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JASON CHISHOLM, SEALWELD CORPORATION read the
Pipelines International — December 2009 magazine
online.
Careful handling and storage of valves
prior to installation, as well as following
correct procedures during construction
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and commissioning, ensures a more
efficient and safe pipeline, with less 1. APLNG pipeline contract awarded Pipelines International Update.
chance of lost production and failed 2. Independent panel recommends First name Last name
isolations. This article outlines five steps Mackenzie pipeline proceeds
Company name Phone number
to follow for a healthy valve. 3. FERC gives Ruby Pipeline green
credentials Email address Join
1. Selecting the right valves
4. Australian pipeline research
There are many valve manufacturers and centre appoints CEO  Please check here to confirm your subscription.

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valves for any type of production, 5. Pemex plans Tamazunchale-San
temperature, pressure and service condition Luis de la Paz pipeline tender
can be found. Of these makes and styles 6. Pipelines International December
there is a wide range of feature options to edition online!
choose from, such as full or reduced port,
7. Bolivia – Argentina pipeline
floating or trunion-mounted ball, rising or non-rising stem gate. extension approved
When selecting a crucial component like a mainline block valve, it is best to 8. Bidding opens on Denali Pipeline
consider the service conditions. What is the likelihood of the valve seat seals being 9. Russia and Belarus continue to
worn enough to cause significant leakage due to continued dry cycling or the negotiate Druzbha pipeline deal
presence of an abrasive like construction debris, black powder or sand? For 10. Staying ahead of the pipeline
instance, a metal-seated plug valve would suit a mainline block cross-over professional pack; technical training
assembly application better than a soft-seal ball valve. Due to line purging and courses on offer in 2010
throttling, damage can easily occur on the soft-seat seals of a ball valve, whereas
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metal-seated plug valves are designed to resist seat wear in these conditions.
1. Pipeline development in the land
Many manufacturers claim to produce valves that do not require lubrication and, of the free — BJ Lowe, Clarion,
hence, do not include a seat sealant system to inject lubricant or emergency Houston, USA and Lyndsie Mewett,
sealant. Every valve will eventually leak if not properly maintained and the Associate Editor
operator’s ability to maintain production or to isolate a pipe section could depend 2. Going with the flow: internal
greatly on sealing one leaking valve. coatings (expanded version) — By
Ian Robinson and Craig Thomas, 3M
2. Storage and handling United Kingdom plc (formerly E
Valve care is often neglected before initial installation. Often large diameter block Wood Ltd)
valves are stored on a dusty construction site with no end covers or alternative 3. Assessing the environmental
protection from airborne contaminants. Rarely is the internal sealing integrity of impacts of pipelines — By Dr Janet
the valve taken into consideration by construction crews whose number one Swan, Environment Director, RSK
concern is its timely installation. 4. TransCanada supersizes Keystone
project
Likewise, the improper transportation of the valve itself should be of paramount
5. Pipeline link constructed in central
concern to project managers. Any rough handling of the valve could cause the
Australia
ball or gate to ‘creep’ out of its seat, exposing the seat ring and body cavity to
debris contamination. Any opportunity to prevent contamination of the valve 6. Protecting pipelines in mountain
areas — Vlad Popovici, Bredero
assembly will increase the likelihood of achieving a positive seat seal test once
Shaw, Toronto, Canada
installed.
7. Australian industry gathers in
3. Upgrading northern Australia

Once the valve design that best suits the operating conditions of the pipeline has 8. IP Pipeline moves forward after
much discussion
been chosen, one of the most important steps is to outfit the valve with the
proper internal check valves, sealant injection fittings, body vent/drain fittings, 9. Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline
packing injectors, and riser lines (if required). The only chance at maintaining the 10. Pipes & People
sealing integrity of the valve depends on the ability to inject synthetic lubricants
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and sealants into the seat and stem areas of the valve. It only takes one cycle of a
contaminated valve to completely destroy the highly sensitive soft seals inside the Latest Twitter updates:
seating area. • Technip wins West
African subsea contract
Typically, these upgrades are overlooked during the design phase as future wear #Pipelines
and tear is rarely taken into account. Specifying 3/8 inch riser lines, opposed to http://bit.ly/75jhKp 4 days ago
the more popular and slightly cheaper ¼ inch riser lines, enables service • RT @AussiePipeliner: APIA
technicians a much greater chance of injecting a heavy sealant faster if leakage is Convention attendees love pipelines!
occurring in the seat area and a seal must be achieved. Likewise for injection See the video at
fittings, a threaded cage design is more likely to withstand the injection pressures http://tinyurl.com/yeetqfr #pipeline
of heavy emergency sealants than a crimped cage design, which can fail under as 4 days ago
little as 3,000 psi (20,700 kPa). Studies have shown that threaded cage style • Subsea 7 has successfully
fittings can withstand injection pressures of well over 50,000 psi (344,700 kPa). completed the Girassol Pipeline
Repair Project, located offshore
Valve maintenance technicians rely on the ability to blow-down the valve body northwest Angola #Pipelines
cavity to create pressure differentials across leak paths in order to ‘draw’ sealants http://bit.ly/8skwSI 6 days ago
into the required areas. Technicians are often faced with servicing valves of up to

