Extracting More Valuefrom Oil and Gas Assets
Teflon™ Industrial Coatings
in the Oil and Gas Industry

Teflon™ Industrial Coatings in the Oil and Gas Industry

A Track Record of Innovation and Inspiration
The process of extracting and transporting oil and gas has
traditionally been beset by challenges. Over the years, however,advances in technology have meant both improvements inupstream and midstream processes and the ability to extract fromevermore challenging environments. Despite this improvement,
some things don’t change. Conditions are invariably demanding —especially offshore, where corrosion is a constant threat. At thesame time, demands to cut capital costs and maximize profits arejuxtaposed with a growing number of environmental regulations.
It’s little wonder, then, that coating systems able to protect vitalplants from harsh conditions — as well as help ensure longer lifeand enable more efficient functioning — have become an essential
factor for engineers to include in their designs. Everyday
maintenance of assets in these challenging environments is not apractical option; so, in order to prolong the working life ofcoatings, they must be able to resist saltwater corrosion, UV rays
and wide temperature ranges.

Failure to address these environmentally related issues can resultin more than disruptive equipment failures — it can result in major
failures and costly accidents. If we look at the pure financial costs,
a recent NACE International study found that in the U.S. alone,corrosion costs the oil and gas exploration and production (E&P)
sector more than USD 1 billion.
The bottom line is that choosing the best industrial coating — one
that delivers intumescent and heat-resistant properties, highlevels of abrasion resistance, and extended durability to increase
component life — will make a substantial difference in both safety
and profitability.

Anything with a thread is at risk, as are tanks, valves, flow
sensors, blowout preventers, manifolds, seals, gaskets, tooling,
and a myriad of other vital equipment and components. It’s a long
list of vulnerable parts that need protecting, and that protection
involves both upfront and ongoing maintenance costs in suchdifficult and dangerous conditions.

2Teflon™ Industrial Coatings in the Oil and Gas Industry

Effective, Established Solutions That
Are Securing Results
Over the last 30 years, Teflon™ coatings have demonstrated
superior performance and durability. While standard coating
solutions such as cadmium and zinc plating have been themainstays of the industry, these simply do not have the required
properties to provide adequate, long-lasting protection in harsh
offshore environments.
In such conditions, where corrosion, UV light and extreme
temperatures are often the norm, polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE)-based coating systems offer significant improvements inperformance and durability.
The reasons are many. PTFE coatings offer excellent nonstickproperties that help to ensure the efficient operation of parts andequipment while reducing wear. They also offer increased
corrosion protection. In addition, they demonstrate temperature
resistance at both extremes of the scale — from -200 °C (-328 °F)
up to 260 °C (500 °F).
With properties such as these, PTFE industrial coatings havebecome the go-to choice as an integral surface component for awide variety of mission-critical components throughout the oil andgas industry.

3

Teflon™ Industrial Coatings in the Oil and Gas Industry

A Track Record of Innovation and Inspiration
The brand Teflon™ has become synonymous with nonstick coatings.
The product — just as the company behind it — has a long history ofinnovation, evolution, and technological advancements that has meant
Teflon™ coatings have not just moved with the times — they’ve moved
ahead of them.
The story began on April 6, 1938, when Dr. Roy J. Plunkett(1911‒1994) observed a frozen, compressed sample oftetrafluoroethylene, only to discover that it had polymerized
spontaneously into a white, waxy solid, later named PTFE.
The Teflon™ trademark was registered in 1945, with the first products
sold in 1946. PTFE revolutionized the plastics industry, andapplications and innovations snowballed quickly.
In 1990, U.S. President George H.W. Bush presented the National
Medal of Technology to the inventors of Teflon™ for their pioneeringrole in the development and commercialization of man-made polymers.
Dr. Roy Plunkett was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame in 1973
and, in 1985, joined such distinguished innovators as Thomas Edison,Louis Pasteur, and the Wright brothers in The National Inventors Hallof Fame. Dr. Plunkett’s history of achievement is commemoratedglobally with Chemours’ Plunkett Awards for Innovation with Teflon™.
Teflon™ fluoropolymer has become the prime choice for a broad rangeof material applications due to its unique characteristics, which
include:.

Non-sticking

Low coefficient of friction

Very few solid substances will
permanently adhere to a Teflon™
finish. While tacky materials may
offer some adhesion, nearly all
substances release easily.

The coefficient of friction with Teflon™
coatings is generally in the range of0.05‒0.20, depending on the load,
sliding speed, and particular Teflon™
coating used.

Non-wetting

Superior thermal stability

Because surfaces coated withTeflon™ fluoropolymers are botholeophobic and hydrophobic, they
are not readily wet, making cleanup
easier and more thorough. In manycases, surfaces are self-cleaning.

