SIMONA PP-DWU Alphaplus Adds Value to Chemical Equipment and Tank Engineering

SIMONA® PP-DWU Alphaplus®, a specialized homopolymeric polypropylene (PP-H) grade with advanced properties providing extra safety in chemical process engineering applications. These properties include advanced chemical resistance, excellent tensile strength and cracking resistance, excellent notched impact strength, improved hardness, excellent weldability and long service life. This article will explain the product properties through two case examples.

Pickling Line with SIMONA® PP-DWU Alphaplus® for Rasselstein GmbH

Rasselstein GmbH, located in Andernach and one of the world's largest tinplate producers, required complete renewal of its entire sulfuric acid hot-dip process. Kunststoffbau Langschede GmbH convinced Rasselstein that SIMONA® PP-DWU Alphaplus® was the optimal solution. In the design of the entire process, expansion parameters and connection parameters of various pickling tanks had to be considered alongside structural parameters.

SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus® – Material Selected for the Intended Application Initial Situation

Rasselstein GmbH, specialist in cold bending and processing of steel, needed to reconfigure its 150-meter-long pickling line. In four pickling tanks and the final rinsing section, aggressive chemicals such as sulfuric acid caused chemical stress, while high service temperatures and friction from steel strips passing at various speeds caused mechanical stress. Although the surfaces of the pickling tanks underwent pre-treatment and advanced surface cleaning procedures, the metal and steel structures used until then did not provide permanent corrosion resistance under operating conditions. Task A material was sought that offered long service life, high chemical resistance to aggressive chemicals and thermal resistance. Kunststoffbau Langschede, with 10 years of industrial infrastructure design and production experience, recommended that Rasselstein GmbH select PP and PVDF instead of steel in the new pickling lines, adopting a new approach. Solution With superior material properties, SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus® provides very long service life and eliminates the need for continuous renewal of process components. The process line was designed using CAD 3D computer modeling with PP reduction factors taken into account. Installation of the new process into the existing facility structure was completed in just 20 days using state-of-the-art measurement technology including 3D laser scanning. Project Overview Reconstruction of the steel strip processing with SIMONA® PP-DWU Alphaplus® sheets, SIMONA® PP-DWU Alphaplus® pipes and SIMONA® PVDF pipes. Dimensions of the pickling line - Steel strip width: 600 to 1,500 mm, - Steel strip thickness: 1.5 mm to 3.5 mm, - Production volume: 5,000 tonnes/day, - Strip speed: 240 m/min, - Line consists of four 25-meter pickling tanks and one 20-meter final rinsing section. Required Properties - High chemical resistance, - High temperature resistance, - Long service life. Customer Rasselstein GmbH, Andernach Project Contractor Kunststoffbau Langschede GmbH, Unna Technical Support SIMONA AG, Technical Service Center, Kirn Products Used - Total 160 tonnes of SIMONA® PP-DWU Alphaplus® sheets in various thicknesses, - SIMONA® PP-DWU Alphaplus® pipes, - SIMONA® PVDF pipes. SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus® Properties - DIBt approved, - High chemical resistance, - High impact resistance and rigidity, - Good tensile cracking resistance, - Excellent corrosion resistance, - Capability for continuous use at high temperatures (up to +100°C), - Permanently waterproof, strong welded joints. Product Range - Extrusion and press sheets, - Press sheets, - Welding rods, - Rods, - Pipes, - Fittings.

SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus® – Best Practice in Tank and Equipment Manufacturing

G&H company manufactured a cathodic electrocoating bath with a metal shell for Faurecia in Pisek, Czech Republic. A cathodic bath is used for coating parts, for example automotive components, with paint at room temperature. To prevent equalization of potentials between the environment and the steel bath, the interior of the steel bath is lined with SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus®.

SIMONA® PP-DWU Alphaplus® Tank Linings in Critical Applications Initial Situation

A cathodic electrocoating bath measuring 2,100 mm x 2,500 mm x 17,500 mm was to be manufactured. This cathodic coating bath was designed for coating parts with paint in a dip process at room temperature. Parts to be coated are conveyed automatically through the bath. The external portion of the tank is made of metal for strength reasons.

Task

To prevent potential equalization between the environment (paint) and the metal wall, the paint bath must be lined with an insulation material that contains no components that will be affected by paint moisture and can easily withstand a maximum bath temperature of 38°C. Project Overview Lining of a cathodic electrocoating bath with SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus®. Dimensions 17,500 mm x 2,100 mm x 2,500 mm Required Properties - High chemical resistance up to 38°C, - No material components that will interact with paint moisture. Customer Faurecia, Pisek, Czech Republic Project Contractor G&H Kunststofftechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Sprockhövel Technical Support SIMONA AG Business Development Industry Products Used - SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus® sheets: 3,000 mm x 1,500 mm x 6 mm, - SIMONA® PP-H AlphaPlus® pipes: d 32 – d 140 mm, - SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus® welding rods. Solution G&H company found SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus®, which has excellent chemical resistance within safety limits even in critical applications. 6 mm x 1,500 mm x 3,000 mm plates were used for lining the steel tank. The most important requirement for internal lining is that the material contains no components that will interact with paint moisture. Although the SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus® material formulation meets this requirement optimally, immersion tests against paint penetration are still performed prior to use. Test results show that SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus® material is the most suitable material for lining. To enable collection of parts dropping from the conveyor into the bath, a steel basket that can be lifted above the bath liquid level by crane was installed inside the bath. This basket is made of steel tubes attached to SIMONA® PP-DWU AlphaPlus® pipes. Selin Çimlikaya Bengisu Öder Chemical Engineer Filiz Plastik