“Valves for hydrogen service will have to be reliable, intrinsically safe and ‘idiot proof’.”
New ultra-hard coating reduces valve actuation force
Design engineers working to optimise the performance of their products are using their ingenuity to extend existing material properties by trialing and using a new ultra-hard material. Diamond Hard Surfaces Ltd is working with various valve manufacturers and petroleum companies to exploit the unique and unusually extreme properties of its new material; Adamant TM which combines the ultra-hard properties of sp3-carbon with a coefficient of friction approaching that of PTFE.
The material is a tetrahedral amorphous diamond-like carbon coating (ta-DLC) with all the low friction, ultra-high hardness properties one would expect, but unusual because it is thicker than existing DLC materials and as a result able to withstand high surface loads, for example particles of sand. Importantly, this material is inherently resistant to aggressive chemicals such as acids, alkalis and H2S making it attractive in the challenging conditions encountered in subsea environments.
The coating can be applied to a wide range of substrates including Titanium, Aluminium and hardened steels perfectly mirroring the surface finish provided. This eliminates the need for costly, supplementary, finishing processes which is often necessary with other types of coating. The low process temperature also means that the mechanical properties of the substrate are unaffected.
"We are excited about our valve projects and keen to engage with other OEM’s, as well as end users to see how we can extend the performance of their products and reduce overall cost of ownership." says Chris Walker, Managing Director.
If you are reading this and have a challenging application problem you are seeking to resolve you can contact the company directly on +44 1865 784 466 or +44 7774 160327 to speak to Chris.
Published: 25th September 2009
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