Air and Foot Valves: Ensuring Safe and Efficient Operations in Water and Wastewater Treatment Facilities

Air and Foot Valves are essential in the water and wastewater treatment industry to ensure efficient and reliable flow control in various processes. Both valves serve different purposes and find use in separate parts of the system.

Air Valves:

Air valves play a crucial role in efficiently operating water and wastewater pipelines by managing the air content within the system. They release or admit air from a pipeline under various operating conditions to prevent problems such as airlocks, vacuum formation, and water hammer.

There are three main types of air valves:

a. Air Release Valves: These valves release small pockets of accumulated air from the pipeline when the system operates under pressure, helping maintain the pipeline's efficiency and prevent damage due to air-related issues.

b. Air Vacuum Valves: These valves admit large volumes of air into the pipeline when drained or during a sudden reduction in pressure (e.g., pump shutdown), preventing the formation of a vacuum inside the pipeline, which could cause it to collapse.

c. Combination Air Valves: These valves combine the functions of both air release and air vacuum valves, providing a comprehensive air management solution for the pipeline.

Air valves are common in pipelines for water transmission, distribution, and sewage systems in the water and wastewater treatment industry. They are typically installed at high points along the pipeline or at regular intervals to ensure proper air management.

Foot Valves:

Foot valves are a type of check valve installed at the bottom of a suction pipe or pump intake, primarily in water and wastewater pumping systems. Their primary function is to prevent the backflow of fluid when the pump is not in operation and ensures that the pump remains primed, reducing the need for manual priming and avoiding damage to the pump components.

Foot valves consist of a valve body, a disc or a ball, and a strainer. The disc or ball acts as the sealing element, opening when the pump runs and allowing fluid to flow into the suction pipe. When the pump turns off, the sealing element closes, preventing the fluid from flowing back into the source.

In the water and wastewater treatment industry, foot valves are standard in applications such as raw water intake, pumping stations, and lift stations. They help maintain the efficiency and reliability of the pumping systems, reduce energy consumption, and minimize the risk of pump damage.

Air and foot valves are critical for water and wastewater treatment. Air valves ensure efficient air management in pipelines, while foot valves help maintain the priming of pumps and prevent backflow. Both valves contribute to water and wastewater systems' overall performance, reliability, and safety.

For more information, contact:

Automatic Controls of Virginia

https://acva.com

(804) 752-1000

Why You Should Choose Double Offset Butterfly Valves Over Single Offset

Isolation valves are a critical part of any piping system, but they're not given much thought until it's time to operate them.

They can remain open for weeks or even years, but they must provide a reliable seal when you close them.

Single offset butterfly valves seal with 360 degrees of contact between the resilient seat and the seating surface. However, when open, the seat and mating surface remain in contact at two points. Over time this continuous contact can cause the seat to become compressed and distorted, resulting in two potential points of leakage when the valve is closed, wasting water and compromising your piping system.

Thankfully, Val-Matic has the double offset butterfly valve, a version of our time-tested American butterfly valve that provides reliable isolation service without needing maintenance.

Here's how it works.

In addition to the offset from the body, the center line of the valve shaft has a slight second offset from the pipe center line. This allows the resilient rubber seat to completely lift off the metal mating surface when the valve is fully opened, eliminating rubber seat compression and two potential leakage points.

Add a precision nickel welded seat, and you have the peace of mind of a valve that seals reliably every time.

Contact Automatic Controls of Virginia for more information about the Val-Matic double offset butterfly valve. Call 804-752-1000 or visit https://www.acva.com.

Pneumatic and Electric Valve Actuators, Limit Switches, and Controls

The ability to combine the industry's top electric, pneumatic and hydraulic valve actuators with its in-house machine shop and fabrication division, Automatic Controls of Virginia has a massive advantage over other valve companies regarding design, fabrication, assembly, and installation of any valve actuation/automation project. 

This advantage, along with five decades of challenging application experience, makes Automatic Controls a clear choice to be your valve automation partner.

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

Automated Monitoring, Performance Diagnosis, and Configuration of Industrial Valves

As corporations worldwide are increasingly concentrating on their bottom-line margins, there is an increased drive towards efficiency and productivity in industrial operations. Operators are also looking to respond to industry concerns about aging assets. All manufacturing activities are continually motivated to improve performance and productivity to boost profit margins and optimize bottom-line returns. This drive takes place in many industry sectors against a backdrop of increased health, safety, and environmental issues and the need to make changes to old assets that can sometimes run beyond their original design lifespan.

Reducing the number of unscheduled plant shutdowns is an essential way of fulfilling these targets. Unplanned shutdowns are mostly related to worn-out machinery and are attributable to exceeding process equipment's longevity in many instances. Operators may avoid expensive shutdowns and increase production uptime with a regular maintenance schedule and a condition monitoring solution that minimizes maintenance spending and improves plant safety. Asset tracking, asset management, and predictive maintenance solutions are, therefore, becoming increasingly common.

Valve Condition Monitoring's goal is to detect and prevent possible failures before causing unsafe conditions and unplanned downtimes.

Since valves are a critical component of any flow-based operation, valve efficiency is an essential factor to check when trying to avoid unplanned maintenance, or worse, shutdowns of plants and the resulting loss of batch output.

Although some operators already deploy condition monitoring on control valves and critical valves, many valves are often left unmonitored, particularly those used for on / off and shutdown applications. Although the technology for controlling these valves is available, operators are discouraged from such an investment because of the prohibitive hardware and installation cost. 

