330 Flowrox PVE and PVG pinch valves were ordered by Trafigura Mining Group for various demanding flow control and shut-off duties, from ore treatment to water treatment plants and process water supply. All these pinch valves were installed in an extension of their ore and water treatment plant which was carried out in 2014. The project basically consisted of duplicating the size of an existing plant.
Instrumentation is fundamental to the process performance
“When the project was engineered, we constantly had in mind that the choice of appropriate instrumentation for each application is fundamental to the process performance. We decided that all control valves and also some of the shut-off valves would be pinch valves, which finally ended up saving us a lot of time in the start-up of the plant,” says Ms. Luisa Montes, a Project Team Member from MATSA mine. The manager of the project was initially very reluctant to consider Flowrox pinch valves, mainly because of their high price. The area manager of Neles and local Spanish representative had to visit them many times to convince several engineers involved in the expansion project. Hard work paid off and finally the managers and the board was convinced of the long-term benefits of Flowrox pinch valves.
All installed Flowrox pinch valves have an enclosed body type and include an SBRT valve sleeve to meet the requirements of various mediums in different process areas. The correct valve specifications ensure also the longest possible sleeve life time. As the valves are self-cleaning, even if any solids are accumulated in the sleeve wall, it breaks away when the valve is operated. This is due to the flexibility of the sleeve, making the valve lifetime longer than many other competing products on the market.
Flowrox pinch valves were chosen to gain long-term benefits based on low total cost of ownership. The PVE control valves at the plant are actuated by pneumatic double acting actuators with positioners. Also, all of the on/off PVG valves include limit switches for position indication.
Originally Ms. Montes stated that “we are definitely expecting cost savings”. And now, seven years later customer says that in addition to cost savings they are very satisfied with the reliable operation and easy maintenance of the valves.