chemical processing
- September 26, 2023
Garlock ABRA-SHIELD™ Expansion Joints
Garlock launched of ABRA-SHIELD™ in 2018, an expansion joint material designed for abrasion resistance and sustainability in demanding high temperature operating conditions.
As the newest addition to Garlock’s family of abrasion resistant expansion joint materials, ABRA-SHIELD™ joined ABRA-LINE® and Natural Rubber to provide a variety of liners that cater to increased abrasion protection. ABRA-SHIELD™ will be an option for use with a number of expansion joint products that Garlock offers – including styles 204, 206, 7250, 8400 and 9394. These expansion joints also provide high levels of protection from stress, misalignment, vibration, noise, shock and corrosion.
- September 03, 2019
Chemical plants are one of the biggest industrial users of corrugated metal hose assemblies. Processes performed in the plants involve some of the most demanding environments:
- Temperatures ranging from extreme heat to cryogenics
- Mixing and transfer of hazardous compounds
- Equipment configurations that result in less-than-ideal piping situations
Metal hose can handle all of these factors and has some other inherent benefits over other hose types when it comes to the kind of applications seen in chemical plants. Let’s dig into some of the main areas of consideration and concern when dealing with chemical hoses.
Handling Considerations
Mishandling of hoses is one of the main contributors to premature failure. Because chemical plants have so many different inputs and outputs, hoses are often used to facilitate the transfer of chemicals from trucks, trains, or barges to the plant and even within the plant from one unit to another. Chemical blending manifolds are a great example of this, where a single hose assembly may be used for various connections at different times depending on what operations the plant is performing.
The need to easily connect and disconnect these hoses quickly and often makes cam and groove couplings a popular choice for chemical plants. When moving hoses from one outlet to another, it’s tempting for users to abuse the “arms” on the fitting and over-bend the hose or torque it into position. Always try and keep the hose as straight as possible, and avoid twisting it. Additionally, hoses are made to flex, but extremely tight bends (especially near the end fitting) can damage the hose and cause it to fail prematurely. Operators should keep this in mind to prevent deformation of the hose when making connections (guidance on using bend radius information can be found here).
Metal Hose Attributes
There are several intrinsic features of metal hose assemblies that make them well-suited for chemical plant service. Chiefly among them is that they are not susceptible to permeation. This is a huge benefit for both operator safety, and plant safety. The metal core is puncture-resistant, and in the event of a leak, the hose will typically develop a small crack or pin-hole and does not burst apart!
Metal hoses also have a more compact end fitting configuration. Because end fittings are welded onto the end of the hose instead of a barbed or crimped mechanical attachment they don’t take up as much of the hose’s flexible length. This results in more working live length compared to non-metallic assemblies, which further facilitates handling and easier installation by the operators. It also means that metal hose is easily customized without the need for adapters. Stainless steel fabrication techniques provide the ability to use a wide array of fitting configurations, and can be tailored to prevent media entrapment, resist end-pull, or to accommodate high system pressures.
Finally, one of the handling benefits of metal hose is its light weight. Calling metal hose lightweight might sound contradictory, but pound for pound, metal hoses generally offer higher working pressures than rubber or composite chemical transfer hoses. This gives metal hose a wide range of potential applications, and also translates into easier handling and installation by operators.
- November 29, 2018
DuPont™ Kalrez® 7375 FFKM sealing products provide high temperature as well as broad chemical and water/steam resistance properties. Sealing performance, reliability and safety are ensured for applications in the most demanding industrial, chemical and general industrial fields of operation.
These high performance perfluoroelastomer O-ring components are available from Gallagher Fluid Seals, the authorized distributor for a wide range of DuPont™ finished O-rings, as well as custom shapes, sheets and cord sealing components.
The Kalrez® 7375 parts are tailored for specialized chemical applications covering broad operating temperatures from -20°C to 300°C (-4ºF to 572ºF).
These products, which incorporate patented cross-linking technology, combine both superior chemical resistance with a thermal stability which exceeds many other competitive FFKM products. They are also available in most standard O-ring sizes including AS568, metric and JIS, with custom sizes and shapes also available on request.