• SPECIAL TOPIC: MAINTENANCE & MATERIALS •
propylene diene monomer( EPDM) or fluoroelastomer( FKM) cannot be used without restrictions in the hydrogen environment. Hydrogen diffuses easily into the molecular chains. A sudden drop in pressure can lead to an unexpected expansion from the volume of stored hydrogen and lead to the destruction of the seal.
To prevent material failure, the use of plastics should be reduced to a minimum. Where necessary, special plastics or – especially with high pressures – metallic seals made of copper are used to permanently ensure the function in the event of sharp, unexpected pressure drops.
Compact, Fast and Precise with a Long Service Life
Sliding gate valves made of austenitic steels are a reliable solution for controlling hydrogen. They combine numerous advantages, especially for this application area. Their special construction principle results in an extremely compact design with a low weight, a high control speed, lownoise, as well as wear- and maintenance-free operation.
The author of this article, Doug Roy, Vice President, Schubert & Sulzer, Inc.
The sliding gate technology controls the flow rate in milliseconds by pushing two slotted sealing discs arranged perpendicularly to the direction of flow against each other, thus changing the flow cross section. The actuator only has to overcome the friction between the two discs resulting from the differential pressure and a short stroke from six to nine millimeters.
This makes the control valve particularly fast. As a result, the actuating force required is 90 percent lower compared to other valve designs.
Considering the small, light nature of hydrogen molecules, compact sliding gate valves cast of austenitic steels can precisely control hydrogen molecules to ensure reliability and safety.
Consequently, significantly smaller actuators may be used, and the consumption of control air or electrical actuation energy can be considerably reduced.
At the same time, the short strokes protect the various pneumatic actuators and the stem seal. This enables a long service life with more than a million switching cycles.
Another benefit is the savings on resources and CO 2
, which have positive effects on the valve ' s entire life cy-
Other benefits of Austenitic steel sliding gate valves include savings on resources and CO ², which have positive effects on the valve’ s entire life cycle.
Various sliding gate valve models- and types- are available.
20 Valve World Americas | October 2025 | www. valve-world-americas. com