Nearly 30 percent of the water pumped to homes and businesses across America is lost to underground leaks along aging pipes and water networks. But the nation's biggest valve and hydrant maker is helping to plug those leaks using new water hydrants and devices being developed in a technology center that just opened in downtown Chattanooga.

Mueller Water Products, which operates valve and hydrant production plants in Chattanooga and Cleveland and maintains one of its subsidiary headquarters and training facilities in downtown Chattanooga, has converted a former BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee storage facility downtown into an R&D lab. Within nearly $2 million of testing and development equipment, workers in the new research lab are developing and testing the next generation of water equipment.

Within the 30-employee research facility across the street from the Mueller Co., division headquarters, workers are testing acoustically sensitive valves that can detect early signs of underground leaks. The center also is developing other new products to help utilities find ways to promote better water conservation and quality.

Such equipment is key to improving America's aging water systems. A study of U.S. water utilities released this year by Utah State University found an estimated 82 percent of all cast iron pipe used by utilities is over 50 years old. Pipe breaks have jumped 27 percent in the past six years as aging underground water mains more frequently break and interrupt water delivery.

The new Mueller tech center in Chattanooga is one of two for the company, which traces its roots back more than a century and a half, including 85 years in Chattanooga. Mueller also has an electronics R&D center in Middlebury, Massachusetts.

Mueller is already expanding its production facility in Chattanooga. The company announced plans last month for a $28 million expansion of its 532,000-square-foot Chattanooga plant, adding 96 more jobs over the next three years.

Mueller currently has 604 employees in Southeast Tennessee with its plants in Chattanooga and Cleveland, and its division headquarters, training facility and R&D facility in downtown Chattanooga.

Mueller acquired the former U.S. Pipe and Foundry in 2005 but sold that company in 2016.

Wartsilia Building New Technology Center in Finland

Wärtsilä is building the Smart Technology Hub, a new center of research, product development and production, in Vaskiluoto, Vaasa, Finland. As of 2020, all of Wärtsilä's functions and personnel in central Vaasa will transfer to the new hub, along with the logistics and maintenance workshop operations from Runsor.

As a part of the project, Wärtsilä will invest EUR 83 million in modern testing and production technology for the hub. The total investment in the Smart Technology Hub will be in the region of EUR 200 million, consisting of office and factory buildings, logistics and infrastructure.

The Smart Technology Hub is the latest tangible step in Wärtsilä's Smart Marine and Smart Energy visions. The hub will be unique in its field, enabling more agile, more efficient testing and product development of solutions for the maritime, oil and gas industries, as well as new energy systems.

The Smart Technology Hub will invite other operators in the sectors and researchers to collaborate. The vision is to create a partners' campus where research and product development take place together with Wärtsilä's customers and suppliers, start-ups in the sector and universities.

Planning of the Smart Technology Hub is well underway, and the new centre will open its doors in Vaskiluoto in 2020. The Vaasa region is already the leading energy technology cluster in the Nordic region, and the developing area of Vaskiluoto will further reinforce the region's significance and potential as a global trendsetter. Wärtsilä is the largest private-sector employer in Vaasa with around 3,000 personnel, and the Vaasa unit is Wärtsilä's largest location. Wärtsilä has approximately 400 employees in Turku and almost 500 in Helsinki.

The Group's transformation into a technology services company has necessitated property investments in smart technology, new working methods and sustainable development throughout the organization. Alongside the Smart Technology Hub, the most visible renewal projects have included the new business premises in Runsor, Vaasa, and the Wärtsilä Helsinki Campus in Salmisaari, Helsinki, due for completion in the late autumn. The value of these investments is just under EUR 20 million.

Finance

Severn Ball Valves Changing Name to Severn Glocon Aberdeen

The Aberdeen market continues to play a major role in Severn’s business. Alongside the uptake in offshore control and choke valve management and upgrade programs, its isolation valve supply business, Severn Ball Valves has also performed well in securing and the ongoing management of 5 operators assets for isolation valves and actuation. The large stockholding, testing and machining capabilities within Aberdeen has seen Severn be able to support operators on short lead time deliveries in critical shutdown periods. In fact, 2017 was this division’s best ever year, something divisional MD Brian Wood attributes to industry knowledge and high levels of customer service.

