Chemical Compatibility of Silicone Tubing for Peristaltic Pump

The silicon tube of the peristaltic pump is one of the important components, but end users often choose the wrong material, which makes it unsuitable for the required application. Some users even use ordinary pipelines instead of silicone tubing for peristaltic pump, resulting in disastrous consequences. With the increasing variety of silicone tubing for peristaltic pumps on the market, the difficulty of selecting pump tubes has also increased.

Chemical compatibility of silicone tubing for peristaltic pumps

The pipe material must have chemical compatibility with the fluid to be pumped in order to have good pumping performance and safety. With the increasing variety of pipe materials on the market, some peristaltic pump models have up to 15 available pipe materials, so users can always find a suitable pipe material with chemical compatibility with a specific fluid. Many pump suppliers provide chemical compatibility tables. However, engineers should note that they should use chemical compatibility tables specifically designed for pump tubes, not those designed for ordinary pipelines. This is because ordinary pipelines only have general contact with chemical substances, while silicone tubing for peristaltic pump is in contact with chemical fluids under pressure, so the chemical compatibility levels of ordinary pipelines and peristaltic pump tubes cannot be equated. Therefore, only silicone tubing for peristaltic pumps should be referenced, not the chemical compatibility levels of general pipelines and related materials, otherwise, the pump tube may fail or rupture and leak, causing pump damage or dangerous accidents.

How to select silicone tubing for peristaltic pumps based on chemical compatibility？

The chemical resistance of pump tubes decreases as the temperature increases. Although some chemical substances do not affect pump tubes at room temperature, they can damage pump tubes when the temperature rises to a certain degree. Specific environmental conditions, especially temperature limitations, must be specified in the chemical compatibility table in order to determine chemical compatibility. If a certain chemical substance is not listed in the chemical compatibility table or if the operating environment conditions of a factory differ significantly from those specified in the table, immersion tests can be used to obtain more reliable information. When determining chemical compatibility for silicone tubing for peristaltic pumps, this method can be used if no other information is available.

Chemical compatibility varies greatly between different pipe materials and solutions. However, there are also some materials that have strong resistance to most chemical substances. For example, fluoro rubber pump tubes can resist various inorganic chemicals as well as some organic chemicals. In situations where multiple corrosive chemicals need to be pumped, pipe materials that can resist multiple chemical substances should be the best choice. To select the appropriate pipe material, whether by checking the compatibility table, doing physical experiments, or using both methods together, detailed analysis and testing of silicone tubing for peristaltic pumps are necessary to ensure correct test results and avoid pump damage while ensuring personal and property safety.