Austria-based Hoerbiger, a global supplier of compressor components and services, produces reciprocating compressor valve plates (also known as valve sealing elements) and wear-resistant rings and packings utilizing KetaSpire polyetheretherketone (PEEK) resin from Solvay Specialty Polymers. These high-performance components are designed for high service temperatures (up to 246°C) and meet chemical- and fatigue-resistance requirements in reciprocating compressors for a range of industries including oil and gas, petrochemical, refining and other industries.
Hoerbiger uses glass fibre or carbon fibre reinforced KetaSpire PEEK to injection-mould compression valve plates, while unfilled KetaSpire PEEK is used in Hoerbiger proprietary formulations to compression mould wear-resistant rings and packings.
Hoerbiger has chosen Solvay as an important supplier of PEEK resins that provide high quality and performance, and through this relationship, gains better access to other materials of interest and technical expertise based on Solvay’s broad range of high-performance polymers. “The opportunity to engage with Solvay in future cooperative materials research and development was another major reason for teaming up”, explained Dr Tim Bremner, vice president of Materials Technology for Hoerbiger Corporation of America, who also serves as the co-director of the industry-led APPEAL Research Consortium at Texas A&M University.
