2017 LDPE Plant Improvement Conference, Barcelona
The 12th LDPE Plant Improvement Conference in Barcelona was again a great success with more than 230 participants from all over the world.
CTD gave a presentation together with Prof. Luis Llanes from the Barcelona Technical University (UPC). Prof. Llanes is renowned for his expertise in cemented carbide materials. Plunger cracks were analysed with a FIB/SEM workstation which revealed impressive photographs of the cracks below the plunger surface. The plunger crack analysis made it clear that subsurface cracks can be formed due to thermo-mechanical stresses. These subsurface micro-cracks can not be detected and can only be removed by grinding. Therefore it is sometimes better to remove a little bit more material in order to obtain a plunger in perfect condition.
Presentation title: "Plunger Fracture: avoid unplanned shut down through comprehensive failure analysis"