How to Choose Materials for Your Next Chemical Metering Skid
For more information on S&S Technical, LLC visit our website at www.skidsolutions.com
Designing a packaged pump system has many pitfalls and potentially painful consequences. From picking and sizing the correct pumps to integrating the PLC & HMI there are many areas that need strict detail attention to achieve a positive outcome. All too often on area in particular gets little attention but can have major consequences on the success of the system: choosing the correct materials for the piping, frames, valves and pumps. In this article, Scott Ogburn, President and CEO of S&S Technical, LLC discusses five questions system designers should be asking when choosing the correct materials for a chlorine injection system, a pump metering skid or any other custom pump skid.
Q: What are the most common types of materials your company uses to fabricate Industrial Packaged Pump Skids?
A: The materials we use most are: 316 Stainless Steel, 304 Stainless Steel, PVDF, CPVC, Alloy 20, Hastelloy, Polyethylene and Carbon Steel.
Q: What is the most important question to consider when selecting materials?
A: Simple- what product are you moving? If you are designing a Sulfuric Acid Dosing System Skid you should be looking into Alloy 20 which was specifically designed to handle the rigors of working with sulfuric acid. If you are designing a Chlorine Generation Skid you would be looking into using CPVC. Itfs all about chemistry and unless you research the chemicals and their compatibility with various materials, you are asking for trouble. There are some very good websites with compatibility charts on-line.
Q: After understanding product compatibility, what other criteria should designers question?
A: System pressure and temperature can also effect the selection of materials (WHY)
Q: How about cost and does that play a big part in the material selection process?
A: Cost varies greatly from one material to another. Cost, however, is only sometimes the driving factor and is always a moving target. What I mean is there are times when the product chooses the material, so cost doesnft matter. There are other times however that you have options on material selection, in which case cost can be a factor, but so will durability, corrosion, and other more long-term considerations. All too often a customer will focus on price and will pay for it over time as corrosion and durability take its toll on the system.
Q: How about ease of working with a product in the manufacturing/fabrication process? Should that be a consideration?
A: No. Unless itfs a super-exotic metal, Packaged Pump manufacturing companies should be familiar with the techniques necessary to work with all of the common materials. While the process is different for each one, a quality manufacturing firm should be familiar with all techniques.
Choosing the correct material for your next skid is as important as choosing the correct pump. Both have long]term and expensive ramification when making a choice that is not best suited for the application.
If you are interested in learning more about what material to use in your next pump skid, please call Mr. Ogburn at his Cumming, Georgia facility. His email address is scott@skidsolutions.com . His phone number is 678-867-7024, extension 101.
S&S technical, LLC is a custom designer and fabricator of packaged pump systems including oil and gas trans-loading applications. Their ability to integrate the mechanical and electrical aspects of systems sets them apart from their competitors.
Learn more about S&S Technical at www.skidsolutions.com
