3M™ Glass Bubbles S38
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Details
Highlights
- Glass bubbles in flexible flowlines are half the weight of conventional pipe-in-pipe construction
- Reduces overall pipe diameter requiring fewer and smaller ships for transportation
- Decreases weight and increases buoyancy for lower density in finished parts
- Provides excellent water and oil resistance for use in underwater applications
- Decreases thermal conductivity in syntactic foam compositions
- Good strength-to-density ratio for use in a variety of oil and gas applications
3M™ Glass Bubbles S38 are hollow glass spheres with a typical density of 0.38 g/cc and an isostatic crush strength of 4,000 psi. These glass bubbles are designed for buoyancy and insulation in ultra-deep water applications in oil and gas drilling. The bubbles produce strong, stable voids and low thermal conductivity, helping coatings achieve the necessary compressive strength.
What are 3M™ Glass Bubbles?
3M™ Glass Bubbles are engineered hollow glass microspheres made from water-resistant and chemically-stable soda-lime borosilicate glass. Like all 3M glass bubbles, our 3M™ Glass Bubbles s38 are water and oil resistant, providing better utility in underwater applications. Additionally, they are non-combustible and non-porous, so they do not absorb resin; and their low alkalinity makes this product compatible with most resins while providing a stable viscosity and a long shelf-life.
These low-density particles are used for many demanding applications across a wide range of industries to provide temperature and pressure resistance, reduce part weight, lower costs and enhance overall product properties. For these reasons, 3M glass bubbles are a superior alternative to many conventional fillers and additives such as silica, calcium carbonate, talc and clay.
Strength-to-Weight Ratio
The benefits don’t end there; although 3M glass bubbles S38 have thin walls, they have a good isostatic crush strength of 4,000 psi, meaning they can survive both the rigorous demands of processing and enormous water pressure at depth. In turn, their low thermal conductivity makes them ideal additives in insulation for pipelines and production risers – helping to ensure that hot oil continues to flow to the surface rather than cooling and slowing. S38 bubbles have a fractional survival rate of 80% or more, at 4,000 psi for consistent performance and greater survivability.
Subsea Flowlines
What does this mean for the oil and gas industry? Conventional flowline construction, such as pipe-in-pipe, is proving to be impractical and too costly for use at today’s deeper depth oil and gas drilling (10,000 ft. /3,000 m. and more).
Specifications
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