Automatic Ball Valve Ensures Pump Prime

A chemical manufacturer’s mixing system for varnishes suffered from corrosion and leaks due to brass valves and discount ball valves. Plast-O-Matic solved the issue with air-operated diaphragm valves featuring a “Fail-Dry” system to prevent leaks and extend valve life.

A major southern grow operation needed a valve to open and close automatically on a series of remote fertigation pipelines. The lines were in a location where compressed air and electricity were both unavailable and impractical. It was essential to have the valve close whenever the water supply dropped below operational pressure, to prevent the percentage of nutrients from exceeding safe levels and harming the crop.

The City of Bremerton, Washington needed to build a system to bring its pH levels in line with the Lead and Copper laws, with the flexibility to compensate for a variety of water sources. Dealing with pH levels below neutral, the Engineering Division of Bremerton Public Works and Utilities had to provide a system for injecting caustic soda into the water main.

Valmet will deliver a comprehensive package of critical valves and valve automation solutions to a lithium project run by Sibanye-Stillwater’s subsidiary Keliber Oy in Kokkola, Finland.

An Air Release Valve is open when the system is depressurized. At start up, the liquid process forces most of the air in the pipeline to high points, where the ARV allows it to escape. Once liquid rises, the valve closes and will not allow anything – gas or liquid – to pass in or out. It will not vent gas as it occurs during daily operations. It will reopen only when the system is depressurized and liquid level drops.

To fully understand the valve and the piping possibilities, the first step is to understand all of the capabilities of a 2-port valve.