Our flow monitors, meters and valves find their way into a very diverse range of applications. Equipment designers choose them primarily for their performance, but minimizing the total cost of ownership is usually a concern too.
The interior finish of a flow monitor, valve or meter, in terms of the type of material used, affects the way it performs in-service and impacts durability. As longer life means less downtime and reduced replacement expense, it’s important to select a flow monitor, valve, or meter that incorporate high quality materials to withstand corrosion and erosion in any application.
ChemTec’s products are designed with the toughest materials that will:
- resist corrosion and erosion
- enhance performance
Life Extending
Corrosion occurs when chemicals attack the interior surfaces of the monitor or valve. Both acids and alkalis will eat away at some materials, quickly causing pitting that eventually leads to failure. But even before creating a leak, pits and cavities increase turbulence which affects performance. Pitting is of particular concern in applications demanding high purity. These small pockets are practically impossible to clean and will let bacteria gain a foothold.
Corrosion is caused by more than just hazardous chemicals. Sometimes an apparently benign fluid can react, as when sea water flows over brass. Prevention entails selecting a product with a material that will not react with the media being transported through the device. A sacrificial layer could be used but this will have a finite life, and still requires significant downtime to apply the layer.
In contrast to corrosion, erosion is mechanical in nature. Abrasive particulates in a fluid rub against interior features, gradually rounding sharp edges and reducing wall thicknesses, especially on the outside of bends. In applications like these, a material with a very smooth and hard surface is usually desirable. Again, sacrificial materials can extend life but will eventually wear out.
Performance Enhancing
Exactly what’s meant by “performance” depends on the application, but at ChemTec there are three requirements we see a lot: ultra-high purity, low friction, and thermal protection.
Customers with ultra-high purity applications want very smooth interior surfaces with absolutely no place for contamination to lurk and with no risk of particles breaking free and joining the fluid. For these cases we offer a special electro-polished finish for our stainless steel products as described in our “Ultra High Purity Case Study.”
Using a material with a smooth texture reduces turbulence in the fluid being transported. That allows higher velocities and ensures precision instruments like our magnetic flow monitors perform repeatedly and reliably.
Thermal protection is a more specialized area. Here customers are looking for materials that resist the flow of heat either out of or into the fluid. This is a specialized area, so if temperature is a concern, call for advice.
Better Products
ChemTec only uses high quality materials in our flow monitors and meters to extend the their life and improve performance. That means lower cost of ownership and better results for end users, whatever the application. If this is something you want to give your customers it’s time to call ChemTec.
