Handwheel valve relief
October 1st 2008 Dutch valve safety specialist
Netherlocks B.V has
designed a direct-mounting,
add-on gearbox to reduce
torque for handwheel
operated valves. The
Nethergear unit fixes onto
valves without modifying
them in any way, and can be
fitted on-site without taking
the valve offline.
Valves can wear, fatigue
and tighten over time. For
manually operated valves,
this leads to increased strain
on the operator. The obvious
solution is a gearbox
mounted onto the valve,
allowing adjustable torque
for the handwheel – but
most standard handoperated
gate or globe
valves have no mounting
flange. The stainless steel
AISI 316 Nethergear unit
mounts directly onto the
valve stem without altering
the actual valve itself.
Once attached, the
handwheel can be simply
fitted onto the unit in one
of two positions. One of
these will provide the torque
reduction benefits of the gear
mechanism; the other lets it
function as it originally
would. A pneumatic drive
unit can also be attached for
automatic valve operation
that can be up to 25 times
faster than doing it by hand,
without any physical stress
or strain. More articles from Netherlocks BV: | 