Starting September 1, 2018, Severn Ball Valves will begin trading as Severn Glocon Aberdeen, to better reflect the scope and scale of the engineering services it offers across mechanical valves as well as isolation valves.

People

ITT Corporation’s CEO to Retire and Replacement Announced

ITT Inc. announced that CEO and President Denise Ramos has decided to retire. She will continue to serve as CEO until Jan. 1 and in an advisory role to the company until her retirement on March 1, 2019. As part of the company's long-term succession planning process, Luca Savi has been named to the newly created role of President and Chief Operating Officer, and he will become Chief Executive Officer and President on Jan. 1, 2019.

For the remainder of 2018, Savi will continue to report to Ramos as they work together, along with the ITT Leadership Team and Board of Directors, to ensure a seamless transition. He will remain responsible for driving global business performance and expanding world-class capabilities across the company.

Savi joined ITT in 2011 and most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, where he worked closely with the company's three segments to implement sustainable management systems that have helped drive operating margin expansion, working capital improvements and overall business performance. Given these advancements, the company will not seek to fill the COO role in January. Savi also served as president of the company's Motion Technologies segment, where he led the development of strong operational capabilities, revenue growth of 55 percent, global expansion and customer-centric innovation such as the ITT Smart Pad.

Spirax Sarco Changes Managing Director of Steam Business

Neil Daws, Executive Director and Divisional Director currently responsible for the Group's Spirax Sarco Steam Specialties operations in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), is promoted to the position of Managing Director Steam Specialties Business, effective September 1, 2018. Neil will be responsible for all the Steam Specialties business worldwide, including Gestra, and will continue to report to the Group Chief Executive, Nicholas Anderson. Neil Daws, CEng, FIMechE, joined the Group in 1978 and held positions in manufacturing and design engineering prior to being named as UK Supply Director. Neil later held responsibility for Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Group's Supply operations, including the Group's Environmental Health and Safety matters. Neil was appointed to the Board in June 2003 and since September 2013, held the position of Divisional Director for Spirax Sarco EMEA.

As a consequence of Neil's promotion, Sean Clay will join the Group on July 30, 2018 and assume the position of Divisional Director Spirax Sarco EMEA, effective September 1, 2018. Sean joins from Honeywell Group, the global Fortune 100 software-industrial company, where, over the last 14 years, he has held a number of roles with full P&L responsibility for international commercial and industrial businesses with revenues ranging from US$50 million to over US$1 billion. Sean will be based in Cheltenham and report to Neil Daws, holding an important role within the Steam Specialties' Executive team.

Most recently, Sean was Chief Marketing Officer Honeywell Productivity Products and, prior to that, was President of Safety and Productivity Solutions, Europe. Sean holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management, an MBA from the Cranfield School of Management (UK) and is a Chartered Fellow of the Institute of Directors (UK).

Auma Actuators Appoints New German Head of Sales

Changing of the guard at the head of the German AUMA sales organization: Heinz Lauinger, who has worked as Head of Sales since 1995, retired in June 2018. Taking over his responsibilities is Michael Sick, who has been a Sales Engineer with AUMA since 2008.

During the 23 years Heinz Lauinger was head of sales, AUMA changed from a mechanical-oriented company to a true mechatronic engineering specialist – and he is living proof of how well AUMA Sales Germany implemented this change. Previously, he worked for a DCS manufacturer and thus had the ideal background to guide the AUMA sales engineers in adjusting to the new challenges.

Michael Sick took over from Heinz Lauinger on April 1. 2018. For the last ten years he has been responsible for the sales territory of Baden-Wuerttemberg in south-western Germany.

Michael, 41, is very experienced and perfectly suited to his new challenges – and not just thanks to his previous activities at AUMA. He successfully passed his apprenticeship in power electronics, followed by graduate studies in electrical engineering. In his previous employment he traveled the world as a commissioning and diagnostic engineer for power plants.

