What are the differences between pure zirconia liners and ZTA ceramic liners?

Ⅰ.Pure Zirconia Liner

Pure zirconia liners are made of high-purity zirconia material. The outer shell is constructed from 45# steel, while the inner sleeve typically has a zirconia content of ≥95% and a hardness of 92-94 HRC (Rockwell Hardness C Scale)—approximately 10 times that of traditional ceramics. With a service life of up to 8000 hours, this product features high hardness, excellent wear resistance and corrosion resistance, and long service life, making it suitable for offshore drilling operations.

Ⅱ. ZTA Ceramic Liner

Mud pump ZTA ceramic liners are engineered ceramic products. The outer shell is made of 45# steel, and the inner sleeve is composed of Zirconia Toughened Alumina (ZTA ), with the inner sleeve hardness reaching 92-94 HRC (Rockwell Hardness C Scale). By combining the properties of zirconia and alumina, a special material with integrated wear resistance, toughness, and thermal stability is formed. Specifically designed for the fluid ends of mud pumps, these liners boast high hardness, excellent wear resistance and corrosion resistance, and a long service life of up to 6000 hours, making them suitable for offshore drilling operations.

Ⅲ. Differences Between Pure Zirconia Liners and ZTA Ceramic Liners

Pure zirconia liners and ZTA ceramic liners differ in terms of material composition, performance characteristics, application scenarios, and cost, as detailed below:

Material Composition

Pure Zirconia Liner: Mainly composed of a single phase of zirconia grains.

ZTA Ceramic Liner: A composite material of alumina and zirconia, generally containing 10%-20% zirconia, with the remainder being primarily alumina.

Performance Characteristics

Hardness: The hardness of ZTA ceramic liners is comparable to or slightly higher than that of pure zirconia liners, and both are harder than alumina ceramics.

Toughness: ZTA ceramic liners achieve alumina toughening through zirconia, resulting in significantly higher toughness than ordinary alumina ceramics, but generally lower toughness than pure zirconia liners.

Wear Resistance: Pure zirconia liners exhibit outstanding wear resistance; ZTA ceramic liners also have excellent wear resistance, reaching a level equivalent to that of pure zirconia liners.

Thermal Stability: Pure zirconia liners have low thermal conductivity and better heat insulation performance, but may experience surface "pulverization" when used for a long time in humid conditions at 100-250°C. ZTA ceramic liners feature a low linear expansion coefficient and high thermal conductivity, which better inhibit thermal deformation and provide relatively superior dimensional stability in high-temperature environments.

Chemical Stability: Both materials possess good chemical stability and can resist corrosion from most chemical substances.

Application Scenarios

Pure Zirconia Liner: Owing to its high hardness, high wear resistance, and corrosion resistance, it is suitable for oil and gas exploration and development scenarios such as deep oil reservoirs, harsh geological structures, and offshore oil and gas development.

ZTA Ceramic Liner: In addition to being applicable to wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant scenarios similar to oil drilling mud pumps, it is also widely used in wear-resistant parts requiring cooling (e.g., abrasives, cutting tools) and components with high requirements for resistance to thermal deformation.

Cost

Pure Zirconia Liner: The overall cost is relatively high, as the raw material cost is high (zirconia powder preparation is complex), and the processing difficulty is greater—its higher toughness increases grinding complexity.

ZTA Ceramic Liner: Since it contains a relatively high proportion of alumina (a raw material that is low-cost and easily available), the cost of ZTA ceramic liners is lower than that of pure zirconia liners.