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RELIANCE WATER CONTROLS Q&A GUIDES

As seen in PHPI JUNE 2002

Water Valves For

Tall Buildings
Q. I have recently been working in a 20-storey office
block and there were some valves installed which I did
not recognise. The caretaker said they were pilot
operated valves. What is a pilot operated valve?
A. It is a diaphragm operated globe valve, which is
hydraulically controlled by another valve, as shown in the
diagram below. When the downstream pressure drops due to
outlets being opened, water is drained from above the main
valve diaphragm, causing the valve to open. The more water is
Schematic of a Pilot OperatedV.PR
drained, the more pressure is reduced and the more the valve
can open. As pressure downstream increases, more water
enters into the chamber above the diaphragm and the valve Q. What is the advantage of this type of control?
starts to close. The speed at which the valve moves is A. This method of control results in there being very little
controlled by the bleed screw. The condition under which the change in dynamic pressure (i.e. pressure during flow
valve moves is controlled by the spring loading of the pilot conditions) between minimum and maximum flow, as the
pressure reducing valve. pilot valve senses and tries to maintain downstream
pressures. Also the controlled speed of opening and closing
reduces the risk of hydraulic shock in high-pressure systems.

Q. How many types of pilot operated valves

are there?
A. There are two types of valve design and two main
configurations of each.
The first are the Reliance TBVA 100 and 200 series which are
pilot controlled, hydraulically operated, diaphragm actuated
globe valves which have only one control chamber which
limits their use to high flows or an isolating function. They
are available as globe or angle valves.
The second are the Reliance TBVA 300+ series valves which
are pilot controlled, hydraulically operated, diaphragm /piston
actuated globe valves with two control chambers so that
they can be used on a wide range of applications, including
low and varied flows. They also are available as globe or
angle valves.

Q. Can these valves be used with low flow rates?

A. Both valve types and configurations can be used with
low flow bypass valves to enable them to be used at low
Reliance® B
T VA 450 series, pilot operated PRV with sealed percentages of their maximum flow rates. The TBVA 300,
adjustment trim.

RELIANCE WATER CONTROLS ® The Safety Valve Specialists

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RELIANCE WATER CONTROLS Q&A GUIDES
Water Valves For Tall Buildings

400 and 500 series can also have a V-port type seat fitted to
increase the low flow stability.

Q. I have been using a large version of a domestic

float operated valve to control the filling of a large
water storage cistern, but there have been problems
with noise and water hammer when the valve is closing.
Can you suggest a suitable alternative?
A. The Reliance TBVA 500 series valves are WRAS approved
and are available in a number of control options. The TBVA
500 series modulating float control valve is an automatic
control valve designed to maintain a constant water level in
reservoirs and storage cisterns. It is pilot controlled,
hydraulically operated and diaphragm actuated in either
oblique (Y) or angle pattern design. Valve differential pressure
powers the diaphragm actuator open or closed. Other valves
in the series are: the TBVA 510 electric float control valve,
which is an on/off automatic control valve designed for low
level and high level control of water in storage cisterns; and
the TBVA 520 series two level, non-modulating float control A Pressure Sustaining
Valve can also be
used for many smaller scale applications.
valve is an automatic control valve designed for low level and
high level control of water in storage cisterns.
During operation the valve remains closed even after the
Q. What is a pressure sustaining valve? pumps have started. Only after the pumps have generated
A. A pressure sustaining valve can be located at the mains enough pressure to overcome the inertia of the system will
water inlet to a building. If the external water main is used the valve open. As the pumps come to the end of their
for fire fighting, it is not desirable when there is a fire, to operation, the valve shuts against a running pump. Only once
have a large draw-off from the water main for non- the valve has fully closed do the pumps stop. This prevents
firefighting applications. These valves function by sensing the any surge pressure acting on the pumps.
inlet pressure to a valve and closing the valve should the inlet This method of operation reduces wear and tear in a high-
pressure fall below a given level. They can also protect the pressure system.
main from the effects of a catastrophic failure of a large main
within the building, in that they will still maintain the mains
pressure even with a full flow open outlet downstream of the
sustaining valve. They can be thought of as a priority control
valve and there are many applications for them on smaller
scale applications, e.g. they could be used to prevent the
course irrigation system taking priority over the supply to the
clubhouse on a golf course.

Q. Can pilot operated valves be used to control

boosting pumps?
A. Yes, where fixed head pumps are used on systems with a
high static head (over 11 bar), the use of a pump control
valve is advisable. The pump control valve protects the pumps
during an electrical failure and during operation from the
potential surge pressures experienced in high-pressure
Reliance Water Controls® Ltd
systems. Worcester Road, Evesham, Worcs WR11 4RA, UK.
TEL: +44 (0)1386 47148 FAX: +44 (0)1386 47028
SALES DIRECT LINE: +44 (0)1386 712400
www.rwc.co.uk
www.rwcshowers.co.uk
All information is accurate at the date of publication (on the front page of the guide).
Reliance ® reserves the right to make changes to the product which may affect the accuracy
of the information contained within this leaflet. Reliance Water Controls® Limited are part of
Reliance Worldwide®. ©Reliance Water Controls®, 2002.

RELIANCEWATER CONTROLS ® The Safety Valve Specialists