The valve is said to be 80% lighter than existing products and can handle over 10 times the volume with a high degree of precision and control. The initial investment from Oxford Sciences Innovation plc will ensure Oxford Flow can take the valve to market and develop further high performance products for gas distribution networks and the water industry.
Founder and technical director, Professor Tom Povey identified the need for the valve while researching jet engines for clients such as Rolls Royce: “I was working with high flow rates of compressed gas that, for reasons of efficiency and safety, needed to be regulated,” he said. “Regulators available on the market were not precise enough so I devised a completely new method of controlling gas and developed a series of products based on this technology.”
Oxford Flow CEO, Simon Hombersley said: “This first investment by Oxford Sciences Innovation recognises the strength of the market-ready technology and the scale of opportunity in engineering innovation for industrial processes.”
Oxford Flow is now internet-enabling the platform technology so that its products will be able to provide real-time monitoring of the flow of liquids and gases in industrial and everyday settings and to become a key component of the IoT.
