Thermally activated Emergency Isolation Valves (EIVs) are critical components in refinery, terminal and distribution safety systems. Thermal activated shutoffs work like fuses in the piping that carries extracted fuels. When a fire occurs, the fuel flow is shut down, preventing the fuel from feeding the fire.

Historically, thermal shut-offs relied on fusible links made of metal alloy. Once the alloy melts, a spring-armed plug is released, which stops the flow of fuel. The problem with the fusible link design is that once triggered, the unit needs to be replaced and, likewise, cannot be field tested.

FC-4 Series FireChek Heat Activated Pneumatic Shut-Off Valves

However, new technology for thermal shutoffs uses a Nitinol shape memory alloy system, originally developed for NASA space station applications. Nitonol’s shape memory effect changes certain metal alloys from one shape to another with temperature changes—a direct result of a transformation of the alloy’s crystal structure. The shape memory element senses the ambient temperature and, through a phase induction change, rapidly produces the force and motion to operate the shutoff.

When the thermal shutoff senses temperatures above the shape memory alloy’s actuation level, the shape memory element simultaneously vents pneumatic actuator air pressure and closes upstream supply pressure. A manual reset allows routine performance testing for safety maintenance programs.

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Assured Automation: your source for Manual and Automated Valves & Flow Meters.

Welcome to the Angle Seat Valve Series Product Video. (Compact Automated On-Off valve)

The angle seat valve is a pneumatically operated on-off valve. The body is available in bronze or stainless steel.

The end connections are available from 3/8” thru 2” NPT and triclamp or 150 pound flanged on special orders.  Valve pressure range is industrial vacuum to 230 PSIG and Steam to 150 PSIG. Seats are available in PTFE. Stem seals are two sets of PTFE, live loaded with Bellville washers which provide the longest stem seal life on the market.  The plug is pinned to the shaft allowing the seat to pivot for optimal sealing. The valve is designed to have the plug retract further, which provides the highest Cv. The valve can be offered as fail closed, fail open or double acting.

1.       The Angle Seat valve has been bench tested to well over five million cycles.

The piston has a namur mounting pad. This mounting pad allows for the direct mounting of NAMUR style solenoid valves. Solenoid valves are available in a variety of voltages.

The actuator head rotates 360 degrees to allow optimal positioning of air and electric lines in tight locations. A visual open/closed indicator is located on top of the actuator head. Limit switches can be added for control room feedback.

In this demo of a fail closed unit, when air is supplied the plug is lifted off the seating surface allowing flow through the valve. When air is removed the valve springs to the closed position shutting off flow.

The Angle Seat valve is ideal for fast acting, high cycle applications such as compressed air systems, and thermoforming and injection molding machines, nitrogen generators, air dryers, industrial washing machines, liquid filling systems, industrial parts washers. Autoclaves and Steam sterilizers.

Use our online Angle Valve Configurator to quickly select, view, price and order the unit you require.

The Angle Seat Valve By Assured Automation -Just another way we make  automation easy!

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For any other questions contact us online or call toll free at
1-800-899-0553.

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Economy Series Meter

Spring is my favorite season, a time of renewal and rebirth. I love to take daily walks through my flowerbeds to see what plants are slowly pushing their way up through thedark fertile soil. Along with my garden gazing I know that there are many garden tasks that need to be attended to; cleaning out flower beds, spreading compost and mulch and finally the annual pond cleanout. Last year I didn’t know that a simple water meter, the Assured Automation Economy water meter would save the day.

Every year, the koi and goldfish that have over wintered in the pond are caught and settled into a plastic baby pool while the family is recruited to help in the cleaning which involves emptying most of the water from the pond, removing debris, scrubbing down rocks, cleaning filters and finally refilling with city water .

Back yard ponds are typically very easy to maintain, but last year New Jersey American Water changed its water treatment disinfectant from free chlorine to chloramine, a mixture of chlorine and ammonia. While chloramine use is safer for humans as it reduces the disinfection byproducts associated with chlorinated drinking water, it is toxic to fish.

In the past, the chlorinated city water was easy to deal with as most of the chlorine gassed off quickly when water from the hose was added into the pond in a vigorous spray. As an added precaution an inexpensive, water conditioner containing sodium thiosulfate was added to ensure that all of the chlorine was removed.

