Sherwood Valve takes pride of place as one of the leaders in the industrial gas valves market. But this market is a diverse one, with many different types of gas and many different applications to consider. One of the key applications in the modern age is in the alternative fuel market.
The Sherwood Valve brand has a long history of providing top-quality components for a range of different applications, from specialized gases in the healthcare system to life support oxygen valves for emergency responders. In recent decades, Sherwood Valve has targeted the alternative fuel market, expanding the capabilities of industries across the country and beyond with their products.
Areas of Focus for Sherwood Valve
An alternative fuel is really just that — an alternative to the traditional forms of fuel that are more commonly used in transport and other applications. As gas prices rise and concerns grow about the finite supplies and environmentally damaging nature of crude oil, businesses and consumers are looking for other sources of energy to power vehicles. At the same time, organizations are looking for new and more efficient ways to provide heating for residential and commercial properties and in industrial applications.
While there is a broad variety of alternative fuel sources out there in the market, Sherwood Valve focuses on two main areas: CNG and propylene.
CNG
CNG stands for compressed natural gas and is a common alternative fuel for the transportation and automotive markets. This is standard natural gas that has been pressurized to reduce its volume by a significant order of magnitude — CNG takes up around 1% of the volume that natural gas would at regular atmospheric pressure. Typically, this translates to a pressure of as much as 3,600 pounds per square inch.
Alternative fuel advocates believe CNG to be a highly viable alternative to gasoline in powering vehicles. In testing, CNG-powered vehicles achieve similar levels of fuel efficiency when compared with more traditional gas-powered cars, with 5.66 pounds of CNG providing the equivalent power of one gallon of gasoline.
Propylene
Propylene is a gas formed from carbon and hydrogen, with the formula C3H6. It is chemically similar to the more commonly used propane gas (C3H8) but features double bonds that result in two fewer hydrogen atoms within the molecule. In its natural state, propylene has a strong aroma that most will find unpleasant, although the gas is non-toxic. It is also extremely flammable — a property that makes propylene valuable in industrial applications.
This form of alternative fuel is a little different from CNG. For one, it is not a true alternative to fuels derived from crude oil refinement. In fact, propylene is a byproduct of crude oil refinement, so the oil raw material still needs to be drilled and processed. It does, however, make using crude oil more efficient — industries are able to utilize both petroleum products refined from oil and its byproducts, reducing wastage. There is a small caveat to this. Crude oil processing is not the only method of producing propylene, and the gas can be produced using hydrocarbon mixtures, which are split, cracked, and reformed via industrial processes. Despite this, propylene is still generally produced as a refinery byproduct.
Secondly, propylene is not used in transport and automotive applications like CNG is. Instead, this is an alternative fuel designed specifically for industrial applications. It is highly effective in heating and cutting and actually offers far more efficient combustion than propane, saving industrial facilities time, effort, and money. Processes that utilize high-velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) can also benefit from propylene gas systems.
Alternative Fuel Components from Sherwood Valve
Which of Sherwood’s valves are designed with the alternative fuel market in mind? Currently, the manufacturer is offering a range of valve components developed specifically for this type of application. Take a look at some of these specialized products in the manufacturer’s industrial gas valve range.
Global Industrial Gas Valves for Hydrocarbon-Based Flammable Gases
This Sherwood Valve product utilizes a globe design to regulate the flow of gas, as well as provide total shut-off capabilities. Teams achieve high levels of control over the gas within the system. These valves are designed for any hydrocarbon-based, combustible gas — which includes CNG, as well as methane, ethane, and other gases with carbon and hydrogen within the molecular structure.
Dual Fuel Valves for CNG and Hydrogen
Sherwood Valve provides a series of products aimed at industrial facilities that use dual-fuel or bi-fuel systems. These valves are compatible with CNG, hydrogen, or both CNG and hydrogen side by side, as the name suggests, and are available in vertical and horizontal outlet configurations.
Ball Valves for Bulk Transport
The company’s range also includes ball valve components for bulk transport operations, offering fast-fill capabilities on Type III and Type IV storage cylinders. These valves utilize a ball mechanism to manage gas flow and are suitable for bulk CNG storage applications and gas vehicle storage stack applications.
PVE3250 Series Valves
PVE3250 series valves are designed with propylene applications in mind. These valve products are typically used in welding and cutting operations, as well as for general industrial fuel delivery. Fitted with internal pressure relief mechanisms, these robust valves have an operational life of up to ten years and are compatible with propane and propylene gases in 4BW240 and 4BW260 cylinders.
Explore the Sherwood Valve Range Here at Chemtech
Here at Chemtech, we are firm believers in what Sherwood Valve can do. This is why we are so proud to be one of the official suppliers and distributors of high-quality Sherwood Valve products here in the USA. Browse our product pages and find the industrial gas valve products you need, and take a look at the spec sheets for a detailed rundown of what each valve can do. If you have any questions or queries about our products or about anything else, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team.