Plastic Lined Industrial Valves in California
A refinery in Carson, a wafer fab in San Jose, a geothermal plant on the Salton Sea and a tomato cannery in Modesto have one thing in common: somewhere in each is a valve on a fluid that eats metal or cannot tolerate it. Spent sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid, hot chloride brine and peracetic sanitizer all find a steel seat, and a corroded seat is a valve that will not shut.
Marspec Technical Products supplies lined valves for those services and fabricates the lined pipe spools they bolt to in Fairhope, Alabama. We supply Swissfluid PFA- and PTFE-lined valves and build automated valve packages in house; Swissfluid USA supports its national distribution network from its facility in Stafford, Texas. More than half a century in plastic lined piping stands behind every valve we ship nationwide. Call (251) 625-4949 or contact us online with the media and conditions.
Lined valve service across California
Refineries in the South Bay and Contra Costa County
The complexes around El Segundo, Torrance, Carson and Wilmington and at Richmond and Martinez circulate alkylation sulfuric acid, spent acid, spent caustic and sour water. Spent acid with entrained hydrocarbons attacks a steel seat, and spent caustic with sulfides turns corrosive once it is neutralized, oxidized or hot, so PFA lined cylindrical plug valves, 1/2" through 6", isolate acid without a cavity to collect sludge and PFA lined ball valves take caustic and sour water transfer.
Salton Sea brine, Trona and Boron
Direct lithium extraction pilots at the Salton Sea, soda ash and boric acid from Searles Lake brine at Trona and borate refining at Boron all run hot chloride or borate liquors, sulfuric acid pretreatment, caustic and ion exchange or sorbent regeneration, usually with crystals or suspended solids in the stream. Lined diaphragm valves, with no seat for grit to score, throttle slurry and regenerant, lined plug valves pass solids and scale though grit can score the plug, and PFA linings hold up to chloride brine that pits stainless steel and many nickel alloys; we check every valve against the liquor temperature before quoting.
Wafer fabs and biotech from Silicon Valley to San Diego
Silicon Valley fabs and the biotech clusters of the Bay Area and San Diego handle hydrofluoric, sulfuric, nitric and hydrochloric acids, hydrogen peroxide, ammonium hydroxide, solvents and 18-megohm deionized water. In a fab, lined valves belong on bulk chemical supply, acid waste and neutralization, while ultrapure water and electronic-grade chemicals run in solid natural PVDF or PFA. On those lined services PFA lined diaphragm valves keep the stem out of the flow and drain across a smooth weir, and PFA lined ball valves isolate bulk acid and acid waste where hydrofluoric acid rules out glass and most alloys; the biotech plants use the same diaphragm valves on clean-in-place and buffer lines. HF permeates the PTFE face of the diaphragm, so on those lines we supply the PTFE/FPM diaphragm, whose FPM backing resists it, rather than the standard PTFE/EPDM.
Desalination, water treatment, food plants and pickling
The Carlsbad desalination plant and the water and wastewater works of Los Angeles, Orange County and the Bay Area dose sodium hypochlorite, ferric chloride, sulfuric acid and sodium bisulfite. Hypochlorite decomposes on iron and nickel ions, so a lined diaphragm valve on dosing and a lined check at the metering pump protect the chemical as well as the hardware. Central Valley wineries, tomato and almond processors circulate hot caustic and nitric and phosphoric acid through CIP systems on lined ball valves, with lined diaphragm valves or vented-ball ball valves (vent facing upstream) on the peracetic acid, and the Fontana steel mill's hydrochloric acid pickling line is plug valve territory.
Lined valve patterns and linings
We supply all six patterns, flanged to match ANSI B16.5 lined pipe, with PFA linings on the ball, plug and diaphragm valves and a PTFE-lined butterfly. Sizes vary by pattern: ball valves 1/2" through 10", plug valves 1/2" through 6", diaphragm valves 1/2" through 8", butterfly valves 1" through 42", ball check and sampling valves 1/2" through 6", and swing check valves 1-1/2" through 24". Full details are on our plastic lined valves page.
