How are Glass-Lined Vessels Made?

It’s safe to assume that our readers have a diverse level of knowledge when it comes to
glass-lined steel. Maybe you’re an experienced customer with glass-lined reactors currently
operating in your facility. Or perhaps you’ve heard about glass-lined steel but don’t have a
solid understanding of how this unique material of construction can benefit your
process. Some of you maybe have even stumbled upon this blog post having zero
familiarity on the subject but are interested in learning about its basic properties and what
makes glass-lined equipment so great compared to standard stainless steel and alloy
vessels?

To gain a full appreciation for glass lining and its versatility, you don’t need to be an expert,
but it is helpful to better understand the fundamentals by knowing the steps involved in
making a vessel. The manufacture of glass-lined steel equipment is a combination of three
processes: production of the glass, steel fabrication, and combining the glass and
steel. Here’s a comprehensive look at these processes and exactly what happens at each
phase of fabrication.

Production of the Glass

The primary step in this sequence of events is to create the
enamel that is used to construct the glass lining. Each batch of
enamel is comprised of carefully selected and rigidly controlled
raw materials, which are melted in a rotary furnace at about
2,500°F (1,400°C). The melted glass in then poured into
water. This sudden tempering breaks the enamel into particles
called “frit”. The frit is then dried, milled, and screened into a
powder. The enamel is available in two colors (blue and white), each having exactly the
same chemical and mechanical properties. The preference for one color versus the other
is typically determined by which enables better visibility for cleaning purposes based on
the chemicals involved in the end user’s application.

To prevent contamination, each batch is processed separately, in closed containers. The

end product, referred to by DDPS as “3009 glass”, is manufactured at our world
headquarters in Zinswiller,

France and is shipped to De Dietrich sites throughout the world, ensuring the same high
quality at a global level. The next steps, steel fabrication and the glass lining, are
performed for all North American orders at our state-of-the-art manufacturing plant
located in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Steel Fabrication
Glass-lined vessels are constructed to have a very unique geometry, so the steel fabrication
is an equally important part of the manufacturing. Once the heads are received, the first
step is to punch pilot holes locating the nozzles. The nozzle area is heated until the steel
becomes ductile and a die can be hydraulically forced through the pilot hole. This action is
called “swaging”.

It is important to note here that nothing can be welded to the outside of the finished
vessel. Therefore, provisions for attaching the jacket, drive mountings, and other exterior
accessories must be made before the vessel is glassed. The following welds are conducted
to fuse the parts of the vessel body together and prepare the vessel for jacket installation:

• The inner shell to the head (in the case of close-

welded reactors)
• The bottom head to the inner shell
• The jacket closure ring to the vessel bottom head
around the outlet nozzle(s)
• The jacket closure ring to the vessel top head around the knuckle radius

Finally, the entire interior and exterior is steel grit blasted and prepped for glassing.

Combining the Glass and Steel

Once the steel is made suitable for glassing, the final procedure of combining the glass and
steel can take place. The first coat of glass is called the ground coat, also known as
“slip”. The ground coat is specially formulated with emulsifying agents to promote
adherence to the steel and does not have any corrosion resistance. After the glass
suspension is sprayed onto the prepared steel tank it is allowed time to dry. The vessel is
then transported to an electric furnace via a rail cart where it is fired at a specific temperature
for a standard length of time to “fuse” the glass to the steel. The item is then transferred to
a controlled cooling booth that helps to reduce built-in stress in the glass.
Subsequent coatings called cover coats are applied in the same respect (spray, dry, heat,
cool), with the one significant difference being the lower temperature at which the cover
coats are fired at to prevent the ground coat from bleeding through. Quality control spark
and thickness tests between coats are performed to ensure the highest quality of the finished
lining. The procedure is repeated until the desired glass thickness is attained. The standard
thickness of a completed vessel is between 40 and 90 mils (1-2mm). The result is an
impermeable, smooth coating of glass that is ideal for pharmaceutical and chemical
applications. The glass to steel bond is very strong, with strength of approximately 16,000
psi (similar to that of pre-stressed concrete!).

After Glassing

When the glassing process is finished the vessel then enters the welding area to have the
jacket installed. The jacket shell and jacket head have already been welded together and
are now ready to be welded onto the closure rings that are on the vessel. A diaphragm is
welded to the closure ring to compensate for expansion and contraction of the jacket. A
hydro test, in which the vessel is filled with water, is performed for quality
assurance. Following completion, the vessel is blasted and prepped for painting and then
moved to the paint booth. Based on the specifications of the order, nozzles will be supplied
with the appropriate ANSI Class split loose flange (these flanges are preferred over one-
piece flanges for glass lined vessels because they eliminate heavier nozzle forgings that
could cause glassing problems.) Finally, an additional quality control check and spark test
are conducted and the vessel is ready to ship.
Types: https://www.pfaudler.com/en/products/glass-linings#lightbox

• WWG Glass
Our standard Glasteel® coating is the material of choice for harsh HCl or sulfuric acid and other
corrosive environments. It is available in dark blue, light blue and white.

• Pharma Glass

Designed for FDA regulated pharmaceutical applications with high demands on chemical
inertness. It is free of heavy metal ions and has high corrosion resistance in alkaline solutions.
The light blue color makes it easy-to-clean and it has high reflectivity to allow optical production
control.

• Poly Glass
This glass has the highest anti-sticking property. It is even smoother than WWG while
maintaining the high chemical resistance. The extremely smooth glass surface reduces product
residues sticking to the glass and speeds up cleaning cycles.

• Stainless Steel Glass

This glass is especially designed to protect stainless steel reactors against chemical attack and
suitable down to -90° for cryogenic pharmaceutical applications. It is available in white and in
dark blue.
• pH Sensitive Glass

We have developed a glass lining suitable for pH measurement probes. This is still the only such
lining available in the industry today.

• Abrasion Resistant Glass

This specially engineered abrasion resistant glass is designed for reduced erosion in abrasive
powder applications, increases glass lining life and reduces maintenance costs, while maintaining
high corrosion resistance in acidic and alkaline applications.

• Anti-Static Glass
This electrically conductive version of WWG is the glass of choice for harsh chemical
environments where there is a risk of static discharge in non-conductive organic solutions. The
conductivity of the glass-lining allows a static discharge to be grounded to the steel vessel wall to
reduce the risk of damage.