Blog

Apr 27, 2023

Experience zero leaks with a true knife gate valve

For many years, plant operators have battled with leakage problems, searching

For many years, plant operators have battled with leakage problems, searching for valves which will isolate the flow and prevent leaks to the atmosphere, but are often left feeling frustrated and out of pocket.

External leaks from valves during valve cycling are common problems for plant operators around the world. These leaks can have disastrous consequences, contaminating the environment and endangering workers with hazardous materials, resulting in major down time for the company. Delta IndustrialTM knife gate valves can guarantee plant operators in difficult process applications, zero leakage, John Abbott, Weir Minerals Global Product Manager for Valves confirms."This isolation is very important because it ensures safe and consistent plant operation, minimises downtime and provides lowest total ownership cost," he says.

Zero Leakage "Our customers can install Delta IndustrialTM valves into problem areas secure in the knowledge that they will achieve long term performance with exceptional isolation results, protecting their people, their plant and their environment," Mr Abbott continues. Protecting the environment and ensuring hazardous materials do not harm workers is of prime importance for every site around the world. Weir Minerals Delta IndustrialTM guided shear gate valves are designed to repeatedly close and provide bi-directional zero leakage isolation no matter what the process fluid may contain. ‘Our knife gate valves guarantee no process will come past the closed valve, even abrasive slurry or when operating under high temperatures,’ John Abbott proudly states.This is a significant feature of the Delta Industrial™ valves and one which provides numerous important benefits to the customer, providing some insight into why Weir Minerals acquired and continues to invest in Delta Industrial™. History of Delta IndustrialTM Valves, Inc.Delta Industrial Valves, Inc. was founded in 1987 and the company began designing and manufacturing high quality knife gate valves in 1989. At the time, they recognised the urgent requirements within the market for a superior knife gate valve. It is an established industry leader in the valve industry, and with the backing of Weir Minerals, will continue to pave the way in high quality knife gate valves for its customers. "Weir Minerals acquired Delta Industrial Valves, Inc. in July 2015, increasing our market presence in Hard Rock Mining, Oil Sands, Pulp and Paper and Power Industries by expanding our portfolio of valve products,’ Mr Abbott states. Weir Minerals is a global leader in the Mining and Oil Sands markets and the acquisition of Delta Industrial Valves, Inc. strengthens our comprehensive offering to customers with a range of high performance knife gate valves for heavy duty slurry application and high pressure environments. ‘Weir Minerals always strives to provide the best possible service to our customers, offering new ways to increase their efficiency and reduce costs,’ he says. The Delta IndustrialTM Advantage Not all knife gate valves are the same; many allow for leakages which can leave plant operators exasperated. When asked what makes Delta IndustrialTM knife gate valves different from many others on the market John Abbott replied, "Their construction provides a zero leakage guarantee to external environments due to their unique transverse seal design, couple this with Delta Industrial's long history in the design and production of valves, it consistently proves to be one of the highest performing valves in these heavy duty applications."While many different types of knife gate valves have been designed and manufactured since the 1950s, they have all had serious limitations; the Delta Industrial™ shear gate design combined with its unique seating arrangement ensures exceptional pipeline isolation and zero leakage to the atmosphere, resulting in performance our customers can rely on every time the valve operates."Although there are at least five distinct types of knife gate valves marketed in the industry, we only produce absolute knife gate valves in our Delta IndustrialTM range, capable of cutting, shearing, and closing against solids while still producing a tight shut-off,’ he says. This unique knife gate valve design is capable of offering the highest performance in the most severe applications where solids are in solution, suspension or both. This makes it the world's premium isolation valve for scaling applications where traditional valves are inoperable due to cementation or precipitation of solids. "What's great about our Delta Industrial™ knife gate valves is that they even operate in clear solutions, an area where traditional knife gate valves are not appropriate", Mr Abbott continues. Customer BenefitsJohn Abbott says that they can design and build a tailored valve solution for customers if they have a special requirement, "providing them with a unique solution to their specific application." "Our knife gate valves have demonstrated their ability to deliver low costs of ownership over the life of the valve, resulting in reduced downtime and increasing productivity for our customers," he says. The valve manufacturing process employs tight tolerances and minimum clearances to ensure reliable performance and the longevity of the highly engineered product, "our customers benefit from consistent performance and lower maintenance. Applications and Projects "The Delta Industrial™ valve is designed to work in severe service applications, providing customers from a range of sectors, superior performance at high pressures," Mr Abbott states. They are currently utilised in many industries, John Abbott draws attention to three sectors in particular where the Delta Industrial™ knife gate valves excel."Within the Oil Sands sector, the Delta Industrial™ knife gate valves provide innovative, custom products that are well suited for the harsh process of this industry. The valves are heavily entrenched in the Oil Sands process, where performance is critical and leakage, both external and internal, cannot be tolerated. For Pulp and Paper Mills, we can provide Delta Industrial™ knife gate valves for use in a range of processes including, refiners and heavy duty cleaners, areas where traditional designs often fail to perform. The Delta Industrial™ designed valves work flawlessly in the most difficult applications, preventing untimely and costly shut downs. Lastly, Delta IndustrialTM knife gate valves are ideal for Power Generation applications because of their reliable performance and low maintenance requirements," he says. Delta Industrial™ knife gate valves have made a significant impact on many applications but there is one in particular that comes to mind as a standout success. "A large international mining company was repairing a major valve on their tailings line every three months. This was proving to be extremely inefficient and costly. They asked us to help solve this problem which was costing them time and money. A Delta IndustrialTM knife gate valve was specified and installed, this valve has now been operating for four years without any unscheduled maintenance." The future for Delta IndustrialTM valvesThe team at Weir Minerals are currently working on complementing their range of ASME 600 rated valves. There are also developments currently being tested which will provide enhanced performance in high pressure applications. "We are all very excited about the product development and new design innovations to help our customers and cannot wait to see these unfold," Mr Abbott says. Unlike many other knife gate valves, Delta Industrial™ valves guarantee no process fluid will sneak past your closed valve; protecting your people, plant and the environment. To ensure you maintain consistent plant operation and minimise downtime, utilise a zero leakage valve on your site.