The efficiency and reliability of reciprocating compressors can be substantially improved through the use of valve plates made of VICTREX® PEEK.
This is the conclusion built on usage results at the end-users of the Chinese compressor component manufacturer HuanTian Compressor and Victrex, the world’s leading supplier of polyaryletherketone (PAEK)-based solutions.
Valve plates made from VICTREX PEEK 450GL30
In a natural gas compressor, for example, valve plates made of VICTREX PEEK 450GL30 can work continuously for twelve months, whereas the steel plates generally fractured after about one month. Now, the HuanTian Industrial/Victrex partnership activity has proved that the durable, high-performance polymer has the potential to take its place as the industry standard in China.
The valve plate is a key component in reciprocating compressors with a direct impact on their efficiency and reliability. When steel - with its significantly shorter service life - is used, steel splinters could cause serious damage to the cylinder, piston and piston ring if the valve plate breaks. The use of durable VICTREX PEEK plates will avoid such asset losses in the future and will provide end users in the oil and gas industry or in fertilizer production plants with a noticeable added value by reducing downtimes and the associated costs.
"VICTREX PEEK has proved to be the best material to replace stainless steel valve plates. It has enormous potential for use in China’s oil and gas and chemical industry,” explains Zhu Feng, General Manager of Taizhou HuanTian Industrial. The company has teamed up with Victrex to establish a standard for the China Compressor Standard Committee for the use of VICTREX PEEK 450GL30 and 450CA30 as a valve plate raw material. Besides having a significantly longer service life, PEEK valve plates also help to save energy during the opening and closing process. This is because air flow loss is reduced by their better wear characteristics, surface matching, elasticity and sealability. The polymer plates also produce a lower noise level than steel.
The process reciprocating compressors account for about 50% of China’s growing compressor market. To address this, Victrex aims to continue development of its metal replacement technologies in oil and gas and other applications. Indeed, for more than 36 years, VICTREX PEEK has been used successfully in a wide variety of industries, including the automotive, aviation, and oil and gas industries, as a replacement for metal. The reason for this is the long-standing expertise of the PAEK manufacturer and the excellent combination of characteristics that predestines the high-performance polymer to be used as a replacement for metal in extreme ambient conditions. These characteristics include high temperature resistance, high wear resistance, high impact strength, excellent chemical resistance, hydrolysis resistance, and dimensional stability.
About Victrex
Victrex Polymer Solutions, a division of Victrex plc, is the world’s leading manufacturer of high performance polyaryletherketones such as VICTREX® PEEK polymer, VICOTE® Coatings, APTIV® film and VICTREX Pipes™. These materials are used in a variety of markets and offer an exceptional combination of properties to help OEMs, designers and processors reach new levels of cost savings, quality, and performance.