Custom-Engineered Spherical Disc Valves

NASA, Gemco Valve Tested for Moon Duty
A specially designed spherical disc valve manufactured by Gemco Valve Company is being tested as part of a system that will extract oxygen from volcanic ash rich in minerals. The recovered oxygen will be used by the lunar space station that NASA plans to construct as part of extended habitation on the moon.

The Gemco Valve is designed to handle lunar ash, which consists of abrasive solid particles from a few microns to less than one micron in diameter. Rich in metal oxides, it releases gaseous oxygen when heated to extremely high temperatures. The tests involve use of a simulant, an abrasive powder specially formulated to simulate the composition of Lunar Regolith. During the test, the powder is repeatedly cycled through the valve, which opens and closes continuously to make sure it does not clog or jam. Preliminary tests to date have been very successful.

GEMCO Spherical Disc Valve Configurations for Inlet, Outlet, and Inline Applications

GEMCO spherical disc valves can be configured as inlet, outlet, or inline valves, with connection and mounting options designed to meet specific equipment and process requirements.

There are a variety of options to fit your connection requirements. Mounting options include, but are not limited to ASME Class 150, ISO/DIN PN10, Tri-Clamp, and Engineered Flush Mount. Flush valves allow for minimizing or eliminating “dead space”. The Sani K Valve can be completely disassembled with simple hand tools, allowing quick and easy inspection and cleaning.

GEMCO Valves are used for charging/discharging or inline and have some unique advantages for handling difficult slurry and dry materials applications. To learn more, see our “See our slurry valve specification guide” or “See our guide to choosing the right valve for dry materials.”

Learn How to Specify a GEMCO Valve:

Know Your Specific Application

Knowing your valve function, the materials processed, operating pressure, temperature, specific requirements, size, and flow will help ensure you specify the correct spherical valve for your application.

• What industry will this valve be used in? Agricultural & Farming, Energy, Food & Beverage, General Chemical, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical, or Plastics.
• What typical materials (media) are being processed? Is the material abrasive, corrosive, light, or heavy? Are there sanitary requirements?
• What are the weight considerations? The weight of a valve is especially important for mobile or rotating equipment. High-performance and heavy-duty models can weigh four times as much as their regular-duty counterparts. Dust-tight, full-vacuum, and 1 bar service are considered regular-duty service. 90 PSI (6 bar) to 150 PSI (10 bar) is high performance. An 8-inch manually operated regular duty valve can weigh 55 lbs. (25Kg), versus nearly 200 lbs. (90Kg) for an 8″ high performance model.
• What is the valve function? Inlet valve, outlet valve, or pipe inline valve?
• What is the operating pressure range? 
• What is the operating temperature range? High temperature requirement?
• What are the port inlet and outlet sizes? 

Determining the Valve Size

Size is dictated by the product flow characteristics and required flow rate. Powder bulk solids have a wide range of characteristics that affect their flow. There are no well-defined formulas for determining the best spherical valve size. Contact us with your mass flow requirement for your specific media. We have extensive experience with a wide range of materials and processes. If we have no empirical data available, a lab test can be helpful as a guide.