Many Teflon™ coatings withstand severe
temperature extremes. They may beconsidered for use at temperatures as low
as -270 °C (-454 °F). Teflon™ coatings canoperate continuously at temperatures up
to 260 °C (500 °F) and be used forintermittent service up to 315 °C (599 °F).

Recoatable

Unique electrical properties

This allows more coatings to be
applied at the end of the curing
process, which enables blemishes
to be covered, film thicknesses tobe increased, and defects repaired.

Chemical resistance
Teflon™ fluoropolymers are normallyunaffected by chemical environments.
The only chemicals known to affect Teflon™
coatings are molten alkali metals and highly
reactive fluorinating agents.

Over a wide range of frequencies,
Teflon™ coatings have high dielectricstrength, a low dissipation factor, andvery high surface resistivity. They caneven be made electroconductive enoughto be used as anti-static coatings.

UV resistance
Teflon™ coatings protect substrates
against extended UV exposure.

4Teflon™ Industrial Coatings in the Oil and Gas Industry

Why Engineers Prefer Teflon™ Industrial Coatings
Applying Teflon™ coatings in offshore oil and gas applications offers arange of benefits, including:• High UV resistance as compared to other PTFE coatings. Due toTeflon™ coatings’ durable corrosion resistance — as demonstrated byunrivaled results in salt spray tests — they boost equipment reliabilityand operational safety.
• Increased productivity via enhanced components’ performance.

You can see from the illustration below that these benefits
make Teflon™ coatings effective across a wide range ofapplication points.

Long Bolts

All Interior
LiningBolts coated with Teflon™ fluoropolymer, for example, have high heat
resistance, enhanced chemical resistance, excellent release, a low
coefficient of friction, and consistent tensioning — all in addition to being
easy to install and remove.
• High cost efficiency due to higher life expectancy and lower
maintenance costs.
• Simplicity in application and recoatability. Teflon™ fluoropolymercoatings can be reflowed after final cure and can be used on a variety ofsubstrates, such as aluminum, carbon steel, and stainless steel.
• Increased environmental friendliness. The Teflon™ water-based
system, specifically developed for offshore applications, offers a
one-coat solution that provides excellent corrosion resistance that iseasy to clean up, heavy metal-free, low on VOC emissions, and requires
no special solvents beyond water for cleanup or thinning.

WellheadBolts• Excellent customer service. Teflon™ coatings are delivered via speciallyselected value chain partners who focus on education and innovation
with customers. This comes in addition to fast response cycles, on-time
shipping, and in-stock supplies of Teflon™ coatings.
5Teflon™ Industrial Coatings in the Oil and Gas Industry

How Teflon™ Industrial Coatings Perform Relative to the Competition
The Recoatable Properties of Teflon™

Significant UV Resistance

The recoatable feature and special chemistry of Teflon™ coatings
contribute to an exceptional consistency, leading, as a result, to highUV protection and excellent resistance, as demonstrated in salt spraytests.

Recent testing demonstrates the UV resistance and coating
consistency of Teflon™ fluoropolymer.

Unlike other conventional coatings, the recoatable feature of Teflon™
fluoropolymer allows more coatings to be applied after curing in order
to fix blemishes, increase film thicknesses, or repair defects.

In a 12-month simulated exposure test (method J-160), Teflon™
coatings demonstrated three times better UV resistance overcompetitive PTFE-based coatings. (Access to the full report can beprovided by Chemours or its partners upon customer request.)
Six-Month Simulated Weathering Test, Method J-1960

Recoating is applicable once the coated section is fully cured and hascooled to ambient temperatures. Once cool, more coatings may beapplied.
These unique features all contribute to the durability andcost-effectiveness of Teflon™ coatings.

