MechChem Africa November-December 2022

Ceramic ball valves for improved longevity Compared to solenoid valves, ceramic ball valves offer improved longevity and wear resistance, at lower costs. Allmech’s Anelia Hough explains. ⎪ Water, wastewater and pumping solutions ⎪ A ccording to Allmech water treat ment consultant, Anelia Hough, ceramic ball valves are ideal for water-saving systems, industrial

automatic control systems, automatic sewage systems, environmental protection projects, water supply and drainage, food and water treatment, and irrigation systems. Hough says that the proprietary three way Runxin valves that Allmech stocks have proven especially useful in water treatment applications. “Recently, one of our custom ers installed a filtration plant to treat surface water coming from a nearby river,” she says. “Water turbiditywas themain challenge. Due tothequalityof incomingwater, thebackwash cycleneededcleaned, filteredwater toensure thefiltermediabedswere thoroughly cleaned during backwash cycles. “During a backwash, the media should be adequately raised and mixed to get rid of contaminants. We installed a single L-shaped three-way ceramic valve – instead of two solenoid valves – to diverting the flow direc tion of the incomingwater between raw river water andfilteredwater.Whenmultiple units need cleanwater diverted, this solutionoffers exponential saving,” she suggests. In the service position, the three-way valve allows raw water from the river to be treated, but once the control valve position is changed back to start the backwash, the position changes to allow clean water for the backwash cycle to enter the valve. Another Allmech customer operates a

Runxin’s ceramic ball valves are hermetically-sealed, so they have extremely high resistance to corrosion, abrasion and chemicals.

dairy manufacturing facility that operates 24/7. Part of the company’s operation is its boiler, which provides steam into the facility. A duplex water softener was installed with two softener control valves. “The Runxin F74 softener control valves have a function to interlock valves in parallel systems so that one valve in regeneration, while the other is in service,” Hough explains. “We installed a three-way valve to enable the water flow to be changed from the standby unit to the service unit within seconds. This one valve ensures that soft water can be supplied 24/7 to the boiler. And this resulted in the customer only needing one brine tank, which resulted in further cost savings.”

Runxin’s ceramic ball valves provide several design features to improveperformancecom pared toball valvesmade fromtraditionalma terials, the biggest being the longevity of the parts. The valves are hermetically-sealed, so they have extremely high resistance to corro sion, abrasionandchemicals, so theycanmeet the toughest water treatment challenges. The ball cores and seats are precisely ground as pairs to ensure zero leakage. Each of the plastic options comes with a choice of connection between metric female threads and uPVC Glue, while select ceramic ball valves are available in different grades of steel. www.allmech.co.za

JSE listed, diversified chemicals group, Omnia Holdings has commissioneda reverseosmosis water treatment plant at its Sasolburg site to enhance its water efficiency and edge it closer to achieving its sustainable develop ment goals. “Our approach to sustainability is deeply embedded across the business value chain and we will continuously aim to ensure that our operationsmeet the relevant sustainable development plan goals to ensure the care ful use and recycling of water. Introducing a reverse osmosis water treatment plant is evidence of our commitment to achieving this goal and advancing our drive towards cleaner technologiesandresponsibleoperations.” says Seelan Gobalsamy, CEO. Reverse osmosis is a process of water Omnia’s reverse osmosis plant boosts water conservation programme treatment that removes a large majority of contaminants by pushing the water under pressure through a semi-permeable mem brane. The aim is to reduce water consump tionby effectively recycling the cooling tower discharge into the cooling tower make up, thus reducing potable water consumption. Furthermore, thiswill reduceOmnia’s reliance on municipal water, its use of potable water, as well as reduce the effluent discharge pro duced in the manufacturing process. The project is estimated to yield an ap proximate saving of 180 M ℓ per annum. The social benefits include indirect job creation generated during the construction and com missioning, as well as the direct employment of the operational staff responsible for the daily running and maintenance of the plant. “Living in a water scarce country offers com panies in our line of business the opportunity to champion ecology and conservation. For Omnia this is oneway toensureour long-term sustainability, creating employment opportu nities to positively impact the communities in which we operate.” concludes Gobalsamy. www.omnia.co.za Omnia Holdings has installed a Reverse Osmosis Plant at its Sasolburg facility.

November-December 2022 • MechChem Africa ¦ 11