Automating valves for low emission: Balance environmental needs with economic realities
- Conbraco Industries, Matthews, NC (United States)
By the late 1980s, quarter-turn valves had become a commodity without much product differentiation. Then, fueled by the Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1990, US valve manufacturers saw an opportunity to capitalize on what was thought to be a revolution in stem-sealing technology. A potential new market for high-end valving would be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. R&D departments were ordered to create totally new valves or to enhance existing products. The chemical industry, at the urging of the EPA, was going to revive what had been a highly competitive and saturated market. Today, the chemical industry is nearing the end of the three-phase program to monitor and correct excessive leakage problems. The results have been very good. However, individual company approaches to solving leakage problems have been varied. In most cases, the solutions have been driven by economics rather than by the maximum achievable technology. Much to the chagrin of many valve manufacturers who envisioned a bonanza with fugitive-emission-style valves, the industry seems to have sought out the best product it could afford to meet the 500-ppm leakage-rate requirement. 2 figs.
- OSTI ID:
- 543100
- Journal Information:
- Chemical Processing, Vol. 60, Issue 4; Other Information: PBD: Apr 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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