Trade press article
Georg Fischer Piping Systems Ltd.
8201 Schaffhausen
Switzerland
www.piping.georgfischer.com
Ralph Schreiber
Public & Media Relations Manager
Tel +41 (0) 52 631 3374
Fax +41 (0) 52 631 2830
Mobile +41 (0) 79 830 2803
ralph.schreiber@georgfischer.com
Schaffhausen, Dezember 2008
Thermoplastic Ball Valves in Chemical Plants
The typical chemical industry plant is comprised of many sub-systems that
often behave as independent operational units, each requiring unique
solutions to day-to-day for operations. These operational units typically
include production, storage, power generation and usage, waste disposal,
maintenance and storage amongst others. The transport of chemicals
represents one of the first applications for GF Piping Systems products more
than 50 years ago.
Regardless of the operation the key is to have a reliable system in place that will
ensure performance and peace of mind. What should one look for when choosing the
right thermoplastic ball valve? Performance, reliability, competitiveness, flexibility,
modularity, control, easy of use, safety, standards/norms /approvals – all of these are
important to various degrees. Some are more critical to certain processes while
others are absolutely required for all, like safety and reliability.
Material
Material compatibility in conveying, handling and mixing of acids and other chemicals
is a major aspect of any chemical plant and choosing the right piping materials
combined with the right systems is paramount. The chemical distribution of acids,
chlorine and bromine typically place tough demands on chemical plants and are the
source of many corrosion problems with annual damage due to corrosion amounting
to approx. 50% of maintenance costs. Therefore the selection of materials and
joining methods are quite important. With chemical usage amounting to approx. 60%
acids & alkali, 15% solvents, 15% solids and 10% others, it becomes quite evident
that not all materials will satisfy all the requirements. Therefore it is essential to
balance all aspects when making the selection.
Chemical Mixing and Process Control after material section are the next most
important aspects in any chemical process. Ratio control or batch mixing, dilution,
dosing or neutralization of pH, all require the right equipment to control the process
consistently and reliably.
Manual valves with integrated position feedback to control to open and close
positions can be used for processes that are not regularly changed. Whereas for
processes such as chemical dosing or neutralization one may need more precision
and maybe even real-time feedback control. This is accomplished through the use of
fully automated electric and or pneumatic valves.
The scope of thermoplastic ball valves in the chemical processing industry is far and
wide and includes scrubbing systems for odor control, chemical feeding systems,
neutralization of acidic or alkaline solutions as well as the treatment of a wide range
of liquid wastes to satisfy government regulations.
Ball valve type 546
With Type 546 ball valve in PVDF, GF Piping Systems meets your chemical delivery
requirements even up to 140 °C combined with an extraordinarily good chemical
resistance. To facilitate the decision making process the Type 546 ball valve is
available as a full plastic solution in all the common plastic materials (PVC-U, PVC-C,
ABS, PP-H and PVDF) with numerous joining options such as solvent cement,
electro, socket and butt fusion, threaded, flanged and also including PE end
connectors. The Type 546 ball valve offers all these plus unlimited possibilities
through its modular system with electric, pneumatic actuators and multi-functional
modules and handles.
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The multi-functional module available on all sizes ranging from DN10-100 does it all:
an electrical feedback unit with a selection of five switch types for the manual valve,
as well as the assembly interface for the new electric and pneumatic actuators. The
multi-functional handle also ensures the necessary safety for manual operation; the
locking feature protects against unwanted manipulation.
Furthermore with multiple contact switch options such as mechanical and inductive
Namur, PNP, NPN, rated up to IP65 protection. Your application needs are sure to
be covered.
Case study process cooling
Process cooling, whether temperature controlled or not, is one of the principal
demands in the chemical process industry. It is used extensively in heat exchangers
and reclaim equipment or high-tech manufacturing processes. Having the right
systems to support the cooling processes reliably is an obvious requirement and
having a solution that can correspond to your specific expectations is even better.
Often a specific solution for one customer will result in a standard product offering as
is the case in the actual example below.
