Press Release
Press contact:
Diana Völkel
EBRO ARMATUREN Gebr. Bröer GmbH
T: +49 2331 904-202
E: d.voelkel@ebro-armaturen.com
A highly demanding task for the installed valves
These often-problematic additives also lead to special tasks for the valves used (Figure 1).
No matter how high-quality, a “normal” valve for potable water is not going to suffice here. Custom solutions are needed instead, with, e.g., valve disc and liner materials adjusted to the application at hand.
In particular contaminated water poses some special challenges for the valve quality and durability in order to ensure the necessary process safety. Economically efficient operation also enjoys the highest priority. EBRO relies on actuators that match the application precisely – as small as possible, but with high-enough performance for a safe process. It reduces energy demand and renders automation efficient and sustainable.
Both of these tasks can only be sensibly completed if all valve components are optimally adjusted to each other in every detail, up to and including the actuator. This must be done by specialists with high expertise and decades of experience in the very diverse usage scenarios.
That is exactly where EBRO comes in, providing competent contacts who will assemble the ideal combination of valve, actuator, and automation technology from a single source, and an ability to test many tasks in an in-house technical center.
Valves for any use
The resilient-seated butterfly valve Z011-A by EBRO stands out with its universal capability. Its special design means that only the valve disc and the liner touch the medium. Most types of the butterfly valve have a split shaft to reduce resistance and thus increase energy efficiency together with the valve disc design. Maintenance is simple as well – both for the disc and for the liner.
The Z011-A covers a large number of applications with its wide selection of possible material combinations. This applies both to the valve disc, which may be made of stainless steel or coated with many different materials, and to the liner, which is available, among other materials, in NBR, EPDM, CSM, or FKM. Finally, a large number of outer coatings is available. After all, the valves will be exposed to weather influences, such as sun, rain, and snow, or to production vapors, also referred to as “aggressive air”, in use. High-quality corrosion protection thus is a decisive factor. EBRO permits a high-quality industry coating according to the CS3 Coating System, also customized to the situation at hand, as one example.
Another important product is the double-offset WS112 butterfly valve with its “Seal-on-Disc” design for long-term performance and low torque when opening and closing.
EBRO develops and produces its pneumatic and electrical actuator models in-house. This ensures that the installed actuators are optimally aligned with the characteristic curves of the valve, oversizing is securely avoided, and high energy efficiency is ensured. Of course, they can also be combined with actuators from other manufacturers that are delivered fully adjusted with the valve.
Safety and durability for a wide range of applications
Transfer to practice is reflected in some examples to illustrate the many different requirements.
Coal mining in North Rhine-Westphalia ended in late 2018. That does not mean that the work there is over, however. Securing and monitoring tasks are going to continue for decades to come. Mine water management is an important part of this. Water will enter the pit, thereby endangering the potable water if the two mix. There is a risk of hydrostatic damage at the same time. The only solution for this is pumping off groundwater – for an indeterminate period of time.
Mine water is strongly polluted, e.g., with sulphates and iron. Therefore, EBRO uses valve discs of duplex steels for the plants in NRW, i.e., highly resilient, corrosion-resistant stainless steels. The experts from EBRO are able to securely assess the precise material to be used based on their experience and the available analysis. There are only a few suppliers offering materials such as V4A or CrNiMo steel, which are used for the lignite open-cast mining sites in Lusatia (Figure 2/3).
Bodies of water must be protected in the case of tunnels – for roads or railway tracks – underneath rivers as well. Water will enter them from both sides and must be securely extracted. It is now polluted, however, and must be purified in filter facilities before it can be returned to the river (Figure 4/5). Similar tasks also need to be mastered in building projects with pits that reach groundwater level, when installing underground power lines, or when renovating refineries or old chemical plants.
Economic process design
In all cases, the polluted water will be routed into large filters. Automated backflushing and bubbling are performed periodically to help remove solids from the filter. This requires a valve that opens and closes securely. This is usually done with an electric actuator developed and produced in-house at EBRO to provide a precisely fitting combination with the butterfly valve – always aligned with the materials used for the disc and liner, and the resulting torques.
This is even more important if the butterfly valve is used for control tasks. The corresponding disc position reduces the cross-section and thus the flow rate, much more economically than a plunger valve could.
Water management technology is important for the food & beverage industry as well, e.g., in the sugar factory or when cleaning and processing vegetables. The EBRO Z011-A is designed to ensure contact exclusively between the process water and the liner. The outer coating of the valve further optimizes corrosion protection, in particular in moist and warm production environments.
The last important item in water management technology is sewage. In this area, butterfly valves are often found in the fourth cleaning stage in sewage treatment plants, where some final sediments and very fine solids remain in the water. The first stages are ruled by Stafsjö gate valves, also available in the EBRO range with integrated flange seals.
Control gate valves by EBRO are particularly suitable for phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge. They permit fine control with their V-panels, proving that experts are needed for each of the highly individual tasks in water management.
Quote from EBRO ARMATUREN:
“It takes extensive experience to perfectly design valves and actuators for each specific application. The expert team at EBRO has exactly that.”
Figure 1: The butterfly valve Z011-A, the double-offset butterfly valve WS112, and the WB knife gate valve are only three example products from the large EBRO water technology range.
Figure 2/3: No matter if laying pipelines and power lines or cleaning sewage in treatment plants – each application needs special materials for the valves used.
Figure 4/5: Filtration plants that perform periodic backflushing and bubbling are another area where EBRO butterfly valves are used.