ISO 23936 Nonmetallic Materials in Contact with Oil and Gas Production Environments

The “ISO 23936 Oil and gas industries, including low-carbon energy – Nonmetallic materials in contact with environments related to oil and gas production” standard, published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), consists of the following sub-sections published under the same heading:

The standard “ISO 23936-1 Part 1: Thermoplastics” describes general principles, requirements, and recommendations for assessing the stability of non-metallic materials intended for use in equipment in oil and gas exploration and production environments. This information assists in material selection. This standard is applicable to help prevent costly failures of equipment itself that could pose risks to public and personnel health and safety or the environment. It also provides guidance for quality assurance. This standard complements, but does not replace, the material requirements given in relevant design codes, standards, or regulations.

This standard addresses the resistance of thermoplastics to property degradation that may result from physical or chemical interaction and chemical processing with oil and gas field environments where they are produced and injected. Interaction with sunlight and ionizing radiation is outside the scope of this standard.

This standard applies to the evaluation of the stability of nonmetallic materials under simulated hydrocarbon production conditions, with the aim of facilitating material selection for equipment designed and manufactured using traditional design criteria. Designs using other criteria are outside the scope of this standard.

For the purposes of this standard, thermoplastics are materials that have the characteristic temperature range of plastics and can be repeatedly flow-shaped into products by molding, extrusion, or shaping while in a softened state.

The ISO 23936-2 Part 2: Elastomers standard describes the requirements and procedures for the qualification of elastomeric materials used in equipment for oil and gas production. In general, the ISO 23936 standard defines general principles and provides requirements and recommendations for the selection and qualification of non-metallic materials to serve in equipment used in oil and gas production environments. Failure of such equipment may pose risks to the health and safety of the public and personnel or to the environment. This standard is applicable to help prevent failure of the equipment itself. It complements, but does not replace, the material requirements given in relevant design codes, standards, or regulations.

For the purposes of this standard, elastomer (rubber) refers to an amorphous material formed by mechanically mixing other components to create a rubber compound, which is then fluidized through manufacturing processes such as molding or extrusion, and subsequently chemically cured (always) at high temperatures to produce an elastic, insoluble material.

Technical requirements depend on material properties and specific functional tests for an application. Elastomer selection should be based on an assessment of compatibility with the service environment, functionality under service, and design life. This standard covers material testing, not functional testing. When selecting materials, specific considerations should be taken into account and evaluated in accordance with component requirements.

ISO 23936-3 Part 3: Thermosets standard describes general principles, requirements and recommendations for evaluating the stability of thermoset materials, including short fiber-filled or particle-filled resins, excluding continuous fiber-reinforced composites, for service in equipment used in oil and gas exploration and production environments. This standard also provides guidance for quality assurance. This standard complements, but does not replace, the material requirements given in relevant design codes, standards or regulations.

This standard addresses the resistance of thermosets to property degradation that may result from physical or chemical interaction and chemical processing with manufactured and injected oil and gas field environments. Interaction with sunlight and ionizing radiation is outside the scope of this standard.

This standard is not necessarily suitable for application to equipment used in refinery or downstream processes and equipment. Equipment covered includes, but is not limited to, non-metallic pipelines, pipes, linings, gaskets, seals, and washers. Short-term exposure applications include pump plugs, bridge plug components, line wiping plugs, balls, adjustment tools, and hydraulic fracturing tools. Long-term exposure applications include bearings and washers. This standard does not cover tubular products, tanks, and similar items manufactured from continuous fiber-reinforced materials.

Bubbling caused by rapid gas depressurization is outside the scope of this standard. This standard applies to the evaluation of the stability of nonmetallic materials under simulated hydrocarbon production conditions, in order to facilitate material selection for equipment designed and manufactured using conventional design criteria. Designs using other criteria are outside the scope of this standard.

For the purposes of this standard, thermoset refers to a polymeric resin or material which, when cured by heat or chemical reaction, becomes essentially insoluble and does not melt.

This standard is under development.

ISO 23936-4 Part 4: Fiber-reinforced composite materials standard describes general principles, requirements and recommendations for evaluating the stability of fiber-reinforced composite materials designed for use in equipment used in oil and gas production environments.

This standard includes comparative test procedures for composite materials made from polymers (thermoplastics and thermosets) and reinforcing materials (e.g., glass, carbon, aramid, and metals) used as continuous fibers or woven fabrics in equipment used in oil and gas production.

Testing and characterization of pure resins and fiber products are outside the scope of this standard. Equipment covered includes, but is not limited to, non-metallic pipelines, pipes, linings, and downhole instrument components. Bubbling resulting from rapid gas decompression, coatings, and composite particles and short fiber reinforced composites are outside the scope of this document.

For the purposes of this standard, a composite material refers to a fiber-reinforced material system composed of thermoplastic or thermoset polymers and reinforcing materials in the form of long and continuous glass, carbon, or aramid fibers or woven fabrics.

This standard is under development.

The standard “ISO 23936-5 Part 5: Other non-metallic materials” describes general principles, requirements, and recommendations for evaluating the stability of various materials that do not fully fit into categories such as thermoplastics, elastomers, thermosets, or composites. This standard includes, for example, ceramics, glasses, or special coatings that come into contact with the production environment.

This standard is under development.

For many years, our organization, with its competent and experienced staff, has been understanding the needs of its clients, providing the advanced testing services they require, and assisting in the establishment, implementation, and improvement of management systems. Within this framework, we also provide testing services to businesses in accordance with the “ISO 23936 Oil and gas industries, including low-carbon energy – Nonmetallic materials in contact with environments related to oil and gas production” standard.