Case Study | Tackling Extreme Working Conditions — Soda Ash Ammonia-Evaporation Unit
As one of China’s leading Soda Ash producers, a major Soda Ash manufacturer in Shandong adopts theHou Process (Ammonia–Soda Process) and is among the earliest domestic enterprises to produce this product.
With over 40 product types, the company ranks No.1 in the worldin production output of synthetic soda ash, nitrate salts, and solid Calcium Chloride.
Challenge: Severe Wear, Corrosion & High Precision Control Requirements
In the ammonia-evaporation section of the heavy soda workshop, the plant had long been troubled by extremely high maintenance costs.
Working conditions:
- Medium: high-temperature Lime Milk
- Temperature: 90–120°C
- Pressure: PN16
- Hard solid particles present
- Strong corrosion + high erosion
- Very high requirements for control accuracy and ANSI Class VI sealing
Before 2020, the plant relied on imported ceramic control Butterfly Valves from Keystone (FISHER/Emerson, USA).
However, due to structural limitations of Butterfly Valves, they were unable to achieve:
- High-precision modulation
- ANSI VI leak-tight shutoff
- Long-term erosion resistance
In later stages of use, inner lining failures occurred due to medium impact, threatening continuous production.
High Costs & Long Lead Times of Imported Valves
Despite partial improvements in Corrosion Resistance, imported solutions suffered from:
- Very high procurement costs
- Long delivery cycles (disrupting maintenance planning)
- Rising annual maintenance budgets
The plant urgently needed a new valve solution that could withstand harsh conditions and reduce total cost of ownership.
Breakthrough: Adoption of KOWOV Ceramic Ball Valves
To address this bottleneck, the plant selected KOWOV Ceramic Ball Valves as their replacement solution.
After the 2019 Spring Festival, the KOWOV technical team visited the site with prototype valves and material proposals.
Through joint engineering discussions and on-site inspection, a customized valve configuration was finalized.
2020: First Ceramic C-Valve Installed — Exceptional Results
In April 2020, the first KOWOV ceramic C-type Control Valve was put into trial operation.
After several production cycles, the performance far exceeded expectations:
✔ Service life extended to over one year
✔ Withstood strong erosion, corrosion, and particle impact
✔ Completely solved poor control accuracy of the original butterfly valve
✔ Control curve improved from irregular to nearly ideal linear response
✔ Achieved stable, high-precision process regulation
This marked a fundamental upgrade in the reliability and performance of the system
Full Replacement & Award Recognition
Following the success of the first installation, the customer fully switched to KOWOV’s new-generation C-type ceramic trim and SiC ceramic control valves, phasing out all imported products.
Results:
- Annual cost savings: ~420,000 RMB
- Eliminated dependence on imported specialty valves
- Superior performance validated in harsh operating conditions
- Recognized by the China Soda Ash Industry Association Technology Progress Award
KOWOV ceramic valves have since been widely promoted within the soda ash industry.
Driving High-Quality Development in China’s Soda Ash Sector
This project demonstrates how advanced ceramic valve technology can:
- Improve reliability in harsh conditions
- Reduce operating costs
- Support domestic equipment localization
- Enhance production stability
- Increase long-term asset efficiency
KOWOV remains committed to bringing proven, high-performance ceramic valve solutions to more industrial users — empowering China's soda ash industry to achieve stable, efficient, and sustainable growth.