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.
