Center of Excellence

R&D Technology Center

Where technology evolves. Advanced material testing, reliability studies, and innovative solutions for the sealing industry.

9+

Analytical Instruments
2

Expert Engineers
22+

Years Experience
ISO

9001:2015 Certified

What We Do

Norwegian Seals Technology Center provides comprehensive R&D services for sealing solutions, from material development to failure analysis.

Vendor

Acclaimed products, rapid manufacturing, quality assurance
Consultant

Design engineering, reliability studies, failure diagnosis
Innovator

Best-in-class materials, emerging products, technology scout
Developer

Custom solutions, new product development, material optimization

Our Team

Meet the experts behind our R&D Technology Center, bringing decades of combined experience in polymer science and sealing technologies.

MZ
Monika Zawisza

Senior Polymer Engineer
Experience

14 Years in Polymer Science (Industry + Academia)

10 Years in Sealing Technologies

10 Years in R&D + NPD Project Management

12 Years of Lab Operational Excellence
PS
Paweł Sobecki

Technology Center Lead
Experience

22 Years in Polymer Science (Industry + Academia)

12 Years in Sealing Technologies

15 Years in R&D + NPD Project Management

15 Years in Laboratory Management

Analytical Equipment

Our state-of-the-art laboratory is equipped with industry-leading instruments for comprehensive material characterization and testing.

Click on any instrument to explore detailed specifications and use cases

DSC Calorimeter

Differential Scanning Calorimeter for precise thermal analysis of polymer materials. Best-in-class accuracy with temperature range from -150°C to 725°C.

TGA Analyzer

Thermobalance with Mass Spectrometer (QMS) for compositional analysis. DTG + DTA operation up to 1200°C with selectable purge atmospheres.

DMA Analyzer

Dynamic Mechanical Tester for viscoelastic property characterization. Medium-force capacity with environmental chamber from -160°C to 600°C.

FTIR Spectrometer

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer for chemical analysis and identification. Features microscope FTIR and Raman accessory with extensive spectral libraries.

Universal Tester

High-capacity universal testing system with 30 kN force capacity. Features video extensometer, DIC, and environmental chamber from -90°C to 350°C.

3D Digital Microscope

Advanced 3D imaging system with LIBS elemental analyzer. Magnification range 5-6000X for comprehensive surface and failure analysis.

Durometer

Semi-automatic hardness testing system supporting Shore A/AM/B/D/000 and IRHD scales. Includes O-ring test fixture and density meter.

Aging Ovens

Material aging facility with 6 precision ovens and PTFE-lined autoclaves. Temperature range from RT to 300°C for accelerated aging studies.

Tribometer

Friction and wear tester with pin-on-disc and block-on-ring configurations. Temperature range -50°C to 300°C with environmental extension for liquids.

Capabilities & Services

Comprehensive R&D services for sealing solutions across the energy sector, with primary focus on oil & gas, offshore, and subsea applications.

Reliability Studies

Comprehensive service life prediction and accelerated aging testing per NORSOK M-710 and industry standards.

Accelerated Lifetime Testing

Service Life Modeling

Property Retention Analysis

Risk Assessment
Quality Assurance

Material inspection, conformance testing, and quality control services with Type 3.1/3.2 certificates.

Incoming Material Inspection

Conformance to Specifications

Shelf Life Evaluation

Inspection Certificates
Material Development

Custom elastomer and polymer compound development tailored to specific application requirements.

Formulation Optimization

Application-Specific Materials

PFAS-Free Solutions

Performance Enhancement
Failure Diagnosis

Root cause analysis of seal failures using advanced analytical techniques and expert interpretation.

Material Misselection Analysis

Contamination Investigation

RGD Event Assessment

Recommendations
Technical Consultancy

Expert guidance on seal selection, material compatibility, and application optimization.

Material Selection

Chemical Compatibility

Design Review

Performance Optimization
Numerical Simulations

Advanced FEA analysis with hyperelastic material models for seal design validation.

Seal Design Optimization

Material Modeling

Performance Prediction

Tolerance Analysis

Industries We Serve

Our R&D services support critical sealing applications across multiple energy sectors, ensuring reliability and performance in the most demanding environments.

