Valves help realise rocket science

Day after day, for the last three years, Spirax Sarco electrically actuated valves have been providing accurate temperature control for processing solid rocket propellant at Roxel UK in Kidderminster.

Day after day, for the last three years, Spirax Sarco electrically actuated valves have been providing accurate temperature control for processing solid rocket propellant at Roxel UK in Kidderminster.

With production continuing round the clock, 365 days per year, the reliability of the three valves is crucial.

Each valve controls the curing temperature of batches of different propellants by modulating steam flow into air heater batteries in specially built curing buildings.

Each curing process lasts up to four days and calls for temperatures of 45, 60 and 65C to be maintained to within +/-2C.

Chart recorders monitoring the curing temperature reveal that the valves easily exceed this accuracy.

"They are well within +/-1C, coping with changes in atmospheric temperature and variations in steam supply", explains Chris Laing, Roxel UK's Facilities Design Engineer.

"We've had no problems since they were installed".

Spirax Sarco's technical backup is as important to Roxel UK as good quality and reliable products.

This was demonstrated when each curing house was subsequently fitted with separate shutdown valves to prevent any possibility of overheating of the propellant.

"The product could explode if it gets too hot", says Laing.

"We initially had problems with the shutdown valves sometimes closing unnecessarily".

"Spirax Sarco came in and solved the problem by changing the control system's programming to ramp up the heating to avoid temperature overshoot when first bringing each batch up to its temperature, rather than just switching the control valves full on".

Roxel UK occupies the former Royal Ordnance site.

It develops and produces rocket motors.

These propulsion units are used in many of today's most advanced tactical missiles.

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