Design Principles

Solids and slurries have completely different characteristics than liquid and gases. So don’t be surprised when traditional ball, butterfly and slide gate valves give trouble in solids processing applications.

Hover over the cards below to see the most common problems when handling solids with traditional ball, butterfly and slide gate valves and to learn about Gemco Valve’s innovative solutions.

  • Material bridging

    Material bridging on the center vane of the butterfly resulting in the use of vibrators, ramrods, sledgehammers and other instruments of destruction.

    Gemco Valve’s solution for material bridging

    Full Port Openings

    Unlike a butterfly valve the shutoff disc swings completely out of the flow of the material preventing bridging and promoting mass flow.

  • Material jamming

    Material jamming into the tracks of slide gate valves resulting in sealing surface abrasion with every cycle of the valve.

    Gemco Valve’s solution for material jamming

    Self-Cleaning Areas

    Unlike a gatevalve, the self-cleaning action tends to wipe the material away from the sealing area instead of jamming abrasives into the sealing track.

  • Material packing

    Material packing into tight cavities which can cause the seat to tear or the operation of the valve to cease.

    Gemco Valve’s solution for material packing

    No Pinch Points

    With a spherical disc or dome valve shape there are no tight cavities for materials to pack and jam-up causing the seat to tear or the operation to cease.

Gemco Valve’s P21 High Performance Valve goes even further, easily handling high-performance applications where compliance to international standards, cleanability and containment are required.

Click on the numbers below to see the top 10 features of the P21 Valve.

1. Full Port Opening Unlike a butterfly valve, the shut off disc swings completely out of the flow preventing bridging and promoting mass flow.
2. No Pinch Points No pinch points. Unlike a ball valve, there are no tight cavities to pack and jam up the operation.
3. Self-Cleaning Sealing Area Unlike a gate valve, the self-cleaning action tends to wipe the material away from the sealing area instead of jamming abrasives into the sealing track.
4. Shut-off disc Precision-machined from a solid plate.
5. Seats Available in Teflon or Stellite, both standard.
6. Body Designed, tested and fabricated to ASMS section VIII (pressure vessel) and section IX (welding procedures) from any weldable alloy with mill finish, No.4 polish or No.7 mirror finish.
7. Bolt Patterns ANSI or DIN bolt patterns available, both standard.
8. Bearings Exclusive double eccentric bearings for adjustment of seat disc clearance to achieve an ANSI class VI shut off.
9. Top Works Standard 5211 top works allow greater range of actuator choice.
10. CIP Ports Optional CIP ports for spray balls or nozzles available.
Learn more about the P21 Valve