75 years of splendor and Gloria
A valve celebrates its birthday
There is always a reason to celebrate: 75 years ago, Mrs. Herta Heuwer from Berlin applied for a patent for the invention of the currywurst. The existence of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, which entered into force 75 years ago, is also cause for celebration throughout Germany. It regulates the coexistence of Germans on the basis of freedom, peace and democracy.
Another birthday child, the 'Gloria' steam fine control valve, whose 75th anniversary Mankenberg is now celebrating, assumes regulating tasksm too. It was originally marketed under the unwieldy name of precision steam pressure reducing valve. It is designed for steam, gas, compressed air, water, oils and fuels.
Rising from the flames
And now let's be completely honest: Gloria is even older! We know this because the valve was already mentioned in Mankenberg's brochures from the 1930s. However, as with many other companies, things got mixed up during the turmoil of the Second World War. For Mankenberg, the end of the war was associated with a veritable upheaval: An evacuation order from the Allies forced the company to leave its headquarters in Szczecin (now Poland) immediately in 1945. They were not allowed to take the machines with them. Lübeck became the new home. Here, Mankenberg had to start again from scratch, as only a fraction of the permitted equipment, which had been loaded into railroad freight cars, arrived in Lübeck.
Reconstructed from memory
Over time, a few scattered Mankenberg employees also found their way to Lübeck. They brought their know-how and experience with them, which also benefited the Gloria. In addition to new inventions and further developments of other valves, the design of the Gloria was revised. It is therefore fair to say that Gloria is 75 years old, at least in its current form. And regardless of the date on its birth certificate: We think it still has an appealing appearance.
Weight load as a distinguishing feature
Its special feature is the weight load - rather rare for Mankenberg valves. Gloria offers maximum control accuracy and ensures that a uniform downstream pressure is maintained at constant high pressure and highly fluctuating extraction. In its first version, the valve was particularly suitable for central heating systems, as it automatically adapts to a wide range of performance requirements.
The valve works with a lever transmission so that it responds precisely to fluctuations in performance. In certain cases, a control piston is used, which ensures good pressure control, but is also sensitive to contamination from scale and expansion or distortion of the material.
The damping required for an integral control valve is achieved by a frictionless, adjustable oil brake. The water bag, which must be filled with water before commissioning, protects the diaphragm against burning.
The actuator is a ground-in control piston made of high-quality material adapted to the operating conditions. When the line is depressurized, the control piston is pressed down by the load weight and the valve is open. The pressure entering the pipe system lifts the control piston. The seat flowthrough is throttled. The setpoint is adjusted with the load weight. Once the required pressure is reached, a balanced state is established. The outlet pressure remains constant, regardless of changes in the flow rate and inlet pressure.
On the occasion of its new development 75 years ago, the Gloria fine pressure control valve was then further developed as a high-pressure model for oil pipelines.
And today?
Today, the Gloria is still used in industrial plants, although demand is no longer as high. Incidentally, the name Gloria also fell victim to its modernization. Today, the valve is marketed by Mankenberg under the name DM 3 or DM 4. The UV 1.6 and UV 2.6 back pressure regulator valves can also be traced back to the Gloria.
The valve is very robust and has a long operational lifetime. Plant operators regularly send it to Mankenberg for maintenance or repair. After the rejuvenation treatment, it continues to perform its service for years, for example in a large engine plant that manufactures large diesel engines for power plants and ship propulsion systems.
The Gloria is just one of many success stories at Mankenberg. You can also get to know the steam trap Niagara, for which a patent application was filed back in 1904:
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