Due to the increase in need for combustibles, in particular oil, sweet hydrocarbon
reservoirs are fast becoming depleted. This has led to the need to tap into sour reservoirs. The
presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the reservoirs has presented new challenges to oil
production companies. Among these challenges is determining the effect of H2S on
elastomeric seals used in oil production systems.
This paper examines the effect of H2S on both the mechanical and chemical properties
of elastomers commonly used in the petrochemical industry. Exposures to an extreme
aggressive environment containing H2S at high temperature and pressure, inside an autoclave
have been used to test the elastomers in both artificial seawater and mixtures of hydrocarbons.
The elastomers were subjected to preconditioning in similar environments at high temperature
without the pressure. Mechanical properties (tensile strength, modulus, hardness) have been
measured and compared to the mechanical properties of un-exposed samples. Samples
exposed for a relatively short time under the severe conditions tend to absorb H2S and
increase in volume. The results are shown in this manuscript.