PEEK valve plate

PEEK compressor valve plate

Valve plates made of PEEK can significantly enhance the efficiency and reliability of reciprocating compressors. In natural gas compressors, valve plates made of PEEK 5600GF30 can operate continuously for up to 12 months, while steel plates typically break after about a month.

In the complex structure of reciprocating compressors, valve plates undoubtedly play a crucial role and can be regarded as the "heart" of the compressor, directly affecting its efficiency and reliability. When steel is used (which significantly shortens the service life), if the valve plate breaks, steel fragments can cause serious damage to the cylinder, piston and piston rings. The adoption of PEEK valve plates will prevent the loss of such assets in the future and significantly increase the added value for end users such as the oil and gas industry or fertilizer production plants by reducing downtime and related costs.

In addition to significantly extending service life, PEEK valve plates can also save energy during opening and closing. This is attributed to its superior wear resistance, surface fit, elasticity and sealing performance, thereby reducing air flow loss. Compared with steel, this type of polymer valve plate also generates less noise.

The plastic valve plate of the compressor is made of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) as the base material. According to the user's requirements, various auxiliary materials are added and processed through granulation, injection molding and machining. It has nine major advantages:

1. High-temperature resistance: The long-term service temperature of PEEK is 260℃, and the normal working temperature of the valve plate can reach over 200℃.

2. High pressure resistance (pressure difference) : The working pressure difference of the valve plate can reach over 15MPa.

3. High wear resistance: The plastic valve plate has a low density and a light weight of the same volume. Under the working condition of the reciprocating compressor, the impact force is reduced, the fatigue damage caused thereby is decreased, and the service life of the air valve is prolonged.

4. Strong corrosion resistance: Resistant to all media except oxygen, chlorine and concentrated sulfuric acid.

5. Low noise: It can absorb part of the impact energy to reduce noise.

6. Good sealing performance and high efficiency: At the working temperature, the PEEK valve plate has a self-regulating function on the sealing surface, which can automatically complete the fine-tuning of the contact surface shape within 24 hours, achieving the best sealing effect and enabling the compressor to achieve high compression efficiency in the shortest time.

7. Low energy consumption: With the improvement of sealing performance, the power consumption and temperature rise of the compressor decrease simultaneously. Compared with metal valve plates, the energy consumption of compressors using plastic valve plates can be reduced by 5% to 10%.

8. High safety: The valve plate has good toughness and is not easy to break. Even if the valve plate breaks and falls into the cylinder, it will not cause damage to the cylinder or produce sparks. PEEK has a high oxygen index. Under the operating conditions of compressors with flammable gases as the medium, plastic valve plates have higher safety.

9. Good hydrolysis resistance: PEEK valve plates are not affected by water or high-pressure steam.