Full-Scale Side-by-Side Comparison of Control Valves for DO Control and ABAC

This side-by-side demonstration study evaluated three control valves for use in advanced aeration control. The DeZurik High Performance Butterfly (BHP) valve, Egger IRIS® diaphragm control valve, and Binder VACOMASS® elliptical diaphragm control valve were each installed in three identical, parallel aeration tanks for a period of seven months. Throughout that period, data was collected for each valve in order to compare their performance. Analysis of the data revealed that the IRIS and VACOMASS valves were able to achieve greater accuracy and flow control while introducing less pressure loss into the system. That said, the capital costs of these valves are approximately double that of the BHP valve and it is unclear that the greater efficiency of the system will be able to overcome this cost difference.