There are many names for Emergency Shutdown Valves but the basic purpose of any of these valves is to stop the airflow to diesel engines. By eliminating the air flow, the engine will come to a stop.
The initial ideas were based on guillotine or swing gate designs that allowed a flat object to be placed in front of the air flow thus blocking the intake manifold and subsequently killing the engine.
These designs proved to effective yet very heavy and bulky. Guillotine valves require a lot of room for installation and sometimes in a tight engine compartment, they just don’t fit.
Consequently, butterfly valves were designed and soon became popular with people who need a valve that functioned properly, yet fit into a smaller space.
The advantages of a butterfly valve over a guillotine valve are space required and ease of installation. The ESD Valves are lightweight, durable and extremely functional.
While Emergency Shut Down Valves operate under many names and utilize many methods, they all have one objective, which is to prevent catastrophic events. In many cases ESD valves are required by law but even in situations where they aren’t required by law, it is still a very good idea if the diesel engine is operating in an environment where external hydrocarbons might be present. Safety should always come first and installing an air shutoff device is an inexpensive way to add another level of protection and possibly the last line of defence.
