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What would you say to a person who is trying get the hens back into their coop with a stick? He should be using a food or treats instead! The stick is not the problem. In fact, it may appear to do the job…but not exactly in the smartest way. And that’s the problem. The use of stick is misinterpreted. Wondering why bring this up here? Well, that’s somewhat true when it comes to check valves too.

Check valves = concerns

Check valves usually generate a lot of concern from plant maintenance and users. The first complaint is often that ‘they don’t work’. It is not uncommon for the technicians to open and modify internal components of the check valve for their needs. Overall, the popularity of check valves is often challenged on multiple levels. The doubts and skepticism is a misinterpretation in many ways. When selected with due process Check valves are very effective.

So, here are some secrets to select the proper check valves:

1. Proper sizing is half the job done right:
   An ideal check valve should be sized for the specific application, not just for the line size. This is probably the most common mistake in selection of check valves. The selection should be such that the valve disc should be stable in the open position during flow or fully closed during no flow to prevent chattering and premature failure.
2. Flow sensitivity – the make or break factor:
   Check valves are flow-sensitive, and the valve must be fully open to prevent premature wear and failure. Insufficient flow and pressure can cause the valve to partially open, leading to increased pressure drop and decreased effectiveness. If not considered in initial stages, over the long term, the check valve is bound for premature failure, complete damage or erroneous functioning.
3. Durability of components:
   A check valve should be durable to prevent component failure and to ensure long-lasting service. A component failure can result in the valve not performing its function, which in the case of a check valve is to prevent reverse flow. Often, the scrutiny of components is not done to the required details – the use of materials, compliance to standards, allowances required for use over the long term, compatibility with the material and environment conditions must be carefully considered before selecting the check valve.
4. Pressure drop – the critical factor you cannot drop:
   Pressure drop is an essential consideration when selecting a check valve. If the flow is not sufficient to achieve full opening, the pressure drop will be higher than calculated, leading to chattering of the disc and eventual failure. This is also the most common cause of concern for plant personnel. The chattering sound is invariably misinterpreted as the problem in quality of the valve. But, in fact, it is the first sign of wrong selection.

While there are several other factors that influence the functioning and performance of check valves, the ones mentioned above are the first to look at among the others.

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• Delivery in 30 mins
• Never going to your bank
• Buying almost everything online
• Paying for chai and vada-pav online
• Cellphone becoming the primary device to conduct business

What will NOT surprise us in the future?

• Meeting our friends and doing professional networking in the meta verse
• Online/Digital only schools, colleges and Universities
• IoT devices telling you what you need and when you should buy
• Intelligent washing machines that save water, roti makers that manage nutrients

Well it was unimaginable 20 years ago.

At IPC Valves, we are already working on the things that will shape the future of customer expectations. For instance, we have reduced the lead time to procure valves significantly. We are developing smart help manuals that will aid easy and quick maintenance.

We have a high commitment to deliver world-class and futuristic product and services to you, always.

For any requirements in Gate, Globe, Check and Ball Valves, Motorised/Automated Valves, Pneumatic Actuator and Limit Switch Boxes, get in touch with us at evalve@ipcvalves.com

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While outsourcing of activities is common in some areas such as Information Technology or Facilities Management, it is catching up in many others. The general trend is to outsource activities that are non-core to your business. Can maintenance of valves be counted as non-core?

Let us explore…

Should valve maintenance be outsourced?

There is no right answer here.

Case 1: Yes!

Imagine a relatively old site that is remotely located and difficult to service from your nearest modern and new facility. The cost of monitoring and maintaining valves in such a location could be costly. If expertise and capable vendors are available, the site can save costs, resources and valuable management time in valve maintenance and related activities.

Case 2: No!

Now consider a relatively new site with latest valves and automation. This site might need very less maintenance in the first place. Secondly, there could be a situation that not many capable vendors are available for conducting maintenance of the site on an end-to-end basis. Outsourcing could be risky here and may not bring the required cost savings and results.

However, if there is a case where a vendor is given the contract for maintenance of an entire plant or systems, including valves, the cost-benefit ratio could be different.