New President of Emerson Automation Selected

Emerson announced that Lal Karsanbhai will succeed Michael Train to become executive president of Emerson Automation Solutions, effective October 1. As previously announced, Train will take over as Emerson’s president and will also serve as chairman of Automation Solutions.

Karsanbhai, who has served as group president of Emerson’s Rosemount Measurement & Analytical business since 2016, has more than 23 years of experience with Emerson in a career that spans the globe. He served as president of Emerson’s former Network Power business in Europe, Middle East and Africa from 2014 and has held leadership roles throughout Emerson, including vice president of corporate planning, president of Emerson’s Fisher regulator technologies, and vice president and general manager of its natural gas unit.

In his new role, Karsanbhai will oversee a business with expected 2018 sales of $11.4 billion and more than 53,000 employees across the globe. Emerson Automation Solutions serves a number of industrial manufacturing industries, including oil and gas, chemical, power, food and beverage, life sciences and water and wastewater. He also will join the Office of the Chief Executive, which is responsible for the company’s global business strategies.

Karsanbhai holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Michigan and a master’s of business administration degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

Projects

Velan Receives Order for Three Different Types of FPSO Valves for Offshore Brazil

Velan Inc.'s wholly owned subsidiary located in Lucca, Italy, has been awarded important contracts for the supply of three different types of valves to MODEC Offshore Production Systems (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

These orders represent a sales value of about US$18 million and are scheduled for delivery by early 2019.

Velan ABV signed contracts with MODEC for the supply of API 6D and API 6A valves for their new floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) MV30 Carioca vessel. The FPSO will be deployed at the Sépia field operated by Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), located in the giant “pre-salt” region of the Santos Basin some 250 kilometers off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at a water depth approximately 2,200 meters.

The scope of supply consists of over 1,500 medium, high and ultra-high pressure forged valves, both soft and metal seated ‘zero leakage’, as well as high-pressure axial check valves.

The FPSO MV30 Carioca will be capable of processing 180,000 barrels of crude oil per day, 212 million standard cubic feet of gas per day, 240,000 barrels of water injection per day and has a storage capacity of 1,400,000 barrels of crude oil.

Velan valves have now been selected and installed in over 30 offshore platforms and production vessels, numbering well over 10,000 units.

Rotork Announces Contract for Actuators in Chinese Refinery

Rotork has received major contracts to supply electric and pneumatic valve actuators and valve gearboxes to Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co. Ltd. for flow control in its new refinery and petrochemicals complex, one of the largest in China, at Changxing Island in Dalian City.

The latest contract involves approximately 2,000 explosionproof electric actuators to operate gate valves and ball valves in tank farms. All these units are Rotork IQ non-intrusive intelligent multi-turn actuators with double-sealed IP68 watertight protection for enhanced reliability, an important consideration in the site’s saline ambient environment. In addition to providing optimum reliability, the IQ actuator is also designed for advanced functionality, particularly in those areas associated with predictive maintenance and asset management.

IQ actuator dataloggers record detailed operating data including valve torque profiles, the number of valve operations and alarms. The ability to download and analyze this information can make a vital contribution to effective long-term asset management of the refinery. The IQ actuators are combined with Rotork Gears IB multi-turn and IW quarter-turn secondary gearboxes to meet the operating demands of the wide range of valve sizes and types.

Pneumatic actuators orders encompass Rotork CP, GP and RC ranges of scotch yoke designs for quarter-turn valves. The combination of these ranges facilitates the direct-drive actuation of valves of virtually any size.

Auma Supplying Actuators to Indonesian Oil and Gas Company

AUMA has supplied a turnkey valve automation solution to Indonesian oil and gas company Pertamina that includes explosion-proof multi-turn SA actuators with intelligent AC controls and a SIMA control system. The delivery is part of the first phase of an expansion project at the TBBM Manggis LPG tank farm on the island of Bali.

