A large number of industrial waste products , such as slag from the steel industry , serve as the basic material for the manufacture of vanadium oxides . This is finely ground and oxidised with sodium salts to produce water-soluble compounds of sodium and vanadium . To leach these from the slag with maximum efficiency , the suspension is heated to exactly 95 ° C . In the past , variations in temperature frequently occurred in this continuously running process . Due to the constantly supplied and changing input quantities , it is difficult to precisely attain and maintain the optimal suspension temperature of 95 ° C . To solve this problem and increase efficiency , U . S . Vanadium has tested one of the first USA-made flanged sliding gate valves type 8621 by Schubert & Salzer at a central point in the process . A huge success : “ Commissioning the valve could not have been any easier . The positioner is self-adjusting . Once the supply air and electrical connections are made , simply initiate the self-adjustment . The valve ’ s sliding gate design made installation a breeze due to the fact a smaller actuator is sufficient to control the valve , thus making the overall size more compact .”, Ben Davis – Process Controls and Project Manager at U . S . Vanadium . π www . valve-world . net Valve World November 2024
U . S . Vanadium , a leading supplier , relies on sliding gate valves made by Schubert & Salzer to stabilise the process temperature during the production of vanadium compounds .
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Text and images by Schubert & Salzer Control Systems GmbH
purest vanadium oxides
Almost 200 years ago , the Swede Nils Gabriel Sefström discovered a new element . Inspired by the rich colouring of its chemical compounds , he called it “ vanadium ” after Vanadís ( Freyja ), the Scandinavian goddess of beauty . Today , the world ’ s purest vanadium compounds are manufactured on an industrial scale by U . S . Vanadium . Sliding gate valves by Schubert & Salzer help to reach and maintain the optimal process temperature . U . S . Vanadium , based in Arkansas , USA , is one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of vanadium compounds . Steel alloyed with vanadium is used in bridges , buildings and car parts , in the aerospace industry , in ships and pipelines , and in many other industries . As a result , lightweight construction is possible . It can make an important contribution to increase resource efficiency in these areas . However , U . S . Vanadium is known above all for the compounds vanadium pentoxide ( V2O5 ) and vanadium trioxide ( V2O3 ) that it manufactures . According to the company , the highest degrees of purity in the world are attained in the production of the two substances . The ultra-pure compounds are used in special applications , for example in dyes and special alloys , or as catalysers in sulphuric acid production . Meanwhile , the energy transition in particular is fuelling demand , because extremely pure vanadium oxides are the crucial basic component for the operation of vanadium redox flow batteries , which can be used to store energy on a large scale in a sustainable and resource-saving way . This is because vanadium redox flow batteries are almost infinitely scalable as energy storage devices and have a long service life of 15,000 to 20,000 charge and discharge cycles .
The pneumatic sliding gate valve Type 8621 , designed according to ASME B16.34 , API RP 553 , API 598 , ASME B31.1 and ASME B31.3 including flange connection according to ASME B16.5 , is suitable for a wide range of process applications .
The production of vanadium oxides is a high precision process
A large number of industrial waste products , such as slag from the steel industry , serve as the basic material for the manufacture of vanadium oxides . This is finely ground and oxidised with sodium salts to produce water-soluble compounds of sodium and vanadium . To leach these from the slag with maximum efficiency , the suspension is heated to exactly 95 ° C . In the past , variations in temperature frequently occurred in this continuously running process . Due to the constantly supplied and changing input quantities , it is difficult to precisely attain and maintain the optimal suspension temperature of 95 ° C . To solve this problem and increase efficiency , U . S . Vanadium has tested one of the first USA-made flanged sliding gate valves type 8621 by Schubert & Salzer at a central point in the process . A huge success : “ Commissioning the valve could not have been any easier . The positioner is self-adjusting . Once the supply air and electrical connections are made , simply initiate the self-adjustment . The valve ’ s sliding gate design made installation a breeze due to the fact a smaller actuator is sufficient to control the valve , thus making the overall size more compact .”, Ben Davis – Process Controls and Project Manager at U . S . Vanadium . π www . valve-world . net Valve World November 2024
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