Watch out for these outsourcing indicators

So, here are a few indicators for you to consider outsourcing of valve maintenance:

• High costs – Valve maintenance costs are a significant part of the maintenance budget
• Lack of in-house team – Lack of expertise or resources with the in-house team to maintain general or specialized valves
• Focus of in-house team – If the resources are limited and the in-house team needs to focus on maintenance of other critical systems
• Frequent problems in valves – If your site experiences frequent problems in operation of valves, high costs of spares etc. outsourcing can help to optimize and save costs
• Compliance and safety issues – While compliance and safety are better managed when controlled in-house, with expert vendors these factors can also be addressed effectively

Before you outsource maintenance of valves

• Be sure to set clear financial goals and ROI
• Ensure the processes are properly documented along with responsibilities
• Outsource only if the scope can be clearly documented
• Keep allowance for scope adjustment, and contingencies
• Allocate resources for monitoring the quality of maintenance by outsourced serviced agency

The trend for maintenance and outsourcing of valve analysis (predictive maintenance), maintenance operations and optimization of performance is on the rise. Look inside, analyse and cash-in your cost savings opportunity at the right time!

The post When can outsourcing valve maintenance save you costs…? appeared first on ipc valves.

Often it’s the small things that can make a big difference to our daily lives.

That stands to be true and similar when it comes to the impact of valves on environment and sustainability.

Valves may seem small but can be a powerful tool in the efforts towards decarbonisation, UN’s sustainable development goals and overall environment conservation efforts.

Introduction

From creating profits and shareholder value, the global corporations are shifting the way they measure success. Increasingly, contributions towards enhancing the environment is recognised as a key purpose and parameter that defines the success by global corporations.

In case of valves, the potential of contributions towards enhancing environment are particularly being recognised in the oil and gas domain. In this article, we explore the important ways in valves can help improve environment from product and application point of view. These include ways and means to improve valve designs that are focused on mitigating climate change to best-practices and standards for sustainability.

Valves are a key driver of sustainability in multiple industries

Valves are key to improving energy efficiency, reducing wastage of energy in the form of steam or water, lowering material wastage and many other areas that directly or indirectly contribute to sustainability.

To succeed in such initiatives is rarely possible without improving the performance of the valves. In every energy intensive industry – from oil and gas, power, chemicals to pharmaceuticals, valves have a key role to play in reducing energy consumption and thereby impacting the sustainability goals.

Better valve designs improve sustainability

While the valves have evolved in terms of design and performance, their primary use continue to be controlling the flow of fluids and leakage prevention. Overall, the valve designs have evolved to significantly reduce energy losses from friction, turbulence, heat dissipation, leakages and many other parameters.

Further, leakages of green house gases (GHGs) or damaging gases from refineries, chemical plants, pipelines and wastewater treatment plants such as methane, are a significant and growing threat to sustainability. The role of valves is critical in reducing the impact of such hazards.

Use of recyclable material

A typical motorised or automated valve could include well over 300 components. The reusability, sustainable performance of such components is important to aid environment goals. A major step here is many of the coatings used in valves are now using combinations with lesser Volatile Organic Compound (VOCs). Powder based coatings in valves with zero emissions are also gaining popularity owing to safe disposal and sustainability.

Sustainability at IPC Valves

Our efforts through continuous R&D have contributed to several product improvements that promise better reusability, and sustainability. Also, as a required element of many standards, and quality management systems, that IPC Valves is committed to, the excess and scrap materials are carefully controlled, segregated, and shipped to recycling centers for reprocessing.

In future our effort is to be responsible and put back every item we produce or consume back into a sustainable ecosystem. From the castings we use in valves to initiatives for digital factory, we want sustainability to seamlessly flow through each of our actions.

The post How valves help to drive sustainability? appeared first on ipc valves.

Valves are going through similar waves of change.

The working and design of valves have essentially remained the same since the 1960s. They provide precise control over the flow as they have done for ages. However, the degree of this precision and control has improved significantly due to some subtle changes that still continue to occur.

