What the heck is a Fluoropolymer?

Well, we know what fluoropolymers are, and most firms directly related to our industry do as well, but the general public may not be so familiar with such things as PTFE, FEP, PFA, and PVDF – all of which are fluoropolymers.

The purpose of this post is not to directly discuss fluorotherm’s products, but to mention the importance of educating the public about your products (and services).  There are many ways to promote products in order to increase awareness.

Consider the following:

-  Write a blog about your products.  Just as Fluorotherm writes this blog about fluoropolymers, we encourage all businesses to write about their site, products/services, and company-related information.

-  Issue newsletters.  We offer newsletters directly from our Web site and enable interested parties to stay on our mailing list to keep informed about us.

-  Hire a marketing or pr company.  Many times, small businesses are too busy to conduct important initiatives in-house.  Outsourcing to professionals ensures that objectives are addressed and addressed well by experienced professionals.

- Attend tradeshows.  Tradeshows are great to become acquainted with others in your industry and may invite the opportunity to recruit new talent to your business.

Immersion Coil Heat Exchangers

We carry a large line of immersion coil products.  Our Immersion Heat Exchanger is made from a PVDF (poly  -vinylidene fluoride).  This modification increases the performance range of the heat exchanger.  Other polypropylene-framed exchangers.

Standard tubing coils of the heat exchangers consist of either FEP (fluoronated ethylene propylene) or PFA (perfluoroalkoxy- vinyl ether) tubing.  Higher steam pressure tubing is also available with custom-sized fluoropolymer heat exchanger tubing.  Fluorotherm can also provide your company with custom-sized fluoropolymer heat exchanger tubing.

PVDV-framed heat exchangers have been championed by clients and labeled as superior to polypropylene frames (especially in situations where the tank or bath temperatures exceed 150* F) and can withstand temperatures up to 210*F.  We recommend PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) frames for jobs where temperatures can exceed 210* F.

Our fluoropolymer products can be used for a variety of jobs within many industries.  We recommend visiting our site and taking a look at the specific statistics provided according to the fluoropolymer desired.

Fluorotherm’s Chemically Resistant PTFE, FEP and PFA Products are the Materials of Choice

To Our Valued Customers,

Beginning this month, we would like to selectively pick one of the unique characteristics of fluoropolymers and briefly elaborate on the reasons why they are the materials of choice over other polymers for applications that require specific performance criteria.

 

Some of these criteria may require electrical, chemical inertness, non-shedding, optical, thermal (both high temperature and cryogenic conditions), ultraviolet light transparency, lubricity, weathering and corrosion resistance characteristics, among others. Fluoropolymers such as PTFE, FEP and PFA uniquely meet one or a combination of these criteria.

 

Chemical Resistance

 

Specifically perfluorinated fluoropolymer materials such as PTFE, FEP and PFA contain only carbon and fluorine with single chemical bonds in the chemical structure. Their hydrocarbon counterparts, such as polyethylene and polypropylene; contain carbon and hydrogen. The morphology or structural shape of the fluoropolymer molecule containing strong C-F single bonds is uniquely tailored to prevent chemical attack of the carbon-carbon backbone by most common chemicals. Think Caesar’s Roman army with rectangular shields that received better protection against flying spears than the round shields of opposing armies.

 

PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) is highly resistant to attack by most highly corrosive chemicals. For example, Fluorotherm has many instances of heat exchangers and other products that continue to operate in hot sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric acids. Our heat exchanger designs were originally introduced to the market in the mid-1960′s., and new combinations of increasingly robust design and materials have evolved ever since.  An example of our heat exchanger frame initially installed in 1982 is shown below. The tubing material has been replaced but the frame is relatively clean considering its exposure to hot nitric and hydrofluoric acids for  26 years.

FLUOROTHERM TEFLON® IMMERSION HEAT EXCHANGER – 1982 INSTALLATION – AND STILL OPERATING !

 

FEP (polytetrafluoroethylene-co-hexfluoropropylene) and PFA (polytetrafluoroethylene-co-perfluoro alkoxyvinyl ether) have similar chemical resistance to PTFE. Tubing made of these materials have a long life in aggressive environments in the simultaneous presence of harsh chemicals and high temperatures compared to other plastics and materials where failure may occur due to either structural or thermal degradation.