While shopping for pond supplies last spring, I ran into quite a few irate and upset individuals who didn’t realize our water company had changed the disinfectant and added the typical conditioning agent to the chloramine treated water-the chlorine was removed from the water but the ammonia was not. The results were disastrous! Many a pond owner lost all of their fish, and given that the typical lifespan of koi is typically 25 to 35 years, this was a terrible loss monetarily speaking as well as emotionally.

I did some research and found that I could switch to a water conditioner based on sodium hydroxymethanesulfonate which would remove the chlorine and also convert the ammonia to a much safer state-the only downside to this product was that it was much more expensive. I needed a way to calculate the exact amount of water added back into the cleaned out pond.

I successfully used the low cost, Made in America, Economy Series Water Meter by Assured Automation. It is a rugged, resettable meter that installs on the end of the hose, has a large easy to read display and is powered by two AAA batteries. Now I can calculate with confidence the amount of water conditioner to add to my pond, this is of great benefit to my fish as well as my wallet.

The post Assured Automation’s Economy Water Meter Used in Pond Cleanout appeared first on Assured Automation at Assured Automation - Automated and Actuated Valves News and Training

Assured Automation has been awarded a Skill4Jersey Customized Training grant by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. This program championed by Governor Chris Christie, encourages economic growth in New Jersey by investing in training partnerships designed to increase the productivity and skills of New Jersey’s workers and assist local businesses to better compete in the global economy.

Assured Automation will use the grant to begin Stage 3 of the Lean Manufacturing program offered by New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program, Inc. (NJMEP). Lean Manufacturing principles improve inventory control issues, help companies meet customer demands, resolve capacity issues, meet delivery schedules, and solve other problems that are affecting a company’s ability to grow and compete. The Lean Process eliminates waste at every point in the manufacturing process with special focus on a company’s key growth areas such as improving cash flow, increasing efficiency, reducing inventory and speeding up delivery.

The main focus of Stage 3 of Lean Manufacturing includes:

• Accelerate Product & Service Flow – Achieve and Sustain Clean, Safe, and Organized Workplaces
• Increase Flexibility – Reduce Set Up Times and Improve Production Flow
• Slash Lead Times and Increase Productivity by improving product flow
• Improve Cash Flow
• Boost Capacity and Improve Quality by Increasing ManufacturingEquipment’s Life Expectancy
• Involve the Workforce in the Pursuit of Eliminating Wastes

Company owner Bill Farrell states, “This is a great opportunity for additional improvements that will make us a more responsive, competitive and dynamic company”.

Assured Automation of Clark, NJ, founded more than 25 years ago, is a leading supplier of automated valves and flow components for industrial process control applications and is committed to achieving customer satisfaction through the provision of quality products and on time delivery. Proud to be ISO 9000 certified since 2010.

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Assured Automation: your source for Manual and Automated Valves & Flow Meters.

This is the wiring instructions for the K Series 120V AC electric actuator

The K Series is a reversing motor actuator with end of limit travel switches to stop the motor in either direction.

A wiring diagram can be found on our website or if needed on the inside of the actuator cover.

Safety First: Make sure all power is off.

K Series Industrial Actuator

To access the terminal strip remove the 4 screws from the cover.To open or drive the actuator in the counter clockwise direction, apply power to terminal 1 and terminal 2. The actuator will turn counterclockwise until it reaches the internal limit switch and shuts off.

To close or drive the actuator in the clockwise direction, apply power to terminal 1 and Terminal 3. The actuator will turn clockwise until it reaches the internal limit switch and shuts off.

Dry contact limit switches are available for control room feedback. Apply common power to terminal 4. When the actuator reaches the full open position, switch contact is made and feedback is available on terminal 5. When the actuator reaches the full closed position, switch contact is made and feedback is available on terminal 6.

To engage the manual override, disconnect power, remove the black override connection

cap. Remove the crank handle, insert crank handle into override fitting and slowly turn to the desired position.

Assured Automation: Your Source for Manual & Automated Valves and Flow Meters.

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For any other questions contact us online or call toll free at
1-800-899-0553.

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Assured Automation: your source for Manual and Automated Valves & Flow Meters.