Plant operators at a leading producer of digital signal processors (DSPs) and analog
semiconductors where looking at reducing both down-time risk and improving space
management issues for the process cooling water (PCW) which was considered a
critical system in the overall process. Their PCW branch valve connections needed
to be both more compact while also highly reliable. The customer had already used
Georg Fischer PVDF and PP piping systems extensively in the past for ultra pure
water (UPW), chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) and chemical delivery systems
and came to Georg Fischer for a solution for their Process Cooling Water (PCW)
branch valves.
Georg Fischer resolved both of these design issues with one solution while at the
same time reducing labor costs by providing pre-assembled PVC-U T-valves. Each
valve consists of a T-fitting with a threaded bushing nut that connects to a standard
Type 546 ball valve. The customer liked the solution so much that they designed the
T-valves into other «non-critical» systems, including plant vacuum, industrial waste
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re-use, potable water and non-potable water. With several thousands already sold
and installed and over 600 Tee Valves in a single production facility the Type 546 ball
valve has proven itself as a reliable solution. To further increase the flexibility of the
original solution the Tee Valve is now available in all standard Ball Valve Type 546
sizes. What started out as a custom solution has now become a standard product
offering. Georg Fischer 546 valves were an obvious choice for such a critical
environment.
Standards and approvals
Standards and approvals are another important factor in ensuring Peace of Mind.
The pertinent standards for ball valves are EN ISO 5211, EN ISO 16135, ISO 9393,
EN 558 as well as locally relevant approvals such as DIBT in Germany, NSF in the
USA and ACS in France. The Type 546 ball valve is tested in our accredited test
laboratory which is certified to SN EN ISO 9001 as well as accredited to ISO/IEC
17025. We have accredited testing stations for piping systems components such as
pipes, pipe connections, fittings, hand-operated and actuated valves and flow meters.
Cost of maintenance
Reliability and Maintenance of chemical industrial plants is a costly endeavor and
problems often require down-times and loss in production. Having a system that
performs reliably with less maintenance cycles is to be expected these days,
especially when time and costs are becoming more and more determining factors in
profitability. Therefore a system that is made of high quality raw materials and
performs reliably with less wear and tear is essential.
The Type 546 ball valve is designed with a buttress thread design on all plastic
threads (including union bushing) and requires a lower operating torque due to a
superior ball sealing construction. There is also a super long life option with +300’000
cycles for those “maintenance free” but critical applications.
Growing use of thermoplastics
In chemical plants and chemical processing the need for reliable solutions is
paramount. When you can combine reliability, flexibility all within a more compact
environment you are sure to have a winner. The usage of thermoplastics in chemical
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plants is growing due to the improved corrosion resistance and reduced maintenance
and the fact that available thermoplastic materials for ball valves will cover most of
the chemical resistance requirements.
With the right material selection and proper system design a thermoplastic ball valve
can be used reliabily and effectively in countless chemical plant applications.
Autor:
Riccardo Barbone, Head of Ball Valves Group, Georg Fischer Piping Systems,
Switzerland
Georg Fischer – Adding Quality to People`s Lives
GF Piping Systems is one of the three core businesses of the Georg Fischer Corporation and a leading supplier
of piping systems in plastic and metal with global market presence. Connecting technology, fittings, valves,
measuring devices and pipes are used for water conveyance and treatment as well as the transport of liquids and
gases for industrial purposes. GF Piping Systems provides innovative, engineered solutions for the segments
building technology, chemical process industry, cooling, life science, microelectronics, ship building, water and
gas utilities and water treatment. Sales companies in more than 25 countries and representatives in another 80
countries ensure customer support 24 hours a day. Production sites in Europe, Asia and the US are near the
customers and meet local requirements. The Georg Fischer headquarters is based since its foundation in 1802 in
Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
Key figures GF Piping Systems 2008
More than 4’700 employees worldwide (per 31 December 2008)
1224 MCHF sales
122 MCHF EBIT
Further information is available at www.piping.georgfischer.com
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