Weir Valves & Controls USA Inc. has introduced Atwood & Morrill® forged gate valve.
The team is delighted that this new addition is attracting customer interest, and they are already receiving orders. The team has recently manufactured four forged valves that were ordered for installation at a new-built combined cycle plant in Southeast United States.
Customers of combined cycle power plants have indicated that Type 91 gate valves have been experiencing shorter than anticipated life cycles. These valve bodies are traditionally cast in A217 C12A material.
Based on customer feedback and industry research, the team has decided to manufacture and introduce an Atwood & Morrill® forged gate valve. At temperatures above 1,000° F, a forged body is superior because imperfections inherent to all castings impose greater risk in C12A applications, due to the elevated temperatures and increased thermal cycling. Stringent code and customer requirements for C12A make it costly and cumbersome to process. Forged type 91 material will have a higher initial hardness level than C12A castings due to differences in how the materials are processed, indicating a longer life cycle.
Forged valve bodies help minimize material defects and provide better quality and longer life valves, especially at elevated temperatures with thermal cycling conditions.