Application
Valve and Airlock Selection for Mining and Mineral Plants
Answer in brief
In mineral plants a valve is a consumable with a service life measured in months.
The design question is not whether it will wear but whether it can be replaced quickly and whether the wear is confined to parts that were meant to take it.
- Put the wear where you can reach it.
- Size for the largest particle, not the average.
- Keep the spare on the shelf before the first failure.
Reviewed October 21, 2026 · Updated October 21, 2026
The problem
Abrasive minerals erode seats, blades and rotor tips quickly, and the forces involved are high enough to bend a gate that was selected on catalogue capacity.
Oversize particles jam a blade that would have passed the nominal product.
Desired outcome
A valve with a predictable wear life, replaceable wear surfaces and an actuation force sufficient for the real material column, not the design assumption.
Process approach
Knife and roller gates with replaceable liners suit bins and chutes, and the blade is expected to be changed on a schedule.
Where a pressure boundary is involved, a rotary valve with a hardened rotor and a lined housing is used, and the clearance is monitored as a performance indicator.
Diverter valves in abrasive service wear at the junction rather than at the actuator, so the liner there decides the interval.
- Liner materials chosen for the hardness and angularity of the mineral.
- Actuators sized for a full column plus consolidation, with a margin.
- Lifting points and access for parts that cannot be handled by one person.
Selection factors
- Largest particle that can reach the valve, including after a screen failure.
- Material hardness and the resulting liner selection.
- Actuation force required for the loaded condition.
- Planned wear life and the parts kept in stock.
- Respirable dust control where crystalline silica is present.
Common failure modes
- Blade jammed by an oversize particle after a screen failure
- Actuator sized for an empty column rather than a loaded one
- Liner worn through into the structural housing
- Wear part lead time longer than the production interruption
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