Application Characteristics of Zeolite-Based Stuffing for Nanofluidic Packer Rubber

Abstract

Aiming at obtaining the application characteristics of more nanofluidic stuffing to enrich the database of nanofluidic packer rubber, three zeolite-based nanofluidic types of stuffing with water, glycerin, and a saturated aqueous solution of KCl (hereinafter referred to as saturated KCl solution) as the functional liquids were studied using experiments. The results showed that all the three zeolite-based nanofluidic stuffing types could be applied as stuffing for nanofluidic packer rubber. The setting pressure ranges for zeolite/water, zeolite/glycerin, and zeolite/saturated KCl solution stuffing were 21.71 to 30.62 MPa, 15.31 to 23.57 MPa, and 27.50 to 38.83 MPa, and the specific deformation quantities of the three stuffing types were 72.76, 102.07, and 77.54 mm3∙g−1, respectively. In zeolite/saturated KCl solution stuffing, the number of liquid molecules retained in the nanochannels was the minimum; thus, this stuffing type was the most stable during application. The order of the equivalent surface tensions of the three zeolite-based stuffing types in the confined nanochannels was consistent with the order of the gas–liquid surface tensions in the bulk phase. The equivalent surface tension, which reflected the interaction between liquid–solid phases, dominated the pressure threshold, the deformation capacity, and the stability of nanofluidic stuffing. This research study provided data support for the application of nanofluidic packer rubber.