Case Studies
Volvo Powertrain Chooses Dome Valves from Clyde
Sweden-based Volvo Powertrain, one of the world's leading manufacturers of heavy duty diesel engines, has purchased Dome Valves from Clyde Materials Handling.
Volvo Powertrain supplies the entire Volvo Group with driveline components such as diesel engines and transmissions. The company originally purchased Dome Valves in 1998 and, after experiencing a reduction in downtime during their use of the Dome Valve, the company made an additional purchase this year (2004).
The original 150mm Dome Valve purchased in 1998 replaced butterfly valves in the foundry at Volvo Powertrain's plant. The valves are used in the process to produce cores - a ceramic mold which shapes the interior of the hollow casting used to make engine blocks.
The butterfly valves in the process deteriorated rapidly due to the abrasive nature of the sand which featured additives such as clay and resin. These additives made the sand exceptionally sticky thus adding to the rapid degree of deterioration and high maintenance.
The installation of the Dome Valve reduced production downtime at Volvo Powertrain because the Dome valve has few moving parts and allows an unrestricted flow of sand into the process.
"The Dome Valves have made a huge difference to Volvo Powertrain's performance," explains Kurt Olofsson of Christian Berner who supplied the Clyde Dome Valves to Volvo Powertrain. "They require less maintenance and are far more reliable than their predecessors.
"Unlike competitor's products Clyde's Dome Valves are simple units to use and install. Other solutions may be cheaper but they are more complicated and unreliable. Volvo Powertrain used to clean their valves every 8-16 hours to make them last longer. Now they only need to do this two or three times a year."
Explains Neil Gardiner, general manager for Clyde Materials Handling Support Services: "Once again this application illustrates the proven reliability and performance of Dome Valves when operating in extreme conditions ensuring that customers come back to us time and again.
"Our Dome Valve is the original and it still maintains its leading position in the market place."
To Russia with Clyde
A leading manufacturer of detergents has purchased and installed four of Clyde Materials Handling's Dome Valves, worth over £100,000, in their Russian production facility.
The valves operate as part of a lock hopper batch dosing system which feeds blended product directly into the process. To ensure smooth flow through the system, a low friction lining material was used to coat the inside of the valve and hopper section.
Another unique feature incorporated into each of the five units was an inspection porthole to allow quick and easy inspection of the product flow without affecting the process itself.
Explains Neil Gardiner, general manager for Clyde Materials Handling Support Services, "The material passing through the valves could not be considered as free flowing so we created a low friction lining to ensure smooth flow and eliminate any build up within the process."
"These Dome Valves are the latest in a long line of equipment that we have supplied to this global operation over the last 15 years. Our Dome Valve is the original and it still maintains its leading position in the market place."
Dome Valves Like It Hot! 850°C
The direct reduction of iron is a rapidly developing new technology that offers significant benefits to both producers & the environment. However, it provides many challenges to the suppliers of equipment in this market.
Clyde Materials Handling (CMH) has already established an excellent reputation in this market sector with its injection technology & Dome Valve so, when an application for a valve to handle material at temperatures in the region of 850°C was found necessary within the process, a supplier turned to CMH for the solution. Successful trials resulted in the supplier ordering nine high temperature Dome Valves.
Based on the original Dome Valve, CMH developed a new high temperature valve incorporating a ball with a unique cooling system. Two sizes were supplied 100mm or 150mm in diameter and they weighed in at 700kg.
Explains Neil Gardiner, a Director for CMH: We see the development of this valve as a major step forward for CMH & it has generated great interest in the iron & steel industry. Once again, our research & development ability have been instrumental in securing a very important contract.
Our Dome Valve is the original & it still maintains its leading position in the market place.
Bespoke Stainless Steel Dome Valve
A speciality chemical company approached Clyde Materials Handling when they required a bespoke valve to be used in the production of monomer a compound used in water treatment.
The valve would be used on the discharge of a reactor, at the heart of the production process; therefore reliability was the key for the client. The company decided that Clydes Dome Valves would be ideal for this application as it proved both efficient and reliable during trials.
As the product passing through the valve is involved in the water treatment process special materials had to be used in its manufacture.
Clyde Materials Handling manufactured two 600mm Dome Valves which, because of the nature of the application required two cylinders to effectively close the valve. The valves were manufactured from stainless steel with the internal surfaces coated in white high epoxy resin which ensures that there was no decolouration of the monomer product. The valves were installed in August 2003 and have performed faultlessly to date.
Neil Gardiner, general manager for Clyde Materials Handling Support Services, states: This was a very special project and we were able to demonstrate to the client our capability to design and build a bespoke valve for this application.
?Our Dome Valve is the original one and it still maintains its leading position in the market place.
It's a Blast with Clyde's Dome Valves
Dedication to high standards of quality and a reputation for delivering excellence has generated significant repeat orders for Clyde Materials Handling.
A client who purchased 12 Dome Valves, commissioned Clyde to manufacture and install two more Dome Valves to assist with the injection of coal into the blast furnace in their plant in Shangang, China.
The 300mm Dome Valves incorporate a 500mm outlet and will operate against a 12barg pressure. Each valve boasts a specifically designed high pressure seal inflation system.
The Dome Valves are required to fulfil an order from a Chinese company involved in the extraction of sulphur from petroleum coke. The Dome Valves will be used in the lock hopper system that feeds the petroleum coke into the kiln.
Throughout 2006, the Dome Valve Division of Clyde Materials Handling aims to venture into new overseas territories and is actively SEEKING LOCAL REPRESENTATIVES interested in promoting the sale of the Dome Valve. Further details can be obtained from the Business Development Manager, Mike Goble at mgoble@clydematerials.co.uk
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