Onshore Oil & Gas
High-pressures, abrasive mud and downhole heat tear standard parts. Custom-engineered polyurethane components prevail.
— The Recurring Problems
High pressure
Mud pump pistons and valves experience high pressures that can tear and deform rubber
Abrasive mud
Drilling mud wears catalog urethane and rubber fast in the fluid path
HPHT downhole
The combination of heat, pressure and sour gas damage rubber sealing elements
Continuous duty
RCD sealing elements see repeated cycles against drill pipe under pressure in abrasive fluid, joint after joint
Every failure is downtime
Wear parts sit in the fluid path; when they go, the rig stops
— The Differentiator
Where standard parts fall short downhole
Engineers reach for rubber or catalog-grade urethane — and each falls short somewhere in the fluid path:
- Rubber tears and deforms under pressure, and loses tear strength fast in HPHT service
- Catalog-grade urethane wears quickly under the combined attack of pressure, abrasion, heat and harsh chemicals
- Rubber suits lower pressure and temperature applications; a high-pressure system will blow past it
- None can be customized to the combination of durometer, geometry and chemistry the downhole environment demands, and stock suppliers offer no engineering support
The Result – Frequent maintenance cycles on the parts in the fluid path — changeouts, warranty claims, leak and safety risk in HPHT service, and unplanned downtime on the most expensive asset on site.
— Solution Spotlights
What it is + how it's different
Mud Pump Pistons & Valves
Pistons and valves sit in the fluid path, taking-on pressure and abrasive mud at once. MPC manufactures them at a custom durometer and molds the geometry to the pump, so the part outlasts the mud that wears catalog urethane and rubber.
Downhole & High-Pressure Sealing Elements
RCDs, downhole completion and intervention tools, and mud buckets all need seals that keep sealing under high pressure and high temperatures in abrasive media where rubbers fail . MPC manufactures custom sealing elements built for heat, aging and hydrolysis resistance.
Durastatic® Polyurethane Pipe
Steel pipe corrodes and wears in abrasive oilfield fluid transport. Durastatic polyurethane pipe resists the abrasion that eats steel and doesn’t corrode, so it keeps carrying abrasive material where steel gives out.
Talk it through with a polyurethane expert who’ll tell you what’s achievable and what is not.
— Technical Specifications
The specs that matter for semiconductor duty
Property
Range for this application
Hardness
ASTM D2240
- Shore 20A–70D — solid polyurethane
- Customized per part
Tensile strength
ASTM D412
- 250–7,800 PSI — solid polyurethane
Elongation
ASTM D412
- 160–850% — solid polyurethane
Tear strength, Die C
ASTM D624
- 30–800 PLI — solid polyurethane
Compression set
ASTM D395B
- 5–40% — solid polyurethane
Heat, aging, hydrolysis and chemical resistance (Durethane® XL)
- Shore 70A–90A
- Tensile strength 3,000–5,000 PSI
- Tear strength, Die C 225–375 PLI
- Elongation 425–575%
- Compression set 17–20%
Chemical exposure
- Thermoset polyurethane resists a wide range of chemicals and oils
- Resistance depends on the specific polyurethane chemistry, operating temperature, aeration and length of exposure
- MPC customizes the material to the fluids, pressure and temperature the tool actually sees
Abrasion and surface finish
High abrasion resistance with tolerance to tight surface finishes
Customizable properties
- Hardness, elongation, tensile, tear and compression set are formulated to the part
- Any shape component, or machined to precise specifications
- Cast onto bonded metal cores and inserts; dual-durometer construction available
Relevant technical downloads
Document
What it gives the engineer
Polycarbonate polyurethane material specifications — formulated for heat, aging, hydrolysis and chemical resistance.
Solid polyurethane material specifications: hardness 20A–70D with tensile, elongation, tear and compression set.
General chemical resistance guideline for MPC’s thermoset polyurethanes.
— HOW IT WORKS
From concept to scaled production
Connect With Us
Share your application, performance needs, or a part you want to improve.
Collaborate on Design
Our engineers will help optimize materials and geometry for manufacturability.
Prototype & Refine
We produce samples using our proprietary polyurethane formulations for testing.
Move to Production
Once approved, we move to scalable molding with full quality assurance.
That’s exactly the conversation we like to have – get a polyurethane expert on a quick call to pressure-test your idea before you commit.
— Proof
Case studies & white papers
Case Studies
Drilling Operator Triples Mud Pump Piston Life
Rubber mud pump pistons were tearing and extruding under pressure in abrasive drilling fluid. This case study shows how MPC’s custom cast polyurethane piston ran up to 3x longer than the rubber it replaced in service to roughly 7,500 PSI and 250°F.
White Papers
Engineering Polyurethane Components for Heavy-Duty Applications
Modern automation pushes mechanical parts past what standard materials can handle. This white paper covers the material, process, and design choices behind heavy-duty polyurethane components for robotics and precision systems, so they hold up under continuous operation.
— Design Guide
How to specify custom polyurethane for onshore drilling and production
— FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What piston or valve material outlasts rubber and catalog urethane in a high-pressure mud pump (abrasive mud, ~7,500 PSI, ~250°F)?
Cast polyurethane, formulated for the application. In one case, MPC’s polyurethane pistons ran up to 3x longer than the rubber they replaced, cutting changeouts and downtime.
What downhole seal handles HPHT with H2S, CO2 and methane without the strength loss of rubber or the brittleness of specialty rubber?
A cast polyurethane formulated for that exposure. MPC custom formulates polyurethanes for heat, aging and hydrolysis resistance, for applications where rubbers fail.
What RCD sealing element lasts longer against drill pipe under pressure and abrasion?
A cast polyurethane element. Rubber is only used at lower pressure and temperature — in a high-pressure system it will not hold. MPC manufactures the element to the device so it keeps sealing as joint after joint runs through.
Can you build mud bucket seals to my design if I don't have tooling drawings?
Yes. MPC builds custom seals to fit the mud bucket system you actually run.
What pipe resists abrasion and corrosion better than steel for abrasive oilfield fluid transport?
Durastatic® polyurethane pipe. It resists the abrasion that wears steel in abrasive fluid and slurry transport and does not corrode, so it keeps carrying material where steel pipe gives out.
— Keep Exploring