Valve Test Rig

Specialised valves for the Petrochemical and Natural Gas industries require extensive performance and qualification testing to meet international standards such as API Specification 6A, Appendix F, PR2 level and ISO10423:2001.

Test procedures define a sequence of valve operations at varying upstream and downstream pressures, varying valve positions and varying ambient and valve body temperatures from -40°C to 160°C.

A legacy valve test rig had operated in manual mode only and although it had previously been upgraded by another company for automatic running this had not been achieved.  This was found to be due to poor temperature control and lack of adequate control software and a new system was supplied to address these issues.

Valves vary considerably in size and weight and although ambient air temperature can be controlled directly the valve body temperature tends to have a thermal lag, especially for the larger valves. To achieve efficient temperature control a dual loop cascade control with thermal head is used. This ensures that the valve body can be heated or cooled quickly without risk to over or under temperature conditions.

To accommodate the range of valves, any number of test sequence profiles can be created to suit each valve type.  Profiles are easily created in spreadsheet format then stored and selected for each new test.  This offers more flexibility and efficient testing than the previous control provided by an Allen Bradley PLC.

Fully automatic un-manned running has reduced costs and simplified the logistical problems associated with fully manned testing.

If you would like advice on a valve test rig project contact us.