To meet growing demand for clean valves, Flowserve Flow Control is introducing a new product range into the UK. The Worcester Controls WK70, three-piece bi-directional flow ball valve, a stainless steel tube bore valve, will be manufactured at the company’s plant in Burgess Hill.
Inside diameters of the WK70 components have tube bore dimensions so that the valve precisely matches the tubing it is connected to. This prevents “puddles”‘ forming and the build-up of pyrogens or bacteria. This feature, says Flowserve, makes the valve invaluable anywhere where microbes, media deposits, mineral impurities and cross-contamination can threaten the quality of the media. It is ideally suited for use in the pharmaceutical, biotech, food, cosmetic, paint, chemical and semi-conductor manufacturing industries and for handling ultra-pure gases.
Available in 15mm-50mm sizes, one of the main benefits of the WK70 is that it is built from forged parts, which provide a better grain structure and hence better surface features than those of cast valves. They are stronger, free from crevices, pits, shrinks or inclusions and have better-controlled metallurgy.
Made from 316L stainless steel with a guaranteed ferrite content of less than 5%, the WK70 resists rouging that results from minerals and impurities being drawn from higher ferrite content metals. The metallurgy of the WK70 body and extended tube ends also assures the integrity of the orbital welding. The ends have a verifiable sulphur content between 0.005% and
0.016%.