http://pipelinesinternational.com/news/5_simple_steps_to_total_valve_integrity/009339/ 1/26/2010
5 simple steps to total valve integrity — Pipelines International — The international pipel... Page 2 of 3

60 inch inner diameter that are outfitted with ¼inch body vent ports. This is Want to see the latest? Follow
hardly an ideal situation as the drain port will not be able to vent enough pressure Pipelines International on Twitter. Leak Detectors & Testers
to create the kind of differential that is required to deliver the sealant to the areas Cost effective leak detection
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that need it the most. Many pipeline operators are beginning to specify full-port Alternate to helium and air testing
Do you have something to tell www.sensistorusa.com
ball valves in place of body vent fittings on large diameter valves for this reason.
Pipelines International? Submit your
Expansion Joints
4. Inspecting and commissioning news or information here.
All Metal & Rubber Expansion
Of any step taken toward ensuring that a pipeline runs efficiently and safely, valve MEDIA KIT Joints Flexicraft Flexible Pipe
commissioning is the most crucial. A case in point involves the resurrection of Download the Solutions
three brand new 36 inch buried mainline block valves due to the complete Pipelines www.FleXicraft.com
washout of seat seals during nitrogen purging. The cause: no lubricant in the seat International DataSafe
sealant system or seat ring groove. Media Kit (PDF). ERCB / BCOGC / SMER / NEB
compliant ERP & Pipeline Integrity
As a result of valve installation, construction debris becomes trapped inside the
Management
pipe where the butt ends are welded. Once installed, the purging process pushes www.DataSafe.ca
the construction debris against the ball and into the gap between the seat ring
and the sealing face. At this point during the aforementioned construction
project, had any lubricant been injected into the valve, it would have pushed
enough of the debris out and away from the sealing area and minimal damage
would have occurred. Instead, the valve was dry cycled and so severely damaged
to the point that it required replacement before the pipeline section could be
brought online.
The engineers and managers of this pipeline project would go on to implement a
strict valve commissioning and pipe inspection procedure. As a result; welding
slag, dirt, rocks, and any other kind of debris was meticulously removed from
pipe sections before valve installation. Every valve was purged of factory grease
and replaced with a high quality synthetic lubricant and air tested to ensure that
the seat seals maintained their integrity. Eight years later, every commissioned
valve on this project retains perfect sealing integrity.
5. Routine maintenance
If the preceding four steps have been followed, the valve should be online with no
problems concerning sealing capability. In order to maintain the valve properly,
the operator will need to implement a scheduled routine of sealant system top-
ups with synthetic lubricant. Typically, a new valve will require top-up more often
than a valve that has been in operation for one year or more. It is this first critical
year of operation that the valve seals sit tightest against the ball plug or gate slab
and lubricant is required to reduce the breakout torque during operation.
It is advised to top up the lubricant every time a valve is operated for the first year
in addition to a semi-annual full service schedule. It may seem excessive, but a
small investment in time and preventative maintenance on the front end could
potentially save hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars on the back end
taking into account pipe section isolation during emergency shutdowns.
Compared to the cost of an emergency valve body sealing job, a preventative
maintenance routine will quickly pay for itself.
Conclusion
Much of this information is not new to pipeline operators, yet thousands of valves
in every sector of the petroleum industry are scheduled for replacement every
year causing lost production. By taking a few simple steps like these ones above,
one could almost completely eliminate having to replace valves before their
service life expectancy. In combination with specialised sealants and pumping
equipment, it is conceivable that any given valve could stay in service indefinitely
and retain sealing integrity.
Appeared in issue: Pipelines International — December 2009
Categories: Integrity and Maintenance, Machinery & Equipment
Article permalink: http://pipelinesinternational.com/news/
5_simple_steps_to_total_valve_integrity/009339/
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