Impact of dimethyl ether on engine seal materials

Abstract

The resistance of many kinds of rubber materials to dimethyl ether (DME) was studied. Both the mass and volume change of rubber materials, which were put in DME and then exposed to the air for different periods of time were measured. The results show that fluorine rubber (FKM), silicone rubber (SIR), and nitrile rubber (NBR) are unsuitable as seal materials for DME engines. Common polyvinylchloride (PVC) dissolved completely in DME, which has almost no impact on vulcanizing nylon material. The constitution of ethylene propylene terpolymer rubber (EPDM) has a major impact on its resistance to DME. A kind of EPDM with good resistance to DME was found, whose reliability was validated by 100 hours of DME engine operation.

Keywords

dimethyl ether (DME) / rubber / seal / ethylene propylene terpolymer rubber (EPDM)