As in many other aspects of life, electronic cyber-physical systems are changing the way valves are controlled operated and maintained.

Have you noted these 4 emerging trends in control valves?

The rise of process simulation

The digital twinning technology enables valve users to create a virtual copy of the valve and simulate the process conditions under which it will operate. Now, the user has an idea of how the valve will respond to their application needs before the actual valve is manufactured. The valve design can then be adjusted accordingly.

Digital twins continue to work after the valves are manufactured and deployed, mimicking the operations of the real valve and generating data that could help with diagnostics and maintenance.

Explore digital twinning in detail

Smart valve positioners:

The valve positioner converts electrical or pneumatic signals into actions that control the valve actuator. As opposed to conventional positioners do not always need to come in contact with the valve stem for feedback on the action. The smart positioners are often enabled with low-power central processing units, giving them the capability to detect faults and communicate with other positioners or the central valve control systems using communication protocols.

Smart valve diagnostics:

Smart valve diagnostics is a trend facilitated by smart valve positioners along with valve monitoring software. A smart controller or positioner device is fitted to the valve to monitor its performance. The relevant operating and diagnostic parameters are displayed in real-time on your screen. A software program then analyzes the data to instantly detect faults and even recommends action with step-by-step instructions.

Know how smart diagnostics can help

Data-driven maintenance:

With technologies such as digital twins, smart positioners, and cyber systems for control, today’s control networks generate a copious amount of data about the functioning as well as the health of valves. Wise scrutiny of this data alongside the valve inspection data could tell you what could go wrong with the valve in the near future. Once you have an estimate of how a valve could fail, you can contemplate the right course of action in advance.

While approaches such as RBI and FMEA do help, not everything can be predicted accurately and failures do happen. Such times call for focusing on causes, not symptoms of the fault in the valves. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) approach can help companies review and update the FMEA policy. RCA method is a good way to discover new possibilities as it drives one to ask focused questions.

Thus, data is a tool that you could use in both pro-active and reactive maintenance approaches.

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Distinct design features

Despite the word sanitary in its name, a sanitary valve operates in applications where maintaining a highly clean and sterile environment is critical. Sanitary valves process the media that is used for biological consumption. Hence, the requirement for high cleanliness. Sanitary valves feature a distinct design to enable working in super-clean environments.

Distinct design features of sanitary valves

• Absence of crevices or cavities to avoid trapping the media on which bacteria can grow
• Wetted surfaces that come in contact with the media are polished
• Maximum possible radius size to avoid clinging or entrapment of the media
• Butt welds, threads, flanges, and clamps to prevent external contamination
• Aseptic design for better cleanliness

Factors impacting valve selection

The training of a soldier and that of a doctor differ as per the sensitivity of their job. If you apply the criteria of what makes the best soldier for choosing a doctor (and visa versa), there would be a disaster. Along the same lines, the criteria for choosing sanitary valves differ significantly from those to judge other industrial valves.

Body material

Low carbon Stainless steel is the most preferred material for sanitary valves. This is because only steel has the capability to meet the high cleanliness norms set by regulations. Materials such as iron or copper cannot satisfy the sanitary hygiene conditions set for these valves.

Seals

Sanitary valves are generally soft-seated. They use O-rings, seals, and seats made from soft yet abrasion-resistant materials.

Standards

Standards matter all the more for sanitary valves, given they process media meant for human consumption. A number of ASME, MSS, and API standards apply to sanitary valves.

Conclusion

Given the importance of hygiene in sanitary valves, they demand highly polished production in line with health standards. An experienced valve manufacturing expert could be the key to obtaining durable, reliable, and standardized sanitary valves for your application.

IPC valves has 10+ years of experience in manufacturing ball valves and butterfly valves in line with global standards. Although we have not yet undertaken the manufacturing of sanitary valves, IPC shares information about all aspects of valve selection, use, and maintenance under its customer awareness initiatives.

IPC offers customized, automated valves and process solutions in a short lead time while enabling the customer to trace the valve throughout the manufacturing process and monitor its testing for assured quality.

