Heidelberg Materials operates the Pacific Sounder barge to transport dry cement powder between Delta, BC, and Bellingham, Washington. Central to this operation is a DN600 (24”) main fill valve, supported by several DN250 (10”) valves that distribute the cement powder for proper balance during transit. For years, this valve position had been a high-maintenance point […]
Improving Valve Life on the Pacific Sounder Barge Read More »
In the valve industry, it’s common to think that one butterfly valve can work just as well as another. But in reality, design differences can lead to major performance gaps, especially when it comes to shutoff, service life, and reliability in tough operating conditions. This becomes clear in critical service environments, where conventional butterfly valves
Is a Butterfly Valve Just a Butterfly Valve? Read More »
In industrial piping systems, preventing reverse flow is critical to protecting equipment and maintaining safe operations. That is where check valves—also known as non-return valves play a vital role. These valves allow flow in one direction while automatically preventing backflow. Poor valve selection can lead to catastrophic failures. For industrial operations, these risks can translate
Guide to Check Valves: Types, Functions, and Applications Read More »
Selecting the right control valve is a critical factor in ensuring plant reliability, cost control, and operational safety. In industries like mining, energy, and oil sands, where severe service conditions are common, poor valve selection can lead to excessive wear, unplanned downtime, and safety risks. This article provides a practical guide to understanding cavitation, flashing,
Control Valve Challenges: Cavitation, Flashing, and Noise Read More »
Control valves are critical elements that regulate flow, pressure, temperature, and level within a process. Without the right valve, even the most advanced plant design can suffer from inefficiency, safety risks, or costly downtime. Choosing and applying valves correctly is one of the most important decisions in plant design and operation. In this article, we’ll
What is a Control Valve? Understanding Functions and Types Read More »
A reference tool to help users understand and clarify the meaning of specific terms and concepts within world of valves.
There are many types of valves used to isolate process flow. Each valve type has its own ability when it is fully closed and in isolation mode. The degree of tightness varies with valve type, make, media, differential pressure, temperature, and time in service. Some valve types or special preparations have unequal isolating abilities depending
Bidirectionality in Isolation Valves Read More »
A basic introduction to Butterfly Valves Butterfly Valves get their name from the Butterfly appearance of the disc and stem. The design consists of a round disc that is attached to a shaft rotating 90°. When the disc rotates to be parallel with the flow, the valve is fully open. To close the valve, the
Butterfly Valves 101 Read More »
The unique triple offset of the valve means the seating is affected with almost zero friction. The disc lifts off the seat without dragging across the surface. Because of this feature, these valves could be placed through 500,000 cycles of operation without any degradation in seating performance. The diagram below illustrates the inclined conical sealing
Butterfly Valves — Triple Offset Design Read More »
All valves perform a duty. Their ability to perform varies by valve type and internal design features and materials. In addition, knowledge and experience play a significant part in any successful installation. Accurate descriptions and consistent communication regarding the specifications of the valve required, and the attributes of the application it needs to perform within,
What is a Guided Shear Gate Valve and why is it a Severe Service Knife Gate Valve? Read More »