The STVM® Steam and Water Mixing Valve Washdown Station is designed to provide a high-temperature washdown in food processing, dairy, breweries, wineries, chemical, petrochemical, and pharmaceutical facilities.

Conventional washdown stations have multiple moving parts that generate loud and disruptive noise and have complicated maintenance procedures that slow down production.

ThermOmegaTech’s® STVM® Washdown Station remedies these pain points with 5 remarkable design features that reduce downtime, simplify maintenance, and keep operators safe.

STVM® WASHDOWN STATION TOP FEATURES

1. Silent Type Venturi Steam Water Mixing Valve Technology (STVM®)

Incorporating our unique Venturi mixing technology, the STVM® Washdown Station delivers flow at a user-defined temperature quietly and on-demand.

HOW IT WORKS

1. 1. Cold water enters the mixing valve upper chamber
   2. Steam enters the lower mixing valve chamber
   3. The two vortices collide & mix through the Venturi diffuser
   4. Heated water is delivered with minimal noise and vibration

2. In-line Serviceable

To simplify maintenance and minimize downtime, the STVM® Washdown Station is in-line serviceable, with a cartridge design that is quick and easy to replace and doesn’t require any special tools.

Streamline Maintenance: Simply remove the STVM® cartridge with a wrench at the point of the installation and either replace it with a spare or clean the original using a descaling solution.

3. Interlocking Handles

To keep workers safe around steam, the STVM® Washdown Station features interlocking handles to decrease the likelihood of steam-only operation while still allowing for cold water only operation.

4. Automatic Over-Temp Shut-Off

To prevent over-temperature operation, the STVM® Washdown Station is designed to reduce the flow of steam should the output temperature exceed the unit’s factory set-point (150°F/185°F) and will completely shut off 15°F above that. The valve will restore steam flow once the temperature falls below the shut-off temperature.

The station will also stop flow should cold water supply be interrupted to prevent steam-only operation.

We often talk about winter and the detrimental effects it can have on your locomotives and passenger cars if left unprotected against the season’s unrelenting wrath. ThermOmegaTech urges railroad operators to protect their rolling stock with the GURU freeze protection valve. However, there are many other freeze protection factors to consider during your winter prep.

Here are some pro tips on making it through winter while avoiding frozen equipment, malfunctioning cars, and interrupted schedules and delays.

1. Monitor Weather

Cold water can descend suddenly and unexpectedly, which is why it is often advantageous to include weather forecasting in your winter operations. According to a Railway Age article, the industry suffers from hundreds of millions of dollars due to weather-related damages each year, many of which occur throughout December – March due to snow and ice.

Railroad operators should consider implementing a weather intelligence platform that provides weather data and insights across various locations to be prepared for unexpected weather extremes.

2. Winterize Your Railroad Tracks

Just like frozen roads can be a hazard to cars, busses, and trucks, railroad tracks can have the same dangerous effect on rail cars. Implementing a snow and ice removal system is crucial for safe and on-time rail service throughout the winter season. Here are the basics for implementing a system:

• Inspect your grounds early on – clean switches, derails, frogs, and flangeways
• Clear switch handles of any debris or potential snow build-up
• Clear drains and gutters from any blockage
• Ensure railroad ties are visible
• Keep a minimum depth of 1.5-inch clearance under flangeways

Many different methods can be implemented to keep your tracks winterized throughout the season, including switch heaters, hot air blowers, and glycerin-based anti-freeze. Keeping your tracks free of snow and ice will ensure timely switches and safe operation.

3. Implement Freeze Protection Valves on Your Locomotives and Passenger Trains

ThermOmegaTech recommends preventing fleet freeze-ups with the thermostatic GURU freeze protection valve.

Self-operating and compact, the GURU valve for locomotives and the GURU PC valve for passenger cars are designed to continuously monitor water or air temperatures to automatically drain cold water before it can freeze and cause damage.

100% mechanically operated, these valves require no source of electricity to operate and are trusted by all the Class 1’s in North American and other major railroad operators to protect their equipment each winter season.

Implementing ThermOmegaTech’s reliable thermostatic freeze protection valve technology into your annual winter prep procedures will ensure your equipment is protected from freeze damage, lengthy repairs, and interrupted schedules all winter long.

4. Have a Plan: Act Fast 

Winter can be a challenging time for railroad operators; however, with a well-structured, comprehensive winterization plan, you can have a stress-free season knowing your equipment is protected from freezing.

Dana Logue, Rail Division Product Manager at ThermOmegaTech, suggests starting winter prep early before cold winds start blowing, as temperatures often dip sooner than people anticipate, leaving their equipment unprotected and open to freeze damage. Having a plan already in place while it’s still beach weather will mitigate the winter risks often seen in the railroad industry.

