Manual Ceramic-lined Ball Valve Design And Selection

For power plant desulfurization and ash handling, specify ceramic lined ball valves (flanged, handwheel, DN15-DN300) to handle abrasive lime slurry, fly ash, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and fibrous media. Alumina (Al₂O₃) or zirconia (ZrO₂) lining provides erosion and corrosion resistance for temperatures from -20°C to 300°C. WCB, CF8, or CF8M body materials are available. Install in FGD absorber feed, gypsum bleed, and ash conveying lines. This design prevents valve damage from erosive and corrosive media. Reduce maintenance intervals from months to years.

Power Plant Erosion and Corrosion Challenges

Limestone-gypsum FGD systems circulate abrasive slurry containing 8-15% solids. Fly ash particles cause rapid wear on standard valves. Sulfuric and hydrochloric acid accelerate corrosion in unprotected metal bodies. Combined erosion-corrosion attacks lead to leak paths and unscheduled outages.

Key threats addressed:

• 🔥 Erosion – abrasive particles wearing valve seats.

• 💧 Corrosion – acid attack on metal surfaces.

• ⛏️ Clogging – solids and fiber accumulation.

• ⚡ Outages – maintenance shutdowns increasing costs.

The ceramic lined ball valves use alumina or zirconia ceramics to resist abrasion. Hardness exceeding 800 HV protects the metal body from particle impact. The ceramic lining also provides resistance to sulfuric and hydrochloric acids at elevated temperatures.

Design and Specifications

The ball valve features ceramic lining on all wetted surfaces: body interior, ball, and seats. The handwheel enables manual operation. Flanged connections (EN, ASME) allow direct installation. Body material options include WCB (carbon steel), CF8 (304 stainless steel), and CF8M (316 stainless steel) to match process requirements.

Key specifications:

• Body material: WCB, CF8, CF8M

• Lining: Alumina (Al₂O₃) or zirconia (ZrO₂)

• Connection: Flanged

• Sizes: DN15 to DN300

• Pressure: PN10, PN16, Class 150

• Temperature: -20°C to 300°C

• Sealing: FCI 70-2 Class VI (zero leakage)

• Media compatibility: Particles, dust, fiber, sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid

The ceramic ball valve design uses a floating or trunnion-mounted ball. The ceramic-lined body protects the metal shell from erosion and corrosion. Zero leakage shut-off is achieved through ceramic-to-ceramic seating.

Power Plant Applications

Ceramic lined valves are installed in systems with erosive and corrosive media. The ceramic lined valves are specified for wet FGD systems, dry ash handling, and acid transfer lines.

Typical applications:

• Limestone slurry feed lines

• Absorber tower circulation

• Gypsum discharge and dewatering

• Fly ash conveying systems

• Bottom ash handling

• Sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid transfer

The ceramic lined ball valve excels where metal and PTFE-lined valves fail. Alumina provides resistance to particles up to 80 m/s velocity. Zirconia offers enhanced toughness for larger particles and impact forces.

Body Material Selection

WCB suits general abrasive slurry service. CF8 offers improved corrosion resistance for acidic media. CF8M provides enhanced resistance to sulfuric and hydrochloric acid environments.

Material Comparison: Alumina vs. Zirconia

Alumina suits general abrasive service with particles and dust. Zirconia is specified for applications with impact forces, fibrous media, and aggressive acid conditions.

Installation and Operation

Installation requires aligning flanges with appropriate gaskets. The valve should be installed with handwheel accessible. Proper support prevents pipe stress.

Installation points:

1. Align flanges with proper gaskets.

2. Tighten bolts evenly to specified torque.

3. Check handwheel operation for smooth movement.

4. Verify seal integrity after installation.

The ceramic ball valve operates by quarter-turn rotation. Full open or closed positions are recommended; throttling may accelerate seat wear. The ceramic-lined design prevents solids from settling in the body.

Why Specify Ceramic Lined Ball Valves

1. Provides erosion and corrosion resistance for abrasive and acidic service.

2. Offers zero leakage shut-off (Class VI).

3. Supports temperatures from -20°C to 300°C.

4. Reduces maintenance frequency in power plants.

5. Protects metal body from combined erosion-corrosion attack.

The ceramic lined ball valve is a solution for power plant desulfurization and ash handling systems. The ceramic lined ball valve design provides reliable service with reduced maintenance. Alumina or zirconia lining selection depends on abrasion, impact, and acid conditions. Specify ceramic-lined valves for erosive and corrosive media where metal and PTFE-lined valves fail.

FVF Manual Ceramic Lined Ball Valve

• The part where ceramic ball valves come into contact with the medium is made of structural ceramic materials, which have extremely high chemical stability and hardness (hardness HRC90), second only to diamond in hardness.
• Therefore, this valve has extremely high wear resistance, corrosion resistance, and erosion resistance, as well as good insulation and low thermal expansion.
• They are mainly used in industrial fields such as power, petroleum, chemical, metallurgy, mining, sewage treatment, etc., especially in harsh working conditions such as high wear, strong corrosion, high temperature and high pressure.
• The ball is processed by advanced grinding equipment with high technology.
• The ball has high roundness accuracy, good surface quality.And after grinding with the valve seat, it utilizes the self-lubricating property of structural ceramics to have good sealing performance. This completely changes the disadvantages of metal seat ball valves such as easy leakage, high torque, and poor corrosion resistance of sealing surfaces.
• The valve seat and ball have good wear resistance and long service life, which is 2 to 4 times that of titanium alloy valves and Monel valves.