Valves for Lithium Carbonate Powder

Experts in lithium chemistry, a UK company manufacturing lithium-based chemicals are using AKO Pinch Valves within their processes.

The lithium chemical products that the company produces are for a range of industries, products and other processes including laboratories, batteries, lubricants, ceramics & glass, construction, and absorption chillers. The inorganic Lithium chemicals are manufactured for a wide range of technically advanced industries throughout the world. Analytical grade powders are manufactured for most products, together with a range of aqueous solutions.

Types of Lithium manufactured at this site, suitable for controlling with Pinch Valves:

• Lithium Acetate
• Lithium Bromide
• Lithium Hydroxide

• Lithium Carbonate
• Lithium Chloride
• Lithium Citrate

• Lithium Iodide
• Lithium Nitrate
• Lithium Sulphate

Valve for Lithium Carbonate: How it Assists

Two Pinch Valves are installed vertically and remain closed by default. Both Pinch Valves work as shut-off valves, with one valve opening at a time to allow product to flow through. The flow of the product is dependable on selection to line 1 or line 2.

The media passing through the Pinch Valves is Lithium Carbonate powder, at room temperature. The pressure of the media is atmospheric, but it is sucked through the pipelines using 500mbar vacuum conveyor.  6-10 cycles per day are performed on this system.

Sometimes, when using vacuum to transfer product through a Pinch Valve it can gradually pull the rubber sleeve inside the valve partially closed. To counteract this, the user can pipe the same vacuum pressure to the inlet of the Pinch Valve to allow the vacuum to suck from the inside as well as the outside, equalising the pressure, and preventing the sleeve from collapsing.

The lithium chemical manufacturers use AKO-VAC systems (pictured) to help further with this issue within the application.

There is no cleaning process within these pipelines, as there is no product change.

The valves for lithium carbonate powder have stainless steel contact parts (in this case, flanges), but the body of the valve is aluminium which makes the overall cost much cheaper compared to a complete stainless steel unit – if complete stainless is not necessary in a particular environment.

Valves for Lithium Carbonate Experience

The lithium based chemical manufacturers have been using Pinch Valves for lithium carbonate powder from AKO for 3 years to date. The reason they chose Pinch Valves over other conventional valves on the market is because of the no moving mechanical parts.

The company is very satisfied with the overall performance of the Pinch Valves from AKO’s VMC product range, and have plans to expand next year with further Pinch Valves on site.