This is the wiring instructions for the K Series 120V AC electric actuator with Modulating Positioner Board

A wiring diagram can be found on our website or if needed on the inside of the actuator cover.

Safety First: Make sure all power is off.

To access the terminal strip remove the 4 screws from the cover.

Wire your control signal as follows: Positive on 1, Negative on 2- Make sure the control signal is powered and sending a signal to the unit.

Now wire your supply power to the unit. Neutral on 3, Hot on 4.

You can now turn on the supply power to the actuator. The unit will then move to the corresponding control signal that is being sent to the unit.

Control Signal Feedback is available.  To confirm Actuator position, wire your control signal feedback as follows:  Positive on 5 and negative on 6

To engage the manual override, disconnect power, remove the black override connection cap,  remove the crank handle, insert crank handle into the override fitting and slowly turn to the desired position.

Assured Automation: Your Source for Manual & Automated Valves and Flow Meters.

Thank you for viewing.
From your friends at Assured Automation
assuredautomation.com

For any other questions contact us online or call toll free at
1-800-899-0553.

The post Wiring for K Series 120V Electric Actuator with Modulating Positioner Board appeared first on Assured Automation at Assured Automation - Automated and Actuated Valves News and Training

Stakeholders in the automated valve industry should be delighted by the recent upward trend that the industry is experiencing. Following a sales slump that began in 2007-2008, Flow Control reports automated valve sales growth to continue well into the future. Studies by The Freedonia Group, Inc. predict a global demand into 2015. The Valve Manufacturers Association (VMA) anticipates a 3% increase in shipments during 2013. And, Valve Magazine.com sees total shipments of nearly $4.3 billion.

This figure exceeds that which was observed in the 10 year peak recorded previously in the industry in 2008. It also marks the 4^thconsecutive year of growth for the industry after the recession. William Sandler, the VMA president expressed optimism concerning the outlook on the valve industry stating that it was a good sign for the economy in general in his official announcement. The VMA members expressed equal excitement as well, a poll carried out among them showing that they expected 2013 to be a better year than 2012 (which performed much better than predicted) or in the very least to be equal to it.

Full Port Automated Sanitary Ball Valve

This growth is not being experienced in the USA alone. According to a new study, world industry valves that was carried out by the Freedonia Group Inc., demand for industrial valves worldwide is projected to increase by 5.4% every year until 2015 when the sales are predicted to be at $93.5 billion. These gains according to the study will be driven by the robust growth that is continuing in the Asia and Pacific regions as well as the strong recovery taking place in the Western Europe and USA markets.

Only slight changes were revealed by the VMA forecast in most of the 15 industries that make up the end users for these valves. The power generation industry was predicted to have the largest increase in valve shipments rising by 1.0 percentage points, with the other industries recording smaller growths of 0.1 or 0.2 percentage points. The waste water and water industries were however predicted to record a decline of 0.6 percentage points in their valve shipments, with 7 other industries predicted to have smaller declines.

Automated valves have accounted for most of the sales out of the 11 valve categories that have been tracked since 2003. In 2012 they accounted for nearly $1.3 billion in shipments and the automated valve sales projections for 2013 show the case will be no different.

The move to automate processes has led to increased demand for automated valves with end users opting to invest in capital equipment and new technology after the recession. Manufacturers of automated valves are aware of this fact and are continuously striving to improve the operational efficiencies of these valves, including advanced features such as diagnostic capabilities and digital communication in their design.

The post Automated Valve Sales Continue to Rise appeared first on Assured Automation at Assured Automation - Automated and Actuated Valves News and Training

Assured Automation: your source for Manual and Automated Valves & Flow Meters.

Valve + Actuator come together to form the VA series from Assured Automation

The VA series is a pneumatically actuated on-off brass valve. It combines a pneumatic actuator and an on-off valve into a compact body.The body and internals are nickel plated brass.
The end connections are available from 3/8” thru 2” NPT or metric G thread upon special order. Valve pressure rating is industrial vacuum to 150 PSIG.
Seats and seals are available in Viton, which is standard, with EPDM and BUNA available upon request.

There are no external moving parts for this coaxial style valve. It features a balanced piston design to reduce friction and wear. The VA valve has been bench tested to well over one million cycles. The valve can be offered as fail closed, fail open or double acting.

