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Reducing Fire Risk with Valve Automation

Product News Tuesday, December 18, 2012: BI-TORQ® Valve Automation

Reducing the risk of a fire is always paramount in protecting a facility, but if one does happen, BI-TORQ Valve Automation offers fire safe fusible link assemblies (thermal shut-off valves) to help keep media contained. When used on the inlet or discharge piping of tanks, fusible link assemblies are an important asset to keep any flammable, combustible, or toxic liquids or gasses from leaking or fueling a fire. Our fusible link assemblies are FM approved and mounted to API 607 fire safe valves for maximum effectiveness.

The design and operation of an assembly is straight forward. Each assembly consists of four basic components a fusible link, spring pack, mounting assembly, and API 607 fire safe valve. The fusible links are made for indoor or outdoor applications with a standard features such as a weatherproof spring pack and stainless steel arming assembly. As the name indicates, the assembly is built around the stainless steel soldered links. The links, once armed, are held under tension and keep the spring pack in place. When the fusible link’s designed temperature failure point is met by the heat of a fire, the link halves separate causing the spring pack to unwind and close the valve.

One of the unique features of our design is that the valve can also be used as a manual valve so there is no need for an additional isolation valve. The smaller LT and MT series assemblies with ball valves can simply be used like lever operated valves, the larger series and ones with butterfly valves do require the units to be disarmed before manual operation. The fusible link assemblies can also be offered as fail open units to flood an area with a water or chemical or to vent a tank to atmosphere. BI-TORQ also offers options such as proximity switches for position feedback, specialized hardware for vibration or shock resistance, or electro-thermal links for remote firing.

BI-TORQ Valve Automation offers the product in two ways. The first is a full BI-TORQ package which includes the fire safe ball valve. Valves are available in both carbon and stainless body materials with 316 stainless ball and stem. Sizes range from 1/2” through 2” with threaded or socket weld end connections to 1/2” through 4” with ANSI 150# flanges. The second way the product is offered is the assemblies can also be mounted on your API 607 application specific valve. Our design engineers will customize the mounting kit to fit just about any fire safe valve. To ensure proper fit and function our technicians will mount and test the whole assembly at our facility. In circumstances where the valve is already installed we can quote field installation.

Contact our technical sales team to specify a fusible link package for your system or application at 630-208-9343 or you can email us at sales@bitorq.com. Check out our YouTube product video at http://tinyurl.com/BITORQ.