Valves are used in many safety-critical applications, such as in the oil and gas industries. Like many other industrial products, these equipment are often sourced in Asia, with valve manufacturers in China and India being common.
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However, this also means that purchasing valves comes with significant risks. In addition to fraudulent valve suppliers posing as manufacturers, there is always the prevalent risk that your manufacturer produces non-conformant valves that cannot perform their intended function.
In this article, we’ll delve into valve inspections, providing the information you need to reduce the risks the next time you purchase valves.
While there are many factors to consider when purchasing valves, including considering the type of valve (such as ball valves, gate valves, globe valves, check valves, and butterfly valves), size, material corrosion resistance, and heat tolerance. We recommend you to always examine the following key factors:
Suggestion: It’s always recommendable to audit the valve manufacturer – before you send any deposits. Auditing the supplier can provide you insight into their capabilities and valve quality, as well as mitigate the risk of dealing with fraudulent trading companies posing as manufacturers.
The valve evaluation is typically conducted on-site at the factory before shipment, and is especially popular for first-time purchases from a valve supplier in India or China.
The inspector will evaluate the equipment based on various criteria and may use the ISO sampling plan or G2 inspection sampling plan to determine sampling size and acceptance criteria for quality inspections of valves.
At HQTS, we have years of experience inspecting industrial equipment such as valves in China, India and other parts of the world. Our valve checklist is extensive and we can catch both small and large defects. When evaluating a valve, we typically assess the following parameters:
The inspector will perform a quantity verification to ensure that the number of valves at the factory is consistent with the order statement.
Additionally, the inspector will carefully examine the packaging materials, including boxes, to ensure they’re in good condition and that the valves are properly secured to prevent any damage during transit.
After the quantity verification and inspection of packaging materials, the inspector will proceed to conduct a detailed assessment of the workmanship of the valves. This will involve a comprehensive visual inspection of the valves to evaluate their overall condition, paying close attention to exterior flaws such as:
In some instances, the inspector may check the colour of the valves to see if they have to match the specified requirements. Additionally, all documents related to the valve, including the material test certificate, will be checked for accuracy.
The dimensions of the valve are critical to its functionality, as they valves are often interchangeable and have to be able to be sealed properly. The inspector will take dimensional measurements of the valves to ensure they fall within the tolerance range. Additionally, the inspector will test valve using a coating thickness gauge to measure the thickness of the protective coatings and may use other valve testing procedures if required.
Some of the most common non-conformances include:
Valves are important in many safety-critical applications, such as the oil and gas industry, making valve quality control especially important.
The realization of safe and smooth operations of industrial processes is heavily reliant on valves performing their function with precision. Thus, valve testing ensures that these valves meet design specifications for the duration of their operational life.
Generally, valve testing simulates operating conditions in a controlled environment to ensure fit for service valves. However, testing also occurs periodically after installation in line with standard practices.
In this article, we will review common valve testing types and industry standards that offer guidelines for valve testing.
There are several types of testing to which a valve could undergo. The required test depends on the application, manufacturer standards, and customer specifications. The following sections examine common tests, an overview of their procedure, and industry guidelines.
This test involves filling a valve body with a testing fluid, which is usually water with a corrosion inhibitor. Then, technicians apply pressure over a specific period of time. The time and level of pressure varies depending on factors including the valve material, valve size, and category of pressure test. But in most cases, the pressure level is higher than the operational/working pressure of the valve. Also, the procedure for the pressure test varies depending on the type of valve in question. Generally, pressure tests aim to ascertain the integrity of the valve shell, seat, and seal against leakages due to pressure. After carrying out a test, a valve will not be accepted if the following occurs:
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Common industry guidelines for pressure testing valves can be found in ASME B16.34, API 598, MSS-SP-61, API 527, and ISO . Many tests are recorded on paper wheel charts or manually, although digital options are becoming more prevalent.
Although water (hydrostatic) is the most common test medium in pressure testing, some conditions require pneumatic pressure testing of valves. For pneumatic testing, air or an inert gas such as nitrogen are the preferred media. Generally, in industry, hydrostatic testing is ideal for high-pressure applications where the equipment is not moisture sensitive.
In situations where moisture can damage certain equipment – usually via corrosion – or alter the chemical balance in the system, pneumatic testing is recommended. Also, industry guidelines recommend the use of pneumatic testing for cryogenic and low temperature valves. This is because it is difficult to remove all water after the test. The presence of moisture in an operating system is highly discouraged. The table below highlights more of the differences between hydrostatic and pneumatic testing in line with standards and industry practices.
Note: Testing above 100 psi gas pressure can be very dangerous due to the expansion properties of a gas.
