Our Latest Posts
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Globe Control Valve Alternative: When a V-Port Ball Valve Makes Sense and When a Globe Valve Still Wins
Engineers often ask us for a globe control valve alternative when a project budget is tight, or a replacement is needed fast. Globe valves have been the default for modulating control for decades. There are good reasons for that. But they are not the only option, and they are not always the best fit. V-port…
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Manual Valve Position Feedback: When a Limit Switch is Enough and When to Automate
Manual valve position feedback answers a simple question: Is a hand-operated valve actually where the process needs it to be? Not every valve in a plant needs an actuator. Many are operated a few times a month, or a few times a year. They sit within reach of an operator, and turning a handle is…
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Valve Seat and Seal Material Selection: What Engineers Need to Consider Beyond Chemical Compatibility
Valve seat material selection involves more than chemical compatibility. Chemical compatibility tells you whether a material can survive contact with the media; it does not necessarily tell you whether it will perform reliably in the actual valve application. Temperature, pressure, cycling frequency, abrasion, steam, cleaning chemicals, and other operating conditions can affect how a seat…
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How Fast Should an Automated Valve Open or Close?
Valve actuator speed is easy to overlook when specifying an automated valve. Engineers typically focus first on valve size, pressure and temperature ratings, materials, actuator torque, and fail-safe requirements. Engineers may pay less attention to how quickly the valve moves from fully open to fully closed. That can be a mistake. Faster valve operation is…
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Valve Automation for Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
Valve automation for water and wastewater infrastructure is entering its busiest stretch in decades. The EPA’s most recent needs assessments put the price tag at $625 billion for drinking water infrastructure and $630 billion for wastewater and stormwater systems, both over the next 20 years (EPA, 7th Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment; EPA,…
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Valve Limit Switches: Your Position Feedback Questions Answered
Valve position feedback tells you more than whether a valve is powered—it confirms whether it’s actually open or closed. That distinction matters for sequencing, interlocks, alarms, troubleshooting, and safer maintenance. In this blog, I answer the most common questions our customers ask about specifying it correctly. What does valve position feedback mean, and how is…
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Actuated 3-Way Ball Valve Selection: L-Port vs. T-Port for Diverting, Mixing, and Bypass Service
Choosing an L-port or T-port 3-way ball valve looks like a small configuration decision on a spec sheet. In practice, it determines whether the valve does what the process actually needs it to do. Get it wrong, and the mistake usually doesn’t surface until commissioning — after the valve is already piped, welded, flanged, or…
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Custom Valve Automation Solutions When Standard Assemblies are Not Enough
Custom valve automation doesn’t always mean starting from scratch. More often, it is about solving one critical application detail that prevents a standard actuated valve assembly from being the right solution. The valve body may be suitable, but the actuator does not provide the required fail-safe action. The valve may perform correctly, but it will…
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When Welded Valve Connections Make Sense and When They Don’t
Welded valve connections deserve careful consideration. They are easy to overlook until they create a problem. A valve may be correctly sized, properly automated, and made from the right materials. However, the wrong end connection can still lead to leakage, installation headaches, maintenance problems, or unnecessary downtime. Welded valve connections are not automatically better than…
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When Electric Valve Automation May Be Better Than Compressed Air
Electric valve automation is worth considering when compressed air is not readily available at the valve location, extending it is too expensive, it is unreliable, or more than the application requires. While compressed air is common in many industrial plants, it does not mean plant air is available everywhere it is needed. Running air lines to…
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Low Emission Gate Valves for VOC Control in Refineries and Chemical Plants
In refineries, chemical plants, and power generation facilities, low emission gate valves do more than just start and stop flow. They can also become potential leak points when handling volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. That makes valve selection an important part of a broader emissions-control strategy. The EPA identifies leaking equipment, including valves, pumps, and…
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Reducing Fugitive Emissions in Valve Systems with Smart Selection and Automation
Reducing fugitive emissions in valve systems is getting more attention for good reasons. These leaks are often invisible. They can start small. They may not trigger immediate alarms. But over time, they create real problems. Product loss. Safety concerns. More maintenance. More downtime. More regulatory pressure. According to the Global Methane Tracker 2025 report published by the…