In the complex environment of fine chemical production, as an indispensable and crucial component, the anti – corrosion of valves is of vital importance, which is related to the safe, stable and efficient operation of the entire fine chemical production system.
Ensuring the Continuity of Production
Fine chemical production is a continuous process, just like an ever – flowing river, with each link closely connected. Valves play a key role in controlling the flow of fluids within it, just like gates on a river. Once the valve fails due to corrosion, it may lead to pipe blockage or leakage, thus interrupting the entire production process. For example, during the crude oil refining process in the petrochemical industry, if the valve conveying high – temperature crude oil is damaged by corrosion, the crude oil leakage will not only bring the refining process to an abrupt halt, but also make the subsequent series of processes such as fractionation and catalysis unable to operate normally. This will cause huge economic losses, including the waste of raw materials, the idleness of production equipment, and the loss of production capacity during the maintenance period. Moreover, restarting the production system often requires complex debugging and preparatory work, further prolonging the production downtime.
Ensuring Personnel Safety
Many media in chemical plants are corrosive, toxic or flammable. The corrosion of valves may lead to serious safety accidents, posing a great threat to the lives of personnel. When the valve body, valve stem or sealing parts are corroded, medium leakage may occur. If the leaked gas is toxic, such as chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, etc., it will pollute the surrounding environment in a short time, exposing operators and nearby people to danger and may lead to poisoning incidents. If the leaked medium is flammable, such as ethylene, propylene, etc., once encountering an ignition source or static electricity, it will cause a fire or even an explosion, and the destructive power is unimaginable. Such a disaster will not only cause direct harm to the on – site personnel but may also affect the surrounding communities, resulting in irreparable casualties.
Protecting Equipment Assets
Chemical production equipment is often of high value. As part of it, if the corrosion problem of valves is not taken seriously, it will cause a chain reaction and damage the entire equipment assets. Corrosion will reduce the performance of the valve material and shorten its service life. Moreover, the corrosion of the valve may lead to abnormal flow of the medium, causing secondary damage such as erosion and wear to the pipes, pumps, reactors and other equipment connected to it. For example, after the corrosive liquid flows through the corroded valve, it may cause more severe scouring on the inner wall of the downstream pipe due to the change of flow velocity and direction, thinning the pipe wall and then causing problems such as perforation and leakage. The equipment damage caused by valve corrosion will greatly increase the cost of equipment maintenance and replacement for enterprises, shorten the overall service life of the equipment, and reduce the value of the enterprise’s fixed assets.
Maintaining the Stability of Product Quality
The quality of chemical products largely depends on the stability and precision of the production process, and valves play a crucial role in this regard. Corroded valves may not be able to accurately control parameters such as the flow rate and pressure of the medium. For some chemical products with strict production condition requirements, this will directly affect the product quality. Taking the production of high – purity chemical reagents as an example, during the synthesis and purification process, the flow of various reaction materials needs to be accurately controlled. If the valve is out of control due to corrosion, the impurity content in the product may exceed the standard, thus making the whole batch of products unqualified. For high – end chemical industries such as pharmaceuticals and electronic chemicals, the instability of product quality may also affect the enterprise’s reputation, leading to the loss of market share and seriously damaging the enterprise’s long – term development interests.
In conclusion, the anti – corrosion of valves in chemical plants is an important link that cannot be ignored in chemical production. It is the key to ensuring the continuity of production, personnel safety, equipment assets and the stability of product quality. Enterprises must attach great importance to and adopt effective anti – corrosion measures.
