High-performance and Resilient Seated Butterfly Valves for Commercial and Industrial Applications

A butterfly valve has a disc that is in the fluid flow path. In the most common style of butterfly valve, the disc revolves around a central axis, the stem, via a 90-degree arc from parallel to the flow direction (open) to perpendicular to the flow direction (closed).  Butterfly valves have a straightforward design with few moving components, making them simple to repair and maintain. The valve has four main parts: the body, the stem, the disk, and the seat. 

The butterfly disk is always in the flow path, but its thin profile has little effect on flow. Butterfly valves are popular because they provide tight shut-off, are available in various materials and sizes, and may be easily automated using a variety of quarter-turn electric and pneumatic actuators. 

You'll find butterfly valves in a wide range of industrial applications, from managing the flow of water to handling far more hazardous industrial fluids. Many industries use butterfly valves, including water treatment, chemical processing, pulp, paper manufacturing, food processing, power generation, etc. 

There are two primary classifications of butterfly valves:

1. High-performance butterfly valves (HPBV)
2. Resilient seated butterfly valves

 

High-performance butterfly valves include carbon or stainless steel bodies with Teflon seats and can withstand more significant pressures and temperatures.  Resilient seated valves usually feature ductile iron or aluminum bodies and operate at lower pressures and temperatures.

Butterfly valve bodies are available in two mounting styles: lug and wafer. Lug bodies include cast-in lugs with bolt hole designs that match pipe flanges. A wafer body valve does not have a mounting hole pattern, and mounting is facilitated by sandwiching the valve between two pipe flanges, with mounting bolts around the valve body. Wafer-style bodies are less costly. An advantage to lug body valves is their use as a dead-end valve, whereas wafer valves are unsuitable for this service.

The stem is a one or two-piece shaft that keeps the disk in place and provides the rotational torque that allows the disk to open and shut. The stem of resilient seated valves has protection from the process media by packing rings, allowing for a more cost-effective solution to regulate the valve's application to various potentially corrosive media. High-performance butterfly valve stems come into touch with process media and must be media suitable. 

The disk is the valve component that comes into direct contact with the process medium and regulates flow. Disks are available in various materials and optionally come with corrosion-resistant polymer coatings. Some butterfly valves include contoured disks that are carefully aligned with the stem to increase flow control, modify torque needs, or give the valve a longer life. 

A resilient seated valve closes via an "interference fit," which means the disk forces itself into the seat. The seat is the soft substance (polymer elastomer) including Buna-N and Nitrile, and should be specified depending on the process medium involved.

High-performance butterfly valves use an interference fit as well, but with significantly tighter tolerances, but also ensure tight seating with assistance from upstream pressure. PTFE or RTFE are the most often used materials for HPBV seats. Metal seats on HPBVs accommodate more significant pressure and temperature applications. 

Like other valves, butterfly valves have applications in which they outperform. To apply the optimum solution to your flow control applications, combine your process knowledge with your product knowledge with the application skills of a proven valve engineering professional. Contact Piping Specialties, Inc. for more information about industrial valves. Visit https://psi-team.com or call 800-223-1468.

Industrial Thermowell Process Connection Types

This video covers the common types of thermowell process connections. The styles are referred to by what their process connection is.

The types are threaded thermowell, a flanged thermowell, a welded or weld-in thermowell, and a sanitary thermowell.

Threaded thermowells are commonly used when thermowell removal occurs infrequently. These wells are typically threaded into a welded fitting widely referred to as a weldolet on the pipe or vessel. Typical installations include smaller pipes or vessels where corrosion is not an issue.

Flanged thermowells are the preferred well for applications that require frequent removal or replacement due to corrosion or other hazards. Flanged wells will bolt to a mating flange installed on the process piping. Typical installations include large pipes with high pressure and high corrosion.