Although some valve manufacturers have touted various valve testing and monitoring systems, many proposed solutions can pose operational, financial, and technical implementation problems. This is because they are usually considerably more expensive than conventional methods or require new electrical systems and hardware to accommodate and enhance the monitoring software. Suppose automation is fundamental, such as that needed with on/off valves. In that case, the transformation is relatively low in value. This way, the time and resources involved in implementing a useful monitoring solution can be challenging to justify. However, the consequence is that vast numbers of on/off valves are not supervised and pose a significant risk of valve failure.

By implementing this technology cost-effectively on all automatic valves, a plant will provide production efficiency and avoid unspecified delays and unsafe conditions. Valve Condition Monitoring is useful to all operating phases of the plant and thus provides the ability to increase all current and future installations' performance and safety.

If you are considering updating your plant's valve monitoring strategy, contact a local expert who can guide you through all the ups and downs. The information they provide is truly invaluable. 

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

Extremely Rugged, Hazardous Area Pressure Switch - The 6900GE from Custom Control Sensors (CCS DualSnap)

The Custom Control Sensors hazardous location 6900GE Series is the most popular, all-around, all-aluminum gage pressure switch. The series is UL/CSA explosion proof, Class I, Groups A, B, C and D, and Class II Groups E, F and G certified. NEMA 4X and IP66 rating is optimum for wet conditions.

It is designed with high vibration and shock resistance utilizing Dual Snap® disc spring technology ensuring high accuracy and repeatability. It comes with high over-pressure capabilities and still relatively compact in size to conveniently mount on panels. It meets the demand for all applications commercial, industrial and otherwise. 

6900GE Industrial Applications Include:

• Oil & Gas
• Power Generation
• Fluid Management
• Chemical Refining and Processing
• Manufacturing Process
• Utilities, Water Treatment and Waste
• Safety Systems

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

SmartStep™ Precision Electric Actuators

SmartStep™, by USI, are AC or DC powered precision electric actuators rated for Class 1, Division II, Group A, B, C, and D hazardous areas. They are used for applications requiring 100% modulation and/or open/close operation.

SmartStep™ actuators incorporate non-contact position sensing increases reliability, eliminating wear failure from mechanical switches or contacts.

SmartStep™ is available in four torque outputs, 500, 1200, 2500, or 5000 in-lbs torque. All models include a bright four-line LCD display shows an extensive list of valve states and service advisories, including: valve position, cycle count, back-up power charge statues, current/max temperature values, system faults, and many others.

Get the SmartStep™Brochure Here

SmartStep™ Actuator Features:

• Robust design engineered for 100% Modulation and Open/Close operation
• UL/CUL and CE approved with Class 1, Division II, Group A, B, C, and D Hazardous Location Rating.
• Electronic Power Backup option powers actuator enabling it to return to pre-programmed safe position in the event of loss of control signal or power.
• Life Expectancy of Power Backup option is greater than 10 years due to super capacitor technology.
• ISO 5211 direct mounting for F07 and F10 compatible valves.

SmartStep™ Actuator Certifications:

• CE Certified
• UL/CUL Certified
• UL Class 1, Div 2, Groups A, B, C, D Hazardous Location Rated

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

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.

White Paper: Theory, Application, and Sizing of Air Valves in Water and Wastewater System Pipelines

One of the most misunderstood aspects of the water and wastewater industry is the presence of air in a pipeline and its impact on operations. Many operational problems, especially at the time of initial start-up, including damaged equipment, as well as faulty instrumentation readings, are blamed on inadequate thrust blocking, improper pipeline bedding, etc. But in reality, many of these problems are not caused by improper installation of the line, but by failure to de-aerate the line. Properly de-aerating the pipeline with the use of automatic air valves will safeguard it from air-related problems.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Introduction
• Three Basic Types of Air Valves
• Air Release Valves
• Air/Vacuum Valves
• Combination Air Valves
• Air Valve Locations Along a Pipeline
• Air/Vacuum Valve Sizing
• Air Release Valve Sizing
• Summary
• References

DOWNLOAD THE SIZING AIR VALVES WHITE PAPER FROM THIS ACVA WEB PAGE

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

Flowrox Valve Solutions for Demanding Shut-off and Control Applications

Heavy Duty Pinch Valves

Flowrox heavy duty pinch valves are “The pinch valves”. They are made to last and are ideal where shut-off and control applications involve abrasive or corrosive slurries, powders or coarse substances.

General Line Pinch Valves

Flowrox general line pinch valves are robust and cost- effective valves with simple, single-sided closing mechanism. PVG valves have a strong valve body and opening tags in the sleeve as standard. PVEG valves have a corrosion resistant and light-weight plastic body. They are ideal for low cycle applications involving abrasion, corrosion and aggressive slurries. Through the reliability and structure, they offer substantial savings based on improved performance, long service lifetime and low total cost of ownership.

Slurry Knife Gate Valves

Flowrox Heavy Duty Slurry Knife Gate Valves isolate flow, even in the most demanding process conditions. The complete valve is built around an ease-of-maintenance concept. The designs of Flowrox Slurry Knife Gate Valves are based on the years of experience Flowrox has gained, providing reliable solutions for abrasive and corrosive process applications.

DOWNLOAD THE FLOWROX VALVE SOLUTIONS CATALOG HERE

For more information, contact Automatic Controls of Virginia. Call them at (804) 752-1000 or visit https://acva.com.