Customized High Grade Wear Resistant Silicon Nitride Plungers

Overview of Silicon Nitride Plunger

Silicon Nitride Plunger is a mechanical component made of silicon nitride ceramic material. It has the advantages of high strength, high hardness, high-temperature resistance, wear resistance and good chemical stability. In a variety of high-pressure, high-speed fluid transportation systems, it can maintain good sealing and wear resistance, effectively improve the efficiency and service life of the equipment, and is widely used in chemical, petroleum, pharmaceutical and many other fields.

Features of Silicon Nitride Plunger

Silicon Nitride Plunger has the following significant features:

High strength and hardness: Silicon nitride has excellent mechanical properties; its strength and hardness are very high so that the plunger can withstand high pressure and high load, not easy to deformation and wear, in long-term use to maintain good dimensional accuracy and shape stability, to ensure stable operation of equipment.

High-temperature resistance: Silicon nitride plungers have excellent high-temperature resistance, can maintain stable performance in high-temperature environments, and are not easy to soften or melt. This makes the silicon nitride plunger can be used in some equipment that needs to work under high temperature conditions, such as chemical reactors, high temperature furnaces, etc. in the fluid transportation system, which broadens its scope of application.

Good abrasion resistance: Silicon nitride has excellent abrasion resistance, which can effectively resist the scrubbing and friction of the particles in the fluid, reduce wear, prolong the service life of the plunger, and reduce the maintenance cost and downtime of the equipment.

Corrosion resistance: Silicon nitride plungers have good corrosion resistance to most chemicals and are not easily eroded by corrosive media such as acid and alkali, so they can be used to convey a variety of corrosive fluids and excel in corrosive environments such as chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

Low coefficient of friction: Silicon Nitride plungers have a low coefficient of friction, which reduces friction with seals and other components, reduces energy loss, improves the operating efficiency of the equipment, and further improves the stability of the equipment.

Specifications table of Silicon Nitride Plunger

Parameter	Typical Value
Material	Si₃N₄
Density	3.1 – 3.3 g/cm³
Hardness	14 – 16 GPa (Vickers hardness HV50)
Bending Strength	700 – 900 MPa
Compressive Strength	2500 – 3000 MPa
Young’s Modulus	300 GPa
Poisson’s Ratio	0.25 – 0.28
Fracture Toughness	5 – 8 MPa·m¹/²
Maximum Operating Temperature in Oxidizing Atmosphere	1100 – 1200 °C
Maximum Operating Temperature in Neutral Atmosphere	1600 °C
Thermal Conductivity	20 – 25 W/(m·K)
Thermal Expansion Coefficient	3×10⁻⁶ – 3.1×10⁻⁶ /°C
Thermal Shock Resistance	550 – 800 °C
Surface Roughness after Polishing	Ra 0.02 μm
Cylindricity Tolerance	±0.006 mm
Concentricity Tolerance	±0.002 mm

Play

Applications of Silicon Nitride Plunger

Chemical industry: Chemical production often involves corrosive fluids and high temperature and pressure environments. Silicon Nitride Plunger can be used in pumps conveying all kinds of acids, alkalis, salts and other corrosive media because of its corrosion resistance, high-temperature resistance and high strength to ensure the stability of the fluid conveyance and sealing and to reduce the leakage and equipment failures due to the corrosion and abrasion of the plunger.

Petroleum field: In the process of petroleum extraction and refining, it is necessary to deal with high-viscosity, impurity-containing crude oil as well as a variety of chemical agents. Silicon nitride plungers are able to withstand high pressure and resist the wear and tear of impurities in crude oil and are suitable for oilfield water injection pumps, chemical raw material transfer pumps in refineries and other equipment to improve the reliability and operating life of the equipment.

Pharmaceutical field: The pharmaceutical industry requires high hygiene and precision. Silicon nitride plunger has good chemical stability and wear resistance, will not have chemical reactions with drugs, and can ensure the accuracy of the drug delivery dose; it is commonly used in pharmaceutical production of metering pumps, high-pressure infusion pumps and other equipment to ensure the quality control of the drug production process.

Ceramic processing field: In ceramic molding equipment, such as an isostatic pressure molding machine, a silicon nitride plunger is used to provide high pressure so that the ceramic blank obtains a dense structure. Its high hardness and wear resistance can withstand frequent high-pressure impacts, ensure stable operation of the equipment, and improve the quality and production efficiency of ceramic products.

Company Profile

RBOSCHCO is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12 years of experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. The company exports to many countries, such as the USA, Canada, Europe, UAE, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Turkey, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Dubai, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Portugal etc. As a leading nanotechnology development manufacturer, RBOSCHCO dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges. If you are interested, please send an email to sales1@rboschco.com

Payment Term

T/T, Western Union, Paypal, Credit Card etc.

Shipment Term

By air, by sea, by express, as customers request.

5 FAQs of  Silicon Nitride Plunger

Q1: How do I install a silicon nitride plunger?

Heating fit method: Heat the plunger or pump body to 100-150℃ to realize tight fit installation by using thermal expansion to avoid stress concentration during cold installation. Cleaning requirements: The contact surface needs to be cleaned with alcohol or acetone before installation to ensure that there is no oil or particles to prevent seal failure.

Q2: What do I need to pay attention to when maintaining a silicon nitride plunger?

Periodic inspection: Check the wear condition every 500 hours of operation and use a roughness meter to measure the surface finish (Ra≤0.4 μm). Lubrication recommendation: Under high-pressure conditions, it is recommended to use special lubricants for ceramics (e.g., high-temperature grease containing molybdenum disulfide) to avoid contamination of the medium by metal lubricants. Avoid shock: Adjust the pressure slowly during startup/stoppage to prevent the plunger from breaking due to the water hammer effect.

Q3: What is the service life of a silicon nitride plunger?

Regular service: 5,000-8,000 hours (approximately 2-3 years) in non-particulate media. Extreme conditions: In high-temperature and high-pressure environments containing abrasive particles (e.g., oilfield water injection pumps), the life span is about 1,000-2,000 hours, which is still 5-8 times longer than that of metal plungers. Q4: Silicon Nitride Plungers

Q4: Can silicon nitride plungers break?

Reason: It is brittle and may break when subjected to impact or stress concentration. Prevention: Use a fiber toughening process (e.g., add carbon fiber) or optimize the structure to reduce stress concentration during design.

Q5: How can I improve the wear resistance of silicon nitride plungers?

Surface treatment: The wear rate can be reduced to 6.3 mm³/N-m (10 mm³/N-m for conventional processes) by CVD deposition of diamond coatings or laser micro-weaving. Material optimization: addition of TiB₂ nanoparticles or carbon nanotubes to enhance matrix toughness and thermal conductivity