You don’t have to be a power engineer to understand the importance of a pressure regulating valve and control system donated from Flowserve Canada to the Portage College Power Engineering Lab’s classroom powerplant. Sure, power engineers can tell you what the state-of-the-art, highly-calibrated valve does to keep the plant’s turbines spinning within a two percent margin of its 1,800 rpm set-point requirements - but even without a Portage College education in the highly sought-after profession, the value of the Flowserve contribution is evident.

"We brought to the College the latest that the technology can offer," says Dan Rotzien, Flowserve's Edmonton-based Manufacturing Manager.

Rotzien and Flowserve's Sales Engineer from the Fort McMurray region, Alex McKenzie, were at Portage College on May 22 to be officially recognized for the donation.

"It's very important that right from the start, the students get the opportunity to interact with this equipment and get the familiarity, so when they are out in the community and out in their careers, they've seen it and they've worked with it before," says McKenzie.

The new valve, a donation with a value of more than $12,500, is an essential component of the Power Engineering Lab, which operates as a fully functional power plant with a boiler, steam turbine, electric generator, and auxiliary equipment.

The donation will benefit many students for years to come, says Portage College's Interim Associate Dean of Trades and Technology John Hunter, explaining that the lab is also used in the Steamfitter-Pipefitter program at Portage.

"Steamfitter-Pipefitter students also come into this lab as well because a lot of that content overlaps with power engineering. Having this operating and functioning is not only for Power Engineering, but for our other programs as well. It's a huge part of our college," says Hunter.

The Flowserve valve replaces a 20-year-old part that was in need of repair. Power Engineering instructor Phil Chapman said Flowserve offered the generous donation while College officials were shopping for repairs or replacement.

Don Moore, Portage College's Vice-President Academic, says the Flowserve donation is "absolutely fantastic." The support from an industry partner like Flowserve to the classroom allows students to learn and instructors to teach with the most up-to-date equipment, he said. "That's what keeps us going because without labs like this, without support like this, we don't get the opportunity to teach them the skills before they go out on practicum."

For Portage College President and CEO Nancy Broadbent, the new component is an example of the community and industry partnerships that make the College a standout for training.

"It's nice to have industry connecting with us," says Broadbent. "In my opinion, this is the best program in Alberta, and the main reasons are the instructors, the placements and all the industry partners," she said, calling the donation "wonderful."

The new Flowserve valve and the Power Engineering lab will continue to be pressure tested next year as the program welcomes a full roster of 36 new students into introductory first year. The Power Engineering program at Portage College currently has a waitlist of more than 20.

Pictured (left to right, front to back):

Dan Rotzien – Manufacturing Manager Flowserve- Edmonton
Nancy Broadbent – President and CEO Portage College
Don Moore – Associate Vice Presidents Academic/Dean Portage College
Alex McKenzie Sales Engineer Flowserve – Fort McMurray
Geoff Sander – Power Engineering Instructor
Martin Warner – Power Engineering Instructor
John Hunter - Interim Associate Dean of Trades and Technology
Phil Chapman – Power Engineering Instructor

The donated control valve is critical for managing steam flow to the turbine, which powers the generator at 1800 rpm. This equipment, "The control valve that Flowserve has graciously donated to us controls the steam flow to the turbine, which in turn operates the generator," explained Phillip Chapman, Power Engineering Instructor at Portage College. “This control valve will modernize our current turbine/generator operations.”

About Flowserve

Flowserve is one of the world's largest manufacturers of pumps, valves and seals with over 16,000 employees across 50 countries. Flowserve is a global leader in manufacturing and aftermarket services for comprehensive flow control systems. The company’s expertise enables them to support energy, water, and food production, as well as other critical infrastructures. The global company has Alberta offices in Edmonton, Leduc, Fort McMurray and Calgary.

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