Why choose Carbon Graphite for Liquid Natural Gas Applications?
10/09/2020
With decades of experience supporting the CPI sector, Morgan Advanced Materials bespoke Carbon-Graphite grades were created for wear-resistant seal and bearing components in the most challenging of environments such those found in LNG applications. With the ever-increasing demand in this sector, the stability of an experienced supplier is required.
Benefits of Carbon-Graphite materials in Cryogenic Mechanical Seals
Morgan’s bespoke Carbon-Graphite grades were specially formulated to operate in dry or vacuum conditions, where their self-lubricating properties allow them to run in extreme conditions which other materials cannot tolerate. The material operates by transferring a lubricous film which can withstand a wide range of conditions including dry steam and vacuum applications, and across a range of interface conditions from marginally to fully lubricated.
Tested in a dry nitrogen barrier inside of a mixer seal, this material excelled where other carbon graphite materials could not without the presence of polar gases. It has also proved its suitability in methane gas, steam and air applications including the most demanding dry applications from sub-zero temperatures to around 230 °C.
Wear Resistant LNG Seal Components
Michael Ritter of Morgan Advanced Materials explains: “After extensive internal testing, this bespoke Morgan material has been shown to offer significantly improved wear resistance with a coefficient of friction less than half that of other comparable materials.”
“When trialled in dry nitrogen, the material’s friction values, were also demonstrated to be less than half the values of other typical carbon and graphite materials. These properties aid seals and therefore pumps to run for longer than previously possible in dry and other challenging operating conditions leading to maximised uptime and reduced replacement costs.”