Effect of Supercritical CO₂ on PVDF

The pre-salt fields have a high content of carbon dioxide (CO₂) that can be in the supercritical state due to reservoir conditions of temperature and pressure. This high concentration of carbon dioxide has a direct impact on the strategies used in the exploration and exploitation of the reservoir, including the selection of materials and equipment used in the wells. Risers are parts of flexible lines made up of several layers and are very important equipment in offshore operations. Flexible lines are widely used in various operations to extract and transport fluids in the wells, as well as one of the solutions to the challenges of the pre-salt. Poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is a polymer used in the manufacture of the sealing layer of the risers. In this paper, PVDF samples were exposed to supercritical CO₂ and analyzed for volume, density and mechanical properties and compared to unexposed PVDF.