New Saunders® Exelon range of diaphragms for aggressive slurries

Leading valve manufacturer CRANE ChemPharma Flow Solutions, launched today the new Saunders® Exelon range of diaphragms for its Industrial Diaphragm Valves. The new diaphragms will provide significant performance advantages in handling chemically aggressive slurries such as those found in mining, titanium dioxide, phosphate processing and similar applications.

The first product, Saunders® Exelon XA diaphragm, developed in-house by the company’s team of polymer scientists, introduces a new diaphragm material – a compound based on an ethylene propylene (EP) technology – designed specifically for the handling of chemically aggressive slurries. The new diaphragm is 100% compatible with all existing IDV Saunders® product ranges and is available for both new installations and for diaphragm replacements in existing Saunders valves.

Exelon XA diaphragms provide improvements in three key aspects of solids handling – enhanced flex life, resulting in reduced down time and improved productivity; 70% improvement in elastic recovery, resulting in better sealing performance and reduced emissions; and maximized rebound resilience, leading to improved erosion resistance – while maintaining the same high level of chemical resistance as previous Saunders® EP and butyl based diaphragms. As a result the diaphragm lasts longer in processing slurries and offers significantly improved performance for minerals and materials applications.

"We are committed to the continual development of our products to meet the evolving needs of the mining industry," explains Richard Tuck, Vice President and General Manager at Saunders. "Our customers, many of which have been with us since PK Saunders first developed the original industrial diaphragm valve 75 years ago, trust Saunders® valves to provide exceptional performance and reliability in the most demanding applications. By developing new materials that are tailored to specific uses we can help them deliver even better performance, whatever their needs."

Product details

Key features of Saunders® Exelon XA include:

Leaktight operation

Size range:

A-Type 8mm to 350mm (¼ inch to 14 inch)

KB-Type 15mm to 350mm (½ inch to 14 inch)

Temperature range: -40°C to 120°C (-40°F to 250°F)

All valves comply with the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) 97/23/EC and conform to EN 13397 and MSS SP88.

Saunders can supply valves in accordance with ATEX Directive 94/9/EC to Group II, Category 2, GD c T3-T6.

Like all Saunders® valves, all products in the Exelon range will provide traceability of materials and are marked with material and manufacturing data for easy identification

Published: 25th September 2009