Where wedge valves with electric drive are utilized

A wedge-type valve with an electric drive is used where there is not enough space for the installation of manual control elements, or when it is necessary to precisely adjust the flow rate of the working medium particularly precisely. In addition, the electric drive can open/close the valve according to a certain program.

Classification and design features

Wedge valves with electric drive are most often used in industrial pipeline systems, where for a number of reasons it is impossible to mechanize the flow control process using pneumatic or hydraulic drives. At the same time, the material of most of the reinforcement elements does not change, and the fundamental differences are reduced to the appearance in the flow sensor circuit, which controls the stepper motor.

The flow control process using the built -in electric drive is carried out in the following sequence:

• The ON/OFF valve installed on the valve is set to the position corresponding to the fully open conditional passage of the pipeline.
• When the valve is fully open, the working medium freely passes through it and provides a flow rate determined by the inner diameter of the connecting pipe.
• When the electric drive is switched on (manually or programmatically), the cylindrical plug is moved in the desired direction (up or down), at right angles to the fluid flow. The valve is opened gradually, due to the special shape of the sliding plug seat, which resembles a truncated cone.
• The plug, gradually overlapping the nominal diameter of the pipeline, smoothly blocks the current of the working medium. Having reached its extreme position, the plug closes the way switch, which turns off the drive.

The significantly increased seating area eliminates valve vibration, which often occurs when the valve is manually operated. A polypropylene pin is used as a tube pusher rod, which is rigidly connected to a rod of constant cross-section.

Application options of the electric drive

A wedge valve with an electric drive is selected depending on what functions it should perform. There are two main modes of operation:

• Partial rotation (by a quarter turn) is used for cork, ball and throttle valves, as well as damper rotary valves. It is advisable to install these types of pipe fittings with a drive, since the operation is relatively simple, and requires turning the stepper motor at an angle of up to 900 (with the appropriate torque);
• A multi-turn operation when a group of control elements has either translationally or rotationally moving pushers. In this case, in order to open / close the wedge valve with an electric drive, several turns of the electric motor will be required. An example of the second type of gate valves are wedge and sluice gates.

The convenience of the electric valve control drive lies in the fact that, depending on the type of engine, one or more revolutions can be made. The electric drive is able to quickly control the valves without size limitation, using a single- or three-phase electric motor. It drives a combination of gears, then the stem nut, and then the executive stem itself.

These types of actuators are compact, and therefore are often supplied with an emergency power source (for example, a battery), which increases the safety of valve control.