Oil & Gas
Subsea
Geothermal
Hydrogen
CCUS
Hydropower
Chemical processing
Food processing
Defence

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Case Studies

Real-world examples demonstrating our R&D capabilities in solving complex sealing challenges for the energy industry.

HNBR Material Qualification per NORSOK M-710

Challenge

New HNBR compound required full qualification per NORSOK M-710 standard for deployment in North Sea oil field applications with H₂S exposure up to 38,000 ppm.

Approach

Executed comprehensive test program including thermal aging (168h at 150°C), chemical resistance testing in various service fluids, mechanical property characterization before and after aging, and compression set evaluation.

Results

Material demonstrated less than 30% property retention loss after thermal aging, passed all chemical resistance requirements, and achieved compression set values below 25% at test temperature.

Impact

Successfully qualified material for NORSOK M-710 Table 3 applications, enabling customer to use the compound in demanding North Sea oil field environments.

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FEA-Based U-Cup Seal Optimization

Challenge

Gap extrusion was occurring on a standard U-cup sealing assembly, leading to seal damage and eventual failure. The customer needed to optimize the seal design without changing the housing.

Approach

Developed finite element analysis model with reliable constitutive material model and frictional parameters for nonlinear contact behavior. Simulated various seal profiles and clearance gap configurations.

Results

FEA analysis identified optimal clearance gap of 0.15mm and modified seal profile geometry that eliminated extrusion risk while maintaining sealing performance. Material recommendation adjusted based on temperature and pressure analysis.

Impact

Optimized seal design implemented successfully, eliminating field failures and extending seal service life by 300%.

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Seal Cracking Failure Root Cause Analysis

Challenge

A critical NBR seal failed prematurely by cracking during service, resulting in significant leakage. The customer needed to understand the failure mechanism to prevent recurrence.

Approach

Employed DSC for thermal property assessment and TGA for compositional analysis. Compared cracked and reference seal specimens to identify differences. SEM-EDX was used for contamination screening.

Results

Disparity in composition found between cracked and reference spots. Removal of extractables (plasticizers) from rubber by service media confirmed by TGA, leading to the glass transition temperature shift observed by DSC (-24°C vs +1°C).

Impact

Material misselection proved to be the cause of failure - chemical incompatibility between oil and plasticizers in NBR. Alternative FKM compound recommended and qualified for the application.

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Service Life Prediction for Subsea Control Fluid

Challenge

A customer required validation that their TPU seal material could survive 25 years of continuous service in water/MEG subsea control fluid at 20°C, with determination of the maximum safe operating temperature.

Approach

Implemented accelerated lifetime testing methodology similar to NORSOK M-710 (v3). Three mechanical parameters were probed: tensile strength (UTS), stress at 100% strain (M100), and elongation at break (EAB). A generalized regression model (predictive lifetime model) was constructed from experimental aging data.

Results

Mean lifetime predicted to exceed 50 years with probability of soft failure less than 0.001. Maximum continuous service temperature determined to be 37°C on average.

Impact

Customer confidently deployed the seal material in their subsea application with documented engineering justification for the expected 25-year service life.

Read More...

Request a Consultation

Real-world examples demonstrating our R&D capabilities in solving complex sealing challenges for the energy industry.

R&D Technology Center

9+

2

22+

ISO

What We Do

Vendor

Consultant

Innovator

Developer

Our Team

MZ

Monika Zawisza

PS

Paweł Sobecki

Analytical Equipment

DSC Calorimeter

TGA Analyzer

DMA Analyzer

FTIR Spectrometer

Universal Tester

3D Digital Microscope

Durometer

Aging Ovens

Tribometer

Capabilities & Services

Reliability Studies

Quality Assurance

Material Development

Failure Diagnosis

Technical Consultancy

Numerical Simulations

Industries We Serve

Case Studies

HNBR Material Qualification per NORSOK M-710

FEA-Based U-Cup Seal Optimization

Seal Cracking Failure Root Cause Analysis

Service Life Prediction for Subsea Control Fluid

Request a Consultation