When pressure testing a valve, there are key components that are given a closer look for the duration of the process. Three of these include the shell, seal, and seat.
The valve shell refers to the main body of the device. Moreover, its testing in the industry is driven mostly by guidelines from API 598 and ASME B16.34. Typically, the valve is mounted on a test bench and partially opened. Then, the shell is pressurized, with ASME B16.34 recommending a minimum of 1.5 times the valve pressure rating at 100 ℉ (38 ℃) for hydrostatic testing. While that of pneumatic seat testing is 1.1 times the maximum allowable pressure. Pneumatic testing is done to 80-100 psi. Also, both the API and ASME standards recommend varying test duration depending on the size of the valve being tested. The table below summarizes the test duration.
In addition, the test water temperature should range between 41 ℉ (5 ℃) and 122 ℉ (50 ℃). And the pressure gauge used for measurements should have calibration ranging from not less than 1.5 times the test pressure, to not more than 4 times the test pressure. For a valve shell to pass the test, there shall be no visible leakage for the duration of the test.
A valve stem seal (packing) is also monitored during the shell test. For adjustable stem seals, the occurrence of leakage during the test is NOT a cause for rejection, as long as the manufacturer can demonstrate the seal’s capacity to retain at least the maximum allowable pressure of the valve without any visible leakage. Adjustments to the packing are allowed to eliminate leakage. For non-adjustable stem seals, no leakage is permitted during the shell test.
Typically, the valve seat test is carried out after testing the valve shell. With the same API and ASME standards as with the shell test providing guidance. The recommended pressure is 110% of the maximum allowable pressure at 100 ℉ (38 ℃), and the test time varies with size in accordance with ASME B16.34.
The test duration recommendations from API 598 are similar to these, and it also states the allowable leakage rates from the seat.
For valve sizes greater than 14 inches, the hydrostatic test leakage rate should not exceed two drops per minute per inch. While the pneumatic test leakage rate should be less than four bubbles per minute per inch.
One of the requirements of industrial valves is having reliable fire protection. This holds particularly true for sensitive applications such as oil and gas, refinery, and petrochemical industries. Moreover, valves in these industries must guarantee a reliable and safe shut-off in case of a fire incident.
In a fire test, a valve is pressurized and subject to high-temperature flames between ℉ (750 ℃) and ℉ ( ℃) for a period of thirty minutes. During this period, the heat intensity and the leakages – both internal and external – are monitored and measured. Also, after extinguishing the flames and allowing the valve to cool, the technician test its pressure-retaining capacity. All through the test, the leakage levels should be within acceptable limits for the valve to pass as being “fire-safe”. Some key things to note about fire testing include:
Standards such as API 607, API 6FA, ISO , BS , and BS constitute industry guidelines for fire testing. On the basis of these guidelines, several companies set up their bespoke procedure for fire-safety valves. Of all the fire testing guidelines, API 607 and API 6FA are the most widely used. API 607 provides testing criteria for valves with non-metallic seating and quarter-turn valves. API 6FA provides the testing criteria for metal seated valves.
Note: Most metal-to-metal seated Gates, Globes, and Swing checks are NOT tested to API 607 due to their inherently Fire Safe Design. (There are no soft parts to melt during a fire.)
A fugitive emissions test aims to assess the impact of gas or vapor leakage from a valve. Although this leakage can be from anywhere along the piping system, statistics show that approximately 60% of fugitive emissions stem from valves. This data highlights the importance of this test. In addition, the impact of these emissions has significant consequences including:
When carrying out fugitive emission tests, the most common test gases are helium and methane. The valve is pressurized with the test gas at varying temperatures. Then technicians monitor for leakages via the sniffing or vacuum method. International standards such as API 622, API 624, API 644, ISO -1, and ISO -2 all provide guidance on how to carry out this valve test. However, most organizations develop their specifications to ensure application suitability.
Cryogenic testing of valves is done for those operating at low temperatures or in cryogenic service. The test procedure involves placing the valve within an insulated tank, with liquid nitrogen at temperatures of down to -320 ℉ (-196 ℃).
Then, helium pressurizes the valve to the operating pressure specified for its class. During the test, technicians closely monitor the temperature inside the valve and leakages. In the end, the valve is depressurized and warmed up until it attains ambient temperature. Thereafter, a detailed report summarizes the performance of the valve and whether leakages were within acceptable limits. There are several international standards that provide guidelines for cryogenic valve testing including ISO -1, ISO -2, EN , and BS .
In addition to the standards mentioned in the previous section, there are a host of standards that provide recommendations for different valve types and test procedures. The table below provides a list of these standards and the areas of testing they cover, for quick referencing.
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