Plastic Lined Industrial Valves in Illinois
Illinois refineries handle spent alkylation acid, Decatur steeps corn in sulfur dioxide water, North Chicago turns hydrochloric acid and solvents into pharmaceutical intermediates and Stickney doses ferric chloride while Calumet doses hypochlorite around the clock. Each of those lines ends at a valve that has to seal against the fluid, cycle in it and shed no metal into it for years.
Marspec Technical Products supplies plastic lined valves in six patterns 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. With more than half a century in plastic lined piping, we ship nationwide. Call (251) 625-4949 with your service conditions or contact us online.
Where lined valves earn their keep in Illinois
Refinery acid and caustic from Joliet to Roxana
Four refineries at Joliet, Lemont, Roxana and Robinson run valves on sulfuric acid, spent acid, spent caustic and amine. Spent alkylation acid carrying hydrocarbons and water pits a steel seat, and a pitted seat is a leaking valve; spent caustic loaded with sulfides turns corrosive once it is neutralized, oxidized or hot. A PFA lined plug valve gives low-torque, cavity-free shutoff on acid that sludges or crystallizes; PFA lined ball valves cover caustic, amine and sour water transfer where bubble-tight isolation matters.
Corn wet milling, ethanol and fermentation
Fourteen ethanol plants and the corn and soybean complex at Decatur run sulfur dioxide steep water, hydrochloric acid for starch hydrolysis, sulfuric acid and ammonia for pH control, hot caustic and acid CIP, and organic acids like citric and lactic. The product is food grade, and a lined valve adds no iron, chromium or nickel to it. Lined diaphragm valves dose acid and caustic into fermenters without a packing gland, lined ball valves isolate CIP supply, and lined sampling valves draw broth or syrup with no dead leg.
Pharmaceuticals in Lake County, chemicals in the Metro East
Active pharmaceutical ingredient plants at North Chicago and the chemical cluster at Sauget share one requirement: solvents, hydrochloric acid and deionized water must arrive free of metal ions and free of whatever sat in a dead leg. A PFA lined diaphragm valve keeps the stem out of the flow and drains across a smooth lined weir, which makes it the standard for API and intermediate lines, with lined ball valves on solvent headers and lined checks at pump discharges. Many of those 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.
Water reclamation and metal finishing
Stickney doses ferric chloride, and Calumet and the other Chicago-area water reclamation plants dose sodium hypochlorite, sulfuric acid and polymer continuously. Hypochlorite decomposes on iron and nickel ions, so a metal wetted valve corrodes and weakens the chemical at once; lined diaphragm valves on dosing, lined diaphragm valves or ball valves with a vented ball (vent facing upstream) on unloading, and lined checks at metering pumps are the usual set. Chicago-area pickling and plating shops need plug and ball valves that take hydrochloric, sulfuric, nitric and chromic acid.
Valve types we supply
All six patterns are flanged to bolt to ANSI B16.5 lined pipe, with PFA linings on the ball, plug and diaphragm valves and PTFE in the 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". Ratings are on our plastic lined valves page.
Ball valves
PFA lined body and ball, quarter-turn, bubble tight, with a bore that drains clean. The isolation valve for caustic, hydrochloric acid, solvents and amine on transfer lines.
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 solids have nowhere to pack. The choice for spent acid, sulfuric acid and crystallizing caustic.
Butterfly valves
PFA encapsulated disc in a PTFE-lined wafer or lug body, 1" through 42", for dilute acid, hypochlorite, rinse water and cooling tower chemical lines.
Diaphragm valves
Weir type with a PFA-lined body and a PTFE-faced diaphragm, so stem and bonnet never touch the process. The dosing valve for hypochlorite, ferric chloride, fermentation acids and API streams.
Check valves
Lined ball and disc checks stop backflow into metering pumps and tanks on hypochlorite, acid, caustic and demineralized water, with no metal in the path to stick open.
Sampling valves
Lined sampling valves pull a representative sample from a live acid, caustic or broth line with no dead leg and no operator exposure.
Automation
We assemble automated valve packages in-house. Pneumatic and electric actuators, positioners, limit switches and solenoids are mounted and stroke tested on the lined valve before it ships, so the plant receives one tagged assembly rather than a kit. Details are on our services page.
Matching valves to the lined pipe system
We quote valves 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 ratings and bolt torques match across the run, with lined strainers ahead of valves where scale forms. Liner choices for each of these industries are on our Illinois lined pipe page, and liner temperature limits, liner thicknesses, flange dimensions and torque tables are on our technical details page.
Serving Chicago, the Metro East and downstate Illinois
Spools, fittings and valves ship nationwide from Fairhope, Alabama, with service to Chicago and the Calumet region, Joliet, Lemont, Rockford, the Quad Cities, Peoria, Pekin, Decatur, Champaign, Springfield, Robinson, Granite City, Roxana, Wood River and Sauget. Send the media, temperature, pressure, line size and the valve's job and we will quote it. Call (251) 625-4949 or contact us online.
FAQ: Plastic Lined Industrial Valves in Illinois
Which lined valve handles spent alkylation acid at an Illinois refinery?
A PFA lined cylindrical plug valve for isolation on spent acid and acid sludge lines, because it is cavity-free, so it traps no solids, and turns at low torque, with PFA lined ball valves on fresh acid and caustic transfer. Both resist sulfuric acid across the full concentration range; send the temperature and we will confirm the rating.
Can lined valves be used on food-grade lines at the Decatur and Pekin corn processing plants?
Yes. PTFE and PFA linings are chemically resistant and add no metal ions to dextrose, organic acids or fermentation broth, and lined diaphragm and sampling valves have no dead legs where product can spoil. Lined ball valves on CIP caustic and acid supply are standard.
What valve should we use for sodium hypochlorite and ferric chloride dosing at a Chicago-area treatment plant?
A lined diaphragm valve for dosing and throttling, lined diaphragm valves or ball valves with a vented ball (vent facing upstream) for isolation and unloading, and a lined check valve at the metering pump. Hypochlorite gives off gas as it decomposes, and liquid trapped in a plain ball cavity builds pressure. It also breaks down on iron and nickel ions, so a fully lined wetted path protects the chemical as well as the valve.
Do you supply automated lined valves for Illinois plants?
We do. Pneumatic or electric actuators, positioners, limit switches and solenoids are mounted and tested on the lined valve in house before shipment, and we match the package to the lined pipe and fittings in the same order.