tools application including the use of fracturing(Frac)plugs during multi-stage hydraulic fracking.In practice sealing performances of such plugs are normally evaluated through pressure tests,and in numerical simulation studies,maximum contact stress,average contact stress and contact length data are used to determine sealing quality between a packer and casing.In previous studies,the impact of friction forces on sealing performance is often overlooked.This work aims to fill this knowledge gap in determining the influence of friction forces on elastomer packer sealing performances.We first determined the most appropriate constitutive hyperelastic model for the elastomers used in frac plug.Then we compared analytical calculation results with Finite Element Analysis simulation using a simplified tubular geometry and showed the significant influences on interfacial friction on elastomer packer stress distribution,deformation,and contact stress after setting.With the demonstration of validity of FEA method,we conducted systematic numerical simulation studies to show how the interfacial friction coefficients can affect the maximum contact stress,average contact stress,contact stress distribution,and maximum mises stress for an actual packer used in plug products.In addition,we also demonstrated how the groove in a packer can affect packer deformation and evolvement during setting with the consideration of interfacial stress.This study underscores the critical role that friction forces play in Frac plug performance and provides a new dimension for optimizing packer design by controlling interfacial interactions at the packer contact surfaces.

Sealing Performance and Optimization of a Subsea Pipeline Mechanical Connector

Researchers seldom study the optimum design of a mechanical connector for subsea oil-gas pipeline based upon the sealing performance. An optimal design method of a novel subsea pipeline mechanical connector is presented. By analyzing the static metal sealing mechanism, the critical condition of the sealing performance is established for this connector and the formulation method of the contact pressure on the sealing surface is created. By the method the minimum mean contact pressure of the 8.625 inch connector is calculated as 361 MPa, which is the constraint condition in the optimum design of connector.The finite element model is created in ANSYS Parametric Design Language(APDL) and the structure is optimized by the zero-order method, with variance of contact pressure as the objective function, and mean contact pressures and plastic strains as constraint variables. The optimization shows that variances of contact pressure on two sealing surfaces decrease by 72.41% and 89.33%, respectively, and mean contact pressures increase by 31.18% and 52.84%, respectively. The comparison of the optimal connectors and non-optimal connectors in the water pressure experiments and bending experiments shows that the sealing ability of optimized connectors is much higher than the rated pressure of 4.5 MPa, and the optimal connectors don’t leak under the bending moment of 52.2 kN·m.This research provides the formulation to solve contact pressure on the sealing surface and a structure optimization method to design the connectors with various dimensions.

Numerical Analysis of Magnetic Fluid Sealing Performance

The sealing performance of magnetic fluid is related to the magnetic fluid itself. Many factors can influence the magnetic field and the seal pressure differences of magnetic fluid seals, such as the sealing gap, the shaft eccentricity, the shaft diameter, the volume of the magnetic fluid and the centrifugal force. These factors are analyzed by numerical computation. When the seal material and structure are the same, the seal pressure difference is directly proportional to the magnetic field intensity and the saturation magnetization of the magnetic fluid. The sealing performance of the magnetic fluid will reduce with the increase of the sealing gap and shaft eccentricity. The sealing performance will increase with the volume of the magnetic fluid and decrease with the increase of the shaft diameter taking gravity into account. The increase of the shaft diameter is the same as the reduction of the volume of the magnetic fluid. The magnetic fluid cross-section can change because of the centrifugal force. Some improvements can reducc the influence of the centrifugal force. The centrifugal force can be utilized to improve the sealing performance.

