Opportunities for nanocomposites in the oil & gas industry

The use of advanced and more efficient materials are increasingly critical to the oil and gas industry as it strives towards enhanced recovery in marginal and deepwater exploration and production activities. Composites have proved to be extremely advantageous in selected niche applications in the industry, and in recent years they have been identified as an enabling technology for even more demanding requirements, particularly in the upstream sector. However composites still exhibit limitations in certain properties including toughness and fire performance that are impeding the expanded application of the material within the industry. Potentially, the answer to some of these weaknesses could lie, at least in part, with nanocomposite technology.