MATERIALS | HIGH TEMPERATURE PLASTICS
Right: Victrex CT was
selected by Advanced Engineering Valves for use in cryogenic and severe service ball valves
forced PPS, as opposed to other semi-crystalline polymers, “offer remarkable, even unique, dimen- sional stability, thanks to a very limited differential shrinking, and consequently minimal deformations, similar to those typical of amorphous plastics.” An interesting application cited by Posca for a PPS compound supplied by Lati is vanes injection moulded by VP Plast in Italy and installed on the rotors of rotary pumps built by the French company Mouvex, part of the PSG group and a leader in the construction of compressors and pumps for the handling of liquids. In rotary vacuum pumps, the performance of the system depends largely on how well the vanes work. They have to guarantee a tight seal between the rotor and the internal jacket, so as to prevent fluid leaking into the pump chamber and causing a loss of pressure. Since they must also slide radially along the rotor without wearing the metal, the surface hardness and finish are crucial. Mouvex uses Lati’s Larton G/40, a 40% glass fibre-reinforced PPS compound, in addition to stainless steel and PEEK. Polyplastics in Japan counts PPS among a
range of thermoplastics aimed at high-heat applications. Tunenobu Satoh in the company’s sales planning department says Polyplastics’ DurafidePPS “is used for more than 150°C of high-heat resistant purposes. Components which are mounted on the engine directly are targeted PPS applications. Examples include engine speed sensors, thermal management components, and inverter housings of EV components.”
PEEK for hot and cold Belgium-based Advanced Engineering Valves (AEV), which is a leader for cryogenic and severe service ball valves, has selected a Victrex high
Evonik drops PPA
Evonik is another company well-known for its high-performance thermoplastics, including Vestakeep PEEK and Vestamid polyam- ides of various types. However, it recently stopped offering PPA as part of a reorganisation of its business for high-performance polymers within the polyamide group. Noting that it had begun construction of a new PA12 facility complex and is expanding its production of transparent polyamides, it said it would be concen- trating its activities on high-performance materials for attractive growth markets such as the automotive, oil and gas, 3D printing, and optics industries. Ralf Düssel, the head of the High Perfor- mance Polymers Business Line at Evonik, says that for customers, the move will mean a more intense focus on developing sophisti- cated specialty solutions.
74 COMPOUNDING WORLD | October 2020
performance cryogenic PEEK polymer to help its customers operate applications more efficiently and safely. The company´s 2XC* C-ball valve products require zero maintenance in cryogenic service. The cryogenic Victrex CT 100 polymer was specifically developed by Victrex for insert applica- tions. After successfully passing Design Validation Testing (DVT) at AEV, the polymer is now used in the company´s class 900 ball valves ranging from ½ through to 18 inches. It is specified for a tempera- ture range of -196°C to +150°C and offers struc- tural strength at elevated temperature without compromising low-temperature performance. “Many sealing applications in cryogenic tem-
perature ranges have typically been made with fluoropolymers. However, our polymer products such as the Victrex CT series provide a unique range of properties over a broader temperature range, from +200°C down to -196°C, which fluoropolymers cannot meet,” says James Simmo- nite, Director Energy at Victrex. In this temperature range, chemical resistance is still important, but other aspects such as creep resistance, low temperature toughness and tribological perfor- mance, and thermal properties such as conductivity and expansion, are the most important to applica- tions such as valve seats and packings. Back in 2005, Gharda Chemicals (GCL) in India sold its polymers division to Solvay, giving Solvay an entry into the PEEK business. But GCL is still in the very high heat resistant thermoplastics arena: it claims to have pioneered manufacturing of ultra-performance and high temperature resistant polymers at competitive prices. Its commercial
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IMAGE: AEV
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