{"id":1468,"date":"2016-12-28T04:37:28","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T04:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wireless-telemetry.com\/blog\/?p=1468"},"modified":"2016-12-28T04:37:28","modified_gmt":"2016-12-28T04:37:28","slug":"tank-level-altitude-control-water-hammer-prevention-with-a-motorized-butterfly-valve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wireless-telemetry.com\/blog\/?p=1468","title":{"rendered":"Tank Level Altitude Control & Water Hammer Prevention with a Speed-Controlled Butterfly Valve"},"content":{"rendered":"

Altitude Valve Automation at Potable Water Districts<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Valve Automation serves a vital role\u00a0in\u00a0Potable Water Telemetry Control System Integration. \u00a0Valves are used in a variety of applications, which broadly include OPEN\/CLOSE applications for ON\/OFF flow control, as well as MODULATING applications for variable pressure and flow control. \u00a0This article will address an interesting ALTITUDE CONTROL<\/strong> problem that we recently solved through Valve Automation.

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Jim Mimlitz, NRI<\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

One of our newest clients has a distribution infrastructure that is centered around an Elevated Tank that is fed by a remote Booster Pump Station approximately 5 miles away. \u00a0In addition to the active pump flows, gravity-based flows provide a strong bias toward keeping the level in the Elevated Tank topped off. \u00a0This gravity-flow bias has caused the tank to overflow on occasion; and it also inhibits fresh water turnover.<\/p>\n

In order to solve both problems, the client commissioned NRI to provide a motorized butterfly valve and integration into the system’s Telemetry Controls. \u00a0The selected butterfly valve was a\u00a06″ Pratt HP 250II. \u00a0Once in-hand, the butterfly valve was mated to a Quarter-Turn Electric Valve Actuator (Limitorque Model QX-2, Single-Phase, 120VAC, Two-Speed Timer Option) by our Valve Automation Partner Mead O’Brien<\/a><\/strong> (St. Louis, MO). \u00a0Then, the complete Valve\/Actuator assembly was field-installed by the customer; and telemetry integration was completed by Navionics Research<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Elevated Tank Influent Water Main Before Altitude Valve Installation.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Pratt HP 250II 6″ Butterfly Valve with Hand Operator.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Pratt HP 250II 6″ Butterfly Valve. Hand Operator and Packing Removal.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Pratt HP 250II 6″ Butterfly Valve with Hand Operator Removed, Stem Exposed. Ready to be Mated with Limitorque QX Actuator.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Pratt HP 250II 6″ Butterfly Valve with Integrated Limitorque QX Actuator. Ready for Freight Shipment to Customer.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Elevated Tank Influent Water Main After Altitude Valve Installation: Check Valve (existing), Butterfly Valve & Actuator (new), Reducer (existing), Spool Piece (new), Sensus Turbo Meter (existing).<\/p><\/div>\n

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Limitorque QX Actuator with Two-Speed Timer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Limitorque QX is an electric-powered, quarter-turn valve actuator. \u00a0The QX features microprocessor-based controls and is Limitorque’s successor to the popular LY actuator.<\/p>\n

An optional QX feature, which we recommend for non-modulating, altitude valve applications is a TWO-SPEED TIMER<\/strong>. \u00a0The TWO-SPEED TIMER provides a mechanism for pronounced slowdown of the opening and\/or closing operations of the valve, which effectively eliminates water hammer and thus reduces the likelihood of water main breaks. \u00a0Under normal settings, the QX Actuator time-to-close and time-to-open is approximately 30 seconds. \u00a0On this project, the TWO-SPEED TIMER was programmed to hold the actuator motor OFF for 18 seconds for every 1 second of motor ON time, which results in a time-to-close and time-to-open of approximately 7 minutes. \u00a0For optimal efficiency, the timer was activated only within the linear flow versus position range (0%-50% open).<\/p>\n

The following video illustrates the the valve actuating from fully-open to fully closed:<\/p>\n