Rubber lining materials selection

Whilst carbon and stainless steels are commonly used materials of construction, increasing use is being made of non-metallic and rubber lined equipment. The selection of the material of construction should take into account the cases of the worst process conditions that may occur under foreseeable conditions and should be applied to all components including valves, pipe fittings, instruments and gauges. Both composition (e.g., chlorides, moisture) and temperature deviations can have a significant direct effect on the rate of corrosion. The operator should demonstrate that procedures are in place to ensure that potential deviations in process conditions such as fluid temperature, pressure and composition are identified and assessed in relation to the selection of materials of construction for piping systems. 

Chemical compatibility is another important factor to reckon with in material selection as in the case of butterfly valves which are frequently used in industrial fluid flow systems where the valves are operated to load and unload different kinds of fluids for shipment or storage. These applications include tank trailers for transportation of fluids from one location to another as well as fluid flow pipelines. A typical butterfly valve usually incorporates a resilient rubber seal component which the valve pivots to seal off the flow lines and when opened allows the fluid to be conveyed to the flow line. The chemicals transported in tanks using butterfly valves are often caustic or acidic. These chemicals corrode the pivot area of the valve making its function ineffective. The rubber gasket material prevents leakage while the valve chamber is protected by a chemically resistant rubber material. 

Erosion Similar to abrasion cutting in ductile metal fracture (of brittle material) very small chips or particles (e.g., impellers, propellers, fans) Reduce fluid velocity to eliminate turbulence select harder alloy (high chromium) hard coatings such as cement lined pipe, rubber lining... 

Hot asphalt applications had been used for many years in concrete tanks, inner lined with brick for similar service, and also, of course, unlined wood tanks made from timber, and small pickling tanks made by hollowing out cavities in granite blocks. But the use of hot asphalt as a liner for steel tanks had been unsatisfactory due to the erratic cold flow of the asphalt which demonstrated selective adhesion to steel and so would tear and open cracks in the membrane system in the areas of cold flow below the points where it adhered. To overcome this difficulty, a number of inventive persons experimented with the manufacture of asphalt sheet lining materials, similar in form to the sheets of natural rubber, in which the asphalt was compounded with various admixtures, including rubber. These asphaltic compound sheets were then warmed sufficiently to make... 

Wet chlorine is very corrosive to all of the more common construction metals. At low pressures wet chlorine can be handled in chemical stoneware, glass or porcelain equipment and in certain alloys. Hard rubber, polyvinyl chloride (maximum of 41 kPa (6 psig)), fiberglass-reinforced polyester, polyvinylidene chloride or fluoride and frilly halogenated fluorocarbon resins have been used successfully. For maximum working pressure see Chlorine Pamphlet 6 [9]. All of these materials must be selected with care. For higher pressures, lined metallic or compatible metallic systems should be used. In the metallic systems, Hastelloy C, titanium and tantalum have been used. Within limits, titanium may be used with wet chlorine, but must not be used with dry chlorine under any circumstances because it bums spontaneously on contact. Tantalum is inert to wet and dry chlorine at temperatures up to 300°F(149°C). 

Many modifications of the elastomers above have been developed chiefly by copolymerization with various synthetic resins. These modified elastomers furnish the engineer with a wide selection of materials suitable for special uses. An example of a relatively new hydrocarbon rubber is a copolymer of ethylene and propylene, EPR. This rubber has outstanding resistance to ozone weathering. It has lower tear resistence and higher air permeability than Buna S (SBR), but can be lined with butyl to correct the latter property. 

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