Case Study

Freeze Protection Case Study: Bridge Over Frozen Waters

/ 0 Comments / in Product, ThermOmegaTech / by Christine Tarlecki

Ware Shoals, South Carolina, has been plagued in recent winters by expensive repairs caused by freezing pipes.

One particular application, a two-inch line mounted on the Marion P. Carnell Bridge over the Saluta River, was especially troublesome. As a result, pipes were constantly being repaired, and water flow was interrupted to hydrants and a hydroelectric station.

The Opportunity

Eastern Industrial Supplies, Inc. had the solution. Jack Sullivan, Eastern’s senior product manager for steam products, recommended ThermOmegaTech freeze protection valves.

“Ware Shoals is my hometown,” said Mr. Sullivan. “Helping the city is much more than a business relationship. So, I was thrilled to introduce a technology to help them solve a problem. ThermOmegaTech freeze protection valves were the perfect answer to lower costs and improve city infrastructure operations.

The Installation of Freeze Protection Valves

freeze protection valve

Three HAT/FP valves were installed on the bridge to automate purging water from pipes before they could freeze.

The valves are set at 35°F to open reliably and without electricity or human interaction when water reaches a freezing point, which is critical to city operations and residents.

“We were very interested when Eastern Industrial Supplies suggested they have a solution, especially one made with stainless steel and didn’t require electricity or batteries,” said John Lake, owner of L&L Environmental, which manages maintenance operations for Ware Shoals.

“The water line on the Marion P. Carnell Bridge used to be compromised every time we had a cold snap,” said Jordan Gambrell, wastewater supervisor at L&L Environmental.

“The freeze protection valves held up, with no issues, the entire winter. When you are on call 365 days a year, it is reassuring to know I can sleep at night knowing those lines won’t blow when it gets cold,” he said.

The damage caused by freezing pipes isn’t just water under the bridge.

Eastern Industrial Supplies and L&L Environmental can use ThermOmegaTech freeze protection valves to ensure water reliably flows under a bridge to equipment critical to the city’s operations.

Watch the video

Download the Ware Shoals Freeze Protection Case Study here.

 

About ThermOmegaTech

ThermOmegaTech freeze protection valves have proven to be both reliable and versatile. When the company was founded in 1983, they were initially used to protect locomotive engines. The ability to protect equipment worth hundreds of thousands of dollars has given maintenance supervisors confidence to apply ThermOmegaTech freeze protection valves in several critical Industrial applications. For example, thermostatic balancing valves benefit from condensate returns, docks/ports, pumps, safety showers/eye wash stations, and water supply lines for livestock. Contact us here.

About Eastern Industrial Supplies Inc.

Eastern logo
Eastern Industrial Supplies, Inc., headquartered in Greenville, SC, opened in 1980 and has expanded into markets across NC, SC, FL, GA, TN, and AL. While Eastern specializes in the quality distribution of pipe, valves, fittings, commercial plumbing components, corrosion corrosion-resistant products, and engineered specialty items, the company’s primary goal is creating a caring culture where people are always more important than profits. Eastern is also a proud member of Affiliated Distributors and an owner-member of SupplyForce.

 

How an East Coast Rail Company Prevents Their Locomotives From Freezing

/ 0 Comments / in News, Product, ThermOmegaTech / by Christine Tarlecki

The GURU® Plug – The #1 Freeze Protection Valve

Freeze protection is essential for locomotives during winter months to prevent catastrophic damage to equipment. A diesel locomotive’s cooling system is at risk of freezing when the locomotive is turned off. If the cooling water freezes, it can cause the piping and tanks to crack, resulting in extensive damage, lengthy repairs, and interrupted schedules.

GURU PLUGOperators could keep their locomotives running at all hours to prevent a freeze-up, but that can contribute to air pollution and fuel waste. Another more cost-effective and efficient way is to install ThermOmegaTech’s GURU® Plug.

The Opportunity

The GURU® DL2.1  thermostatic drain valve is installed at the lowest point within the cooling system and automatically responds to engine coolant temperature.

The Plug will snap open and drain the system if the water temperature reaches the Plug’s set point, typically 35°F. This provides almost a full one-inch bore to rapidly drain a typical locomotive’s coolant system before freeze damage can occur. The Plug can be reset when the operator is ready to refill the locomotive and return it to service.

SMS Locomotive using GURU Plug

SMS Rail Lines, a one-stop provider of rail distribution services to businesses along the Washington, D.C. to Boston corridor, is based in Bridgeport, New Jersey. It has been using ThermOmegaTech’s GURU® Plugs for over a decade on its locomotive cooling systems and compressors.

SMS Rail Lines operates over 6 miles of track throughout Pureland Industrial Park in Bridgeport, New Jersey, providing service daily, including on-demand rail switching and daily interchange with Class I railways CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern Corporation.

SMS Rail Lines also offers rail-to-truck and truck-to-rail transloading, warehousing, distribution services, and rail car storage at this location. Twelve locomotives are in service at any given time. Additionally, the company restores, maintains, and operates historic Baldwin diesel locomotives.

