During the design phase of chemical reactors and other process vessels subjected to severe corrosive environments, material engineers must decide from a plethora of options. The challenge is to match the operating environment with the best material the first time through and to avoid the high cost of failure. All corrosion resistant materials will succeed in certain environments, yet will fail in others. Corrosion
resistant alloys or glass linings are often selected because they are seen as the lowest risk options. Unfortunately, these high cost solutions sometimes fail due to chemical attack or physical breakage.
Fluoropolymer linings are a proven cost-effective solution in many corrosive environments thought to be the exclusive domain of exotic alloys or glass linings. Properly selected, they are less prone to chemical attack than corrosion resistant alloys, and are less fragile than glass lined vessels. While they cannot operate at temperatures above 300°F without a protective layer of chemical resistant masonry, they can provide significant life cycle cost savings in harsh corrosive environments below 300°F. This paper details two case studies regarding chemical reactors in harsh corrosive environments, one constructed with a corrosion resistant alloy and the other with glass lined steel. Both systems
experienced multiple failures before being replaced with lower cost fluoropolymer lined steel. The paper concludes with an overview of the procedures required to ensure a successful fluoropolymer lined system.
Keywords: linings, fluoropolymer linings, fluoropolymer coatings, corrosion resistant linings PVDF, ECTFE