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Why are ceramic metering valves used with corrosive or erosive fluids?

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advanced structural ceramics Figure 1: Resistance to cracking in transformation-toughened zirconia. In a ceramic composed of tetragonal zirconia dispersed in a zirconia matrix, the stress field advancing ahead of a propagating crack transforms the small tetragonal particles to larger monoclinic particles. The larger particles exert a crack-closing force in the process zone behind the crack tip, effectively resisting propagation of the crack.

Ceramic metering valves are frequently used with corrosive or erosive fluids because of the exceptional robustness provided by the strong chemical bonding inherent in advanced structural ceramics.1

These materials are chosen for such demanding environments for the following reasons:

Chemical Inertness: The strong bonds in ceramics make them thermochemically inert, allowing them to withstand exposure to harsh chemical solutions, slurries, and other corrosive substances that would degrade many metals or polymers.123
Superior Wear Resistance: Ceramics are extremely hard and strong, which makes them highly resistant to both impingement wear (caused by impacting particles) and rubbing wear (caused by sliding contact). This durability is essential when metering fluids that contain abrasive particulates, such as coal slurries or drilling muds.3
Enhanced Service Life: While ceramics can be more expensive to produce than traditional materials, their ability to resist degradation in aggressive environments leads to a significantly longer service life, providing a competitive advantage in industrial processing applications.3