PTFE LINED PIPING SYSTEMS
THE MYTHICAL SOLUTION
There is a lot of misinformation in the market
place concerning PTFE lined pipe. The way some plastic lined
pipe manufacturers act you are led to believe that it is the
solution to all your plastic lined pipe requirements and will
handle all service conditions from mild to hazardous. That is
simply not true. PTFE lined piping systems are prone to several
very important problems:
1. PTFE lined pipe and PTFE lined fittings must
be vented according to the ASTM specification for plastic lined
pipe and plastic lined fittings, F-1545. (Click on the link
below to order your copy of F-1545.) PTFE is the most permeable
fluoropolymer we line with and because it is vented, everything
that permeates the liner is released into the atmosphere. (Click
on the link below to read more about vent holes.)
2. PTFE has the poorest mechanical properties
of any fluoropolymer we line with. The joints in a PTFE lined
piping system are constantly being affected by joint creep and
cold flow as described in the piping hot news link below. Tight
joints are crucial to the integrity of a plastic lined piping
system. The only thing worse than releasing your product into
the atmosphere is dumping it on personnel, the ground, or equipment
through a leaky joint.
3. Cheapness recommends it. PTFE is the least
expensive fluoropolymer resin used in plastic lined pipe and
plastic lined fittings. It is 15 to 20% of the cost of other
fluoropolymer resins. The trade off is that you give up excellent
permeation resistance and mechanical properties to save money.
Plastic lined piping systems are most often used to carry chemicals
that are dangerous and hazardous to health. Do you want to compromise
your safety and the safety of others by using a PTFE lined piping
system because it is less expensive than one with better mechanical
properties, exceptional permeation resistance, and doesn't leak?
Contact us today for alternative liner systems
for your hazardous chemical services. We plastic line pipe and
fittings with Polypropylene, PVDF, ECTFE, ETFE, MPFA, and PFA
as well as with PTFE. There is a better liner system to use
than PTFE. If you don't want a safer, longer lasting, more trouble
free plastic lined piping system in your plant, then you've
mythed the point.
ASTM
- ASTM F 1545 Specification For Plastic
Lined Steel Piping.
Vent
Holes - VOC Issues Relating to Plastic Lined Piping! Very
informative
Piping
Hot News - Cold Flow and Joint Creep