Microscopic properties and sealing performance of new gas drainage drilling sealing material

The geological condition of Chinese coal mines are complex and high gassy,which account for ffty percent to seventy percent.Because of the abundant pores and cracks around the drainage drilling hole,the gas concentration attenuates rapidly,and the effective gas drainage period is short.The traditional sealing materials of yellow mud and cement-sand grout will readily shrink after the drilling hole is sealed,the sealing length is short and the sealing quality is not satisfactory.Currently widely used polyurethane material will shrink when it comes into contact with water,and the price is also very high.In this study,taking cement as a base material,a novel composite sealing material mixed by expansion admixture,additive,and fbrin and coupling agent was developed and the sealing performance and expansion property of the material were also studied and analyzed.The FEI Quanta TM 250 environmental scanning electron microscope was used to investigate the microstructure of material.The results revealed that the new composite sealing material had a desirable expansion performance and a defnite fluidity convenient for grouting.The solidifed material,combining closely with the drilling wall,possessed an adequate strength and was not easy to shrink.Compared to the conventional polyurethane,the gas drainage concentration by drilling sealing exceeded 40 percent,and the sealing capacity improves5 times,the sealing effect increases signifcantly.

Analysis of Factors Affecting Sealing Performance of Subsea Wellhead Connector

Subsea wellhead connector is the key equipment for offshore oil and gas production. The working water depth is generally more than 500 m, so it has higher requirements for its sealing performance. In this paper, the VX gasket matched with H-4 subsea wellhead connector is taken as the research object, and the mechanical analysis under preload and production conditions is carried out. The finite element model of subsea wellhead connector is established by ABAQUS software, and the influence of axial preload, production pressure and material properties on the sealing performance of VX gasket is studied. The results show that the greater the axial preload, the greater the contact stress on the gasket surface;the contact stress decreases first and then increases linearly with the increase of production pressure;the material properties of the gasket are also an important factor affecting its sealing performance, 316L stainless steel is more suitable for gasket material than 304 stainless steel and Inconel625.

Evaluation of the dynamic sealing performance of cap rocks of underground gas storage under multi-cycle alternating loads

The static sealing of underground gas storage(UGS),including the integrity of cap rocks and the stability of faults,is analyzed from a macro perspective using a comprehensive geological evaluation method.Changes in pore structure,permeability,and mechanical strength of cap rocks under cyclic loads may impact the rock sealing integrity during the injection and recovery phases of UGS.In this work,the mechanical deformation and failure tests of rocks,as well as rock damage tests under alternating loads,are conducted to analyze the changes in the strength and permeability of rocks under multiple-cycle intense injection and recovery of UGS.Additionally,this study proposes an evaluation method for the dynamic sealing performance of UGS cap rocks under multi-cycle alternating loads.The findings suggest that the failure strength(70%)can be used as the critical value for rock failure,thus providing theoretical support for determining the upper limit of operating pressure and the number of injection-recovery cycles for the safe operation of a UGS system.

Sealing performance analysis of rubber core of annular BOP:FEM simulation and optimization to prevent the SBZ

The present work studies the influence of oil pipe joint passing through annular blowout preventer(BOP)on its sealing performance in high pressure gas wells under snubbing service.When the oil pipe joint passes through the BOP,due to the change of its structure,it is easy to cause the rubber core seal failure of the BOP,resulting in the leakage of toxic and harmful gas in the well,which seriously threatens the safety of the operators.Aiming at the problem of gas leakage caused by rubber core seal failure of annular BOP,based on the rubber large deformation theory and rubber core seal mechanism,a dynamic finite element model of rubber core-oil pipe joint is established,and the correctness of the model is verified by comparing the failure of rubber core on site;The results show that when the oil pipe joint passes through the BOP,a sealing buffer zone(SBZ)will be formed at the upper and lower shoulder of the joint,and the contact stress of the rubber core will decrease by 10 MPae30 MPa;Because of the funnel effect of the rubber core,the damage of the rubber core caused by the running oil pipe joint of the BOP is greater than that caused by the lift oil pipe joint;When lifting oil pipe,the existence of SBZ is easy to cause gas leakage in the well;The optimized structure of oil pipe joint with small inclination and long shoulder can significantly reduce the influence of SBZ on the sealing performance of BOP.The research work in this paper is of great significance to improve the dynamic sealing performance of BOP.

