Thermoplastic polymer has API 610 recognition
CDI Energy Products announced that its latest material to achieve API 610 recognition outperformed service life expectations under extremely corrosive sulfuric acid conditions. API 610 is the standard for centrifugal pumps for the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries. CDI’s proprietary thermoplastic polymer composite, Dures 200, was the foundation for critical components developed for an API 610 vertical single casing diffuser pump (VS1) for a high production sulfuric acid plant. CDI’s material scientists and engineers collaborated with the pump OEM to custom design suction bell eye case rings, bowl eye case rings and bowl bushings which could sustain differential pressures of over 200 psi, coupled with an extreme temperature profile of -20°F to 105°F (-28.8°C to 40.55°C). The pump OEM, a global industry leader in centrifugal, positive displacement and specialty pumps, required a material with higher thermal stability and higher creep resistance than polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). CDI’s Dures 200 was developed to support service applications with aggressive acids and bases, aromatics and amines. The pump OEM has indicated that the custom components are still in active use by the end user and have far exceeded the vertical pump’s typical service maintenance schedule with a significant reduction to costly downtime.