Multifunctional Filler-modified Polymers for Enhanced Reliability of Unconventional Oil Processing Equipment

聚合物涂层和密封件在管道和泵送设备的耐腐蚀性和耐磨性方面具有诱人的性能。在两个相关的子项目中，将研究在聚合物基材料中添加微米和纳米级填料，以提高涉及高温条件的应用的热性能，并在持续磨损导致材料损失的情况下改善形状一致性。具体地说，将研究纳米石墨(NGP)填料的效果以及其他软或硬填料可能产生的协同影响。这项研究的目的是在耐磨保护的背景下扩展填充改性聚合物的知识库，最终产生用于耐磨涂层和密封件的新型聚合物系统。将采用由建模技术和实验相结合的综合方法来实现科学和技术目标。这种方法将促进对材料行为的透彻理解，并使具有所需性能的材料的系统开发成为可能。通过与工业合作伙伴加拿大辛克鲁德的合作，技术知识将有效地转移到自然资源和能源部门的广泛运营商以及设备制造商和材料供应商。因此，该项目不仅承诺在新知识和HQP培训方面为合作伙伴和大学研究人员带来直接好处，而且通过提高设备可靠性和降低维护成本，也将对加拿大工业产生重大影响。

Polymer coatings and seals possess attractive properties in terms of corrosion and wear resistant characteristics for piping and pumping equipment. In two related sub-projects, the addition of mirco- and nano-scale fillers into polymer-based materials will be studied to enhance thermal properties for applications involving elevated temperature conditions, and improve shape conformity during continued wear-induced material loss. Specifically, the effect of nanographene platelet (NGP) fillers and possible synergistic influences of other soft or hard filler materials will be investigated. The aim of this research is to expand the knowledge base for filler-modified polymers in the context of wear protection, ultimately leading to novel polymer systems for wear-resistant coatings and seals. The scientific and technical objectives will be pursued using a comprehensive approach consisting of modeling techniques, in conjunction with experiments. This approach will foster a thorough understanding of the material behavior and enable the systematic development of materials with desirable properties. Through collaboration with the industrial partner, Syncrude Canada, technical knowledge will be transferred effectively to a broad range of operators in the natural resource and energy sector as well as to equipment manufacturers and material suppliers. This project, therefore, does not only promise direct benefits to partner and university researchers in terms of new knowledge and HQP training, but also to a significant part to Canadian industry through improving equipment reliability and reduced maintenance costs.