Federal regulations require that any facility where workers may be exposed to hazardous or corrosive materials must have immediate access to a tepid water emergency drench or flushing system to protect the eyes and body in the event of accidental exposure.

As a guide, the ANSI Z358.1-2014 standard establishes a universal minimum performance and use requirements for all Eyewash and Drench Shower equipment.

SIMPLIFY TEPID WATER COMPLIANCE

ThermOmegaTech®’s Emergency Safety Shower (ESS) Water Heater is a factory-packaged tepid water delivery system specifically designed to comply with OSHA and ANSI standards.

This heavy-duty water heater is constructed of a carbon steel tank with an internal 1/2″ thick Hydrastone cement lining. It is fully insulated with 3″ thick polyurethane foam to minimize standby heat loss.

HOW IT WORKS

Factory-packaged with ThermOmegaTech’s Therm-O-Mix®/WWM mixing valve, the ESS combines cold and tank-heated hot water to deliver a constant 85°F tepid water outlet temperature at the point of use.

When an emergency safety shower/drench system is activated:

Hot water from the water heater enters one port of the WWM mixing valve, as cold water from the facility supply enters the other. The water is mixed proportionately to achieve an OSHA-compliant 85°F supply to the station.

The ESS system will deliver tepid water for the recommended 15-20 minutes at 23 GPM for safety showers and 3 GPM for a face/eyewash station, even if the power goes out.

Designed to ensure employee safety, the unit incorporates a thermostatic over-temp shutoff that will prohibit overheated water from being released through the fixture and potentially scalding the user.

The below case study features the EcoFlow thermostatic double mechanical seal support valve, a major U.S. sugar producer, and a substantial amount of savings.

Install Location Profile

A major U.S. sugar producer had several hundred pumps throughout their plant. Their pumps were either using packing, which required constant maintenance or using mechanical seals, which required a water supply to cool and flush it.

In the latter instance, the water is usually either returned to a seal water tank or dumped to drain. Any water that ends up on the floor or in a drain finds its way back to process and must be evaporated (large cost) or sent to wastewater (even larger cost). Both setups resulted in unnecessary costly water usage.

Prior to the adoption of ThermOmegaTech’s EcoFlow Mechanical Seal Support Valve, the plant faced several challenges:

1. The plant could not use mechanical seals on their pumps due to the large water demand and up-front expense of a closed recirculation system.
2. Packing was used in all pumps instead of double mechanical seals, which required leakage and constant maintenance.
3. Expensive seals were damaged every year due to accidental dry running.

How The EcoFlow Helped

EcoFlow valves were placed on the seal water outlet of their pumps’ double mechanical seals to control the seal water temperature. The EcoFlow valve senses the seal water temperature and will modulate open to discharge the water if the temperature is too high, then modulate closed again once the flow cools to below the valves’ set-point.

More than 20 EcoFlow valves were initially installed at the plant. With great success and zero valve failures after two years, the plant is now planning to double its usage to a total of over 40 valves by the end of summer 2017.

Since installing EcoFlow thermostatic control valves, the plant has reduced dry running damages from four seals annually to zero. The implementation of EcoFlow valves has also reduced maintenance expenses, and provided an opportunity to use double mechanical seals in a situation which otherwise would not have been possible:

“EcoFlow allowed us to install double mechanical seals in places that we couldn’t have done so without an expensive closed loop seal water system. Now we run water to the seal and let the small amount of water the valve lets pass go to drain. We do not spec pumps with anything other than mechanical seal any longer. 100% of our replacements are now either a single or double seal, and each double gets the EcoFlow.”

Results

By installing EcoFlow valves the plant was able to drastically decrease maintenance costs and reduce the amount of water that was sent to the drain.

“The seal manufacturer recommends 2.6 Gallons Per Minute to keep the seal below 180°F,  though the 135°F,  EcoFlow is putting out about 3 Gallons Per Hour.”

Assuming the seals operate 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, this equates to 2,080 hours of operation annually.

Over 95% of North American railroad operators rely on the GURU plug to protect their locomotives from freezing every winter. The tried-and-true GURU Plug monitors engine coolant water and will automatically drain the system should the water temperature  drop to 35°F or 40°F, depending on the valve’s set-point. This prevents the system from freezing and causing serious damage.

After the GURU Plug has “popped” and drained the system, the water storage tank must be refilled before the locomotive can be returned to service.  To shorten refill time and get your locomotives back up and running faster, ThermOmegaTech offers cold water refill accessories!

Cold Water Refill Tools

The magnetic GURU flag with flashing light can be mounted to the side of the locomotive to serve as a visual reminder to remove the clip/key after refill.

By using one of these tools you prevent personnel from using a penny, washer or zip tie to keep the GURU Plug from “popping” and then forgetting to remove it before returning the locomotive to service thus rendering the valve ineffective in preventing freeze damage.