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Coal Slurry Pipelines

The very first application for Red Valve pinch valves was on the world's first coal slurry pipeline. Today, almost 50 years later, coal handling remains a popular application for Red Valve because the inherent advantages of a pinch valve have not changed.

Crushed coal can be transferred by pipeline when water is added to create a coal slurry. While making transportation easier and more economical, coal slurry presents many problems for the valves used on the pipeline. The slurry is very abrasive, small coal particles can buildup in the crevices and dead spaces found in most valve types, and the lumps of coal can impede the ability of most quarter-turn and gate valves to close. This is why customers turned to Red Valve in 1953 for a solution, as they continue to to today.

Red Valve pinch valves do not suffer the same problems that metal valves do because they use an elastomer pinch sleeve that is the only wetted part of the valve. The resiliency of the rubber allows the sleeve to absorb the impact of the coal particles, and bounce back without being eroded. The sleeve can also seal around entrapped particles, ensuring a drop-tight seal at all times.