AUMA’s SIMA control system was successfully integrated into the tank farm’s existing SCADA system using Modbus RTU protocol to communicate with the valve actuators and the higher-level SCADA system. The actuators connect to the SIMA in a ring topology with integrated redundancy. At SCADA level, the AUMA system operates in parallel to an existing system with older actuators using a proprietary communications protocol.

Pertamina is the state-owned company responsible for crude oil and gas production and processing in Indonesia.

SNC-Lavalin Selected to Replace High Pressure in South African Coal Liquefaction

SNC-Lavalin awarded a 40 bar high pressure steam isolation valve replacement project for Group Technology, a division of Sasol South Africa (Pty) Ltd, in Secunda, according Creamer Media’s Engineering News July 25, 2018.

This project commenced in May 2018 and will continue until November 2018. The scope of work for this project involves replacement of high pressure, big bore valves and piping on the Sasol Secunda 40 bar steam system.

Group Technology manages Sasol's research and development, technology innovation and management, engineering services and capital project management portfolios. They contribute towards Sasol's global chemicals and energy business to maintain growth and sustainability through appropriate technological solutions and services.

Samson Ringo Supplying Valves for Belarus Refinery

Samson Ringo has completed the supply of a contract for the Heavy residue hydrocracking complex of Mozyr Refinery (Belarus)

This contract included the design, manufacturing and supply of 24 pneumatic cage guided globe control high pressure valves in following sizes and ratings:

· Rating 900#: 6”

· Rating 1500#: 2” and 6”

· Rating 2500#: 2”, 3”, 6” and 8”

· Body materials: A-105, A216 WCC, A182 F347H, with flanged and HUB ends.

This was a very challenging contract due to the severe service of most of the valves:

· High pressure drops

· High temperature service, up to 432ºC

· Flashing services

Ampo Poyam To Manufacture 4,000 Valves for Thailand Refinery

Samsung Engineering hired Ampo Poyam Valves for the design and manufacture of more than 4,000 gate and globe valves for PTT global chemical, olefins reconfiguration project in Thailand.

This plant, awarded from the state-owned PTT Global Chemical company to Samsung Engineering in the end of year 2017, will be located in Map Ta Phut in Thailand’s Rayong province. The investment amount will rise up to $820 million and the facilities are expected to be in operation in the beginning of 2021 and will produce 500,000 tons per annum of ethylene through the major naphtha cracker unit and produce 250,000 tons per annum of propylene.

These 4,000 gate and globe valves’ sizes will range from 2” to 42” and the pressure range will vary from 150 lbs to 2500 lbs. They will be used in general service, cryogenic service and some of them will have a pressure seal bonnet design.

Many of the valves have a high fugitive emission requisition, as class A and class B.

Valves will be delivered during the year 2019.

Micromazza Builds Valves for Brazilian Subs

The Subsea Development Program (PROSUB) foresees the construction of 4 S-BR conventional submarines whose project was developed by the French state-owned company DCNS, now called Naval Group, and built under the supervision of the Navy of Brazil. After the conventional submarines, the Navy will build the first Submarine with Nuclear Propulsion (SN-BR).

Micromazza has entered into this technological challenge by providing the most complex valves for conventional submarines and working hard to provide the critical and non-critical valves for the nuclear-powered submarine design that will be managed by the Navy and not by the Naval Group. This experience has been challenging for Micromazza not only because of the complexity of the project, but also because of the assigned military secrecy.

New Products

Emerson Develops New Flood-Proof Submersible Electric Actuator

Emerson launched its EIM™ Aquanaught, a waterproof submersible electric actuator, designed to meet critical isolation demands on wastewater treatment plants during high water conditions. The actuator can be submerged and still operate under 150 feet of dirty water for seven days, which is three times deeper and 40 percent longer than competing submersible technologies.

