Conductive compounds for tankers pressure relief valves

The UK company Fairfax 3D Design has chosen Latiohm electrically conductive polyamide from Lati as the ideal material from which to manufacture its innovative new pressure relief valve. The pressure, or vacuum, relief valve is designed to be fitted into each compartment on a road tanker.

The road tankers carry liquid hydrocarbons, typically diesel or gasoline, and can have up to seven compartments carrying 40,000 litres usually a mixture of spirit and diesel. Due to the nature of the product all protrusions into the compartments must be conductive and therefore be at the same potential throughout the whole of the tanker.

Fairfax 3D design were looking for a cost effective material from which to manufacture the valves, that offered very good conductivity, corrosion resistance and the opportunity to design a robust part offering a good balance of weight to performance.

Latihom 66-07 PD08 G/30 met all these criteria, offering a surface resistivity of 1 x 10^3 Ohms in combination with the strength of a reinforced PA 66.