We recently caught up with Dr. M. Belen Urquiola, Laboratory Manager of 3M’s Energy and Advanced Materials Division, to discuss 3M’s recent opening of a new plant in Ribeirão Preto, Brazil to make glass bubbles - hollow soda-lime-borosilicate glass microspheres. The low density, high compressive strength, and enhanced insulation properties of these glass bubbles gave them early traction in the oil and gas industry, where they serve as fillers for pipe insulation and buoyancy modules, as well as additives in drilling fluids and cement. Thus, 3M’s decision to locate the new plant in Brazil comes as no surprise, as the country is projected to have the highest annual growth in the coming decades for the production of hydrocarbons.
Outside of oil and gas, 3M is also targeting structural composite applications for its glass bubbles in automotive, aerospace, sporting goods, and construction. Belen said glass bubbles already find use in mainstream automotive applications. When asked to compare glass bubbles to glass fibers, she described these two reinforcements as synergistic rather than competitive technologies. For instance, the directional nature of fibers results in composites with anisotropic properties, but the spherical nature of bubbles compensates and can lead to more isotropic structures. In addition to dimensional stability, hybrid compositions are more amenable to formulating multifunctional composites combining mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties.
While fiber reinforcements have an intrinsic advantage in tensile strength due to their tubular geometry, the enhancement in compressive properties offered by glass bubbles is important for deep-sea applications. One intriguing potential application for a hybrid bubble-fiber composite is in oil and gas risers, which are typically steel-based and serve as the subsea conduit between the offshore drilling rig surface and drilling equipment down in the wellbore (see the report “Tapping the Advanced Materials Reservoir: Coatings, Composites, and Additives in Oil and Gas“). Not only do risers need to be strong, they also need to be flexible enough to withstand the constant dynamic forces in the subsea environment. Moreover, while the interior of risers must withstand extremely hot and often corrosive production fluids, the external surface must cope with ice-cold, high-salinity water – especially in arctic locations. A plastic composite employing both glass fiber and bubble reinforcements is a potentially great alternative for steel in this application - offering enhancements in tensile and compressive strength, flexibility, and insulation. While industry conservatism and an ability to get by on steel have thus far made oil and gas a laggard in the advanced composites market (see the report “Carbon Fiber and Beyond: The $26 Billion World of Advanced Composites“), new composite formulations have the potential to increase traction. Lux will continue to monitor further developments in this space.
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