The Flow Control Group is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers and stockists of special purpose & commodity valves with over 40 years’ experience supplying valves to the Power sector. In addition to manufactured products, the Flow Control Group is also an approved stockist of a complete range of international brands. We can supply valve and actuators packages to suit end user applications, both specific applications with specialist features or manufactured to industry standard valve requirements.

All valves supplied are designed and manufactured under strict adherence to ISO 9001: 2015 and in accordance industry standards. All relevant valves are CE marked and certified to the required specification and standards. The Flow Control Group is committed to provide the end user with a product that meets their service requirements & applications including a full design & technical consultant support facility.

The power industry, in the simplest of terms, provides energy in many forms. Electric power, nuclear power, and fossil fuel based power all offer various power and electricity benefits and the unique needs of each source directly dictate the types of equipment that should be utilized. Selecting the appropriate valve for any given project can be a challenge, but finding the right fluid handling solutions for critical fluid applications is essential for public safety.

Hydro Power is the generation of electricity or power from the falling or flow of fast water. As a renewable energy source, Hydro Power is becoming more and more popular, not only with conventional Hydro Electric Dams but also with Small Hydro and Micro Hydro installations.

Anaerobic Digestion is widely used as a source of renewable energy and is the process by which microorganisms or biodegradable waste material is broken down in the absence of oxygen. This process, produces a biogas mixture of methane, carbon dioxide and traces of other contaminant gases. This biogas product can then be used as a direct fuel for combined heat and gas engines or further treated a produce biomethane natural gas. Anaerobic Digestion is becoming more popular with local farm owners who are able to directly supply and sell this produced clean gas to the national grid, providing an extra source of income.

The available flow control solutions for the power generation industry are extensive – these represent solutions for a wide variety of power generation technologies, including sub-, super-, and ultra super-critical coal-fired power plants, nuclear power plants, simple cycle gas-fired or alternative fuel-fired power plants, combined cycle power plants, concentrated solar power plants, geothermal power plants and hydroelectric power plants. There are varying risks involved with the usage of all types of power generation; the media is often severe and, thus, the equipment within the plants must be carefully considered to ensure optimum safety. Specifically, the proper valve choice is essential to creating the safest possible facilities. The ideal valve type varies based on the power generation and the location within the plant that the valve will be used. Valves used for critical, hazardous, and explosive processes require extreme safety precautions; whether you are involved in the construction of a new power plant, or in operations and maintenance of an existing power plant, it is important to find the right valve for each and every unique flow control need.

Valves are used in the power generation industry for flow regulation, control and isolation in process or at times of intervention or maintenance shutdowns. The increasing demands for power, heat and energy in today’s world simply means that the power generation industry sees a different set of challenges altogether. Applications now have to cope with very changing conditions and ever increasing operating pressures and temperatures – directly impacting stress and corrosion on valves and other process equipment.

Examples of valves used in power generation applications are metal seated valves, butterfly valves, triple offset valves, isolation valves, flow reversal valves, nozzle check valves, etc. These valves have a variety of characteristics that need to be considered prior to materials selection in each application. The valve material will have to be able to resist high pressure at low and high temperature, i.e. in excess of 500°C. Often, this means the need for specialty alloy materials with properties such as toughness, ductility and machinability.

Valves and actuators make up a small part of a power but they play a vital role. A large power plant uses hundreds of valves to manage flows of water and steam. Valves may be used to stop and start flow, reduce or increase flow, control the direction of flow, regulate a flow or process pressure or relieve a pipe system of a certain pressure. Applications include pollution control, feed water, cooling water, chemical treatment and steam turbine control systems.

Each valve is controlled by its own actuator which moves the valve at a specific time or speed or opening rate. Accurate and timely controls are increasingly important. The basic design of the mechanical part of the actuator is much the same as it was 30 years ago; however, the range of control and communication functions of the actuator have been transformed by continuing developments in electronics.

The Flow Control Group has extensive experience working within various sectors of the Power Generation Industry providing quality product solutions for some of the most demanding environments and applications across the world. Having established relationships and distribution agreements with some Europe’s leading valve and actuator manufacturers we have a reputation for offering products that are designed to maximise output with engineered solutions to minimise downtime, lower risks, reduce energy and maintenance costs with extended life cycles. We feel not only can we meet your high expectations or requirements but exceed them.