• Wave Fountain in front of Queen Mary Events Park and Aquarium brings national recognition to Long Beach Parks Department.
CLARK, NJ, Jan. 9, 2007 -- With close collaboration between Long Beach, CA's parks engineers and Assured Automation, design flaws that plagued their new Wave Fountain were overcome to provide a new attraction to the Queen Mary Events Park and Aquarium, adding dynamic impact to the nationally acclaimed park. With water being pumped at the rate of 11,000 gallons per minute, it was no less than a harrowing experience to the parks engineers when the original fountain design failed.
"The water hammering felt like a gunnery range," recalls Dave Edgar, mechanical engineer for the City of Long Branch. "Imagine thousand pounds of metal objects slamming and pounding all at the same time."
The original poppet solid on-off valves installed on two manifolds caused destructive harmonic vibrations in the equipment when they were opened and closed in different sequences. The poppet valves failed within days of the installation. Rather than continue with outside consultants, the City of Long Branch turned to Dave Edgar, their resident mechanical engineer to find a solution.
Originally trained as a Hull Technician in the Navy, and then as a marine pipe fitter for the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, Edgar knew from experience the existing design would never work. Finding alternatives -- especially in an environment where a test prototype was not an option -- needed resourceful and daring minds.
Finding a Solution
The Long Beach Wave Fountain presented rigorous -- literally crushing -- requirements. And as a municipal park fountain, the requirements for minimal maintenance and reliable performance were strict.
Edgar scoured publications for solutions, and even called fountain engineers at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, but encountered a wall of proprietary systems. Relying on his knowledge of flow control and working collaboratively with Assured Automation, his valve supplier, Edgar improved the design with three key changes:
-- Adding expansion loops in the pipes
-- Adding hydro dampeners
-- Replacing the poppet valves with by high-speed, durable and reliable pneumatic Ares Angle Seat Valves with fast acting solenoids engineered by Assured Automation to control the 150 water jets
-- The expansion loops reduce the harmonics. The hydro dampeners keep the seat from slamming close, softening the impact.
The Ares Angle Seat Valves were selected for their high cycle-life, durability and reliability, and compact assembly. "Finding the right valve for our Wave Fountain was key to the success of the project," recalls Edgar. "Other more common valves could not meet our stringent requirements. We worked collaboratively with the engineers at Assured Automation to find the right solution to meet our specs. And the effort has paid back."
High Cycle-Life
The ideal internal flow characteristics, with its maximum capacity and high duty cycle, provide better performance compared to other valve designs. The Angle Seat Valve's piston is unique, enabling the plug to retract farther from the flow path, ensuring the highest flow capacity. The dual packing design, and a large diameter self aligning stem insures the highest cycle life.
Durability and Reliability
These 2/2-way pneumatically actuated piston valves were originally designed for liquids, gases, steam and some aggressive fluids applications. The valve body and internal components are made entirely of AISI 316 (Ares Series) and the seals are in PTFE, therefore enabling a high chemical compatibility with almost all media used in the different production processes. The valve is also available in Brass & 316 S/S (Zeus Series).
The special internal conformation of the valve seat avoids excessive deformation of the PTFE seal at high temperature or pressure, making the Ares or Zeus a long-lasting valve. The self-aligning plug design guarantees a high duty cycle, under all kinds of pressure. The valves work well in a wide temperature range, from -14°F to 358°F, making them a good choice for outdoor plaza fountains.
The Stainless Steel Spring and the particular shape of the dual self-adjusting stem seals, ensure a perfect tightness through wear and tear of time. The metal piston coated with a slow-wearing protection, and the employment of self-lubricating guides and seals, guarantee an almost unlimited life to the pneumatic control section, even through constant use under the most extreme conditions. The valve is provided with long lasting seals. Guides and seals are made with a self-lubricating material.
Compact Assembly
The control head rotates 360° for selective positioning of the pneumatic inlet port. Available in sizes from 3/8" to 2", the pneumatic valve is small, but with a series of 135 jets, packs a big wave.
Quality Solution
Visitors to the park's Wave Fountain are awed by its power and well-choreographed tidal surges. Architectural fountain designers are awed by its simplicity and endurance. The waves are generated by computers which control the solenoids, and in turn drive the valves in an air tight system. The valves cycle nine times per minute. Each hour two 15-minute shows are run, for 10 hours a day. With 1.5 million cycles in over a year and a half, not one valve has failed. Paul Bays, Maintenance/Operations Supervisor of Queensway Bay Parks, Recreation & Marine for the City of Long Beach reports, "With over a year and a half of usage the Ares Angle Seat Valves have performed exceptionally well, meeting the fountain's demanding requirements."
The new Wave Fountain runs day, and night to entertain and delight Queen Mary Events Park and Aquarium of the Pacific visitors. The park has been recognized as the most outstanding parks and recreation agency in the country by the National Recreation and Parks Association in 2006.
Designed in the shape of a chambered nautilus, the fountain -- a jewel of the four acre park and the city of Long Beach -- delights children, their families and 5 million visitors each year, as waves surge and break against polished granite walls and crash back on themselves with a roar.
The Wave Fountain measures up to the city's mission to "create community and enhance the quality of life through people, places, programs, and partnerships."
Based in Clark, NJ, Assured Automation (www.assuredautomation.com) is a privately held company that sells automated valves, actuators, flow meters, and valve accessories. Located in Clark NJ, Assured Automations customers include original equipment manufacturers, resellers, and end users. Their products are used for fluid and gas applications in air drying, pollution control, process control, laundry equipment, textile dyeing & drying, bottling & dispensing equipment, ink & paint dispensing, industrial compressors, and others. Their valves have been used reliably in curbside gas shut-off systems, award-winning architectural fountains, and many other high-profile projects. The company markets its products through a network of direct sales offices, technically-oriented representatives, and distributors throughout the world.
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