The Care and Maintenance of Borosilicate Glass Equipment

Whether you are a first-time handler or an expert one, care and consideration must be taken when handling glass components.  Following a glass care regime will help to keep a clean and well-maintained plant as well as ensure there will not be any surprises while the reaction is happening inside.  Here are some general guidelines you should follow when servicing your glass equipment:

• Clean the equipment as per the standard operating procedure and frequency suggested by the equipment manufacturer.
• Check all connections and joints for leakage and fully tighten if necessary. (In addition to in-house personnel, it’s a good idea to have an experienced field service technician from your system supplier periodically inspect the unit.) 
• Glass thickness should be checked at regular intervals, especially if highly corrosive solvents are used.
• Always check that operating conditions are met. Standard QVF equipment follows these basic allowances for operation:
  • Maximum operating temperature = 200°C
  • Temperature differences <= 180°C
  • Maximum permissible thermal shock = 120°C
• Use special safety precautions if your process involves unstable fluids or substances that can decompose.
• Utilize additional instrumentation (e.g. pressure relief valves, bursting disks, over-fill prevention, temperature limiters), if necessary, to comply with operating and safety requirements.
• Permissible operating pressure should be observed for various procedures, including commissioning, checking for leaks and filling the plant.
• Keep in mind that if your plant operates at temperatures in excess of 120 K, the thermal shock limit could be exceeded by cold water being sprayed onto the equipment by a sprinkler system. To avoid this, sprinkler heads should not be mounted in the vicinity of an unprotected glass process plant.
• Extra loads, such as reaction forces or vibration on side branches, are not permissible. Bellows should be included in interconnecting pipework to ensure a stress-free connection to the glass plant.