Weld-in thermowells are welded directly to the pipe or tank and provide a high-quality connection. Because being welded in, their removal is not easy, and they should only be installed when quick access is not required, and corrosion is not an issue. Typical installations include very high temperature and high-pressure applications, for example, a steam line or other non-corrosive applications.

Sanitary thermowells are generally fitted with a Tri-clamp or other clean-in-place connection. These thermowells also have a smooth surface which allows for easy cleaning and prevents contamination of the process: typical installations include dairy, food processing, and pharmaceutical industries.

Piping Specialties / PSI Controls

https://psi-team.com

800-223-1468

Water Cut Meters from Drexelbrook

The water cut is the proportion of water collected in a well to the total liquids produced. As crude oil and hydrocarbons travel through a pipeline, a water cut meter monitors the amount of water (cut). BS&W is the amount of non-hydrocarbon contaminants, dirt (sediment), and water included in a crude oil shipment. The lower the BS&W, the better.  Water content determination and BSW have been a persistent and long-standing issue for the oil and gas industry.

Water cut meters measure the water cut (or BS&W) of oil flowing from a well,  a separator, crude oil transfer in pipelines, and tanker loading. 

Drexelbrook has been the global leader in capacitive-based water cut measuring. Drexelbrook has the industry's highest pressure and temperature ratings, and their capacitive probes can withstand pressures of up to 1500 psi and temperatures of up to 450°F. 

The Universal IV CM Series from Drexelbrook is a high-quality water cut meter with a range of 0-50 percent in light oil and 0-80 percent in heavy oil. 

The Universal IV CM Series builds upon Drexelbrook's expertise in RF Admittance, which enables the electronics to disregard paraffin and other coatings that accumulate on the probe. 

The Universal IV CM has a one-of-a-kind Cote Shield built into the Universal IV CM series and allows the instrument to disregard a pre-determined length of the sensing element. It contains a Perm-A-Seal sensing device that eliminates the need for epoxy coatings, which wear out and need costly maintenance. 

Field setup is available anywhere along the two-wire loop when using this water cut meter with Drexelbrook's HRTWin or the STExplorer PC program. 

Choose the Universal IV CM sensing element depending on pipe size, wetted portions, NACE requirements, and pressure/temperature requirements. Drexelbrook has a broad assortment of probes to suit almost any purpose. 

All water cut meters have a built-in LCD and keypad, are pre-calibrated at the manufacturer, and need just one point confirmation. 

The Universal IV CM water cut meter is intrinsically safe and approved for Class I, Division 1, and Zone 0 hazardous areas.

For more infomration in New England, contact Piping Specialties / PSI Controls. Call 800-223-1468 or visit https://psi-team.com.

Piping Specialties is Your Preferred Ball Valve Automation Specialist in New England

Piping Specialties / PSI Controls offer automated ball valve assemblies ranging from 1/2" to 48" that provide first-class quality, outstanding performance, and durability. The Piping Specialties valve automation shop inspects and tests every valve assembly before shipping from our facility. 

The valve automation department at Piping Specialties builds ball valve assemblies that save you substantial time on the job site. Automation specialists are highly trained, and all valve assemblies (both pneumatic and electric) receive functional testing before being shipped out to customers. Valve assembly inspection and validation occur before shipment using serialized and labeled quality assurance documentation. Assembly drawings, actuator sizing verification, and datasheets are available on request. 

Contact Piping Specialties / PSI Controls with your next automated ball valve requirement.

Piping Specialties / PSI Controls
https://psi-team.com
800-223-1468

Extremely Durable 4.5 Inch Process Gauges

The Series PT45P process gauge from REOTEMP endures corrosive atmospheres and media and pulsation and vibration; it is an extremely tough gauge designed for use in the process industries. The solid front and blowout back provide an extremely high level of user safety. Note: Install a diaphragm seal for applications that are highly corrosive, high-temperature, or subjected to rigorous usage.

