Crane's Fluid Connection Blog | Fluid Handling Tips

How Valve Automation Keeps Water Flowing Without Electricity in WI

Written by Jake Spence | March 23, 2016
 A wire manufacturing facility needed a safety net for their custom water system. Their wire production process required special deionized water to flow through certain areas that need to be cooled. The deionized water is supplied from an in-house water pump skid that cannot run without electricity. If the facility were to lose power, the wire production system would overheat without a backup water source.

It was critical to find a solution that would automatically protect their system around the clock. The manufacturer's present solution was to always have someone on standby, in case the plant lost power. In that case, the operator would use a manual butterfly valve to divert flow and shut down the system. This solution was extremely inefficient, and potentially catastrophic for the wire production system, should the power go out. 

When they decided it was time for a more reliable answer, they went to the industrial valve group at Crane Engineering for some ideas. 

Crane Engineering's valve engineers suggested a three-port "T" valve that would allow the wire product system to use city water if needed. 

The valve package included a spring return fail safe. If the plant were to have a power outage, the actuator would automatically "fail" and the spring would mechanically operate the valve to switch from deionized water to city water. The deionized water pump skid would shut down during power loss so the valve must switch water sources to keep fluid flowing. Without this automatic spring-loaded fail safe, the valve wouldn’t switch water sources and the pipeline would run dry, causing the production system to overheat.

The Indelac Controls® electric actuator installed on the valve allows operator to easily and effortlessly change the water source. This is also useful for the manufacturer when switching jobs because deionized water is not required between wire production runs.

We filmed a demonstration video of this setup. Take a look:

The wire manufacturer no longer needs someone always on standby and enjoys worry-free production. 

Industrial Pump and Valve Repair in WI and MN

We have industrial pump and valve repair and maintenance service centers in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Minneapolis, Minnesota to handle all of your fluid process equipment maintenance needs to keep your operations running. We provide fluid process equipment repairs, rebuilds, and preventative maintenance on-site in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Upper Michigan.

Contact a Service Engineer Today!

Headquarters and Service Center - Located outside Green Bay, WI
707 Ford Street
Kimberly, WI 54136
920-733-4425

Grand Rapids Service Center
26489 Industrial Blvd
Cohasset, MN 55721
952-444-1949

Burnsville Service Center 1
2265 Nicollet Avenue
Burnsville, MN 55337
952-444-1949

Do you need help with valve automation? Contact us. We're here to help businesses in Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, and Minnesota.