Utilizing the GURU® Plug

“We normally have 12 to 14 locomotives in service at any given time,” General Manager Brian Murray explains. “Some of our locomotives have only a single GURU if they are plumbed in a way where everything can drain to a central location. We have a couple with a second GURU to handle additional low points in the cooling system. Our GE locomotives have 4 GURUs. They have 2 GURUs to handle low-point general draining and 2 on the low-pressure heads of the water-cooled air compressor.”

SMS operators have previously used other freeze protection devices on their locomotives. “We initially used ‘that other name brand.’ It would occasionally open while the engine was hot and running,” said GM Murray. Because of this, he looked for another solution and was introduced to ThermOmegaTech’s GURU® Plugs over ten years ago by then-product manager Dana Logue.

The GURU® Plug Rebuild Program

The GURU® Plug satisfied their needs and came with an additional perk—the GURU® Rebuild Program. ThermOmegaTech® offers a rebuild program for the self-actuating GURU® Plug, which protects thousands of locomotives from freeze damage annually. The program allows customers to return their old GURU® Plugs to be cleaned, refurbished, retested, and returned, so customers get back an almost brand-new valve.

“We are very happy with ThermOmegaTech® and think the GURU® Plug is terrific. We have never had a GURU fail to open when necessary. As the end user, we should probably do a better job at keeping track of which GURU plug is in which locomotive and how old they are,” stated GM Murray.

Brian with Guru Plug

Luckily for SMS Rail Lines, there’s an easy way to track that!

Each GURU® Plug has a yearly-rotated color cap which is also laser marked with its month and year of manufacture. ThermOmegaTech® recommends changing the GURU® Plugs every 18-24 months, as the GURU® Plug’s actuator loses a small amount of stroke as it ages beyond one year. This stroke loss causes the release temperature and the manual reset temperature to creep upward. While this is a “safe” tendency for freeze protection, the upward creep can eventually cause nuisance dumping.

The colored caps rotate through 5 colors over 5 years and visually indicate the year it was built. Maintenance personnel can compare the cap’s color against our chart to determine when it needs to be sent back for rebuild. SMS has taken advantage of this perk and utilizes the rebuild program yearly.

“We send in about 4 or 5 valves per year for rebuilding to have them on hand. Our cost savings are significant as we have a lot of older GURUs around, so it makes sense to rebuild them,” says GM Murray.

When they come back, rebuilt and refurbished, GM Murray says they are as good as new and have never had any issues.

The Result of the GURU® Plug

GURU Plug on locomotive

“In my experience, all the folks at ThermOmegaTech® are genuinely interested in providing to the railroad industry effective, reliable solutions. The staff is always accessible and willing to work cooperatively with the customer to examine the need and suggest the appropriate product,” says James Pfeiffer – Superintendent of Operating Practices.

“Customer feedback is welcomed, technical questions are quickly answered, and the engineering department is seemingly always working on something new and improved. And they do all this while maintaining first-class customer service.”

If you are interested in hearing more about Locomotive Freeze Protection and how the GURU® Plugs can help save you time, energy, and money, we’d love to help. Contact us today.

Read the full GURU® Plug case study here.

Watch how it works with our Talking With TOTS video!

Case Study: Georgia Snack Company Improves Washdown Safety Procedures with STVM®

/ 0 Comments / in ThermOmegaTech / by ThermOmegaTech

For over 20 years, a Georgia snack company has struggled with a number of problems when using steam-heated water hoses during their facility cleaning and sanitizing processes. The biggest issue with these systems was that steam would bore out of the inner working components, creating a steam backdraft to release through the spray nozzle.

These random bursts of steam and hot water became a huge safety risk for their associates. Their existing washdown stations also required 36 internal parts to be replaced which added time and a headache to their maintenance processes. To tackle these pain points, they knew it was time to upgrade and improve their washdown processes.

M. G. Newell Corporation, a distributor of ThermOmegaTech’s food and beverage channel partner, ACE Sanitary, presented the STVM® Steam and Water Washdown Station to the Safety Manager at the snack company.

The STVM® Washdown Station utilizes a proprietary silent type Venturi mixing valve that combines steam and water for a constant stream at the operator’s set temperature. Safety being their number one concern, they were pleased to learn about the STVM® safety feature that is designed to reduce steam flow should the temperature rise above the factory set point and automatically shuts off steam 15°F above that.

In addition to its automatic safety feature, the Safety Manager was very impressed with the ease of cleaning and switching out the cartridge. The STVM® system utilizes an interchangeable cartridge that can be easily replaced or cleaned out, while only using a wrench and a few minutes of time.

STVM Steam and Water Washdown Station

Highly impressed with the overall operation and features of the STVM® Washdown Station, this implementation will no doubt solve their safety problems, as well as minimize downtime due to maintenance.

Read the full case study here.

To learn more about ThermOmegaTech®’s STVM® Steam and Water Washdown Station, click here.