Diaphragm valves
Weir pattern, PFA-lined body with a PTFE-faced diaphragm. Only the lining and the diaphragm touch the process: the valve for dosing, throttling and high-purity service.
Ball valves
PFA lined ball and body, quarter-turn, bubble tight, free draining. The isolation valve for acids, caustic, solvents and CIP chemical supply. Many solvents can build a static charge that pinholes a plain lining or ignites vapor, so bond and ground the spools and use anti-static PFA-AS valves; tell us if your specification calls for an anti-static liner.
Plug valves
PFA-lined cylindrical plug valves, 1/2" through 2" full port and 3" through 6" reduced port, cavity-free, with no in-line adjustment. Torque stays low, and brine solids, pickle scale and acid sludge have no cavity to pack.
Check valves
Lined ball and disc checks keep hypochlorite, brine, acid and deionized water from running back through pumps, with no metal spring to corrode.
Butterfly valves
PFA encapsulated disc in a PTFE-lined wafer or lug body, 1" through 42", for brine, filtrate, dilute acid and cooling water chemical lines.
Sampling valves
Lined sampling valves take a representative sample from a pressurized acid, brine or product line with no dead leg and no operator exposure.
Automation, assembled in our shop
Marspec assembles automated valve packages in-house. We mount pneumatic or electric actuators, positioners, limit switches and solenoids on the lined valve, stroke it and test it before shipment, so the plant receives one tagged assembly. Our services page describes the work.
Fitting the valve to the lined pipe run
We quote valves together with the plastic lined pipe and fittings they bolt to, PTFE, PVDF or polypropylene lined, in carbon steel or 304/316 stainless housings, so liner faces, flange class and bolt torques agree across the run, with lined strainers upstream where brine scale or sludge threatens a seat. Our California lined pipe page covers liner choice by industry, and liner temperature limits, liner thicknesses, flange dimensions and torque tables are on the technical details page.
Serving Los Angeles, the Bay Area, the Central Valley and the desert
Lined spools and valves ship from Fairhope, Alabama, with service to Los Angeles, Long Beach, Torrance, Carson, Richmond, Martinez, San Jose, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Bakersfield, San Diego, Carlsbad, El Centro, Trona and Fontana. Give us the media, temperature, pressure, line size and the valve's duty. Call (251) 625-4949 or contact us online.
FAQ: Plastic Lined Industrial Valves in California
Which lined valve suits hot chloride brine in a Salton Sea lithium extraction circuit?
PFA lined plug or ball valves for isolation, because PFA resists chloride brine and sulfuric acid, and lined diaphragm valves for throttling regenerant and slurry. Brine temperature sets the limit, so send the operating temperature and solids content and we will confirm the lining and pattern.
Where do lined valves fit in a Silicon Valley fab?
On bulk chemical supply, acid waste and neutralization. Ultrapure water and electronic-grade chemicals run in solid natural PVDF or PFA, not lined steel. PFA resists hydrofluoric acid at the concentrations fabs use, though HF permeates it even at ambient temperature, and PFA lined diaphragm valves leave no dead leg, which matters for acid safety.
What valve should a California water or desalination plant use for sodium hypochlorite?
A lined diaphragm valve for dosing and throttling, a lined diaphragm valve or a ball valve with a vented ball (vent facing upstream) for isolation and unloading, and a lined check valve at the metering pump. A plain ball can trap hypochlorite in its cavity, where off-gas builds pressure. Hypochlorite breaks down on contact with iron, nickel and copper ions, so the wetted path should be fully lined.
Do lined valves meet refinery piping specifications at Los Angeles and Bay Area plants?
Many line classes can use them within 232 psi and about 400 °F (204 °C). Our lined valves are flanged to ANSI B16.5, bolt to our lined pipe and fittings, built to ASTM F1545, and we supply them for spent sulfuric acid, spent caustic, sour water and chemical injection, but check the line class for fire-test (API 607) requirements, which Swissfluid does not claim for these valves. Send the line class and we will match pattern, lining and rating.