Plastics and polymers

Since the early 1980s, the Guichon Company has been manufacturing valves for the industrial sectors of plastics and polymers, whose main applications are artificial, synthetic and chemical fibers.
All Guichon’s valves being made on order, they can be easily adapted to meet the specific requirements of Engineerings Companies and producers of these products. This great flexibility allows Guichon Valves to offer all adaptations and design alternatives required for handling high viscosity liquids.

The main processes addressed are:

Polypropylene (PP)

Usage: Food packaging, textiles (nonwoven fibers), automotive parts.

Properties: Lightweight, heat resistant.

Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)

Usage: Tubes, windows, flooring, cables.

Properties: Rigid or flexible depending on the plasticizers added.

Polystyrene (PS)

Usage: Food packaging, insulators (expanded foam), cups.

Variants: Crystal (rigid and transparent), expanded (EPS).

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)

Usage: Bottles, food films, textiles (polyester).

Properties: Transparent, durable, recyclable.

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, Teflon)

Usage: Non-stick coatings, electrical insulators.

Properties: Highly resistant to chemicals and heat.

Guichon manufactures valves specially adapted to polymers production :

Check valve & Sight glasses & Strainers, Multiways valve, Globe valve, Tank bottom valve

Strainer
Type : 802
DN 12″ Class 150 Lbs
– Filtration 2 mm
– Butt-weld ends
– Stainless steel 304L

4-way piston Valve
DN 3″x3″x3″x3″ Class 300 Lbs
– Rotating pistons
– AISI 316 Ti (1.4571) stainless steel

Globe valve
DN 14″ Class 600 Lbs
– Manual gear operator
– Heating jacket

Fabrication

Construction materials: Carbon Steel (CS), Stainless Steel (SS), Duplex & Super Duplex, Titanium, Zirconium, Uranus® B6, Tantalum, Nickel, Hastelloy®, Monel
Construction methods: Fabricated (Welded), Cast, Solid

Uses

Service conditions: High pressure, High temperature, Low temperature, Abrasion, Corrosion, High viscosity, Vacuum, Reliability, Low acoustic signature, Dead space free
Types of fluids: Liquids, Liquids with solid particles, Gas, Powder and powdery media, High viscosity fluids

FAQ – PE – Polyethylene – an example of a polymer

PE – Polyethylene – Chemical formula:

-(CH2-CH2)n-

PE – Polyethylene – Uses of Polyethylene (PE):

Plastic packaging: plastic bags, milk bottles, many toys, etc.

PE – Polyethylene – Manufacturing process of Polyethylene (PE):

Polyethylene (PE) is the most widely used polymer globally, with 85Mt produced annually. This is mainly due to its broad range of applications. Depending on the melting point, PE is divided into several categories: low, medium, and high density, each with specific industrial applications. It can be found as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), ULDPE (ultra-low-density polyethylene), LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene), MDPE (medium-density polyethylene), HMWPE (high molecular weight polyethylene), and UHMWPE (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene).Traditionally, the polymerization of ethylene was carried out at very high pressure (several hundred bars) and high temperatures (up to 300°C). Over the years, the energy input has been reduced using catalytic systems. Ziegler and metallocene catalysts have demonstrated flexibility in copolymerizing ethylene with heavier olefins, making these catalysts fundamental in manufacturing various ethylene-based polymers.

Currently, polyethylene is primarily produced in suspension processes, fluidized bed gas-phase reactors, or a series combination of these systems (such as Spherilene and Borstar processes). The suspension polymerization uses either a loop reactor or a stirred autoclave reactor in the presence of a catalyst and diluent. The following image shows the configuration of the Borstar process, which includes a loop reactor in series with a gas-phase fluidized bed reactor.

PE – Polyethylene – Recommended valves:

Guichon Valves offers valves specially designed for viscous liquids and engineered to minimize pressure drops and dead zones. Double-jacketed valves allow maintaining the fluid’s temperature to prevent solidification. The sealing materials (packing, gaskets, etc.) are selected to avoid contaminating the circulating fluid.