The post Need a valve for the “other” type of extremely sensitive job? appeared first on ipc valves.

Maroon berets are a symbol of elite airborne troops across the world. These berets are worn by commandos who are parachuted into enemy territory and operate swiftly in a high-pressure environment.

Whereas soldiers in the army rise above ordinary people, the commandoes wearing maroon berets are a cut above the other soldiers due to their ability to do the impossible and operate under maximum pressure.

Coming to valves, operating under tremendous working and operating pressure is a test that only certain special valves can pass. Ideally, they could be called maroon berets of the valve fraternity, but they’re just called high-pressure valves.

High-pressure valves are valves that can operate at working pressure of approximately 700 psi or higher. An oil well could be operating at a constant bottom-hole flowing pressure of 1500 psi, and the valve must withstand this pressure to allow a smooth flow of oil.

Akin to the maroon berets, high-pressure valves are elite tools only deployed in critical places where high endurance is needed. Thus, a number of factors need to be considered closely when selecting a high-pressure valve for deployment.

Here are 5 critical factors to consider in the selection of high-pressure valves.

Valve body material

Just as physical strength and endurance are critical for a commando, a strong pressure-resistant body is a key requirement for a high-pressure valve. This is where the valve body material is important.

Apart from resisting the high pressure, the valve body material must be compatible with the fluid that will flow through the valve. For instance, ductile iron can absorb shocks and pressure but is not resistant to corrosion. Stainless steel displays better resistance to corrosion and also has high tensile strength.

Internal parts of the valve such as seals and packing are often made of graphite to reduce friction occurring at high temperatures and pressure.

Maximum allowable working pressure

Operation Market Garden, a famous commando operation during the Second World War failed because the commanders did not properly study the odds facing the small commando force. A handful of commandoes ended up facing a bigger German army and were defeated and killed.

In the case of valves, the working pressure requirements of the application must be considered so that the valve selected matches these requirements. Maximum allowable working pressure is the highest amount of pressure that a valve can withstand in operation. If this pressure is crossed, valve parts such as springs, and packing, may be destroyed, and the body itself may fail.

Operating temperature

A valve that can operate at a temperature above 425o C is considered as a high-temperature valve. Applications such as petroleum, oil, and gas require valves that can operate at high temperatures and pressure. Similar to how the area of operations will impact the tactics and strategy of a commando operation, the operating temperature is a key factor in designing a high-pressure valve.

Leakage tolerance

What sets the red berets apart from other soldiers is that they never leave their men behind. These commandoes are trained to carry injured comrades on their shoulders when they depart a scene. There are no loose ends or leaks in the ranks of the red berets. Similarly, valves in critical applications should not allow leaks.

However, zero-tolerance valves entail high costs. Hence, in the case of non-hazardous high-pressure applications, the user could determine a level of leakage tolerance to save these costs. IPC provides the leakage tolerance chart for its valves to make it easier to set the leakage tolerance for high-pressure valves.

Connection end type

Connection end type is a key factor that impacts leakage in high-pressure valves. If the pipe diameter is small and it is possible to maintain the valves frequently, then threaded connections could efficiently prevent leakage.

Most non-hazardous applications where easy maintenance of the valve is essential, use flanged connections However, hazardous applications used permanent welded connections to prevent all leaks. They are the best guarantee of safety in hazardous applications. Welded connections come in two types: butt welded and socket welded

Conclusion

The maroon berets i.e. para commandoes often quote a line to demonstrate their capability and the high-pressure environment in which they operate.

“When the angels have fallen down and the devil has had his day You’ll find the gates of the heaven guarded by a single maroon beret.”

A high-pressure valve standing alone against the onslaught of the hazardous media flowing at high pressure faces a similar situation. When choosing a high-pressure valve, the material compatibility chart provided by the manufacturer allows the user to check whether the media is compatible with the valve body material. Similarly, the leakage tolerance chart supplied by the manufacturer helps determine the leakage tolerance. Thus, it is important to work closely with a trusted valve manufacturing expert when selecting a high-pressure valve.

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