Direct measurement of gas solubilities in polymers with a high-pressure microbalance
Abstract
Solubility and diffusion data are presented for methane and carbon dioxide gases in high-density polyethylene. The polymer was cut from extruded piping intended for use in offshore oil and gas applications. The measurements were carried out with a high-pressure microbalance. The properties were determined from 25 to 50°C and from 50 to 150 bar for methane and from 20 to 40 bar for carbon dioxide. In general, a good agreement was obtained with similar measurements reported in the literature. The solubility followed Henry's law (linear) dependence with pressure, except at high pressures for methane, for which negative deviations from Henry's law behavior were observed. The diffusion coefficients for each of the gases in the polymer were also measured with the balance, although the uncertainty was greater than for the solubility measurements. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1476–1488, 2004
