Vortex is considered the world leader in valves for handling dry bulk solids. It all began in 1980 when the company was awarded a patent on the Orifice Gate Valve. This new and innovative valve design surpassed the industry’s expectations for handling dry materials in pneumatic conveying. Soon, following the orifice gate came launch of the Wye Line Diverter Valve. This diverter valve applied the same design concepts of the orifice gate dramatically improving process efficiencies when compared to traditional flapper or tunnel style diverters.
For over 35 years, Vortex has provided material handling solutions to a global network of Original Equipment Manufacturers, Fortune 500 companies, and process engineering firms. Throughout the world, over 10,000 companies such as PolyOne, Dow Chemical, Nestle, and Morton Salt have utilized our innovative slide gates, diverters, iris valves, and custom engineered products to improve process efficiency.
Because the characteristics of dry bulk materials are endless, there is no such thing as an off-the-shelf solution. By listening to our customer’s needs, our engineers create the right design for the application. The result is a custom valve that will out-perform and out-last the competition. Our application engineers have 21 product lines to choose from. With size, specifications, and application specific modifications, Vortex has over 800,000,000 variations of slide gate valves, diverter valves, and iris valves to offer our customers.
Selecting the right valve is critical to the success of any dry bulk material handling system. Misapplied and design deficient valves add unexpected costs and inefficiencies in process. The characteristics of dry bulk solids are endless:
- bulk density
- flowability
- abrasiveness
- corrosiveness
- particle size
- shape
- temperature sensitivity
- stickiness
- hygroscopic traits
- degradation
- saltation
Matching the right valve to material characteristics and application parameters is essential for successful processing. Incorrect selection of valves will eventually result into higher product life-cycle costs. This includes:
- downtime
- wasted material
- inaccurate weighing
- conveying inefficiencies
- atmospheric leakage
- excessive parts
- increase safety risks
- more maintenance cycles
