| In the never
ending quest for increased pumping efficiencies longer lifetimes
and the ability to deal with more hazardous liquids and
solids, Advanced Ceramics are playing an increasing role.
Advanced ceramics are now used as pump shafts, seats, bearing
surfaces, gears and even complete pump bodies. Many
of these components are found in leading edge applications
such as chemical industry valve sets or oil field flow
control devices.
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Pumping Components
The excellent erosive wear and corrosion resistance of Technox®
zirconias has led to their use in several pump components,
typically parts subjected to high stress, such as shafts,
couplings or thrust plates.
Centrifugal pumps are available which have all major
parts in advanced ceramics materials, with zirconia being
used for the shaft, rotor cover and can. Typical applications
areas for such pumps are in sludge pumps and process pumps
for the chemical industry.
Both Mg-PSZ and Y-TZP components have been successfully
applied in petrochemical and process industries as valves,
seats, nozzles etc.
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Rotary Seals
This was one of the first uses for technical ceramics in wear
applications. Alumina was the material that was originally used
and still is in many cases. For rotary pumps the ceramic ring
is fitted to a metal cup, then attached to the shaft, where it
is spring loaded against a carbon-phenolic ring. The properties
sought are sliding wear and corrosion resistance.
Sintered silicon carbide is now being considered due to its
longer lifetime, better acid resistance and pressure-velocity
(P-V) ratio, however, the cost is often three times that of
alumina.
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