Valve for Calcium Stearate in Metal Soap

A chemical manufacturing company use Pinch Valves from the VF range from AKO UK within some of their applications.

The company specialise in performance chemicals that solve process problems or enhance the properties of technical products in industries such as plastics, surface coatings, synthetic rubbers, and preformed concrete, using key technologies including metal soap dispersions, esters, surface active agents and defoamers.

The main application which uses Pinch Valves is the manufacture of a metal soap which contains a white waxy powder called calcium stearate.

Soaps are compounds of metals with fatty acids derived from vegetable oils or animal tallow, the most common acid used to be stearic acid, which contains mostly C16 and C18 chains in its industrial form. The main metals used are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and aluminium.

Valve for Calcium Stearate: How it Assists

Calcium stearate passes through the AKO Pinch Valve at 75°C, at a line pressure of 3 bar. The valve is normally closed using an air pressure of 5 bar. Releasing the air pressure into the atmosphere then fully opens the valve to a full and true bore, allowing the calcium stearate to pass through freely.

The valve for calcium stearate assists with this application by acting as a partial bypass leg for the product being pumped through the pipework to the filter pots.

Pinch Valve Performance

The chemical manufacturers have ben using AKO Pinch Valves for calcium stearate for over 10 years. They have many other types of valves installed across their plant, each type being more suited to its own specific application. The company told us that a Pinch Valve provides a better application than a pressure relief valve for their process.

Overall, their satisfaction with the Pinch Valve for calcium stearate is high, with the Engineering Supervisor commenting:

“The AKO Pinch Valve is a good product which works well for our process and is easy to maintain.”

Replacing Spares

The internal natural rubber sleeves, being the only wearable part to the valve are replaced as and when required which is 12 monthly. AKO UK’s fitting instructions and how-to videos are adhered to when replacing the pinch valve sleeves on this plant. The company sometimes require new valves altogether for new applications or to replace older stock.

In terms of accessories, pneumatic pressure regulators are fed into each Pinch Valve.