An innovation from Plasma and Thermal Coatings Ltd (PTC) which introduces a new surface finish for ball and gate valves used in the petrochemical industry, will set new standards of wear resistance and reliability.

    Surface engineering developed at PTC has produced Metal to Metal (MTM) seal technology, a hard coating solution of ball and gate valves as typically used in the oil and petrochemical industries and for power generation and marine applications.

    The MTM technology applies a HVOF thermal spray coating to the metal substrate of the valve components which are then diamond ground and polished to a super-finish for a very intimate surface and tight fit between components.

   This gives a very smooth wear-resistant and abrasion-resistant surface, able to withstand the highly abrasive and corrosive fluids which flow through the valves at extreme pressures, and at temperatures greater than 600C.

    The MTM technology by PTC is applied to valve components approved successfully to the industrial standard, Class 1000.

    Under these conditions, the traditional soft seal valves have been unable to guarantee a perfect seal and long working life.

    The new MTM technology gives valves a perfect fit under differential pressure and in both flow directions even when handling solids; there is no jamming; low friction levels ensure smooth control; and their low torque allows smaller actuators to be used.

    The new coatings thus considerably prolong life and improve performance under aggressive environments and extreme working conditions.

    The performance and reliability improvements will benefit the oil, petrochemical, power and marine industries in a number of ways.

    The risk of lost revenue if components fail is minimised and the fire-safe features of the technology are a crucial advantage to health and safety.

    PTC has high expertise and a long track record in surface coating technology with many approvals to OEM and users standards.

    Against this background, PTC is able to operate in several ways to offer this new technology.

    The company can provide the complete service of applying coating and finishing technologies for customers; it can provide the technology for customers to carry out the application in-house, and also supply technical advice and materials; or it is able to license the technology in a distributor joint venture agreement, as has already happened in South America.

    PTC believes that outside Europe, the greatest take-up of the technology will be the Far East, South America, the Middle East, and for the North Sea Oil industry.Fore more information ,please visit http://www.bossgoo.com/