Description
Electric Pinch Valve: Working Principle, Applications, and Maintenance Tips
An electric pinch valve is a crucial component in many industrial applications. Its primary function is to regulate the flow of various materials, such as cement, silo, sand, mineral materials, limestone, clay, marl, sand, and slurry. This article will provide an in-depth explanation of the working principles, materials used, benefits, potential drawbacks, and best practices for maintenance of an electric pinch valve. Additionally, it will highlight key industries where these valves are commonly used.
Construction and Materials
Actuated pinch valve are made using durable, corrosion-resistant materials like aluminum alloy, cast iron, and stainless steel. The size of the valves ranges from 1/2″ to 12″ (15mm to 300mm), and they can handle varying pressure levels such as PN6 and PN10.
For proper flange accommodation, electric pinch valves are designed to work with:
- EN 1092 PN 6/PN10/PN16
- ASME Class 150
- AS 4087 PN 10/ PN 16
- JIS 5K/10K
The sealing ring is a crucial component of the pinch valve, and it is available in a variety of materials, including wear-resistant natural rubber, ethylene-propylene rubber, silicone, fluorine rubber, and chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber.
Working Principle
The mechanism of an electric pinch valve involves the interaction between an electric actuator and a flexible rubber sleeve inside the valve. When the actuator is activated, it pinches the sleeve tightly, forcing it to close and preventing any flow of material. Upon deactivation, the sleeve reverts to its original open position, enabling material flow once again.
Benefits of Electric Pinch Valves over Other Options
- Smooth channel: The design of pinch valves ensures a smooth channel, reducing the chances of blockages and pressure loss.
- Wear resistance: The materials used provide excellent wear resistance, extending the lifespan of the valve.
- Corrosion resistance: Electric pinch valves are constructed from materials that offer outstanding resistance to various corrosive substances.
- Fatigue resistance: These valves are designed to withstand repeated use and maintain their performance over time.
- Low maintenance cost: The lining sleeve can be easily replaced, reducing overall maintenance expenses.
- No water hammer shock: The design of electric pinch valves minimizes the risk of water hammer shock, protecting other components in the system.
Potential Drawbacks
- Due to the specific design of the electric pinch valve, it might not be suitable for all types of applications, such as high-pressure or high-temperature systems.
- The initial cost of electric pinch valves may be higher compared to other valve types. However, their long-term benefits can lead to cost savings in maintenance and replacement over time.
Key Industries and Use Cases
Electric pinch valves are ideal for industries such as:
- Cement and concrete production
- Mining and mineral processing
- Wastewater treatment plants
- Chemical manufacturing
- Food and beverage processing
- Pharmaceutical production
Body: Our products are crafted with the highest quality materials, including aluminum alloy, cast iron, and stainless steel.
Pressure: Our products are designed to perform under various pressure specifications, including PN6 and PN10.
Size: We offer a wide range of sizes to accommodate different needs, ranging from 1/2″ to 12″ (15mm to 300mm).
Flange: Our products are compatible with flange standards such as EN, ANSI, DIN, and JIS.
Sealing Ring: Our products are equipped with a rubber inner liner for superior sealing capability.
Electric Actuator: Our offerings include both ON-OFF type and Regulation type electric actuators, providing flexibility for your specific requirements.
The sealing ring is composed of wear-resistant natural rubber, specifically designed to withstand high temperatures in the food industry. It also incorporates ethylene-propylene rubber, Ding Qing Nitrile, EPDM, VITON, FPM Silicone, silicone, fluorine rubber, chloroprene rubber, Neoprene, chlorosulfonated polyethylene rubber (Hypalon), CSM, butyl acrylate, and other materials. If you have any specific material requirements, please let us know.
Applications: cement, silo, sand, mineral materials, limestone, clay, marl, sand, slurry
Features:
The pinch valve is primarily designed with a smooth channel, exceptional wear resistance, as well as corrosion and fatigue resistance. It exhibits no pressure loss, blockage, or leakage, effectively avoiding water hammer shock. Moreover, this valve boasts favorable physical and chemical properties. The lining sleeve allows for easy replacement, resulting in reduced maintenance costs.
Electric Actuator
Control Type: ON-OFF/Regulation
Control Signal: 4-20 mADC/0-5 VDC/0-10 VDC
Power Options: 12 VDC, 24 VAC, 24 VDC, 220 VAC, 120 VAC, 380 VAC (50/60 Hz ±10%)
Water-proof Actuator: IP67
Option Specifications:
Explosion-proof Actuator: Exd II CT5
Water-proof Actuator: IP67
- The majority of units are CE certified, allowing for direct wiring to the terminal strip without any interference from other components.
- Our system features a simple and unique manual override handwheel system, making it easy to operate.
- In addition, our actuator boasts the lowest profile and lightest weight on the market.
- Our travel limit cams can be easily adjusted using either a finger or a screwdriver, without any interference from other components.
- Finally, most of our units come with a highly visible valve status display, ensuring easy monitoring.
FAQS
What is a pinch valve?
