Valve Solutions for Metallurgy & Mining

Metallurgy and mining duty is defined by wear resistance, large diameters and high-pressure water: mineral slurry, tailings, ash and alumina carry abrasive solids at Class 150–900; rolling mill descaling water reaches 20–30 MPa; blast furnace hot blast and dedusting systems run hot, and converter gas is flammable and explosive.

Typical applications include blast furnace hot blast and dedusting, continuous casting mould cooling water, converter gas systems, rolling mill high-pressure descaling, non-ferrous smelting cells and alumina/flash furnaces, and mine slurry transport, flotation and tailings systems.

1. Operating Conditions: Metallurgy and mining valves face continuous abrasion and erosion from solids-laden media, compounded by high-pressure water and high temperature. Mineral slurry, tailings and ash have hard particles at high velocity and wear flow passages severely; rolling mill descaling runs at high pressure (20–30 MPa) with frequent cycling; blast furnace hot blast, dedusting and converter gas systems combine high temperature with flammability risk. Solids deposition and scaling also cause seizure, blockage and seat damage.

2. Recommended Valve Types: Slurry transport, flotation and tailings systems use knife gate valves, wear-resistant slurry valves and heavy-duty plug valves; rolling mill descaling uses high-pressure descaling valves/angle valves and high-pressure ball valves; blast furnace hot blast, dedusting and continuous casting cooling water use large-diameter butterfly valves and wear-resistant gate valves; converter gas systems use wear-resistant gate valves; non-ferrous smelting uses corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant valves.

3. Selection Points: Solids-laden media favour cavity-free designs (knife gate or plug valves) to avoid deposition and blockage; trim is selected by wear severity between tungsten carbide spraying and Stellite overlay; descaling valves require checks of cycling frequency, differential pressure and seat hardness; large butterfly valves require torque and actuator verification; flush or purge connections should be provided where necessary.

4. Materials and Trim: Bodies are commonly ductile iron, WCB, CF8M and Cr-Mo alloy steel; trim uses tungsten carbide (HVOF spraying) or Stellite 6 overlay; slurry locations can use rubber or ceramic lining to improve wear resistance; thick walls and streamlined passages reduce erosion.

5. Standards and Certification: Design follows API 609, MSS SP-81 (knife gate valves), ASME B16.34 and ISO 5208; export requires CE/PED 2014/68/EU.

6. Delivery and Documentation: 3.1 material certificates, pressure test reports and wear-part life data are provided; spare parts (HS 8481.90) can be supplied separately with on-site replacement guidance.

• Wear-resistant wetted parts: tungsten carbide (HVOF) or Stellite 6 overlay significantly extend life in solids-laden duty
• Anti-clog design: knife gate and heavy-duty plug valves with cavity-free construction avoid slurry deposition and blockage
• High-pressure descaling: descaling valves/angle valves rated for 20–30 MPa water and frequent cycling erosion
• Large-diameter transfer: large butterfly valves for cooling water and dedusting, balancing resistance and torque control
• Spare parts support: wear parts supplied separately (HS 8481.90) to cut downtime and maintenance cost