Nice Valves

With 260 billion barrels of oil, Saudi Arabia has more than double the proven reserves of Iran, its nearest competitor within OPEC.

In an interview in Dhahran, in the Kingdom’s Eastern Provence, the veteran energy minister Ali Al Naimi said the country is ready step back in as the swing oil producer if sanctions undermine Iran’s exports of 2.2 million barrels a day.

“We have the capacity to produce 12.5 (million barrels a day) and we are idling now between 9.4 and 9.8. So we have substantial spare capacity,” he said.

Naimi also suggested it could happen much faster than the market was anticipating. “I believe we can easily get up to 11.4, 11.8 almost immediately, in a few days. Because all we need is to turn valves. Now to get to the next 700 (thousand) or so, we probably need about 90 days.”

The CNN interview took place after Saudi Arabia signed a third joint venture, with Sinopec of China, to supply 400 thousand barrels a day from Saudi’s west coast port of Yanbu by 2014.

That refinery on the Red Sea will avoid tanker passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has threatened to close if Europe and the United States intensify sanctions.

Naimi said that half of the nearly ten million barrels a day pass through the Strait but it has options to divert more crude via pipelines to Red Sea facilities. He was however sceptical that Iran could close the vital sea lane for a sustained period of time.

“I personally do not believe that the Strait, if it were shut, will be shut for any length of time. The world cannot stand for that.”

This view was shared by the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon during a CNN interview in Abu Dhabi Monday. He said the important transport artery needs to be protected and that Iran must abide by the international laws of the sea.

Saudi officials, speaking on background, said it was a country’s sovereign right to protect the interest of its customers and to stabilise the market. The comments preceded Iran’s warning that if other producers from the Gulf came in to replace crude on the market “these countries would be the main culprits of whatever happens in the region,” said Iranian OPEC Governor Mohammad Ali Khatibi.

Saudi Arabia and others within OPEC express concerns that a spike in prices could undermine demand, which is the scenario that played out in the second half of 2008. Oil peaked at $147 in July 2008 only to cascade down to the mid-$30 level by December of that year.

Naimi believes that with added production from the Kingdom and others in the region such as Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, keeping prices near where they are today can be defended.“Our wish and hope is we can stabilize this oil price and keep it at a level around $100.”

That is a departure from its target two years ago of $75-$80 a barrel, but one that he says producers and consumers can live with in today’s climate.

Suited for any type of industrial application, Series BYS Brass Y-Strainer comes in sizes from ¼-2 in. and features brass body that promotes reliability and service life. Stainless steel strainer protects equipment from damage from rust and dirt without negatively affecting flow rates, and operational temperature ranges from -10 to 250°F. Also featuring female NPT end connections, valve is suited for service involving gases, steam, and liquids compatible with wetted materials.

W.E. Anderson Division of Dwyer Instruments, Inc., the preferred source for your complete range of practical and affordable instrumentation, is announcing the release of its NEW SERIES BYS BRASS Y-STRAINER.

The Series BYS Brass Y-Strainer is a cost effective Y design valve suited for any type of industrial application. Versatile Y configuration allows for a variety of uses, with available sizes from ¼” to 2″. Body is made from a high quality brass to ensure reliability and long service life. Stainless steel strainer prevents damage to expensive equipment from rust and dirt, without sacrificing high flow rates.

Lindal Group has just completed an expansion of its Columbus aerosol valve production operation, the company announced Jan. 4.

Lindal invested $1 million in the project, including new production lines, but further machinery details were not disclosed. Lindal develops and produces valves, actuators and spray caps for aerosol products in countries around the world.

The Columbus expansion shortens the distance Lindal faces to ship to customers in the Midwest, the eastern U.S. and Canada, which have been supplied out of the company’s Phoenix, Ariz., facility, stated Martin Kleinman, a spokesman for the firm, in an e-mail. Columbus is now Lindal’s only U.S. production operation. Other plants in the Americas are in Lerma, Mexico; Cabreuva, Brazil, and Garin, Argentina.

“The proximity to key multinational accounts will shorten supply chains and provide enhanced returns for our trade partners,” said Robert Brands, president of the Americas for Lindal Group headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.