Series PT45P Features

• Safety Pattern Design
• Solid Front/Blowout Back Safety Case
• All Stainless Steel Internal Parts
• Internal Overload and Underload Stops
• Field Fillable Case
• Micro-Adjustable Pointer with Floating Zero
• ASME B40.100 Design
• NACE MR-0175 and MR-0103 Compliant

Piping Specialties / PSI Controls
https://psi-team.com
800-223-1468

HABONIM 50 Series Top Entry Cryogenic Ball Valves

Due to its unique one-piece body structure, the HABONIM Series 50 Top Entry Valve is the ultimate answer for pipeline integrity on the one hand and inline serviceability on the other. 

The 50 Series of HABONIM bidirectional top entry cryogenic ball valves are a modern adaption of a trunnion ball valve with top entry construction and patent-pending new design elements. 

The main challenge for an assembly or maintenance team with a standard top entry valve is usually the complexity of assembly and disassembly of the valve inner parts, the time-consuming operation, and the requirement for special equipment and jigs. 

All of these problems are addressed and solved by HABONIM's Series 50 top entry valve design. 

Upon removing the valve bonnet screws, the crew has immediate access to the valve's interior parts, allowing for thorough maintenance and replacement of all inner components and sealing. This one-of-a-kind design provides for complete valve renovation inline without the need to remove any insulation pieces.

One Double Piston Effect (DPE) dynamic seat is used in the patent-pending design, allowing bidirectional sealing under the full differential and a relatively simple design with few parts and no closed cavities. These qualities provide all of the advantages of a ball valve's high flow (Cv) with no restriction on flow direction or sealing, as well as a safer cryogenic construction. 

When installed, a patent-pending supplementary optional body extender raises the valve's bonnet above piping insulation, allowing the valve to be maintained without removing the insulation or without special valve insulation boxes. 

The valve's revolutionary design allows for quick inline serviceability with minimal effort and inexpensive equipment for valve dismantling, replacement, and reassembly. 

For more information in New England, contact Piping Specialties. Call 800-223-1468 or visit https://psi-team.com.

Food Industry Batch Level Control

Many food processing facilities employ batch processes in their production facilities where the operator starts with an empty vessel and create the final product by adding multiple ingredients.

The batch process requires the operator to know the amount of each ingredient added to the blending vessel. Point-level controls speed the process by establishing setpoints at each ingredient fill point,  often accomplished with several level sensors, each detecting one ingredient.

Batch food processing applications are challenging. The sensor must include sanitary fittings and CIP (Cleaned In Place) design. In many cases, the ingredients and final products are dense and sticky, wreaking havoc on some technologies such as mechanical switches and tuning forks. Products in the blending vessel may be thick and could cause damage to fragile sensors. Finally, many batch processes are agitated, causing false tripping due to splashing material. 

As you can tell, proper level sensing technology is critical. Choosing the wrong technology will cause ruined batches, costly downtime, and the possibility of overfilling.

The Drexelbrook Multipoint II offers the best solution for batch process control applications in the food industry.

Drexelbrook, a leading manufacturer of level controls, recommends its RF Admittance Multipoint II. It provides a total solution for the batch processing of food. The RF Admittance Multipoint II is a single sensing element and a single mounting point from the top of the vessel using a sanitary Tri-Clamp fitting and has no moving parts to wear out or get hung up. The Multipoint II sensor is a 3A sanitary designed steel rod with Kynar or TFE insulation developed for CIP procedures. RF Admittance Cote-Shield driven shield circuitry ignores heavy coatings on the sensing element, preventing false alarms. The Multipoint II consists of three independent DPDT relays, and control points are set anywhere along the vertical sensing element.

Drexelbrook Multipoint II Advantages:

• 3A designed sanitary sensing elements
• No moving parts
• 3 control points on one vertical sensing element
• Cote-Shield circuitry eliminates false alarms due to coatings
• Designed to endure Clean In Place (CIP) demands

For more infomration in New England, contact Piping Specialties / PSI Controls. Call 800-223-1468 or visit https://psi-team.com.