Angle and globe valve flashing solutions stand to significantly increase control valve service life and alleviate costly erosion issues, says an industry expert.
Flashing caused by pressurized steam is a destructive phenomenon that occurs in many industries. When controlling steam flow, flashing can take place, and when this happens it can result in severe erosion and damage to the valve components. By reducing flow capacity and eroding the valve itself, flashing is causing unplanned maintenance, reduced reliability, and unacceptable critical safety risks, says Mike Semens-Flanagan, Global Engineering Director at IMI Critical Engineering. With the issue continuing to put pressure on bottom lines in the petrochemical/ gas processing/ power/ oil and gas sector, Mr. Semens-Flanagan is calling for the adoption of new technologies to help resolve these timely and costly issues.
The component’s angle configuration is designed with hardened trim material, an enhanced seat, and a multi-path, multi-turn plug design to move flashing points away from critical trim parts and, therefore, withstand the most severe conditions. Its globe configuration option, on the other hand, utilises a seat basket to reduce downstream velocity and avoid damage to the valve body, without having to modify the existing pipe configuration.
Courtesy of IMI Critical Engineering.