Start DFTEnd DFT

DFT

Competition

Sample

0.98

0.67

-0.31

Competition

0.98

0.65

-0.33

857G-508, 450F

0.72

0.70

-0.02

857G-508, 450F

0.72

0.64

-0.08

857G-508, 500F

0.83

0.68

-0.15

857G-508, 500F

0.83

0.75

-0.08

Loss% Loss

-0.32

-32.65 avg-0.05-6.94 avg-0.12-13.86 avg

Loss% Loss

-0.43

-43.88 avg-0.08-10.42 avg-0.11-12.35 avg

Twelve-Month Simulated Weathering Test, Method J-1960
SampleStart DFTEnd Dft

DFTCompetition

0.98

0.55

-0.43

Competition

0.98

0.55

-0.43

857G-508, 450F

0.72

0.63

-0.09

857G-508, 450F

0.72

0.66

-0.06

857G-508, 500F

0.83

0.72

-0.11

857G-508, 500F

0.85

0.75

-0.106Teflon™ Industrial Coatings in the Oil and Gas Industry

Advantages in Coating Consistency
In one of the tests (performed according to IAW ISO 16047:2005[E] on ten[10] M10 bolts coated with a blue lubricious Teflon™ coating*), Teflon™
coatings on M10 nuts and square washers delivered very high consistency.
Quote from the test report:“Observations: Subject corrosion and chemical-resistant coating is
moderately lubricious based on coefficient of friction and K factor.
Lubricity is a function of the type and amount of lubricating agent in thecoating, adjustable by formulating for a particular application. The subject
coating is remarkable in that it exhibits extremely consistent results forsuch a small sample size. For ten (10) sample sets of coated fasteners todeliver a standard deviation of 0.6 and a Cpk of 8.17 is unusual in theexperience of this laboratory. The data and statistics indicate that thesubject coating is extremely consistent and uniform in its lubricating
properties, from fastener to fastener. In the opinion of this laboratory,
based on the samples coated with the subject coating and as tested,bolted joints made with fasteners coated with the subject coating should
be expected to provide a highly uniform clamp load when accurately andevenly torqued.”*Testing was performed according to IAW ISO 16047:2005(E) on ten (10) M10 bolts coated by acustomer or others with a blue lubricious coating, apparently a fluoropolymer. M10 nuts andsquare washers coated with the same blue coating were used. Equipment included a PCB 960
torque/tension system with an Atlas Copco DS7 PLC-controlled electric driver and PCB torqueand clamp load transducers.
Results:
Mean Peak Torque87.9 Nm
Mean Coefficient of Friction 0.163
sd0.6+3 Sigma Torque89.5 Nm+3 Sigma Clamp Load54.621 kN

Mean Clamp Force
Mean K Factor (K=T/Fd)
Cpk-3 Sigma Torque-3 Sigma Clamp Load

47.322 kN
0.186
8.17
86.1 Nm
40.022 kN

Photos of Samples Exposed (IAW ASRM B117-18 )— Salt Spray Testing
2,000 hrs

Photo — Sample #1 of top side of sample at 2,000 hour exposure — see above

Photo — Sample #1 of bottom side of sample at 2,000 hour exposure — see above

Photo — Sample #2 of top side of sample at 2,000 hour exposure — see above

Photo — Sample #2 of bottom side of sample at 2,000 hour exposure — see above

7Teflon™ Industrial Coatings in the Oil and Gas Industry

Specifying the Right Teflon™ Industrial Coating
The challenges posed, and the damage caused by, offshore corrosion
often forces oil and gas producers to weigh the efficacy of bothpreventive and maintenance costs. Recent experience has shown thatearly investment in corrosion prevention via corrosion-resistantequipment may initially entail increased costs, but in the long run canlead to reduced operational expenses and, in some cases, can help
avoid major operational and environmental issues.
The only question remaining is how to select the best and mostcost-effective coating for a particular environment — something able
to resist corrosion for a design life of 20 years or more. The answer isto rely on tried-and-tested solutions that are backed up by years ofindustry-specific experience.
Perhaps this is why the high performance of Teflon™ industrial
coatings makes them the natural choice in many industries. Chemours
offers design engineers a range of Teflon™ industrial coatings toensure the ideal combination of properties for each specificapplication. Together with its distribution and coating partners,
Chemours helps educate engineers on the best selections, application
processes, features, and benefits of Teflon™. In application
development project partnerships with customers, Chemours experts
and applicator partners are constantly finding new ways to help oiland gas engineers improve performance throughout their industry.

8Teflon™ Industrial Coatings in the Oil and Gas Industry

Explore More About How Teflon™ Industrial Coatings Can Enhance Your Performance
To learn more about Teflon™ fluoropolymers in energy, oil, and gas industries, please visit:https://www.teflon.com/en/industries-and-solutions/industries/energy-oil-gas
To find out more about how Teflon™ industrial coatings can be used to meet and exceed your oil and gas design needs, contact us today.
Your contacts: https://www.teflon.com/en/contact

The information set forth herein is furnished free of charge and based on technical data that Chemours believes to bereliable. Chemours makes no warranties, express or implied, and assumes no liability in connection with any use of thisinformation. Nothing herein is to be taken as a license to operate under or a recommendation to infringe any patents ortrademarks.
©2019 The Chemours Company FC, LLC. Teflon™ and any associated logos are trademarks or copyrights of The Chemours
Company FC, LLC. Chemours™ and the Chemours Logo are trademarks of The Chemours Company.
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