CINCINNATI, OHIO — OPW Fueling Components, the global leader in commercial and retail fueling equipment, announced today that it has introduced an innovative new emergency shut-off valve, the OPW 10 Plus Emergency Shut-Off Valve.
The new 10 Plus builds upon the design of the company’s existing 10 Series emergency shut-off valve, the most widely used emergency shut-off valve in the industry. The new 10 Plus includes all of the same features as the 10 Series with the addition of its patent-pending SmartGuard™ technology, innovative new technology designed to contain fuel leakage at the shear groove and activate the valve to close in the event of a low-impact incident.
In-house laboratory tests conducted on leading emergency shear valves show that:
- 100% of the valves were prone to leak at the shear groove when subjected to a low-impact force between 282-575 ft. lbs., and
- Of this test sample, 77% of the valves did not close as a result of the low-impact force, neglecting to shut off the flow of fuel.
In a real-world situation, these types of leaks could go undetected by operators, allowing fuel to leak into sumps and thereby creating a potentially hazardous situation at the island.
The new OPW 10 Plus is the only valve in the industry designed to contain a shear-groove leak and close the flow of fuel in the event of an undetected low-impact break. The new 10 Plus enables marketers to:
- Significantly improve protection of customers, investments and the environment by containing shear-groove leaks and activating the valve to close in the event of a low-impact break
- Eliminate health, environmental contamination and fire hazards that could result from fractured valves leaking into sumps
- Prevent undetected product loss
- Prevent hazardous and costly clean-up
"The new 10 Plus represents the most significant design improvement to the emergency valve since we introduced the double-poppet 10 Series in 1989," stated Aldo Sucaldito, Product Manager, OPW Environmental Systems. “When we introduced the double-poppet design, marketers stated that the added protection of their customers, investments and the environment were the three most important reasons why they switched to the new technology. We believe they will embrace this valve for the same reasons. It is a simple, affordable and reliable way to eliminate unnecessary risks at the island."
- The new 10 Plus is the only emergency valve in the industry designed to contain a shear-groove leak and close the valve in the event of a low-impact break
- The unique, patent-pending SmartGuard™ design of the 10 Plus helps to eliminate the risk of fuel leaking into sumps from shear-groove fractures to help significantly reduce the risk of environmental contamination and sump fires.
"This technology did not exist until now," commented Jim Walton, Vice President & General Manager, OPW Environmental Systems. "We have taken good emergency-valve technology and improved upon it, raising the protection standard to another level. Our double-poppet design changed the industry when it was introduced. We expect this valve to do the same. With this technology, marketers have the means to eliminate another potential risk at the island. We know from experience that they are safety conscious when it comes to their customers, investments and the environment. For this reason, we expect this valve to become the standard worldwide in a very short period of time."
The new 10 Plus, like its predecessor, the 10 Series, is UL-listed and includes the following 10 Series design features:
- Fusible link designed to automatically close the valve to reduce a fire hazard
- Double-poppet design to provide for a safer environment in the event of a shear or sump fire