Pinch Valve Sleeve Life Expectancy
The life expectancy of a pinch valve sleeve
The life expectancy of a pinch valve sleeve can be difficult to forecast due to the wide range of applications. AKO Pinch Valves comprise of a fabric-reinforced elastomer sleeve. These sleeves are rigorously tested up to and beyond a million cycles. However, these results depend heavily on the specific use case.
Case Example
Let’s look at an example of a cement slurry application:
- Cement slurry is pushed through a pinch valve at 1 bar.
- The pinch valve cycles every 2 minutes.
- If we assume 3 shifts, that is 720 cycles per day.
- The pinch valve sleeve will see 262,000 cycles in 1 year.
Frequency of Inspection
For this abrasive application we would recommend starting with a 6-month maintenance inspection. Many factors need to be looked at to predict how long a pinch valve sleeve may last. It is best to assess the pinch valve sleeve over time to determine and adjust maintenance schedule. The pinch valve sleeves in this real-world example see a 2-year lifespan.
For Less Abrasive Applications
For less abrasive applications such as water treatment and pharmaceutical, we have sleeves in the field going on 5 years. Important factors include closing pressure, time spent open vs. closed, and product characteristics.
