Teflon Hoses (PTFE hoses): Types, Features, Application

Fluoroplastic hoses, also known as Teflon hoses, are indispensable in all industries, where aggressive media have to be conveyed. Connection equipment does not lose its properties at pressures up to 500 atm, thanks to which it is regarded as indispensable in particularly demanding areas of production.

Today you can buy PTFE hoses from both foreign and domestic manufacturers. However, local PTFE hoses will cost you cheaper in spite of the fact that in quality they are not inferior to imported analogs.

Features of Teflon hoses

Products of this type represent a sealed hose of multilayer structure, and its important distinguishing feature is an inner chamber made of a smooth or corrugated fluoroplastic tube. PTFE as an electrical insulator and a thermally and chemically resistant polymer ensures the high performance of PTFE tubing.

Braided pigtail with a different number of layers (from 1 to 3) is made of stainless steel and reliably protects the hose from overloads, mechanical impacts, and pressure drop during moving of working medium. The flexible part of the hoses is rolled up on the end fitting. Inside the flexible part, there is an antistatic shield, which reduces or completely isolates the Teflon layer from contact with the medium.

The outer jacket of the flexible part is made of different materials protecting the hose against kinks, temperature and mechanical influences.

Performance of PTFE hoses

PTFE hoses with various types of braid and sheath proved to be an irreplaceable connecting element of equipment and units, involved in the distillation of aggressive working media. Where metal hoses cannot be used, Teflon hoses with their main advantages come to the rescue:

• operating temperature range from -75 to + 260°C;
• working pressure up to 190 kg/cm2;
• dielectric properties;
• resistance to abrasive agents, acids, alkalis, solvents, and other highly aggressive media;
• ability to withstand water hammer, high pulsation, and vibration levels;
• A low coefficient of friction minimizes pressure loss on the longest length of work.

Fluoroplastic hoses are capable of sustained use in flexing conditions. Due to their robustness and high abrasion resistance, flexible hoses can be used in many industries without losing their performance characteristics for years.

PTFE Hose Applications

The chemical, gas, and oil refining industries account for the bulk of PTFE Hose sales. However, the ability to connect a wide variety of machinery and equipment for efficient and safe handling of fluids significantly expands their application area:

• machine tool industry; aerospace, shipbuilding;
• automotive industry;
• construction, agriculture, utilities;
• food processing and pharmaceuticals.

A great advantage for consumers is the possibility to order manufacturing of special fluoroplastic hoses according to specific requirements.

If there is no such need, it is possible to buy ready-made products in different designs.

Types of fluoroplastic hoses

Taking into account different operating conditions the domestic manufacturer offers several variants of ready-made Teflon hoses.

PTFE hoses:

• flat thin-walled (standard version) and thick-walled, designed for medium and increased pressure;
• Corrugated, also with thin and thick walls. Both are highly flexible, the second version withstands high pressure;
• PTFE heavy-duty tubing designed to handle media at maximum working pressures.

Steel braid:

• single layer;
• double layer (for higher pressure);
• three-ply (used for special purposes).

Outer sheath:

• “thermal sheath” protects PTFE hoses against high-temperature effects (up to +1500°C);
• rubber outer layer prevents mechanical damage to the hoses;
• spring sheathing as protection against kinks can be fitted over the whole length of the hose or on a section of the end fitting;

the metal sheathing (metal hose) extends the operating life of the PTFE hose.

A variety of ready-made solutions allows fluoroplastic hoses to be selected for any production task.