The Aquanaught features a robust mechanical design with a waterproof enclosure and hermetically sealed connections that ensure uninterrupted plant operation during flooding conditions. Ideal for gate or valve isolation applications found in wastewater, water, collection systems, hydropower, flood control and desalination plants. The design allows these facilities to remain in control of their isolation needs from a safe remote location even if the actuator becomes submerged for extended periods of time. Waterproof sensors provide an additional level of protection by enabling early diagnostic and preventive maintenance during the flooding event.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the US processes approximately 34 billion gallons of wastewater every day. During events like Hurricanes Sandy, Irma and Harvey, billions of gallons of untreated sewer overflowed into impacted communities, posing significant health and environmental risks to the affected areas. With experts predicting that flooding is expected to worsen as climate change progresses, the need for more reliable actuation technologies becomes critical for these facilities.

Watson Marlow Adds New Tank Pipeline Actuator

An important innovation has been made to ASEPCO Weirless Radial Diaphragm™ in-line-valves; a new lightweight actuator combining a plastic body with stainless steel diaphragm interface designed specifically for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical market.

The new ASEPCO AKS actuator is reliable, durable, GMP compliant and requires fewer brackets or ancillaries for installation. With a hygienic design, the new actuators have laser-etched serial numbers for full traceability, are easy to operate and maintain, and carry a market-leading three year warranty.

Tank bottom valve ASEPCO Weirless Radial Diaphragm™ valves deliver consistency, while reducing maintenance time by up to 80 percent. Their unique construction, simple Tri-Clamp assembly and Weirless Radial diaphragm design makes them completely drainable and virtually eliminates the risk of contamination.

GEA Introduces New High Pressure Homogenization Valve

The new GEA NiSoX-Valve technology introduces a complete change in high pressure homogenization technology. The NiSoX-Valve design optimizes different fluid dynamic effects employing the energy in the most efficient and effective way.

The new NiSoX-Valve geometry facilitates a better distribution of energy inside the device. The better concentration of energy towards the middle of the valve and the effect of a modulated cloud cavitation are the most important elements that promote a more effective micronization of particles, and above all a significantly enhanced uniformity of the product.

The design of the new GEA NiSoX-Valve combines mainly four factors optimizing the energy generated inside the system:

· Elongation stretching

· Continuous acceleration along the passage

· Radial impact at the center of the valve

· Cloud cavitation phenomenon

The effect of these factors on the flow is made possible only by virtue of a new mechanical configuration, the NiSoX-Valve is made up of only few active components: a deflector, a radial collider and the CCMS system (Cavitation Cloud Modulating System).

Passing through the adjustable deflector, the liquid accelerates to a high speed, whereupon the radial impact occurring in the radial collider generates a powerful cavitation effect, micronizing the particles more effectively and achieving an improvement in the physical properties of products.

The GEA NiSoX-Valve achieves excellent results especially with VHP applications in a pressure range from 700 to 1500 bar, which are particularly suitable for processing emulsions (micro and nanoemulsions) in pharma, cosmetic and chemical industries.

The GEA NiSoX-Valve delivers unprecedented results in terms of standard deviation (or polydispersity index), and high level of micronization not reachable with other devices.

The NiSoX-Valve is available for the complete GEA homogenizers range, from the laboratory unit to industrial scale.

Rays Flow Control Develops New Type of Rising Stem Ball Valve

Rising Stem Ball Valve (RSBV) is a new type of ball valve, which is mainly used to cut off, distribute, and change the flow direction of medium in the pipeline. RAYS Rising Stem Ball Valve with all-metal structure and fire proof design, can be applied to the temperature range from -196℃ to 600℃. Compared with the conventional ball valve, the RSBV’s ball & seat movement has no friction, small opening & closing torque, and better sealing performance. It can be adapted to general working medium such as water, solvent, acids, and natural gas. However, it is also suitable for working conditions such as oxygen, hydrogen peroxide, methane and ethylene.

Rising Stem Ball Valve utilizes the cooperation of the inclined surface of the bottom surface of the valve stem and the spiral groove to realize the tilting and rotation of the ball. When the valve is opened, the ball is tilted away from the valve seat. Then, the fluid in the pipeline passes through the valve along the spherical surface evenly, which reduces the local erosion of the valve seat by the high-speed fluid. Finally, the ball rotates to full open position. When the valve is closed, the ball relies on the mechanical wedge of the stem bevel to be used on the seat to produce the required sealing pressure to ensure reliable sealing performance. The sealing specific pressure is adjusted according to the changes of fluid erosion wear, corrosion degree and working pressure, which prolong the service life of the valve.

