How Can Wetted Materials Affect Your Application?

Rachel Desenberg — Thu, 22 Jul 2021 19:50:44 +0000

Category:

What are wetted materials, and how should they influence your valve selection? �ǳ�web's Electronic Valves Product Manager Mike Kettering explains what you need to know.

Video filmed at �ǳ�web in Cincinnati, Ohio

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Hi, I'm Mike Kettering, Product Manager for Electronic Valves at �ǳ�web. Today, we're going to talk about wetted materials. What are wetted materials, and how should they influence my valve selection? Here's my definition.

Wetted materials are any materials in the system that come in contact with the media flowing through the application. If it's a simple valve we're discussing, wetted materials include the seal material, the body material, and the spring material—or the material of any other component that comes into contact with the media. Some valves, like pinch valves, may only have one wetted material, which is the tube itself.

A common question I hear is, how can wetted materials affect my application? Every application is different. Understanding the requirements of the application is imperative in selecting the proper wetted material. Some of the common drivers for selecting materials include chemical compatibility and minimum or maximum temperature the component will see.

An example application where chemical compatibility is required would be dispensing of alcohols, reagents, or let's say acetone. Since these chemicals can be rather aggressive media, you want to make sure that the wetted materials will last the intended service life of the product. An example of the importance of wetted materials and temperature compatibility could be a mobile application where a valve is subject to -40˚ temperatures in Alaska one month, and 110˚ in Nevada the next month. An example of a special media application could be in analyzing where the media passing through the valve is going to be tested. If the valve's wetted materials offgas, they can render the test void.

So again, wetted material is the material that comes into contact with the gas or liquid that's flowing through the component. And remember, �ǳ�web offers a wide selection of materials to meet the needs of many different types of demanding applications.

Thanks for watching. Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and have a great day.

Tags:

Pinch Valve

wetted material

Can I Run Water Through an Air Valve?

Rachel Desenberg — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 17:56:29 +0000

Category:

Videos

In this quick video, Mike Kettering, �ǳ�web's Electronic Valves Product Manager, discusses running water through an air valve. Can you do it? Should you do it? And if you're going to do it, what do you need to know?

Video filmed at �ǳ�web in Cincinnati, Ohio

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Hi, I’m Mike Kettering, Product Manager for Electronic Valves at �ǳ�web. I often get asked a simple question, can I run water through an air valve? Without knowing all the customer’s details, my short answer is no. But, it really all depends on the valve’s wetted materials.

Many air valves are optimized to be used with clean, dry air. The introduction of water into these valves can corrode and/or significantly reduce the life of the valve. So, let’s examine the wetted materials in the valve.

Wetted Materials

Wetted materials are defined as any material that the media would or could come in contact with. Materials with high iron content could rust and specific o-ring material must also be compatible with water. This 15 mm valve cutaway is a good example of a valve that was designed for air, however, the wetted materials allow for use with water. There are, however, valves that are composed of corrosion resistant materials that can handle water as the media. And now it really becomes all application specific.

Water Valve Applications

If my application is controlling the flow of water as a coolant in a machine, then I am not going to be too sensitive about the quality of the water or any certifications for water use. If my application is dispensing water that a person is going to consume, I am going to be highly concerned with the quality of that water. Therefore, I would not want to use a valve which could potentially introduce contamination. I would likely resort to a valve with NSF or FDA approved wetted materials, such as a pinch valve.

Every application is different. Understanding the needs of the specific application is imperative for selecting the proper valve. And remember, �ǳ�web offers a wide selection of materials to meet the needs of a variety of demanding applications.

Thanks for watching. Don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel, and have a great day.