HCl

Hydrochloric Acid

Also known as:

Spirits of Salt
Acidum Salis
Marine Acid air
Muriatic Acid

The Science

Why CPVC Works Well With Hydrochloric Acid

High-quality CPVC like Corzan® CPVC has a high level of chlorine in the polymer chain. This protects the CPVC from the degrading effects of highly corrosive acids, like hydrochloric acid, commonly used by industrial plants for everything from pH adjustment to the manufacture of other important industrial chemicals. Within safe operating temperatures, Corzan CPVC has excellent resistance to hydrochloric acid due to its superior engineering and formulation.

CPVC resists material degradation and corrosion when handling hydrochloric acid far better than metals, but these still can occur over time. The severity general degradation will be contingent on things like: temperature, pressure, and acid concentration.

Chemical Background

What is Hydrochloric Acid?

Hydrochloric acid is a highly corrosive solution, especially in its concentrated form. Made by combusting hydrogen gas in chlorine gas, the resulting hydrogen chloride is then dissolved in water to create a liquid hydrochloric acid, typically produced in concentrations up to 38%. Hydrochloric acid readily attacks common metals, which may be explosive in certain concentrations in air. Concentrated solutions can cause severe damage to eyes and skin. Hydrochloric acid emits a pungent odor and strongly fumes in moist air. The solution ranges in appearance from a water-like colorlessness to slightly yellow. The vapors are irritating to the eyes, skin and mucous membranes. The parietal cells in the human stomach naturally produce HCl portions of gastric juices that digest food and maintain the stomach’s pH.

The History of Hydrochloric Acid

Early 10th century

Persian alchemist and physician Abu Bakr al-Razi produces a rough process for producing hydrochloric acid.

1300

Nitric acid first attested in pseudo-Geber's De Inventione Veritatis, paving the way for the production of other acids.

Late 16th century

Chemists like Giovanni Battista Della Porta and Andreas Libavius produce recipes for producing hydrochloric acid.

1791

Nicolas Leblanc creates an inexpensive, large-scale production process.

1860s

Belgian chemist Ernest Solvay creates the ammonia-soda process for production. The Solvay method is the production method used today.

Did you know?

Hydrochloric acid is a natural and necessary part of human digestion. But if the acid leaks outside the specialty mucus lining of the stomach, people can experience internal chemical burns in the form of ulcers, heartburn and more.

Temperature & Concentration

Corzan CPVC's Resistance to Hydrochloric Acid

In hydrochloric acid applications, CPVC compound and product quality matter, especially as the heat and acid concentration rise. Corzan CPVC’s superior compound and quality assurance make it the premier CPVC material, delivering excellent resistance to hydrochloric acid in industrial applications like ion exchange regeneration, processing additives like fructose and citric acid for use in the food industry, and ferric acid production for water treatment*.

corzan cpvc chemical resistance to hydrochloric acid chart

* Corzan® Material and Piping Solutions only partners with manufacturers with a proven track record of quality and reliability. These manufacturers are carefully chosen to convert Corzan CPVC into the high-performance piping systems, ducting, sheets and lining and more that customers rely on. Always confirm any planned application is in compliance with our partner’s design guidelines.

Drawbacks of Other Materials

The Drawbacks of Other Materials Handling Hydrochloric Acid

Hydrochloric acid is among the topmost common chemicals that Corzan CPVC reliably handles in industrial applications. Engineers choose Corzan CPVC for hydrochloric acid due to its performance capabilities compared to metals and other plastics.

Common Metals: Because of its strong reduction properties, metals such as carbon steel and copper will suffer rapid attack from HCl at all concentrations and temperatures.

Stainless steel: Corrosion is one of the costliest issues facing plants that handle hydrochloric acid. It causes general corrosion, pitting and stress-corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steel, such as 316. In fact, 300-series stainless steels can even be attacked by diluted HCl. Although there may be low-concentration and low-temperature combinations that are acceptable in some specific cases, 316 stainless steel is not recommended when hydrochloric acid is present.

PVDF (Polyvinylidene fluoride) and PVDF lined pipe: PVDF has outstanding acid resistance, but it is a prohibitively expensive alternative to CPVC.

PVC (Polyvinyl chloride): PVC’s polymer chain is not reinforced with the extra chlorine atoms as CPVC. It is thus only reliable for use with low concentrations of hydrochloric acid.

Common Uses

Common Uses of Hydrochloric Acid

Fertilizers
Chlor-Alakli
Pharmaceuticals
Explosives
Detergents
Inorganic salts and acids
Petroleum refining
Metallurgical processes

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Explore More Chemicals

For long-term system reliability, it is critical to choose a material that resists corrosion. Corzan CPVC effectively stands up to most acids, bases and salts and is innately resistant to corrosive chemicals, including the 10 commonly used chemicals that can degrade and reduce the service life of many metals.

NaClO Sodium Hypochlorite

H₂SO₄ Sulfuric Acid

HCl Hydrochloric Acid

NaOH Sodium Hydroxide

NaCl Sodium Chloride

H₃PO₄ Phosphoric Acid

ClO₂ Chlorine Dioxide

HNO₃ Nitric Acid

H₂O₂ Hydrogen Peroxide

H₂O Water