The Equilibar team is glad to send warm holiday wishes to our customers and partners around the world. We continue to be thankful for safety during Hurricane Helene and we’re grateful for all the agencies and individuals who are helping Western North Carolina recover. While Equilibar offices will be closed December 25th and 26th as well as January 1st, we invite you to explore a compilation of our Top Ten Applications for 2024.
This list is always fun to make because it demonstrates the diversity of fields where our technology can have a positive impact and drive innovation to make the world a better place. We hope you enjoy!
- ELECTROLYSIS EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN SYSTEMS: Equilibar technology has proven to be extremely well suited for the rapidly expanding fis and regulators have become favorites for providing flow control of water going into the electrolyzer as well as pressure control of hydrogen and oxygen gases coming out. This year, weeld of electrolysis, which plays an important role in hydrogen energy projects. Our valve focused on the advantages our technology offers for another aspect of electrolysis: Emergency Shutdown Systems. READ MORE
- SPRAYING TECHNOLOGY: Modern manufacturing uses spraying technology in an extremely wide array of processes. Sanitary spray coating systems are often used to wash produce or to frost gourmet cookies while other types of spraying technology are used in industry to apply molten glue or other challenging fluids. Many of these applications involve especially challenging pressure control scenarios. Equilibar’s unique dome-loaded multiple orifice technology is well suited for all types of spray coating systems, both sanitary and industrial. READ MORE
- CRYOGENIC HYDROGEN STORAGE HEAD PRESSURE: One exciting cryogenic application we focused on in 2024 involves hydrogen storage head pressure control. Liquid hydrogen storage is of heightened interest for the green energy industry because hydrogen can be more easily stored and transported in its liquid form. Cryogenic liquids such as liquid hydrogen must be stored in multi-walled vessels insulated from the outside environment. Even so, a small transfer of heat from the surrounding environment is unavoidable, causing some of the fluid to boil off and create a gas “head” above the surface. Relief valves or back pressure regulators are often used to control this gas head pressure by venting to ensure the vessel does not fail and the fluid in the tank does not completely boil off. READ MORE
- LIQUID COOLING LOOPS: Cooling systems play an important role in thermal testing of processors and other semiconductor components as well as hydrogen fuel cells and brewing and fermentation chambers. Because one cooling loop may feed multiple machines, the amount of liquid being recirculated back to the holding tank will vary, requiring a control system that can handle a wide range of flow rates. That’s where Equilibar technology can offer distinct advantages. READ MORE
- OLIGONUCLEOTIDE DRUG PRODUCTION: Oligonucleotide drugs are made up of short sections of genetic sequences & are used to target disorders in the genetic code. The first drug of this type was used in 1998 during the AIDS epidemic. Since then, the field has accelerated rapidly and today many oligonucleotide drugs are in clinical trials, promising improvements in treatment for a variety of diseases. When paired with a diaphragm metering pump, Equilibar’s sanitary pressure control valve with built-in dampener offers multiple advantages for process control for oligonucleotide production. READ MORE
- CRYOGENIC PUMP TESTING: Equilibar back pressure regulators are commonly used in the automotive and aerospace industries to simulate system load on pump test stands for gasoline or transmission fluid. The process of testing pumps for use with liquid oxygen or hydrogen, which are used to fuel rockets, is similar but involves much more challenging cryogenic conditions. Using high pressure BPRs like the Equilibar H6P with spring-energized seals has allowed customers to utilize the wide Cv range and high accuracy of the Equilibar technology in extreme conditions that are generally impossible for most traditional valves. The 1:1 dome-loaded control of Equilibar technology easily automates the system with an air/nitrogen pilot pressure and electronic pilot regulator. READ MORE
- PREVENTING ELEVATION PUSH-THROUGH IN BIOTECH MANUFACTURING: A collaborative paper by Ryan Heffner, Equilibar’s Single Use Technology Manager, and researchers with PSG Biotech showed how Equilibar devices can be used to help prevent push-through flow in diaphragm pumps for biotech manufacturing, particularly when feed tanks are at levels higher than the process area, as is often necessary due to clean room space limitations. While this study focuses on single-use systems, the methods will also work in multi-use systems. READ MORE
- SUPERCRITICAL WATER TO DESTROY TOXIC WASTE: An exciting case study focuses on the challenges of removing chemical warfare agents, forever chemicals, and other hazardous wastes from the environment in a safe and efficient manner. Scientists at the University of Washington-Seattle are conducting research into using supercritical water oxidation to eliminate these substances. This method uses the water within the solution to destroy itself, offering numerous advantages. At the same time, it is a complex technology that presents multiple issues, including maintaining reliable pressure control of the reactor. READ MORE
- PYROLYSIS PROCESS CONTROL: Pyrolysis processes—the thermal decomposition of materials at elevated temperatures—have a wide variety of uses including breaking down heavy hydrocarbons (as in oil refining), reducing organic matter to elemental carbon (producing charcoal), depolymerization, or catagenesis. Pyrolysis reactors are particularly well suited to Equilibar technology because these systems are typically very high temperatures — often 400 °C or greater — and often deal with mixed phase flows or solid particles present within the process stream, two areas where our devices excel. READ MORE
- WATER FOR INJECTION POINT-OF-USE: In biopharma processing, point of use control systems deliver temperature-controlled water to specified locations in a system. They are typically set up in a distribution loop with individual dispensing locations using accurate measurement techniques. Dispensing systems mainly use radar and weight for measuring WFI amounts. A newer way to approach the process is using flow measurement, offering compact footprint, portability and flexibility to streamline cleanroom processes. An Equilibar® single use sanitary valve, which is the first single use valve of its kind, can deliver accurate flow control for this tricky operation. READ MORE
Thanks for reading. We hope you will contact one of our application specialists with questions and we look forward to more exciting collaborations in 2025!