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The Application of Bellows-Sealed Globe Valves in Food Plants – Li Shaopeng, Technical Department, Hangzhou Watt Energy Saving Engineering Co., Ltd. This article is from WWW.WATTVALVE.COM. In general food processing processes, there is a high demand for steam. Production processes such as ingredient preparation, cleaning, shaping, drying, concentration, sterilization, and packaging, as well as various heat exchangers, all require steam. Therefore, there are numerous steam distribution cylinders in the process of transporting steam from the boiler room to the production equipment. The performance of the stop valves on these distribution cylinders plays a very important role in ensuring efficient steam delivery and energy savings. In many cases, food manufacturers choose globe valves with packing for this purpose; such valves have poor sealing properties, are not easy to operate, and have a short service life. It is often necessary to maintain stop valves, especially those on the steam distribution cylinders that are used frequently. Steam leakage starts occurring again shortly after the packing has been replaced, which not only affects the working environment in the workshop but also results in a significant waste of steam. file:///C:/Users/lhy/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.gif For the transportation, distribution, and use of steam, the best choice is a bellows-sealed globe valve. A large number of food processing companies are gradually replacing the plug valves used on steam pipes, especially on steam distribution cylinders, with DBF bellows-sealed plug valves. DBF bellows-sealed globe valves have a service life of over 5 years; they operate very smoothly, and more importantly, have never experienced any steam leakage issues, nor is it necessary to frequently maintain or replace the packing. Therefore, in the long run, using high-quality steam valves is very cost-effective, because: 1. Zero-leakage operation prevents the waste associated with leaks, which is often overlooked. 2. Maintenance-free: Replacing the packing requires not only a significant investment of labor costs but also consumes a large amount of packing material. 3. It operates stably without any issues with shutdowns. The stop valves that require replacement for filling purposes start leaking steam again shortly after maintenance; if the production line is operating continuously, then it is necessary to wait until the line is shut down in order to address this problem. Moreover, severe leaks can also lead to the shutdown of production lines, with losses that are difficult to estimate. file:///C:/Users/lhy/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image004.jpg In some important applications where steam is used, such as in front of and behind temperature control valves, pressure reduction valves, and at the inlets of steam-using equipment, it is very useful to use bellows-sealed globe valves. It is not only easy to operate, with no issue of poor sealing, but also eliminates internal leakage ； The key is that the valve stem section is sealed with a high-titanium stainless steel bellows, completely eliminating the possibility of external leakage. Practice has shown that one advantage of the bellows-sealed globe valves produced by Hangzhou Watt Energy Saving Engineering Co., Ltd. is that they require no maintenance at all, **which reduces the need for maintenance in steam systems, saves costs, and minimizes unplanned downtime in food processing plants. file:///C:/Users/lhy/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image006.gif