The body has a NAMUR mounting pad on top of the valve. This allows for the direct mounting of NAMUR style solenoid valves. Solenoid valves are available in a variety of voltages.

In this demo of a fail closed unit, when air is applied the internal piston is shifted, allowing flow around the center seating section. When air is removed the valve springs to the closed position, shutting off flow.

The VA valve is ideal for fast acting, high cycle applications such as compressed air systems, plastic thermoforming and injection molding machines, nitrogen generators, air dryers, industrial washing machines, liquid filling systems and industrial parts washers.

Use our online VA Valve Configurator to quickly select, view, price and order the unit you require.

The VA Series -Just another way we make valve automation easy!

Thank you for viewing.
From your friends at Assured Automation
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For any other questions contact us online or call toll free at
1-800-899-0553.

The post VA Series: Compact Automated On/Off Valve appeared first on Assured Automation at Assured Automation - Automated and Actuated Valves News and Training

Global demand for water is continuing to increase while fresh water sources are becoming scarcer. Desalination of salt and brackish water is a viable option to obtaining fresh drinking water but is currently very energy intensive and relies heavily on rapidly depleting stores of fossil fuels.

The process of turning salt water into potable water safe for humans to drink is called desalination. This process speeds up the natural cycle of salt water evaporating and turning into rain water that can then be consumed. It has actually been used for centuries and was one of the earliest forms of water treatment designed to transform sea water into fresh water for drinking, especially on ships. Today desalination also helps reduce contaminants in drinking water.

The United States uses desalinated water in places such as California and Florida. In other parts of the world, desalinated water can be found in Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. In North Africa it is used in Libya and Algeria. Today there are over 14,000 water treatment plants in the world that use desalination to produce fresh drinking water, according to the International Desalination Association. Although this production results in less than one percent of water consumption, the process helps arid areas where rainfall is scarce. Desalination also helps areas with limited ground water.

By using alternative heating and cooling sources, thermal desalination imitates the natural process of the sun causing sea water to evaporate. A boiling chamber is used to turn water into steam as salt is separated from water and the distilled water moves through a condensing dome and empties into a container. Membrane desalination uses electrically powered pumps to create high pressure to separate salt from water through a membrane filter.

Currently only 1% of desalinated water is derived using renewable energy sources but there is a trend toward their mainstream use. The economics of desalination work best for areas that do not have to transport the water far, as expensive distribution costs can offset low production costs. As advances in solar energy continue, it is becoming a more viable option to use solar power as a heat source in thermal desalination and as the source of electricity necessary for membrane filtration, producing water safe for human consumption.

We are entering a new era in which desalination is combining with renewable energy sources to satisfy environmental movement demands while using clean energy to replace expensive fossil fuels that pollute the environment.

The post Using Renewable Energy in Water Desalination appeared first on Assured Automation at Assured Automation - Automated and Actuated Valves News and Training

Assured Automation: your source for Manual and Automated Valves & Flow Meters.

This is the wiring instructions for the EV and NV Actuator with T1 Modulating Positioner Board AC and DC edition

The EV and NV Modulating Electric Actuators by Assured Automation offer a low cost, easy to use operator for your quarter turn control valve applications.

Safety First: Make sure all power is off. A wiring diagram can be found on our website, or if needed, on the inside cover of the actuator.

To access the terminal strip, remove the black indicator cap by pulling upward. Remove the exposed screw with a Phillips-head screw driver and pull the cover off of the base.

It is very important to follow the wiring sequence in this order: wire your control signal before you wire your supply power. Wire your control signal as follows: put the positive on Number 6 and the negative on Number 8. Make sure the control signal is powered and sending signal to the unit.

Now wire your supply power to the unit. For AC units, put the neutral on Number 1 and the hot on number 2. For DC units, put the positive DC on Number 1 and the negative DC on Number 2. The unit will do a self-test, which will take 3 seconds. The unit will then move to the corresponding control signal that is being sent to the unit.

Assured Automation: Your Source for Manual & Automated Valves and Flow Meters.

Thank you for viewing.
From your friends at Assured Automation
assuredautomation.com

For any other questions contact us online or call toll free at
1-800-899-0553.

The post Wiring EV and NV Modulating Electric Actuators appeared first on Assured Automation at Assured Automation - Automated and Actuated Valves News and Training