Sealing performance and mechanical response of mud pump piston

In order to explore the effect of piston cup structure on its sealing characteristics and mechanical properties,a numerical simulation model of the piston cup in the BW-160 mud pump was established.Effects of work load,friction coefficient and cup structure parameters on the sealing and mechanical properties of the piston were discussed under mud discharge condition.The results show that stress concentration on the root and lips of the cup is becoming more and more obvious with the working load increases.The average contact pressure increases with the friction coefficient increases,but an excessive friction coefficient accelerate the wear of the cup and the heat generation.Effect of the piston lip interference and thickness on the sealing performance of the cup is greater than that of the inner wall width.The piston with groove structure can effectively improve the sealing performance of the piston.The mechanical properties of triangular groove cup are better than that of semicircular and trapezoidal groove cup.

Effect of rotor-mounted protrusion on sealing performance and flow structure in rotor-stator cavity

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the effect of protrusion radial position and height on the sealing performance and flow structure in the rotor-stator cavity. The rotormounted protrusions are assembled at three radial positions and are set to three heights. The cavity is equipped with three rim seals: a radial seal, an axial seal and a seal with double fins on the stator.The annulus Reynolds number is set at 4:39 ×10;and the rotational Reynolds number ranges from 7:51×10;to 1:20×10;. Heat and mass transfer analogy is applied. Pressure and CO;concentration are measured. The experimental results show that in cavities with different rim seals, radial distributions of the sealing efficiency, pressure and swirl ratio are basically the same. The sealing performance is improved by protrusions compared with the cavity without protrusion and improves with the increase of protrusion radial position and height. The effect of protrusion increases with the increase of the rotational Reynolds number. The windage loss and the flow resistance introduced by protrusions are investigated. It is found that induced windage loss and flow resistance decrease with the increase of protrusion radial position but increase with the protrusion height.

Analysis on performance and test of a new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint

Analysis as well as application of ultra-high pressure hydraulic system and elements has become a trend. The structure and operation principle of a new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint is introduced. The structure of the new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint is simple and is easy to be produced. The finite element model on two working conditions( preload condition with 30 N·m torque and static-loading condition with 70 MPa pressure) is built and computed. The width of contact area,the equivalent stress status,as well as the contact pressure status are plotted and analyzed. According to the national standard,test on air-tightness,blasting,and cyclic endurance is conducted and the results show that the new type of ultra-high pressure pipe joint has the sealability for ultra-high pressure up to 70 MPa,and the DN6 ultra-high pressure pipe joint can provide effective seal under70 MPa fluid pressure. The research can provide a thinking and method on designing ultra-high pressure pipe joint and push forward the development of ultra-high pressure hydraulic system.

考虑蠕变特性的航空发动机阀门用非金属垫片的密封性能研究

The valve gasket for aero-engine is prone to creep under extreme conditions such as high temperature and high pressure.The creep failure of the gasket leads to valve leakage,which seriously threatens the safe and reliable operation of aero-engine.Aiming at the creep failure of FEP gasket in use,a timehardening creep model of valve gasket seal is established.The effects of time,operating pressure,material and structural parameters on the creep and sealing properties of FEP gaskets are analyzed.The results show that the compression rebound rate of gaskets decreases with the increase of time,and small compression rebound rate will decrease the sealing performance.The creep behavior of FEP gasket increases with the increase of operating pressure.Reducing the fillet radius can reduce the probability of shear failure,but also reduce the contact stress.Increasing the height of the boss can reduce the deformation behavior of the gasket,but reduce the contact stress on the sealing surface.When the gasket bevel angle is 85°,the creep property and contact stress of the gasket are higher than those of other sizes.But large bevel angle leads to the gasket unsticking.Replacing the FEP material with the polyimide material can improve the creep resistance of gaskets and the contact stress of sealing surface.Considering the service life and sealing effect of gasket,the material is replaced with polyimide plastic,the fillet radius is 0.20mm,the bevel angle is 85°and the boss height is 0.2mm.