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Extreme chemical inertness of perfluorinated polymers serves well in a broad range of industries and applications. Some of these include the oil well and oil services industries; refinery and petrochemicals, pharmaceutical applications; the chemical process industry (CPI); pulp and paper mills, environmental sampling and laboratory environments among others.

 

The list of chemicals that are compatible with our tubing materials is too numerous to mention. In fact, it is easier to list the few materials that do not work with our fluoropolymers. For additional information please click on the following link:http://www.fluorotherm.com/chemical_resistance.html

 

 

For additional information on chemical resistance of PTFE, FEP, PFA and PVDF please contact us at sales@fluorotherm.com. We will be happy to discuss the suitability of our products in your particular application and suggest alternatives if necessary.

Fluorotherm introduces Thermally Conductive H2 PFA and FEP fluoropolymer tubing

Fluorotherm introduces Thermally Conductive H2 PFA and FEP fluoropolymer tubing to significantly enhance the heat transfer rate for cooling and heating applications. This tubing is incorporated in Fluorotherm heat exchangers that are used in a broad range of industries such as steel, metal finishing, galvanizing plants and chemical processing applications. The tubing composition has been optimized to provide the best combination of thermal conductivity and strength while retaining the basic non-stick property of fluoropolymers. Optimization relates to the nature of the fillers, purity, shape factors, and loading, among others. Fluorotherm H2 tubing has been proven and characterized by field tests. The thermal conductivity, based on field testing data, ranges from about 2 to 2.5 times that of natural plastic.

Our H2 heat exchangers are lower profile and require significantly less space than other plastic heat exchangers for a given heat load. For example, sulfuric acid recovery and recycling in galvanizing operations requires half the amount of H2 surface area compared to PVDF or polypropylene heat exchangers. In addition, Fluorotherm heat exchangers are relatively easily cleaned by virtue of the geometry of the Fluorotherm heat exchangers and the inhererently non-stick property of H2 tubing.

Helpful Fluoropolymer Information from a Trusted Source

Fluoropolymers

Hello everyone, this blog is meant for people with questions and concerns about different fluoropolymers and fluoropolymer products.

Please come to this blog and let us know your questions or concerns and feel free to visit  www.fluorotherm.com for more information. 

Thanks and we look forward to helping you.

PTFE and FEP Plastic Tubing: What you need to know!

PTFE

PTFE(Poly tetra-fluoro ethylene) is a fully fluorinated polymer available in various unmodified and modified grades. PTFE is processed by compacting the powder under pressure at ambient or slightly higher than ambient temperatures. Methods of forming products include paste extrusion, ram extrusion, molding and calendaring between rolls. Many formed PTFE products are consolidated by sintering in an oven or used in unsintered form ( eg: thread sealant tape). Paste extrusion and calendaring methods are used with fine powder PTFE resins while granular PTFE resins are processed by ram extrusion and molding.

Fluorotherm manufactures PTFE paste extruded tubing with the following features:

·    Extremely high lubricity, thus low coefficient of friction compared to other materials
·    Non-stick and non-wetting (hydrophobic), low surface tension with water
·    Excellent dielectric and electrical insulation characteristics
·    Exceptional chemical inertness
·    Upper temperature use limit for PTFE is 500°F (260°C) under non-stress conditions
·    Suitable for cryogenic conditions: -320°F (-96°C) the boiling point of liquid nitrogen
·    PTFE has UL 94 VO rating for flame resistance, does not burn
·    Autoclave and ETO sterilizable
·    PTFE tubing is easily purged and cleaned

Visit our PTFE detailed properties page to discover why PTFE is the right choice for your industry.

 

FEP Tubing

 

FEP (Fluorinated ethylene propylene) is a fully fluorinated copolymer. FEP is established for its excellent chemical resistance, outstanding electrical properties and a wide service temperature range extending up to 400 deg F. A list of its key properties is shown in the table below. FEP is UV light transparent – a property that is effectively utilized in water disinfecting by ultra violet light of the appropriate wavelength. FDA regulation 21 CFR 177.1550 is applicable to FEP for use as article or components of articles intended to contact food. FEP is classified as USP Class VI and applies to tubing products.

To see the comparisons of all our Teflon ® products including PFA, MFA, ETFE, PCTFE, and PVDF please visit our product comparison chart.