New EnviroValve Design Reduces Hazards Relating to Catastrophic Hydraulic Line Breaks

Testing data gathered by the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) indicates that the EnviroValve may be one of the most revolutionary valve designs of the 21st Century. In a recent peer reviewed article published by the prestigious International Journal of Fluid Power (IJFP- Vol 9, Number 2, Aug 2008), the practicality of a non-electronic valve which can be placed upstream to protect the full hydraulic system and sub-systems is far reaching. Whereas, velocity fuses or load-locking valves are placed on cylinders to protect the load from free-falling, the EnviroValve is placed upstream, after

the pump, to stop high pressure fluid from escaping into the atmosphere in the event of a catastrophic line rupture or hose break.

The EnviroValve may be the only valve available to address the issues that have existed in the fluid power industry since the very beginning. "Injuries caused by catastrophic line ruptures, hose replacement costs, equipment damage, fires, downtime, expenses related to environmental clean up and expensive oil replacement have just been a way of life," states Donald M. Loper, President of SmartFlow Technologies, LLC. "We believe that our EnviroValve can successfully reduce all of these known hazards and expenses with a minimal cost to the companies that opt to retrofit our valve," emphasizes Loper.

Although safety should be the first and foremost priority, it is difficult to tell, at this point, which group, the environmental activists or the insurance industry will have a greater influence in prompting manufacturers to incorporate the EnviroValve into new system designs. "I am confident that there is a huge market for this technology," emphasizes Loper, who believes the EnviroValve has its place in the multi-billion dollar valve industry.

In addition to the fluid power industry, the EnviroValve could potentially have applications in other industries, for example, hydro power, pneumatic, oil and natural gas. "Thus far, most of our research and development has been focused on hydraulics," states Loper. "We have received numerous inquires from potential customers who have asked us if we plan to develop our EnviroValve for other industries. Unfortunately, we just don't have the time or resources to develop the valve for other markets right now," emphasizes Loper, who states that he is open to establishing joint ventures with equipment and parts manufacturers and engineering teams for continued development of the EnviroValve for the fluid power industry and other markets. SmartFlow Technologies, LLC is continuing to further develop the applications for the EnviroValve for both fixed and variable volume fluid power equipment. More information on SmartFlow Technologies, LLC, and the EnviroValve can be found on the company's web site.