STUDY ON RECIPROCATING SEALS FOR A LARGER DIAMETER AXIAL PISTON

Sealing performance of the reciprocating seals on a larger diameter (100 mmin diameter) axial piston is theoretically investigated. Based on the characteristics of theclearance flow between the seal and the piston, reasonable boundary conditions for Navier-Stokesequations are determined and the equations are modified, so that the final equations can describethe real flow state of the clearance flow. Through combining the final equations with finite elementmethod, the pressure distributions within the clearance field during the reciprocating motion ofthe piston and the leakage rate with the pressure are studied. The deflections of the seal whichaffect sealing performance are calculated as well. Sealing performance of piston seals using oil asthe working liquid is compared with using water. It is concluded that the seal using water as theworking liquid is under dry friction, which cannot be dealt with the theory of fluid mechanics. Theseal structure is only acceptable using oil as the working liquid..

A Visco-hyperelastic Constitutive Model for Rubber Considering the Strain Level and One Case Study in the Sealing Packer

The rubber cylinder is a key component for maintaining the sealing pressure of the packer,particularly in deep underground wells.The stress relaxation of materials,as a typical feature of viscoelasticity,has become one of the main factors causing the failure of rubber cylinders in service.In the present study,a visco-hyperelastic model for the sealing rubber considering different strain levels is proposed based on the Prony series.Subsequently,the uniaxial compression stress relaxation experiments are conducted on the sealing rubber under different temperatures and strain levels,and the model parameters are thereby identified.As a case study,the proposed model is incorporated into the ABAQUS software via the UM AT subroutine,and the finite element simulation of the sealing packer is carried out.The results show that the sealing performance of the packer improves with a decrease in temperature or an increase in strain level.It is also noted that a large strain level can lead to the protrusion of the shoulder of the rubber cylinder.

Nonlinear sealing force of a seawater balance valve used in an 11000-meter manned submersible

Balance valve is a core component of the 11000-meter manned submersible“struggle,”and its sealing performance is crucial and challenging when the maximum pressure difference is 118 MPa.The increasing sealing force improves the sealing performance and increases the system’s energy consumption at the same time.A hybrid analytical–numerical–experimental(ANE)model is proposed to obtain the minimum sealing force,ensuring no leakage at the valve port and reducing energy consumption as much as possible.The effects of roundness error,environmental pressure,and materials on the minimum sealing force are considered in the ANE model.The basic form of minimum sealing force equations is established,and the remaining unknown coefficients of the equations are obtained by the finite element method(FEM).The accuracy of the equation is evaluated by comparing the independent FEM data to the equation data.Results of the comparison show good agreement,and the difference between the independent FEM data and equation data is within 3%when the environmental pressure is 0–118 MPa.Finally,the minimum sealing force equation is applied in a balance valve to be experimented using a deep-sea simulation device.The balance valve designed through the minimum sealing force equation is leak-free in the experiment.Thus,the minimum sealing force equation is suitable for the ultrahigh pressure balance valve and has guiding significance for evaluating the sealing performance of ultrahigh pressure balance valves.

Seal contact performance analysis of soft seals on high-pressure hydrogen charge valves

