A client in the Canadian oil sands had installed severe service knife gate valves to modulate slurry from their Primary Separation Cells.

When throttling these valves, high velocity flow occurred at the acute angles between the gate and valve body, accelerating the rate of wear.

The service life of these heavy-duty valves was measured in days. Upon failure, operations were paused, and the valves were replaced. Unfortunately, the costs associated with frequent shutdowns and lost production were costing the company millions annually.