Performance Comparison between Alumina Ceramic Valve and Metal Valve

---

In the fields of industrial fluid control, machinery manufacturing, medical apparatus and semiconductor, the valve plate is a key component, and its performance directly affects the reliability, efficiency and life of the equipment. Alumina ceramic valve plate and metal valve plate are two common valve plate materials. They have their own advantages and disadvantages in performance and are suitable for different application scenarios.

Wear resistance

• Alumina ceramic valve: high purity alumina ceramic, high hardness, Rockwell hardness up to HRC90 (second only to diamond), wear resistance than traditional metal valve 6-8 times. Under high frequency reciprocating motion and high wear conditions, the surface wear rate of ceramic valve is extremely low, such as in industrial compressors, its surface wear rate is less than 0.005mm/10,000 times.
• Metal valve plate: relatively low hardness, in the long-term high-speed fluid initializing and solid particle impact, easy to wear, resulting in uneven surface of the valve plate, affecting the sealing and flow control accuracy.

Corrosion resistance

• Alumina ceramic valve: chemically stable, able to resist the erosion of strong acids, alkalis and other corrosive media. In the chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical and other industries, ceramic valves have excellent corrosion resistance, and the corrosion rate is only 1/100 of that of ordinary metal valves.
  Metal valve plate: It is fragile in a chemically corrosive environment and is prone to chemical reactions with corrosive substances, resulting in valve plate corrosion, reduced strength, and even leakage.

High temperature resistance

• Alumina ceramic valve: with a very high melting point (about 2050 ° C), it can maintain stable physical and chemical properties in high temperature environments. Its operating temperature range covers -29 ° C to 1600 ° C, suitable for complex working conditions such as high temperature steam and high temperature gas.
  Metal valve plates are prone to deformation or failure in high-temperature environments, especially in high-temperature steam piping systems, where the performance of metal valves can be significantly reduced.

Sealing

• Alumina ceramic valve plate: The surface is polished with high precision and has a high finish, which can be tightly fitted with the valve seat to form a good sealing effect. Even under high pressure differential conditions, it can effectively prevent medium leakage.
  Metal valve plate: After long-term use, the sealing surface is prone to wear and tear, resulting in an increased risk of leakage.

Weight and maintenance costs

• Alumina ceramic valve plate: only 1/3 the density of steel, light weight, easy installation and maintenance, reducing transportation and installation costs. Its long service life and low maintenance costs, for example in compressors, after the use of ceramic valves, the equipment overhaul cycle can be extended from 1.5 years to 4 years.
  Metal valve plate: heavy weight, complex installation, and requires frequent replacement, resulting in high maintenance costs.

Application scenarios

• Alumina ceramic valves: widely used in high temperature, high pressure, strong corrosion and other harsh working conditions, such as high temperature steam valve control in the power industry, corrosive medium transportation in the chemical industry, high pressure transmission pipelines in the oil and gas industry, sewage treatment equipment and medical apparatus.
  Metal valve plate: suitable for ordinary working conditions that do not require high wear resistance, corrosion resistance and high temperature resistance.

Alumina ceramic valves are significantly better than traditional metal valves in terms of wear resistance, corrosion resistance, high temperature resistance, and sealing. Although their initial investment may be slightly higher, their long-term reliability and low maintenance costs make them the first choice in many industries.