by Jackie Johnson Jackie Johnson No Comments

The Automotive Industry During COVID-19

Like many industries, the automotive industry has been on a roller coaster of highs and lows during the coronavirus crisis.

How COVID-19 is Affecting the Automotive Industry

With countries around the world struggling to regain traction, here is how some of the major players are doing.

China

During the beginning of 2020, there were concerns over a disruption in Chinese export parts. Total shipments during the first half of the year were down by 10%.

In response, June saw the Chinese government announcing its plan to increase the NEV credit ratio by 2 percentage points every year until 2023, from 12% in 2020 to 14% in 2021, 16% in 2022, and 18% in 2023.

Europe

Europe has faced a large-scale interruption of productions during lockdown. Sales of vehicles also declined by 16% and car registrations have fallen to about 25%. This downturn has had a ripple effect in other European markets as well. The petrochemical market in particular has been heavily affected by the challenges faced by the European automotive industry.

However, with the easing of lockdowns in many countries in addition to various economic revival stimulus packages, Europe is once again seeing a growth in the auto industry.

United States

In the US, assembly plant closures have added to the already intense pressure on an increasingly distressed market, with limited inventory and fewer incentives continuing to hold back sales. Total sales for the first half of the year were down an average of 23%, with Toyota being hit particularly hard with a decrease of 24%.

There is hope, however. While still not at the same capacity as before the pandemic, Automakers like General Motors and Ford have been able to add shifts to their assembly plants. GM expects to rebuild their inventory to about 600,000 vehicles by the end of 2020.

Continuing Innovation

Despite the downturns and pitfalls this year has thrown, the automotive industry is not without its innovations. This year has seen a marked improvement in crash avoidance technologies. Toyota has partnered with Hebei Pride to commercialize its standardized safety testing for AEB (automatic emergency braking) systems, and Mercedes Benz has announced a new, frontal rear-seat airbags in all of their S class cars. In addition, the United States has passed the Moving Forward Act, which will mandate the inclusion of automatic collision warning technologies in all new passenger vehicles.

In Conclusion

While still bleak, things are slowly starting to look up for the global auto industry. As lockdowns ease up and companies are better prepared to keep employees safe, things are slowly starting to improve. The coronavirus pandemic has been a tough time for everyone, but if we continue to practice social distancing and continuing to innovate, we, regardless of the industry we are in, will get through this better than before.

Advanced EMC Technologies is dedicated to helping you during these uncertain times. Contact us to learn more!

by Sara McCaslin, PhD Sara McCaslin, PhD No Comments

Spring Energized Sealing Solutions For Cryogenic Services in LNG Plants

There are a limited number of reliable sealing solutions for cryogenic services in LNG plants, two leading polymers in use are spring-energized PTFE or UHMW seals.

Challenges of Working with LNG

Leaks involving LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) at cryogenic temperatures are dangerous to the health and safety of workers and to plant operation. Issues such as toxicity, extreme cold, asphyxiation, flammability, and explosions resulting from rapid expansion of LNG all point to the need for a reliable, leak-proof seal.

Finding an effective sealing solution for use in the cryogenic work environment of LNG plants can be extremely challenging. Keep in mind that nitrogen exists in liquid form under normal atmospheric pressure between -346°F and -320.44°F. It’s liquid to gas expansion ratio is very high at 1:694, which means as it boils (starting at its boiling point of -320.44°F) it will expand 694x its original volume. This can lead to an extremely high-pressure change if it occurs in a sealed environment, and most LNG seals must remain functional at either vacuum pressures or extremely high pressures.

Cryogenic Seals for LNG Plants

The temperatures involved with LNG happen to lie where many elastomeric and polymeric materials lose their elasticity and begin to behave as brittle materials. Some seals will also experience dimensional fluctuations related to temperature changes, further increasing the probability of failure. If temperature fluctuations are cyclical, there are going to be problems related to cyclic stress. Yet another issue related to dynamic cryogenic seals is lubrication: at such low temperatures, standard lubrication solutions simply will not work.

The Options For Sealing are Limited two either UHMW or PTFE Polymers and a Full Contact- Anti-Shrink Spring is Essential.

Both seal jacket materials can be specified PTFE, often known by its trade names Teflon or Flourolon 1000. The Ultra High Molecular Weight PE or UHMW, Fluorolon 5000 can handle the low temperatures involved in cryogenic service without becoming brittle (some grades can handle temperatures as low as -350°F) or succumb quickly to the effects of cyclical stress. In addition, both UHMW and  PTFE are self-lubricating, low friction supports dry running, and is a nonstick/slip material. In addition, both products are compatible with a wide range of chemicals, including those it would encounter in an LNG plant.

A spring-energized seal is a seal assembly that includes an energizing spring that forces the seal lip against the mating surface to achieve a highly leak-proof seal. This seal design, when combined with a PTFE lip, has been found ideal for cryogenic applications involving LNG. The spring energizer adds permanent resilience to the seal and can compensate for lip wear, eccentricity, hardware misalignment, and (perhaps most importantly when working with LNG) extreme pressures and dimensional changes. 

The recommended geometry for the spring energizer is a simple helical spring when cryogenic temperatures and either static, reciprocating, or rotary motion is involved. However, oscillatory or static motion may require the use of a solid spring. Recommended spring materials include  17-7 precipitation hardening stainless steel, 301/304 stainless steel, or, in some applications, Hastelloy, 316 stainless steel, Inconel, or Elgiloy.

Conclusion

The design of cryogenic seals for use in LNG plants can be challenging and must meet extremely high standards for reliability and safety, but PTFE spring-energized seals are an excellent starting point.