South African valve is world leader

4th Quarter 2013 News & events

Third-party tests conducted by the University of Michigan have proved that Dynamic Fluid Control’s Vent-O-Mat air release valve is indisputably the most effective in the world today for the protection of pipelines against damage caused by vacuum. Air valves from other leading manufacturers were tested by Michigan University at the same time and vacuum curves for all valves were plotted. The results verified that Vent-O-Mat outperforms all other valves for which similar capabilities and characteristics are claimed. This result is important to all engineers involved in pipeline design and construction, because most air valves classified as air release or vacuum valves cannot manage the potentially catastrophic effect of vacuum caused by pipe rupture, pump failure or routine draining.

It was only this year that a facility became available – at the University of Michigan – and DFC hired it to execute third-party testing on all four Vent-O-Mat valve ranges in sizes up to DN200. Originally built to vacuum-test rocket thrusters during the era of NASA’s Apollo space missions, the Michigan facility has a 275 m³ chamber capable of developing an internal negative pressure of minus nine metres. The outcome of the trial was the creation of the world’s first true vacuum curves for the air valves, delivering empirical data that will allow accurate valve sizing according to application, without any doubt as to the validity of that sizing.

For more information contact Brian Holford, Aveng Manufacturing, +27 (0)11 748 0200, [email protected], www.dfc.co.za

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