Plastic Lined Industrial Valves in Florida
Florida mines roughly two-thirds of the nation's phosphate rock, and the valves on the acid circuits that follow see fluoride, silica and gypsum at once. Add chlorine dioxide at the pulp mills, hypochlorite at the water plants and clean-in-place acid at the citrus and sugar mills, and the case for lined valves makes itself.
Marspec Technical Products supplies plastic lined valves in PTFE and PFA and fabricates the lined pipe spools they bolt to in Fairhope, Alabama, after more than half a century in plastic-lined piping. 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. Call (251) 625-4949 or contact us online and tell us the service.
Where lined valves earn their keep in Florida
Bone Valley acid circuits
The chemical plants at Bartow, New Wales near Mulberry and Riverview react Polk County rock with 93 and 98 percent sulfuric acid to make 28 to 54 percent phosphoric acid. Phosphoric acid carrying free hydrofluoric acid attacks glass and most alloys, and its gypsum fines pack any valve with a body cavity. PTFE-lined plug valves answer both on acid transfer and evaporator feed: fluoropolymer seals on fluoropolymer, nothing to pack, adjustable in line. Fluosilicic acid from the scrubbers gets PFA-lined ball valves; gypsum slurry gets lined diaphragm valves.
Acid terminals and desalination on Tampa Bay
Sulfuric acid made from sulfur landed at Tampa Bay terminals moves through the port district in volume. Carbon steel tolerates concentrated acid only at low velocity, since flow strips its sulfate film; a lined plug or ball valve ignores velocity and adds no iron. At Apollo Beach, the Tampa Bay seawater desalination plant doses sulfuric acid, sodium hypochlorite, ferric coagulant and caustic, as do reverse osmosis plants across the peninsula. Lined diaphragm valves on hypochlorite, which iron and copper ions decompose, and lined checks on the acid pumps are the usual package.
Chlorine dioxide at Fernandina Beach and Palatka
The mills at Fernandina Beach and Palatka make high-purity cellulose, linerboard and tissue, and their bleach plants generate chlorine dioxide on site from sodium chlorate and sulfuric acid. Chlorine dioxide solution and the chloride-rich filtrates downstream pit stainless steel quickly, so generator, tower and washer lines run on lined valves: PTFE-lined diaphragm valves where flow is throttled, lined plug valves on chlorate and acid feed, lined butterfly valves on filtrate and caustic extraction.
Citrus, sugar and clean-in-place
The juice plants along the Ridge in Polk and Highlands counties and at Bradenton and Fort Pierce, and the cane mills at Clewiston, Belle Glade and South Bay, run chemical-plant sanitation systems. Clean-in-place cycles caustic and nitric or phosphoric acid, peel oil carries d-limonene that softens rubber seats but not PTFE, and the sugar mills add lime slurry and hydrochloric acid for evaporator boil-outs. Lined ball valves on CIP supply and lined sampling valves on product lines keep metal out; lime slurry stays in carbon steel, HDPE or rubber-lined service.
Valve types we supply
Our plastic lined valves come in every pattern below, PTFE- or PFA-lined, in sizes that vary by pattern, with flanges that mate with ANSI B16.5 lined pipe.
Plug valves
The phosphate industry's valve. A fully lined tapered plug seals against a lined body with no cavity for gypsum or scale, low torque, adjustable in line as it wears.
Ball valves
Bubble-tight quarter-turn shutoff with a lined body and encapsulated ball, for sulfuric and fluosilicic acid, caustic and CIP chemicals; the full bore drains and flushes clean.
Diaphragm valves
A PTFE-faced diaphragm isolates the stem from the process, so there is no packing and no dead leg. Use them to throttle hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide and gypsum slurry.
Butterfly valves
PFA-encapsulated disc in a lined wafer or lug body, 2" through 12", the economical valve for filtrate, dilute acid, brine and large caustic lines.
Check valves
Lined ball and disc checks protect acid, hypochlorite and ferric pumps from backflow with nothing metallic to corrode open.
Sampling valves
Lined sampling valves draw a representative sample from a pressurized acid or product line with no dead leg and no operator exposure.
Automation
Acid loading racks and bleach plant interlocks are usually automated, and Marspec assembles automated valve packages in-house: pneumatic or electric actuators, positioners, limit switches and solenoids mounted on the lined valve, stroked and tested in our shop, shipped as one piece. Send the control signal, fail position and cycle duty with the valve schedule.
Matching valves to the lined pipe system
We quote lined valves with the spools we fabricate and fittings we supply, which run 1/2" through 12", PTFE, PVDF or polypropylene lined, in carbon steel or 304/316 stainless housings. Our fittings match ANSI B16.5 dimensions and are welded to ASME B31.3 by welders certified to ASME Section IX, each lined spool and fitting is spark tested at a minimum of 10,000 volts, and our lined pipe and fittings comply with ASTM F1545. Lined strainers and spacers from our piping accessories complete the valve station. Torque and gasket guidance is on our technical details page; the industries are described on our Florida lined pipe page.
Serving Florida from Fernandina Beach to Miami
Spools and valves ship from Fairhope, Alabama, to Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach, Palatka, Orlando, Tampa, Lakeland, Bartow, Mulberry, Riverview, Apollo Beach, Bradenton, Fort Pierce, Clewiston, Belle Glade and Miami. Send a valve schedule or a marked-up P&ID and we will quote valves and spools together. Call us at (251) 625-4949, or contact us online with the schedule.
FAQ: Plastic Lined Industrial Valves in Florida
What lined valve should go on wet-process phosphoric acid at a Bone Valley plant?
A PTFE-lined plug valve. Fluoride in the acid rules out glass and most alloys, and gypsum and silica fines pack the cavity of a ball valve; a lined plug has no cavity, seals fluoropolymer on fluoropolymer and can be adjusted in line. Tell us temperature and solids content and we will confirm the lining; HF permeates fluoropolymers, so the spools on these lines get heavy-wall liners and vented housings.
Are lined valves suitable for 93 and 98 percent sulfuric acid at a Tampa Bay terminal or acid plant?
Yes. PTFE and PFA are unaffected by concentrated sulfuric acid within their temperature limits, and unlike carbon steel a lined valve does not depend on low velocity to keep its surface intact, nor does it add iron to the acid. Lined plug and ball valves are the usual choice.
Which lined valves fit a chlorine dioxide bleach plant at Fernandina Beach or Palatka?
PTFE-lined diaphragm valves on generator and bleach tower lines, lined plug valves on chlorate and sulfuric acid feed and lined butterfly valves on filtrate. Chlorine dioxide and chloride filtrates corrode stainless steel, and lined valves cost less than the alloys that resist them.
Do Florida citrus and sugar plants use lined valves?
On clean-in-place acid and caustic supply, boil-out acid and peel-oil lines, yes. PTFE is unaffected by d-limonene, nitric acid and caustic, and lined ball and diaphragm valves keep iron and copper out of the product.