Your Valve Automation Experts

Automatic Controls of Virginia (ACVA) is a provider of valve automation that offers a complete range of services and has facilities that can automate practically any size quarter-turn or linear actuated valve. ACVA can meet even the most complex automated valve requirements, whether you need small ball valves with pneumatic actuators or massive valves, such as those used on municipal pipelines. 

ACVA has a significant competitive advantage over other valve companies in the design, fabrication, assembly, and installation of any valve actuation or automation project. This competitive advantage combines the industry's best pneumatic, electric, and hydraulic valve actuators with its on-premise machine shop and fabrication division. This advantage, along with Automatic Controls' fifty years of expertise, makes them the superior choice as your partner in valve automation.

The technicians at ACVA who work on valve automation are highly knowledgeable in pneumatic rack and pinion and scotch-yoke systems, electric quarter-turn and linear systems, and valve communications. ACVA can handle even the most challenging actuation need, including bus communications, limit switches, fail-safe devices, and solenoid valves.

Automatic Controls of Virginia

https://acva.com

(804) 752-1000

Basics of Electric Valve Actuators

This video provides the basic operation of electric valve actuators, including supply voltage, control signal, how torque & speed are created, power, gear ratio, and size and weight.

Attribution to Emerson and their electric actuator brands EIM and Bettis.

Automatic Controls of Virginia

https://acva.com

(804) 752-1000

Valves for Municipal Water Distribution, Storage, and Wastewater Treatment

Most of the operations in the water and wastewater industries, from treatment to storage, to distribution, rely heavily on pipeline infrastructure. Pipeline infrastructure and dependable control systems are critical to the sector's success. Any systemic flaws or weaknesses could lead to significant losses, dangerous spills, and environmental disasters. 

The safe operation of municipal water systems relies heavily on industrial valves. Among other things, they are in charge of flow management and ensuring the integrity of supply lines. The following is a listing to understand better the performance and applications of the different industrial valves applied in municipal water systems. 

In systems that require precise flow control, globe valves often regulate and control liquid flow. They're also suitable for cutoff, but they're usually more expensive than gate valves. 

The most commonly encountered type of valve is the gate valve. Gate valves are employed to start and stop the flow of liquid. These valves are either completely open or completely closed in reality. These are fantastic shut-off valves. Gate valves come in various forms to suit a wide range of applications. 

Butterfly Valves regulate and stop the flow of water. These valves are small and light, taking up less room than valves that perform equivalent duties. 

A quarter-turn valve used in shutdown applications is a ball valve. The valve uses an embedded ball that spins within the valve body to control fluid flow. Because ball valves are lighter and more compact than gate valves, they are preferred for on-off applications.

In a pipeline system, check valves are responsible for preventing backflow. A check valve opens when fluid travels through a line; however, when the flow reverses, the valve closes. 

High-pressure events or vacuums can harm a pipeline system; thus, the installation of relief valves protect it. The pipeline pressure is not fully released because the valves only release the pressure to a predefined point. Relief valves come in various shapes and sizes to suit a variety of purposes. 

Pinch valves are linear motion valves utilized in piping systems that handle solids, slurries, and thick fluids for throttling and shutdown. A pinch valve uses a pinch tube to control the flow. 

Automatic Controls of Virginia, based in Ashland, Virginia, is a significant distributor of municipal water system valves. 

Automatic Controls assists customers with application, design, product start-up help, product service training, and support and works with some of the most well-known and forward-thinking valve manufacturers on the market today.

Automatic Controls of Virginia
https://acva.com
(804) 752-1000 

XOMOX® Cavity-free, Sleeved Plug Valves

XOMOX® sleeved plug valves are are non-lubricated quarter-turn valves that achieve sealing through the use of a compressible sleeve as a sealing member. They provide maintenance-free and cavity-less design benefits, namely no costly lubrication required and no accumulation or contamination of process media. Sleeved plug valves are used for on/off and throttling service in demanding process applications with media temperatures ranging from -20°F to 600°F.

For more information about XOMOX plug valves, contact Automatic Controls of Virginia. Call them at 804-752-1000 or visit their website at https://acva.com.

Basics of Industrial Valves and Actuators

This video provides a basic understanding of industrial valves types, and also an understanding of valve actuator types.

Industrial valves are designed in three major categories. They are:

• Rotary multi-turn valves. These include gate, globe knife and multi port valves. 
• Rotary quarter turn valves these include butterfly ball plug and choke valves.
• Linear valves. These include gate, angle globe, and globe valves. 

There are many varieties and subcategories for these basic three design configurations.

Two major functions of industrial valves are isolation and control. Isolation valves are used in applications where the primary concern is the opening or closing of the valve when needed. Isolation valves provide tight shut off and sometimes provide simple control. They are operated via hand wheels or levers, electric actuators, pneumatic actuators, or hydraulic actuators.

Control valves are used to modulate flow to maintain a certain set point in the process control loop. Traditionally, control valves use pneumatic diaphragm positioners, but newer technology enables control with pneumatic and electric actuators.

There are three types of valve actuators:

• Electric
• Pneumatic
• Hydraulic 

Electric actuators use electricity is their power source, have a relatively slow strokes speed, are moderately priced, and typically include the valve operating system. Electrical and mechanical technical skills are required to install and maintain electric actuators.

Pneumatic actuators use air or gas as their power source, have relatively fast stroke speeds, are relatively inexpensive, and require external devices for their valve operating system. In most cases, only mechanical technical skills are required to install and maintain pneumatic actuators.

Hydraulic actuators use hydraulic fluids as their power source, have fast stroke speeds, are more expensive, and require external devices for their valve operating system. Electrical and mechanical technical skills are required to install and maintain hydraulic actuators.

For more information about industrial or municipal valves, actuators or control systems, contact Automatic Controls of Virginia. They can be reached by calling 804-752-1000 or visit their website of https://acva.com.

Automating Large Municipal and Industrial Valves

When you need to automate large ball, butterfly, gate, or globe valves consider Automatic Controls of Virginia.

ACVA has decades of experience, the know-how, the staff, and the facilities to handle the most challenging valve actuation applications.

With scores of successful installations at municipal water facilities, chemical companies, pulp & paper mills and government R&D facilities, ACVA has established a solid reputation for outstanding quality and service.

For more information, contact Automatic Controls of Virginia at https://acva.com or call 804-752-1000.