Eco-friendly: the repair of a valve
The conscious handling of resources is an important step towards sustainability. This also applies to components in industrial plants. Self-acting control valves from Mankenberg score highly in terms of durability and often have a service life of 25 years. The high-quality and corrosion-resistant materials such as stainless steel or titanium also play a part. Some plant operators even report service lives of up to 40 years for their Mankenberg valves. To promote the longevity of these valves, regular maintenance and - if necessary - a cost-effective repair or general overhaul should be planned.
Sustainable production: the material
Eco-friendly alternatives have been discussed for years. But what alternatives are there to a deep-drawn stainless steel valve?
The choice of material leaves little room for discussion. It depends on the area of application of the valve, the ambient conditions, the type of fluid and the layout of the system. However, if valves are manufactured from deep-drawn sheet metal, this results in significantly lower material consumption compared to cast or solid material. In addition, this type of production generates very little CO2.
With regular maintenance and, if necessary, a cost-effective repair or general overhaul, these valves prove to be impressive as long-lasting system components.
Repairing instead of throwing away
The operators of a waterworks in the German federal state of Saarland were also convinced of this. Two diaphragm-controlled back pressure regulators UV 4.7 are installed in the plant and are used as drain valves for the sedimentation tank. As underwater valves, they operate in a highly corrosive atmosphere and had to be inspected prior to repair with regard to the cost-effectiveness of the planned repair work.
The valves were very dirty and heavily rusted, the guide surfaces on the piston, the piston guide and the stem were scratched. In addition, the body sealing surfaces to the spring cover were pitted. However, the calculated costs for the repair remained manageable and the operator agreed to the quoted repair.
Manageable repair costs
Many valve components could be reused with little effort. They were cleaned or sandblasted and the body sealing surfaces and valve seat were polished. Wearing parts such as seals and diaphragms, which are available as a maintenance kit from Mankenberg, were replaced.
Once the cleaned components and replacement parts had been fitted, the two back pressure regulators UV 4.7 were subjected to a leak and function test. The marking was then updated and the valves returned to their home in Saarland.
Cost-effective rejuvenation
After repair, you can no longer visualize the valves‘ ten-year service life under water. They are practically as good as new and can now do their job for another ten years without any problems. The waterworks operator only invested a seventh of the original purchase price when he arranged for the resource-saving repair of his valves. The replaced components are fed into the recycling cycle thanks to the single-origin production - a small but important contribution to greater sustainability.
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