Pfaudler Abrasion Resistant Glass

Extended service life for enamelled plants with highly abrasive processes

Highly abrasive solid reactants are often used in the manufacture of chemicals. To dissolve these solids, highly corrosive acids such as concentrated hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid and high temperatures up to 160°C are required. Enamelled components and systems are the only materials of construction suitable for these corrosive and errosive process conditions. 

Abrasion damage is a critical issue in chemical production processes. It is difficult to predict as this damage cannot be modeled and tested in laboratory facilities and is process-specific and plant-specific. The effects of abrasion strongly depend on the solids used and may change just by varying the supplier of the solids raw material or by varying the technical quality. Operational changes also vary the effects of erosion such as varying the energy input (for example the speed of the agitator) which has a great influence on the mechanically induced erosion of the glass. An optimization of mixing system (impeller style, agitator speed, as well as the baffling technology) is ideal for the process; however, designing for reduced erosion may have a negative process effect that leads to a reduction in yield and increased side reactions.   The use of Pfaudler's Abrasion Resistant Glass (ARG), a highly abrasion resistant enamel coating, allows for optimum mixing design and process efficiency while improving the life cyle of the plant equipment in these harsh chemical applications.

The ARG (Abrasion Resistant Glass)  enamel combines improved chemical resistivity in alkaline solutions with a significantly higher abrasion resistance compared to  standard WWG (World Wide Glass). Currently, a great many of our global customers have reactors with ARG glass operating in processes with solids (both as raw materials or as end materials), producing output ranging from technical grade commodities to high purity products. Operating experience of our customers has shown that a reactor lined with ARG has abrasion resistance that even surpasses the values measured in the laboratory. According to testimonials, the current service life of ARG coated systems is significantly higher and actually more than double than with the previous types of enamels used.