Materials

    Prosind is at the forefront of compressor material design. We utilise proven engineering thermoplastics with excellent mechanical and chemical resistance properties that are retained to high temperatures. Careful selection of fillers is used to enhance the required properties, be that strength, temperature or wear resistance.

    Material Design

    At its simplest, we design our materials to:

    1. Have ample strength to withstand gas forces during compression.
    2. Provide sacrificial wear for moving parts, so that oil lubrication is not required.

    Depending on the requirement, the first step is to select a base resin and then add fillers to enhance the resin properties. Resins and fillers are carefully selected based on their properties and include:

    • PEEK
    • PTFE
    • PPS
    • Carbon Powder
    • Carbon Fibre
    • WS2
    • Graphite
    • Glass Fibre
    • Bronze
    • Copper
    • MoS2
    • Polyester

    After moulding, extensive testing is undertaken to confirm that the material will perform as expected. Wear and tensile testing, micrography and measurement of other properties is performed in-house.

    9117 Accelerated Wear test on Lapped Plate

    Manufacturing Process

    Prosind moulds its own polymer base materials in-house. Materials are mostly moulded in tube and rod shape in varying wall thicknesses and lengths, to a maximum diameter of approximately one metre.

    We employ two types of moulding, Hot Compression Moulding (HCM) and Cold Compression Moulding (CCM). HCM provides superior strength materials with the best resistance to temperature and pressure. CCM provides good all-round performance materials in a wider range of sizes. 

     

    Material Selection for Application

    Selecting the most suitable material for an application is not always simple. The initial criteria are the operating temperature and pressure, but usually, other factors need to be considered, such as:

    • The dryness of the gas being compressed
    • The humidity
    • The abrasiveness or reactivity of the gas
    • Impurities or catalysts that may be present in the gas
    • The relative surface speed of mating components
    • The design bearing load
    • The condition of the counter faces
    • Any lubrication considerations.

    Once a material has been selected, we can then proceed to recommend suitable designs for cylinder and rod rings, packing case design etc.

    Material Selection

    New Materials

    In addition to our wide range of existing materials, we continue to develop new materials that specifically target Hydrogen and LNG economies, as well as the increased use of Natural gas in many countries.

    Grade
    Moulding Type
    Typical Gas Application
    Description
    9820
    HCM
    Hydrogen, PE, PP
    Highest temperature thermoplastic available. Provides the best resistance to temperature and pressure.
    9208
    HCM
    PE, PP, CO2
    Premium non-lube solver.
    9117
    HCM
    LNG, Hydrogen
    Used in difficult bone-dry gas environments or where there is low temperature.
    9814
    CCM
    Petrochemical
    Provides all round performance in a wide variety of application.
    9807
    CCM
    Hydrogen, Petrochemical
    Good non-lube material, but also copes well at higher temperatures and with dry gases.
    9810
    CCM
    Oxygen, Nitrogen
    This material provided excellent wear resistance in difficult wet, oxidizing gases.