Challenge:

Find a solution to protect a diverter from the abrasiveness of wood materials.

Features:

• Round-to-square inlet transition piece.
• Replaceable UHMW liners throughout the diverter.
• Blade protected by replaceable UHMW liners.
• Removable front access panel to allow immediate access for inspection, maintenance or repair – without having to remove the diverter from line.

Results:

This valve was purchased as the eventual replacement for a pre-existing diverter constructed from mild steel. Despite the abrasion-resistant properties of mild steel, the wood materials have continued to abrade in the current diverter, causing frequent need for patchwork to the valve body. To compensate, Vortex equipped this new diverter with replaceable UHMW liners.

UHMW is a hard polymer compound that in some applications, such as handling wood or coal, is better suited for the materials’ characteristics than abrasion-resistant metals. When wood materials come in contact with metal components, the wood can very quickly and easily wear through a valve. However, when wood materials come in contact with UHMW, the materials “bounce” off of the polymer liners. This causes little to no abrasion to the polymer liners, and fully protects the valve’s metal component from abrasion.

In this customer’s process, the diverter handles wood materials before they are fully dried. Therefore, the wood is quite sticky from tar and sap when it is processed through the valve. UHMW is also a “slick” compound that easily flows materials through a valve, which prevents material build-up and material plugs.

If the entire internal of a valve is protected by UHMW liners, this provides optimal abrasion resistance. If UHMW liners are maintained and replaced when appropriate, the service life of a valve will be extended significantly.

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