Bal Seals Oilfield Sealing Polymers Achieve NORSOK M-710 Compliance

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. -- Bal Seal Engineering, Inc., a leading producer of custom-engineered sealing solutions for equipment used in oil and gas processes, has achieved NORSOK M-710 compliance for its P-69D HT and GFP-55 HT seal materials. An independent organization confirmed that the materials qualified against the sour gas (H2S) tests defined in the standard.

Shawn Noh, a Global Energy Market Manager for Bal Seal, says the achievement validates earlier internal testing, and that it highlights the companys ability to solve tough oilfield sealing problems.

"These materials are already at work in some of the worlds most demanding energy applications," says Noh. "But the NORSOK test results give us an unbiased, accurate means to represent their performance. More importantly, they provide our customers with an added level of confidence that the seals we engineer with these materials will meet their toughest requirements."

According to Noh, P-69D HT is a blended polymer with a base of polyetheretherketone (PEEK). The GFP-55 HT material is also a blended polymer with a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) base. He says both materials are frequently employed in the design of the companys Bal Seal spring-energized seals, which protect against fluid leakage in top drives, progressive cavity pumps and other critical oilfield equipment.

During the testing, which was conducted by UK-based Element Materials Technology, Bal Seal subjected samples of the P-69D HT and GFP-55 HT to sour multiphase fluid aging and high H2S levels in order to simulate environments found in oil and gas production.

The materials were exposed to a standard NORSOK fluid mixture containing 2 mol% H2S in the test gas mixture. Exposure tests were conducted at 180, 200 and 220° C for up to 49 days, and results show that both materials performed "well within acceptable NORSOK limits."

Developed by the Norwegian petroleum industry to ensure "adequate safety, value adding and cost effectiveness for existing and future petroleum indust