Technical Reference
Valve Selection by Fluid Service
Material compatibility tables and valve selection guides for 29 industrial fluids — from corrosive acids to cryogenic LNG to high-pressure hydrogen.
Corrosive Fluids
Sulphuric Acid (H₂SO₄)
H₂SO₄Sulphuric acid is one of the most widely used industrial chemicals.
Hydrochloric Acid (HCl)
HClHydrochloric acid is extremely aggressive to most metals.
Seawater
Seawater is highly corrosive due to dissolved chlorides (~3.
Caustic Soda (NaOH)
NaOHSodium hydroxide (caustic soda) is used extensively in the chlor-alkali industry, paper & pulp, alumina refining, and chemical manufacturing.
Phosphoric Acid (H₃PO₄)
H₃PO₄Phosphoric acid is a moderate acid used in fertiliser production (wet process phosphoric acid), food processing, metal surface treatment, and semiconductor manufacturing.
Nitric Acid (HNO₃)
HNO₃Nitric acid is a strong oxidising acid used in fertiliser production, explosives manufacturing, stainless steel passivation, and pharmaceutical synthesis.
Brine / Sodium Chloride Solution
Brine (sodium chloride solution) is handled in chlor-alkali production, food processing, desalination, and produced water from oil wells.
Amine (DEA / MEA / MDEA — Gas Sweetening)
Amine solutions — diethanolamine (DEA), monoethanolamine (MEA), and methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) — are used extensively in natural gas and refinery gas sweetening units to remove hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from sour gas streams.
Hazardous / Toxic
Chlorine (Cl₂)
Cl₂Chlorine is a powerful oxidiser and highly toxic gas (IDLH: 10 ppm).
Ammonia (NH₃)
NH₃Ammonia is handled as a refrigerant (R-717), in fertiliser production, and as a chemical feedstock.
Hydrogen (H₂)
H₂Hydrogen is the smallest molecule — extreme permeation tendency, wide flammability range (4–75%), and susceptibility to hydrogen embrittlement in high-strength steels.
Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)
HFHydrofluoric acid is one of the most hazardous industrial chemicals.
Oxygen (O₂ — Industrial and Medical Grade)
O₂Oxygen in industrial concentrations (>23.
Hydrocarbons
Crude Oil
Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, water, gases (including H₂S), sediment, and wax.
LPG — Liquefied Petroleum Gas
LPG (propane/butane mixture) is stored and transported as a pressurised liquid.
Natural Gas
Natural gas (primarily methane) is transported in high-pressure pipelines and distributed at lower pressures.
Diesel Fuel / Fuel Oil
Diesel and fuel oil (HSD, LDO, HFO) are widely used petroleum products handled in refineries, terminals, power plants, and marine vessels.
Acetone (Propanone)
C₃H₆OAcetone is a highly flammable solvent used in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, adhesives, and chemical synthesis.
Methanol (Methyl Alcohol)
CH₃OHMethanol is a highly flammable, toxic alcohol used as a fuel additive (MTBE/FAME production), chemical feedstock, and hydrate inhibitor in gas pipelines.
Hot Oil (Thermal Heat Transfer Fluid)
Hot oil or thermal fluid is used as a heat transfer medium in indirect heating systems — circulated through heaters and heat exchangers to transfer heat without generating steam.
Ethylene (C₂H₄)
C₂H₄Ethylene is the world's largest-volume petrochemical feedstock — produced by steam cracking of naphtha, ethane, or LPG, then used to manufacture polyethylene, PVC, ethylene oxide, styrene, and dozens of downstream chemicals.
Utility Fluids
High-Pressure Steam
Steam is the most common industrial utility fluid.
Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)
CO₂CO₂ is used in supercritical extraction, fire suppression, EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery), CCS (Carbon Capture Storage), and beverage carbonation.
Cooling Water
Cooling water — open or closed circuit — is found in almost every industrial plant.
Compressed Air
N₂ / O₂ mixtureCompressed air is the most widely used utility in industrial plants — powering pneumatic actuators, instruments, tools, conveying systems, and process air injection.
MEG / Glycol (Monoethylene Glycol — Gas Dehydration)
C₂H₆O₂Monoethylene glycol (MEG) is used as a hydrate inhibitor in natural gas pipelines and as a refrigerant in gas processing plants.
Demineralised Water (DM Water / Deionised Water)
Demineralised water (DM water) is ultra-pure water with almost all dissolved minerals removed by ion exchange or reverse osmosis.
Slurries & Solids
⚠ Engineering Disclaimer
All fluid compatibility information on this site is indicative only, based on published corrosion engineering data. Actual material suitability depends on concentration, temperature, flow velocity, pH, dissolved gases, and presence of contaminants. All specifications must be reviewed by a qualified materials or process engineer before procurement. Vajra Industrial Solutions and VajraVyuh Enterprise Pvt. Ltd. accept no liability for any consequence of specifications made based on this reference material.