DMN-WESTINGHOUSE UK has just won a significant order for BTD ball-type diverter valves from a major customer in the aggregates sector.
The BTD is specially designed to handle abrasive products, such as aggregates in asphalt plants. However, in power stations and incinerators, BTD’s are installed as part of systems to handle bio-mass media and fly-ash. Elsewhere, BTD’s are installed in foundries and cement works and are used in the glass, ceramic, limestone, gypsum, and chemical industries. In short, just about any industry that processes an abrasive product.
As BTD is specifically designed to be a part of a pneumatic conveying system, it had to capable of retrofitting in addition to being installed as part of a new system. So, to make the job of both the system designer and maintenance/installation engineer a little easier, the BTD can be installed in a variety of different ways, including vertically. Once installed, the conditions in which BTD diverters operate are going to be somewhat harsh, which is why a great deal of consideration was given to maintenance. Consequently, the main seals are easily accessible by removing the two side covers while the valve is on site.
The housing of the BTD is manufactured from ductile, spheroidal cast iron, and because of the way that it has been designed, it can handle positive pressures up to 6 bar g and negative pressures up to -0.5 bar g. Product flowing though the straight leg of the BTD has an uninterrupted flow. However, once the valve is set to divert, the product itself provides a wear surface, thereby protecting the valve’s internal components.
