Avoiding Ethylene VALVE Failure

8/12/2019 Avoiding Ethylene VALVE Failure

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/avoiding-ethylene-valve-failure 1/5

Maximize uptimeand profits.

The 5 keys to

avoiding ethylenevalve failures



2 The 5 keys to avoiding ethylene valve failures

1. Select the right seats and seals.When it comes to olefin processing, valve leakage

is a maintenance headache, a waste of money, and

most of all, a safety risk. Advanced stem seal designs

limit fugitive emissions, extending the valve lifecycle. The right valve seat material can minimize

seal performance issues and instantly lower your

overall costs. Your valve supplier should be offering

ethylene-specific sealing technologies that use

advanced materials and complementary seat

geometries proven to:

• Eliminate leaks

• Prevent material buildup

• Improve shut-off performance

• Provide superior upstream and

downstream seals

• Withstand higher temperature

and pressure extremes

• Increase valve longevity

As the demand for ethylene has risen, so has the need for specialized valve

solutions. The steam cracking process requires valves to operate flawlessly

in temperatures up to 750-850º C/1380-1560º F in furnaces. Propanedehydrogenation calls for valves to optimize the process while reducing

fugitive emission. Now, more than ever, the industry needs repeatable, reliable

and accurate valve performance. Here are 5 keys to avoiding ethylene valve

failures while ensuring longer, trouble-free process performance that saves

millions of dollars by eliminating unscheduled shutdowns.

The 5 keys to avoidingethylene valve failures

2. Select the right coating materials.An optimal combination of coating processes and

materials provides a cost-effective method of

attaining increased performance of a component’s

surface. They are carefully chosen for their corrosion,abrasion, erosion and thermal expansion

compatibility with the substrate. Application

processes include:

• Electroplated – coating is applied in acid

or catalyst vat

• Thermal Spray & Fuse – coating is applied

by flame or vacuum furnace

• High Velocity Oxy Fuel – powder coating

is applied with gas jet

• Plasma Transfer Arc Welding – coating is

welded to the substrate

Specialized coating materials are chosen for

thickness, hardness and substrate compatibility.

They provide important benefits such as:

• Reduce coefficient of friction

• Mitigate galling

• Extend the life of the valve

• Improved bond strength and surface hardness

Material Combinations for Specific Ethylene Applications



The 5 keys to avoiding ethylene valve failures 3

3. Know the quality of the valvesyou’re buying.

Because of global sourcing, valves can be

manufactured anywhere, making the integrity of

raw materials and castings a problem to consider.

Conformance to standards does not guarantee a

manufacturer delivers the quality you need. The

“standards” only outline minimum requirements. Tighter limits and more stringent quality controls

are crucial in order to optimize olefin processing

performance and keep your costs low. To protect

yourself, make sure your valve supplier details the

steps they take to eliminate casting quality issues.

Ideally, they should be able to constantly test their

products in their own or contracted engineering

and metrology labs, and on the factory floor.

4. Find a trusted single resource foryour valve package purchases.

Dealing with a single source valve supplier canprovide convenience and cost savings. But more

importantly, valve packages perform more reliably

because their components are designed and

engineered to work together. Parts and materials

have also been manufactured to the same stringent

quality standards using best practices and the latest

technologies. Your supplier should treat the entire

valve automation package as a single, functional

solution. Everything should be designed to work

together and warranted as one package. This

mitigates risk, cuts initial investment, and minimizes

total cost of ownership.

5. Keep up with requiredmaintenance.

Ethylene valve uptime and ownership cost

reduction doesn’t begin and end with hardware.

Understanding your specific application demands

and what it takes to minimize, predict and prevent

downtime is essential. Create routines for checking

the performance of specific valves based on theirknown life cycles – and keep track of data in

historical databases in order to analyze trends and

performance behaviors. Much of this can be

automated. Valve networking solutions allow for

systematic, remote monitoring of on/off valves,

while digital valve controllers enable advanced

diagnostics and predictive maintenance for control

valves. Pre-shutdown valve audits can also help

identify where problems are likely to occur and

what contingencies are required to address them.

These strategies can also help you extend

maintenance intervals, especially since many

valve owners schedule shutdowns earlier than

they need to. With the right data, you can pinpoint

the exact timing for maintenance and possibly

extend runtime.

Temperature requirements

• Construction materials

• Thermal expansion

of materials

High cycle applications

• Type of valve

• Coatings

Incorrect seat designs

• Material buildup

• Upstream / downstream

sealing

Actuator sizings

• Clean torques versus

“in process” torques

Type of valve

• Linear, rotary

Material / Coatings

• Corrosion

• Erosion

Leading Causes of Valve Failure



4 The 5 keys to avoiding ethylene valve failures

Don’t just spec a valve.Spec a valve partner.At Metso, we understand the critical needs of

the olefin industry. We offer a comprehensive

ethylene-focused product line along with complete

service and support that improves performance,

minimizes problems and increases your revenues

throughout the entire product life cycle. Expectresults with our:

• Dedicated technical support

• 24/7 field service

• Maximum product availability

Working with a

valve partner who

understands optimal

seat design and

surface coating

combinations for

each application

within the ethylene

process is critical.

Metso’s experts

know these variables

and have engineered

a full line of Neles®,

Jamesbury® and

Mapag® control,

safety andautomated on/off

duty valves. They’ve

been proven to last

7-9 years without

problems, compared

to only 3-4 years for

competitive valves.



P 6 0

7 ,

I s s u e 1

0 / 2 0 1

2 .

© 2 0 1

3 ,

M e t s o

, I n c

. P r o

d u c t n a m e s i n t h

i s b r o c

h u r e a r e a

l l t r a

d e m a r k s o

f M e t s o

, I n c

.

Europe

Vanha Porvoontie 229, P.O. Box 304FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland

Tel. +358 20 483 150, fax +358 20 483 151

North America

44 Bowditch Drive, P.O. Box 8044Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, 01545, USA

Tel. +1 508 852 0200, fax +1 508 852 8172

South America

Av. Independência, 2500-Iporanga18087-101, Sorocaba-São Paulo, Brazil

Tel. +55 15 2102 9700, fax +55 15 2102 9748/49

Asia Pacific

20 Kallang Avenue, Lobby B,#06-00 PICO Creative CentreSingapore 339411, Singapore

Tel. +65 6511 1011, fax +65 6250 0830

China

19/F, the Exchange Beijing, No. 118Jianguo Lu Yi, Chaiyang Dist100022 Beijing, China

Tel. +86-10-6566-6600, fax +86-10-6566-2575

Middle East

Roundabout 8Unit AB-07, P.O. Box 17175Jebel Ali Freezone, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Tel. +971 4 883 6974, fax +971 4 883 6836

For further information please contactone of our regional offices or visit ourweb site www.metso.com/valves

Documents

Avoiding Ethylene VALVE Failure