ВЛИЯНИЕ ЭНЕРГИИ СВЧ-ИЗЛУЧЕНИЯ НА ЭВОЛЮЦИЮ СТРУКТУРЫ ПОЛИМЕРНЫХ МАТЕРИАЛОВ

Abstract

Important feature of application of polymeric coatings in the oil and gas industry is that they are used in various service conditions and fulfill numerous functions. Correctly selected coatings allow not only to provide protection of the equipment against corrosion destruction in hostile environment, but also to prevent paraffin and salt deposition, to reduce the hydraulic resistance of pipelines and pumping equipment due to reduced roughness, to protect the equipment against erosion and mechanical wear, to provide purity of the pumped product, to increase tightness of demountable fixed connections, and to reduce metal consumption of structures. Efficiency of using coatings is to a great extent defined by the mechanism of their behavior in operational conditions, consisting in the following: structurization in the coating film exposed to external factors (environment, temperature, etc.), unbalance of the initial structure of material, destruction of the film, chemical destruction, washing out of separate components of material by the environment, sweating of components. It results in changed structure, physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the coating. Aims and Objectives Widely used in the industry polymeric coatings which are applied on the external surface of pipes during repair, don’t provide, as a rule, long-term protection of pipelines due to severe conditions of their operation, combining effects of aggressive environments and different mechanical loadings. In this regard, creation of new insulating coatings with higher operational characteristics is relevant. Note that an important accompanying task is the development of scientific basis and technologies of improving physical and mechanical properties of already known coatings, as the solution of this problem would allow to gain considerable operational and economic effect on the basis of existing technologies and materials. Methods In order to improve physical, mechanical and operational properties of insulating materials, the polymer structure was exposed to the energy of electromagnetic field of super-high frequency range. The effect of the microwave radiation energy flow on the evolution of polymer insulating materials was assessed by the atomic force microscopy. Results In order to confirm the features of polymer structure evolution after microwave treatment we’ve changed the technique of reading necessary information when carrying out atomic force microscopy of the surface, so that we could visualize the process of structure transformation. Conclusion The advantage of using microwave radiation energy for purposeful evolution of structure of polymers, providing improved physical, mechanical and operational properties of insulating coatings is experimentally proved. Evolution of polymer structure is confirmed by images obtained after scanning the surface of material by an atomic force microscope and displaying in the mode of phase contrast.