“Columbus is now our lead facility here in the Americas, operating 24/7,” stated Lindal plant manager Jerry Miller in a news release. The production plant opened in 2003 for aerosol valve assembly.

Columbus has added Lindal’s bag-on-valve technology, injection molding and valve production in the expansion. Columbus has boosted its staff by 25 in the past six months and more will join its workforce in the first quarter.

Bag-on-valve technology was relocated from Phoenix, where Lindal maintains warehousing, according to Kleinman. Bag-on-valve systems comprise an aerosol valve welded to a bag. Compressed air outside the bag in the can pushes contents through the valve when the valve is actuated. Lindal claims the system uses less material, less energy to create and it speeds production capacity. It allows two different mediums to be filled separate from each other which are mixed during valve actuation.

Lindal boasts subsidiaries and licensees in more than 15 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Its dispensing systems are popular in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and food applications.

Metso has received an important automation order for Stora Enso Narew Sp.zo.o new containerboard production line at Ostroleka in Poland. The production line will produce 455.000 tonnes of light-weighted testliner per year. The EUR 285 million investment project is scheduled to be completed in the first quarter of 2013.

Metso‘s delivery scope includes Metso DNA Automation System, Process Info Management System, latest Web Inspection technology integrated with high speed Web Break Analysis system, Control and On/off-valves as well as Consistency transmitters and Field Instruments. The main shipments will take place during the third quarter of 2012.

“We are very pleased about this extensive automation order and privileged to continue working with Stora Enso Narew professional team after the successful power plant project implementation,” says Ari Pinjamaa, Regional Vice President, Metso.

Two silicon microvalves have been built at the Institute of Electron Technology: a check valve, which does not require any control, and a through-flow valve, electronically controlled by means of a piezoelectric stack. The devices belong to a category of micromechanical systems known as MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems). The key elements of both of them are silicon membranes and specially shaped sockets made with micrometre accuracy.

In the check valve, pressure applied in the direction of the flow causes the silicon membrane to deform, allowing liquid or gas to flow freely. Pressure applied in the opposite direction presses the membrane against an inlet opening, blocking it. The sensitivity of the valve and the pressure range depend on the thickness of silicon brackets holding the membrane in place over the opening. “The main advantage of the valve is its extremely simple construction,” argues Kowalski.

In the electronically controlled valve, the silicon membrane is propped against a piezoelectric stack. Depending on the applied voltage, the stack expands or contracts, deforming the membrane and shutting off or allowing the flow of liquid. If the stack is powered by a voltage of 24 V, the valve will operate at pressures up to 50 atmospheres. In case of a voltage of 150 V, the pressures can reach up to 200 atmospheres. The pressure range can also be expanded without increasing the voltage, by increasing the size of the piezoelectric stack.

The silicon elements of both valves are the result of consecutive processes of plasma etching, photolithography and deposition of silicon and aluminium oxides. The advanced production technologies of the working elements of the valves, typical for production processes of electronic systems, are by no means cheap. Nevertheless, up to several dozen working elements can be produced out of a single silicon plate in a single production cycle, which significantly reduces the unit price. The finished silicon elements of the valves are then mounted in metal casings.

Works on the silicon microfluid valves have been financed from the statutory funds of the Institute of Electron Technology.

Suitable for use up to 120°C (and down to -10°C), the 2652 and 2655 ball valves are equipped with stainless steel PTFE seals for use with gaseous and liquid media.

They are supplied with quarter-turn pneumatic rotary actuators, which have optical position indicators, mechanical feedback and pilot-valve connections for NAMUR pilot valves, or Burkert side-control positioners.

For more precise valve operation, Burkert offers its low-cost type 8791 Basic positioner, for which further information is listed below.

Key information

Protection class IP65/67

Stainless steel construction

Supplied in port sizes from ¼ to 4in

Available threaded, flanged, weld or clamp ended

Can be mounted in various orientations to linear and rotary actuators, according to IEC534-6 and VDI/VDE 3845 (Namur), as well as to Burkert process valves

Offered at a price comparable to analogue devices

Designed to be simple to start up and operate

No internal air consumption

System resolution across its 0/4–20mA operating range is ≤1 per cent

The line now includes the Type 57LIS, which enables direct replacement of metallic butterfly valves and conforms to ISO-5752 short face-to-face dimensions.

