Polyethylene Resistance to Oil and Associated Water

Introduction . Polyethylene is the most widely used material in various fields of the national economy, and products made of it have essential advantages, such as lightness, insolubility in organic solutions with quite satisfactory strength. However, the mechanism of its destruction is quite complex and depends on the working conditions and substances, which are in contact with it. The research purpose was to study the polyethylene resistance to oil and associated water under the static and dynamic conditions and at room temperature. Methods and Materials . The research was carried out on a laboratory device for passing various liquids (oil, associated and distilled water) in polyethylene pipes, assembled by the author of the article. While working, methods of statistical and dynamic data processing were applied. Results . Based on the results of previous experiments, graphs were plotted for the change in the weight and volume of immersed granules over time. They have shown that polyethylene has a quadratic dependence, and diffusion for the three liquids studied in this work (distilled water, accompanying water and oil) is described by Fick's law. This indicates the fact that the rate of liquid diffusion through polyethylene is the key factor. Discussion and Conclusions . The obtained results have shown that the rate of liquid diffusion through polyethylene is the key factor. Immersion in oil has a greater impact than immersion in associated or distilled water due to the presence of salts. It has been found out that the relative change in the weight and thickness of the polyethylene pipe walls through which oil passes is greater than those through which the associated water passes. Moreover, the microscopic cross sections images in the samples before and after the tests have confirmed the obtained results.