What is a damper valve?
A Damper is a type of valve or plate that regulates the airflow inside the ducts, chimney, variable air volume box, or any other air handling equipment.
A damper valve is considered an excellent system that isolates equipment from gas or airflow. They are suitable for both normal & high temperatures while working pressure is low.
They are a vital part of any air circulation system allowing pipe inspections, maintenance, and repair activities easier.
Due to these features, they are widely used in Cogeneration and incineration plants, Steel and cement plants, Air treatment, Thermal combustion, Waste energy Power plants, Pulp, and paper industry, Chemical and petrochemical plants, Furnaces, and even in the Marine industry
Additionally, the variety of dampers available makes the best choice among large and complicated systems. They can also be used for fire protection thus making it a safer environment for operation.
Operation of the damper valve
The damper can be operated by a manual, hydraulic, pneumatic, or electrical actuator.
Manual dampers can be controlled manually by a lever and are suitable for smaller area control.
In the case of an actuator assembly for a damper, the most important point is the Torque and positioning accuracy which plays a key role in smooth operation.
Torque selection depends upon the size, type, quality & condition of the damper.
Types of the Damper Valve
Basically, each damper valve serves a specific purpose, while selecting the right design is imperative to long-term and steady operation.
In this post, we will walk you through the main types of industrial dampers and their typical applications, so as to help you decide on the right damper for your process.
Butterfly damper
Butterfly damper is one of the most popular dampers manufactured having one blade connected by two shafts i.e. drive shafts & driven shafts. Driveshafts are operated by a mounting actuator or handwheel which rotates the blade 90 degrees clockwise & anticlockwise for the open and close position.
They are also known as bidirectional dampers designed for controlling or isolating the flow. The seating area of shafts can be available as metal-to-metal seated, metal-to-soft seated, and refractory lined seats for better sealing efficiency.
Multilouver damper
It uses flat blades on hinges to fit any size of duct. Due to their bi-directional design, it is one of the preferred options for controlling or isolating the flow.
They can be constructed for low leakage i.e. 97% to 99% as well 100% sealing can also be achieved by introducing seal air. The body & stem leakage is absolutely zero in this damper. That’s why they are one of the most frequently used HVAC dampers.
Multilouver damper can withstand temperatures greater than 1800°F and pressures +/- 2 bar. This makes them ideal for various industrial applications.
Variable inlet vane dampers
Variable inlet vane or VIV dampers are often used for capacity modulation in combination with blowers. They provide accurate modulation and power savings over other types of dampers at reduced airflow.
Each blade directs the air into the impeller same in the direction of rotation when the inlet vane is partially closed. As compared with Butterfly dampers & Rectangular dampers variable inlet damper offers much better control.
Diverter damper
As the name suggests it is used to divert or isolate the flowing media. It is further classifieds as Box-type diverter dampers, T-type double flap diverter dampers, and Y-type single flap diverter dampers.
They are widely used for process gas or air diversion applications. Diverter damper can be manufactured in preassembled condition and in adjustable units which can be shipped directly to the site for quick installation to save cost and time.
Poppet dampers
Poppet dampers are ideal for those applications that require tight shutoff & quick recycling time. Poppet dampers are widely used for multi-directional airflow control. They are engineered in such a way that can control the reverse gas flow, and outlet flow, eliminating gas starving, enhancing filtration, and reducing bag wear.
The poppet damper consists of two discs fixed to the same shaft, and to ensure zero leakage condition a purge or a vacuum can be supplied to it.
Poppet dampers also provide low-cost shut-off and low-leak configuration options. It is one of the most economical options for bag house applications. Typical applications of poppet dampers include Thermal Oxidizer systems, baghouses, Incinerators, Power stations, steel plants, etc.
Hubluxe Engineering manufactures a wide range of poppet dampers. They can be offered in sections or completely assembled conditions.
Hubluxe manufactures poppet dampers that have several design advantages that make them stand apart from the rest of its competitors. The shaft of the poppet dampers is offered in stainless steel offering corrosion resistance.
Stack Damper
Stack dampers are excellent where weather protection of the stack is required. It also has added benefit of extreme heat retention technique within the boiler system.
In a large unit system “Pressure relief” is incorporated to avoid dead-ending of the systems.
Stack dampers are used with heat recovery steam generation units and their primary function is to contain the temperature within the stack of the exhaust.
The blade of the stack dampers is designed in a way by taking into account the safety factors in case the thermal expansion occurs. When deciding on stack dampers one can consider insulated blade design and rain gutter options.
Hubluxe Engineering manufactures Stack dampers in various configurations mainly: Single Louver, Butterfly stack damper, Twin louver, and Twin flap. The sealing design is constructed as a Seal ledge, a single flexible element, and twin flexible elements (unpressurized & 100%).
Guillotine Damper
Guillotine dampers are meant for the best sealing efficiency for specific applications.
They are installed in a place to completely block the airflow while it can be used where proper isolation is required for regular maintenance or entry to the duct behind the source media.
Unlike other types of dampers, guillotine dampers do not create any kind of pressure drop when not in use, as they remain completely out of the material’s path when fully retracted.
They operate by sliding a panel across inside the pipe or vent to form a wall that materials cannot pass through.
They are also able to completely isolate sections of the system quickly and more efficiently than other types of dampers. They are very cost-effective and require very little or no maintenance.
Although they require more installation space than some other types of dampers and very little extra room to operate.
Actuation of Guillotine dampers can be manual, pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric actuators with various designs suitable for all budgets and specifications
Fire Dampers
Uncontrolled Fire is a serious risk always. Considering an emergency situation a fire can spread via a ventilation duct in an HVAC system.
Fire dampers are crucial elements of a passive fire protection system. They can minimize property damage, enables safety for escape routes, and ultimately saves lives.
Operation of fire dampers
Fire damper operation is simple: they close when the temperature in the room rises over the threshold limit to prevent fire from spreading. Once the set temperature is reached the damper closes itself.
These dampers can be operated manually, spring or actuator, or plunger-type solenoid valve. The construction of a Fire damper is usually in multi-blade design.
They are also UNI-Directionally designed for Isolation. Reverse flow is not permitted in this damper.
