There is an increasing demand for cost-effective and reliable piping systems in South Korea. CPVC is one such trusted material by many infrastructure experts in the country.
Definition
When polyvinyl chloride, popularly known as PVC gets chlorinated through free radical chlorination reaction it forms chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC). Chlorine is added to PVC in order to make CPVC using water slurry or fluidized bed chlorination process. It involves the use of ultraviolet light to carry out the chlorination reaction. CPVC is somewhat similar to PVC in terms of properties as they are structurally related, but the former has additional advantages due to excess chlorine.
Market Characteristics
The CPVC resin manufacturing industry procures raw materials such as PVC, chlorine and others from suppliers and produces the resin. Few manufacturers integrate their raw materials and produce them in captive to reduce the production costs. After the resin is manufactured it is either compounded or directly packaged and supplied to the end-user market for use in a wide range of extrusion, injection molding and other purposes.
Applications of CPVC's true potential lies in its versatility, relative price, easy installation and resistance to corrosion. With these in mind, general uses for each vary based on the requirements of the application. CPVC has bettered strengths of other polymers like PVC. Hence, it can be used in most of the same applications. In case of application needs like chemical resistance along with demanding pressure and temperature conditions, CPVC is the better option than other polymers.
Production Technology CPVC is PVC (polyvinyl chloride) that has been chlorinated via a free radical chlorination reaction. This reaction is typically initiated by application of thermal or UV energy utilizing various approaches. In the process, gaseous chlorine is decomposed into free radical chlorine which is then made to react with PVC in a post-production step. It essentially replaces a portion of the hydrogen in the PVC with chlorine. Depending on the method, a varying amount of chlorine is introduced into the polymer allowing for a measured way to fine tune the final properties. The chlorine content varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. Sometimes, the base can be as low as 56.7% to as high as 74% by mass. Normally most commercial CPVC resins have chlorine content from 63% to 69%. As the chlorine content in CPVC is increased, its glass transition temperature (Tg) increases significantly. Under normal operating conditions, CPVC becomes unstable at 70% mass of chlorine. There are two major commercial processes used to manufacture chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (PVC). In one process, PVC is chlorinated in a dry particulate state by means of a fluidized bed under ultraviolet irradiation. The other process involves a wet chlorination, under irradiation, of an aqueous suspension of solid PVC plus a small amount of chloroform to promote swelling of the PVC.
Year-on-year growth of the South Korea CPVC market during the period 2013 – 2022.
Year-on-year growth of the South Korea CPVC imports during the period 2013 – 2017.
In 2017, Hanwha chemical started a production line capable of producing up to 30,000 MT of CPVC annually after obtaining the New Technology certification from the Korean Agency for Technology and standards. Hanwha chemical’s heat, pressure and corrosion resistant CPVC resin and compound grades can be used for sprinkler piping, hot water pipes, and specialized pipes for industrial liquid handling.
Hanwha’s breakthrough CPVC technology which boosted productivity by more than 30% when compared to other manufacturing methods has started providing high quality CPVC. In the No.2 unit in Ulsa, the new CPVC plant is currently under operation with an annual capacity of 30,000 MT.cviii Additionally, the company is planning to build another CPVC production line at the Ningbo plant in China thereby doubling its capacity to 60,000 MT per year by 2020.cix
These developments will not only make South Korea reduce its CPVC imports but also make it a potential exporter of CPVC to high demand markets like India and the Middle East.
By Yogesh, Lead Consultant at Rasaayan(https://rasaayan.info/)
Email: yogesh@rasaayan.info