SPX Flow Announces New Mixproof Hygienic Valves

SPX Flow, Inc (FLOW) announced the launch of a new range of mixproof hygienic valves. The next generation D4 Series mixproof valves are used for the reliable separation of dissimilar products. Also, the D4 Series meets customers' demands for production flexibility, maximized productivity, and reduced product and personnel risk across the food and beverage, dairy, personal care, and brewing process industries.

All D4 Series valves are fully balanced for dependable operation during pressure spikes and flow in any direction. It also includes an advanced control unit with integrated seat lift detection and no external sensors. In addition, the valves do not require compressed air or lifting tools for removal and maintenance. The downward-opening design facilitates easy handling and reduces excess weight, resulting in valves that weigh approximately 40 per cent less than similar valves. The D4 Series further optimizes inventory investment because the same seal kit can be used across multiple valve sizes.

The D4 Series includes the price-competitive D4 model, which provides reliable product separation and either seat lift (SL) or non-seat lift (NSL) cleanability. For critical applications, the DA4 ultra-hygienic model enables enhanced cleanability of all product contact surfaces. The DA4 is a great replacement for those applications that employ the current generation DA3+ housing.

New Valve Developments

Zahroof Valves Obtains Patent for Its Reed Valve

Zahroof Valves, Inc. (ZVI) announced that the company's Reed Valve Module and Valve Assembly have been granted U.S. Patent No. 9,989,161, marking a major milestone for the company. The latest patent adds to an impressive portfolio of intellectual property of products that are changing the way oil and gas companies operate. Altogether, ZVI now has 43 patents granted and several pending on nine different technologies in thirty-one different countries.

The StraightFlo Valve is a drop in replacement for conventional reciprocating compressor valves. Since the release of its modular reed valve technology encapsulated in their flagship StraightFlo™ Valve, thirty-two related patents have been granted around the world in countries as diverse as Australia, Great Britain, China, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, and Turkey. Additional patents on the technology are pending in Canada, South America, and Southeast Asia.

The StraightFlo™ Valve is a reed check valve that is unique in that the valve assembly is made up of replaceable reed valve modules that are designed so that the gas flows essentially in a straight line through a valve, with very little deviation resulting in very low losses in the valve.

All the wear components are in the module. Therefore, servicing a valve consists of simply replacing a bad module within the valve with a new one. The technology eliminates the need to machine any parts during service. Replacement of a module within a valve is done by hand and does not require special tools.

The modules are interchangeable and there is only a limited number of modules required to service all reciprocating compressor applications, thereby reducing valve inventory at a site by as much as 80 percent.

SRI Energy Completes Testing of Subsea Gate Valve

SRI Energy Inc announced the successful endurance testing of its SUPRAM®DX Subsea gate valve. SRI Energy’s subsea choke and kill valve was subjected to a test regimen designed by Diamond Offshore for use on their deepwater drillships currently working in the Gulf of Mexico. The endurance testing included 7500 cycles slurry testing with leak tests at every 500 cycles in addition to the following parameters:

Actual Dual block valve from Rig’s inventory was used. (Valve spec: 3 1/16”-15K Dual Block: EE-NL, PSL3, PR2, P+X, ABS & DNV Certified)

· Testing performed at Southwest Research Institute (SWRI)

· Halliburton drilling mud plus abrasive solids per class I sand slurry testing

· 7500 cycles passed with no failure (estimated life time: 7.5yrs)

· Supram® Actuator + spring subjected to 7500 cycles with no pressure assist

· Valve greased every 500 cycles, using only 24 lbs. of grease for the entire 7500 cycles

· Low and high-pressure testing (300PSI & 15,000PSI)

· Additional testing with complete valve teardown

McIlvaine Company

Northfield, IL 60093-2743

Tel: 847-784-0012; Fax: 847-784-0061

E-mail: editor@mcilvainecompany.com

Web site: www.mcilvainecompany.com