Gas permeameter in polymer nanocomposite plates: construction and validation

Gas permeability in homogeneous semipermeable materials such as semicrystalline polymers is an inherent property of the material structure that results in the absorption of fluids from diffusion in their matrix. The ability of a gas to cross a semipermeable membrane more or less quickly is the object of research in various fields such as food and drug packaging industry, the chemical industry, and oil and natural gas explorations. In crude oil extraction, polymers minimize permeation and leakage in offshore hoses when materials are in contact with gases at high pressures and temperatures, preventing accidents with serious environmental and human impacts. As information regarding the transport coefficients of gases under extreme conditions is scarce in the literature, it was necessary to experimentally build and validate a device capable of providing reliable data on these properties. Thus, the aim of this paper is to describe a medium pressure gas permeameter in polymer nanocomposite plates, developed by the authors and sought to be validated with nitrogen at 1 MPa and 69 oC (342.15 K) in samples of high-density polyethylene both pure and with nanoclay, forming a polymer nanocomposite, considering the methods of obtaining the transport coefficients studied in the literature review of the standardized experimental techniques. The comparison of the results obtained with the data found in the literature suggests the validity of the equipment in presentation for the analysis of the gas permeability of different polymeric materials.

Automated summary

This study described a medium pressure gas permeameter developed by the authors in polymer nanocomposite plates, which was experimentally validated for analyzing the gas permeability of different polymeric materials. The results obtained suggest the validity of the equipment for such analysis.