New valve liner performs in a pinch
Pinch valves with two-piece liners provide a cement terminal's pneumatic conveying system with the consistent service life one-piece liners failed to give.
Operating since November 1987, CPC Terminals [formerly Calmat Terminals] unloads cement powder from docked ships in Long Beach, Calif. An average shipload weighs 35,000 metric tons and takes 7 days to unload using the terminal's pressure pneumatic conveying system, which includes a ship unloader. The system conveys cement powder through a labyrinth of 8-, 10-, and 12-inch-diameter lines by correctly setting the system's 80 lined pinch valves. Each valve is set by pressurized plant air delivered through an electronically controlled solenoid.