The charge valve is an important element in the charging port of a high-pressure hydrogen storage cylinder(HP-HSC).It is normally closed after the HP-HSC is filled with hydrogen.If the seal of the charge valve is damaged,it will seriously affect the stable operation of the hydrogen supply system and may even cause safety problems.Therefore,the seal performance of the charge valve is important.In this paper,finite element analysis(FEA)is carried out to analyze the seal contact performance of hydrogenated nitrile rubber(HNBR)gaskets in the seal pair of a charge valve.The effects of different pre-compressions,seal widths,and hydrogen pressures on the seal contact performance of the charge valve are analyzed.The contact pressure on the seal surface increases with the increase of pre-compression.With a pre-compression of 2.5 mm,the maximum contact pressure without and with hydrogen pressure are 68.51 and 107.38 MPa,respectively.A contact gap appears in the inner ring of the seal surface with pre-compression below 0.15 mm.The contact gap occurs between the entire seal surface with a seal width of1 mm.The contact pressure on the seal surface and the width of the separation area between the seal surfaces increase with the increase of the seal width.The contact gap between the seal surfaces is zero with a width of 2.5 mm.The width of the separation area between the seal surfaces decreases with the decrease of the hydrogen pressure.The width of the separation area is reduced from 0.5 mm at 35 MPa to 0.17 mm at 15 MPa.This work can be useful for improvement of the seal performance and of the design of the charge valve used in the HP-HSC.

Dynamic performance of a C/C composite finger seal in a tilting mode

The complex operating state of aeroengines has an impact on the performance of finger seals. However, little work has been focused on the issue and the dynamic performance of finger seals is also rarely studied. Therefore, a distributed mass equivalent model considering working conditions is proposed in this paper for solving the existing problems. The effects of the fiber bundle density and the preparation direction of the fiber bundle of a C/C composite on the dynamic performance of a finger seal are investigated in rotor tilt based on the proposed model. The difference between the C/C composite finger seal performances under the rotor precession and nutation tilt cases is also investigated. The results show that the fiber bundle density and the preparation direction of the fiber bundle have an influence on the dynamic performance of the finger seal as rotor tilt is considered, and the dynamic performance of the finger seal is different in the two kinds of tilting modes. In addition, a novel method for design of finger seals is presented based on the contact pressure between finger boots and the rotor. Finger seals with good leakage rates and low wear can be acquired in this method.

Novel numerical model to simulate water seepage through segmental gasketed joints of underwater shield tunnels considering the superimposed seepage squeezing effect

The water leakage through segmental joint gaskets has become a major concern that adversely affects the normal serviceability of underwater shield tunnels throughout the construction and operational periods.Therefore,it is of great significance to investigate the sealing performances of the joint gaskets,which directly helps evaluate the waterproof capacity of underwater shield tunnels.To date,the numerical modeling plays an irreplaceable role in the analysis on the waterproof capacity of the joint gaskets.Nevertheless,conventional methods tend to ignore the self-sealing effect induced by the water seepage pressurization,thus failing to reveal the progressive evolution of the water infiltration process through the joint gasket.To remedy this defect,this paper proposed a novel numerical model to simulate the penetration process of the sealing gasket based on the Python language-enabled secondary programming in the ABAQUS software,which could fully consider the superimposed seepage squeezing effect.Based on the proposed model,the waterproof failure process and the dynamic contact stress of the gasket’s water seepage path subject to excessive hydraulic pressure were thoroughly investigated.Moreover,indoor tests on the waterproof capacity of the gasket were also performed to validate the proposed model.It is found that the numerical results from the developed model are consistent with the experimental results.This research will contribute to better understanding of the gaskets’hydraulic penetration process and more accurate prediction of the maximum waterproof capacity in underwater shield tunnels.

Thermoelastohydrodynamic behaviour of inclined-ellipse dimpled gas face seals

The thermoelastohydrodynamic performance of an inclined-ellipse dimpled gas face seal is analyzed. The pressure distributions of the gas film and temperature fields of the seal rings and gas film are presented considering thermal and elastic distortions.Then, the influences of texturing parameters, including dimple inclination angle and dimple depth, on sealing performance are investigated under different operating parameters such as rotational speeds and seal pressures. The results show that face distortions lead to a decrease in the hydrodynamic effect at high rotational speed. The analysis shows that the opening force can decrease by more than 50% as the rotational speed increases from 0 to 35000 r min^(-1). The influence of face distortion on the seal performance, such as opening force and leakage characteristic, gradually increases with the rotational speed.