New fluorocarbon elastomers for seals for geothermal and other aggressive environments

Abstract

Geothermal brines at 600 F which contain metallic salts, H{sub 2}S, and hydrocarbons quickly degrade conventional hydrocarbon elastomers, and hydrolyse crosslinks. Carbon-carbon and carbon-fluorine bonds are expected to be superior, but no such elastomer is now commercially available. We have prepared crosslinked, perfluorocarbon elastomers by radiation crosslinking VDFHFP and TFEP (alternating) copolymers in film and sheet form, and then converting C-H bonds to C-F bonds with elemental Fluorine gas. EPLM elastomers became brittle on fluorination. The best products exceeded 100 days survival at 300 C in simulated geothermal brine. Tensile, elongation, solvent swelling, and TCA methods were used to study the products