Dixon Valve & Coupling is expanding and announces a $20 million expansion plan to construct a 150,000 square foot warehouse in Chestertown, Maryland.

Dixon was presented with the facts to the left and asked to recommend a solution. The refinery was using a competitor’s dry disconnect coupler and having issues with the valve opening when not in service and causing spillage. Spillage of heavy crude is a huge concern for the customer, but a greater concern was the potential of bodily harm to employees. Aft er evaluating the coupler currently in service, it was determined that the heavy crude was not allowing the valve to lock in the shut position. When the workers disconnected the hose and moved it out of service, on occasion the locking arm would open. Dixon was asked to come on site with the industrial distributor to assess the application and propose a solution. In a meeting with 20 representatives from the refi nery, including the safety, environmental, operations and purchasing managers, Dixon displayed its dry disconnect. Th e meeting was very benefi cial because all departments from the refi nery were represented and everyone’s questions and concerns were answered. They were delighted to hear the flow rate would increase from 600 to 1000 GPM with the Dixon dry disconnect. Another key benefi t of the dry disconnect is its locking mechanism. Th e Dixon dry disconnect design has a twist to lock the connection which provides a 100 percent assurance that there will not be any valves popping open when not connected.

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