Fighting Corrosion with Special Materials: Zirconium

|   Application

Since the process and its conditions are usually set by licensors or based on long lasting experiences they cannot be varied. The only way to increase life-time is utilize highly corrosive resistant materials, e. g. nickel-based alloys, tantalum or zirconium. The latter is very special due to its required handling during machining. Whereas it is usually protected by a thick oxide layer, fine shavings are highly inflammable. A fire fueled by zirconium cannot be extinguished with water or carbon dioxide but only with special extinguishing agents. So safety must come first.

Based on the customer’s material specification, VETEC is able to provide casted or forged valves with optimal design and handling.