A pinch valve is a type of control valve that uses an internal elastomer sleeve to control the flow of fluids or gases. The main purpose of a pinch valve is to regulate and isolate pressure, as well as controlling the amount of fluid flow in pipelines. This type of valve operates on the principle that squeezing the flexible tube with an external “pinch bar” stops fluid from passing through, while releasing it allows flow again.
Pinch valves are often used in applications where other types would not be suitable due to their corrosive contents or high-friction environment. The material used for manufacturing most pinch valves can vary depending on its application and specific requirements such as working temperature, chemical resistance, etc., but they are usually made from rubber or some other plastic-like material because they offer superior sealing properties. Additionally, these materials have low friction compared with metal valves so there’s less wear on their internal components over time – allowing them to operate more efficiently and effectively for much longer durations.
Due to their simple construction mechanism with few moving parts and no grooves or ports like found in most standard valves, pinch valves can provide better durability and strength than traditional designs by eliminating any chance for leaks caused by corrosion or fouling inside the devices themselves. They also easily maintain consistent performance throughout long operation cycles thanks to requiring very little maintenance which makes them ideal for industrial settings such as wastewater treatment plants where frequent shut down times are common but reliability must remain uncompromised for safety reasons. Furthermore, these versatile tools also come equipped with adjustable throttles that allow users more flexibility when controlling liquid flows without having to purchase additional components; something quite remarkable given how cost-efficient this particular class of valves already are!
What is a pinch valve used for?
A pinch valve is a type of flow control valve used to regulate the flow of liquids and gases. A pinch valve consists of an outer casing which houses a rubber sleeve, usually made from silicone or natural rubber. When pressure is applied to the outside of the casing, it causes the flexible sleeve inside to fold inwards, blocking any liquid or gas that’s flowing through it. This makes the pinch valve an ideal tool for controlling flow in pipes and hoses with minimal backpressure and turbulence as no moving parts are used when opening or closing.
Pinch valves can be used in numerous applications including controlling water supply systems, reducing hydraulic pressures within boilers, regulating fuel flows to motors and engines, deterring reverse flows, eliminating overflows due to surges and more. They can also be used for dust suppression as they have airtight closures which prevent harmful particles being drawn into machinery while ensuring correct airflow levels are maintained throughout working environments.
The flexibility afforded by how pinch valves operate makes them a popular choice across a range of sectors including manufacturing industries such as automotive engineering , food production lines, laboratories pharmaceuticals research facilities , chemical plants and marine vessel navigation systems. Pinch valves provide accurate control over pressure variations without causing any damage either internally or externally even under extreme conditions so their durability means they require minimal repair work compared to other types of control devices . As well this their simple design ensures efficiency during installation on existing piping structures anywhere .
What is the difference between a pinch valve and a solenoid valve?
Pinch valves and solenoid valves are two types of control valves that can be used to regulate the flow of a fluid. The main difference between them is in their operation principle, as one uses direct manipulation and the other relies on electromagnetism.
A pinch valve is a type of control valve that consists of an elastomeric tube or sleeve placed between two end fittings, with one normally being open and the other closed. To open it, the operator must simply squeeze or pinch both ends together which compresses the elastic tubing, creating an opening for fluid flow. This makes pinch valves ideal for applications where slow opening speeds and/or low pressure drops are desired such as wastewater treatment plants.
On the other hand, a solenoid valve is a type of actuator-operated control valve that utilizes electromagnetism to operate its internal components instead of manual manipulations like those found in regular gate or globe valves. A typical solenoid design includes an electric coil wrapped around one or more movable iron cores connected to either gate or diaphragm discs inside the valve body. When power is applied to this coil, it creates a magnetic field that moves these disc components allowing (or stopping) media passage through it depending on whether they’re opened by air pressure generated by depressurizing (opening) chambers within its structure; no manual input required! This operational characteristic makes them particularly suitable in industrial automation processes due to their accurate performance but also high response times while executing commands given by systems monitoring said process’ conditions and variables at any given time—making them great instruments if quick action ball-valve replacements are needed too!
What are the advantages of a pinch valve?
Pinch valves are rising in popularity as a cost-effective and reliable way to control the flow of fluid or gases. Many industries rely on pinch valves for their outstanding performance, long-term durability, and excellent sealing characteristics.
The primary advantages of pinch valves include:
Low Pressure Drop – Pinch Valves provide a low pressure drop due to their minimal resistance between the port openings which reduce erosion and abrasion effects that increase over time; this results in improved efficiency and performance from reduced energy requirements.
Easy Maintenance – The service life of pinch valves is very high when compared with other types of valve designs such as gate or globe valves, reducing downtime significantly when maintenance needs to be done resulting in savings of both time and money. Additionally, because all components can easily be accessed quickly by simply removing the actuator(s) it’s easy to make necessary repairs on site or change out parts which eliminates the need for expensive replacements if there’s an issue later down the line.
Versatility – The flexibility of pinch valves allows them to be used for a variety of applications across industries since they can handle everything from thin fluids like water up to thick slurry media with solids (like sand) suspended within them without sacrificing any performance levels making them ideal valve choice for industrial operations dealing with demanding conditions without having worry about compromising product quality due its construction style & material selection capabilities management system implementation features available!
