HIGH-TEMPERATURE EPOXY-BASED COMPOSITES

Oil-well equipment for oil production operates under complex and changing circumstances. Well pressure and temperature can reach 100 MPa and 200 °С. Chemicals are pumped into oil-wells to enhance oil yield. However, this leads to an accelerated corrosion and contributes to the equipment breakdown. Adverse effects on the equipment can be decreased through use of protecting coatings with multi-function properties.Epoxy coatings are popular. However, they are limited by operating temperature of 130 °C. If the temperature is exceeded, epoxy coatings lose their protective properties. However, researches claim that the heat resistance can be modified through epoxy resin fillers. This allows to create new composites with advanced properties. To create composites that can function under an elevated temperatures we need to research the components selection further.The article describes how the composite components influence its heat resistance. The research is based on the Wick's method. The composites matrix is ED-16, ED-20 and ED-22 epoxy-diane resin. The hardeners are PO-300, HT-450 and PEPA. The fillers are carbon nanotubes, carbon fiber, carbonaceous filament and graphene. If we add fillers to the composite based on ED-22 and HT-450 hardener, the heat resistance doubles compared to the unfilled cured resin. It is hypothesised that the epoxy free groups or hardener's free aminogen groups effect the heat resistance, because these groups can react with the fillers and result its spacious structure. This effects the composites properties.The findings serve as the basis for developing composite coatings for oil-well equipment to protect it against harsh environment.