29
August 2006
Midland Bottom Outlet Plug Valves
Outperform Ball Valves For Use With Ethanol
Skokie,
IL In a study recently
completed by Midland Manufacturing, the global leader
in railroad tank car safety valves and equipment, it
was determined that its A-548-TEV Bottom Outlet Plug
Valve outperformed other types of bottom outlet valves
in rail cars for the purpose of transporting ethanol.
The test compared the performance of Midland's A-548
Bottom Outlet Plug Valve and its A-522 Bottom Outlet
Ball Valves. Both types of valves were tested with different
seal materials and at various temperatures over a specific
number of cycles to determine which valve is best suited
to handle ethanol.
As is the case with all liquid fuels, it is important
that proper fuel handling techniques be practiced to
prevent contamination or loss of product. Due to its
affinity to water, ethanol cannot be shipped via multi-product
pipeline therefore rail cars are the primary transport
choice for this growing product. Ethanol is more susceptible
to contamination than other fuel products. Some seal
materials degrade in the presence of ethanol, making
seal selection critical for performance. All valves included
in the study were cycle tested with ethanol to replicate
more than 12 years of service, between -40¬ƒF to 125¬ƒF
and at different pressures in order to determine which
valve and seal combination will not only adequately handle
ethanol, but also reduce the possibility of non-accidental
releases from the rail car during transit.
Midland's A-548-TEV Bottom Outlet Plug Valves with PFA
encapsulated O-ring seals demonstrated excellent performance
in all tests and are approved by the Association of American
Railroads (AAR) for use in the rail car transportation
of ethanol. A copy of the complete test results and white
paper can be downloaded from the Midland web site (http://www.midlandmfg.net/news.asp).
For more information on the
Bottom Outlet Plug Valves, or any other ethanol-compatible
product from Midland Manufacturing, please contact
your local representative or Kevin Cook, Vice President
of Sales & Marketing
at (847) 677-0333.
Midland specializes in products used on pressure and
general purpose rail tank cars, chemical cargo tanks
and ISO containers for the safe handling of toxic materials,
chemicals, and food products: bottom and top loading/unloading
valves, pressure relief valves, level gauge devices,
and monitoring equipment. Midland is part of The OPW
Fluid Transfer Group, that specializes in the safe handling
and transfer of hazardous liquids and dry bulk commodities
in critical applications such as gasoline, diesel, ethanol,
chlorine, chlor-alkali products, LPG, acids, cement,
flour and starch, among others. For more information
visit www.midlandmfg.net or call Diana Maras at (847)
677-0333.
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