The Type 57LIS butterfly valve from Asahi/America is an industrial quality thermoplastic valve. It directly replaces metallic butterfly valves, without any modification to the existing piping system, in applications where metal valves constantly corrode. The face-to-face dimensions of the Type 57LIS (the distance between the two existing flanges), are the same as those of the metal valves that the Type 57LIS replaces.

 The Type 57LIS is available in 3 to 8 in as a lever-style or with Asahi’s Plasgear gear-operator. Standard models are supplied as wafer-style for installation between two flanges or factory equipped with 316 stainless steel lugs for end-of-line applications. The Type 57LIS features an ISO 5211 top flange mounting pattern and molded padlock provision for lever handle models. The Type 57LIS can easily be electrically or pneumatically actuated using Asahi/America actuators.

 The design features of the Type 57LIS are identical to those of Asahi/America’s Type 57 and Type 57L butterfly valves. Molded body stops on the valve body make it impossible to over-tighten the mating flanges upon installation. A molded flow-direction arrow on the valve body indicates fluid flow through the valve. A full seat design liner meeting class six bubble-tight shut-off requirements completely encapsulates and isolates the valve body and 316 SS stem from the process media. The valve’s spherically designed disc improves flow characteristics and increases CV values while extending the cycle life of the valve.

Blackmer has introduced a 3 in configuration of the piston air valve used on its TX/TXD Series of sliding vane pumps.

The piston air valve has become the standard air-valve option on Blackmer’s 3 in TX/TXD pumps, in place of the diaphragm air valve.

 Blackmer claims that piston air valves provide a much longer service life and less leakage from the pump when compared to diaphragm style air valves.

The 3 in piston air valve design incorporates the same features as the 2.5 in version, including a sliding piston, FKM elastomers that are compatible with ethanol, biodiesel and other biofuel blends, quad-ring liquid seal, U-Cup O-ring air seal, retaining ring on adjusting rod and adjusting rod with shoulder.

The new piston air valve is completely interchangeable with previous diaphragm air valves and can be installed on any Blackmer TXD3E or TXD1230A model pumps.

Metso’s new Neles Finetrol design offers greater efficiency and improved environmental solutions. According to the company, the valves are also characterized by:

The reliability and durability of the design meets even the most stringent health and safety legislation while offering direct savings.

An ISO 15848-1 class BH fugitive emission type approval certificate in the most demanding endurance class CH-3 (100 000 mechanical cycles). 

A design that reduces health and safety risks, because leakage from gland packing can cause serious damage to personnel and to the immediate surroundings, particularly when noxious flow media are involved.

Direct savings can be achieved due to reduced control variability and lower flow media consumption.

Improved control performance will enhance end-product quality, decrease valve reversals and reduce energy consumption.

Better valve performance and gland-packing tightness mean less maintenance and longer valve life cycle, thereby reducing their associated costs.

High-performance packing tightness improves reliability and efficiency while preventing the loss of both raw material and end product.

The approval certificate covers the full 1- to 10-inch size range and ASME #150 and #300 pressure classes.

Quarter-turn valve design combined with live-loaded packing is accepted as the most efficient and environment-friendly solution for all control valve applications due to its low fugitive emissions.

The new injected foot valve screens replace the company’s fabricated foot valve screens. Unlike fabricated foot valve screens, moulded foot valve screens provide a repeatable screen filtering pattern for uniform flow characteristics.

The injected foot valve screens are suitable for use when a ball check valve is located in a tank on the suction side of a pump, the screens can filter out larger debris before it can become lodged inside the valve, pump or process line.

The foot valve screens are a one-piece structure that adapt to a ball check valve using a union nut. The screens can be field-installed by directly mounting it to new or existing Asahi ball check valves.

The moulded foot valve screens are available in PVC, CPVC, PP and PVDF and the screens are available from ½ in through to 4 in with flanged, socket or threaded end connections.