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Bio:
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Manufacturing and development of a bolted GFRP flange joint for oil and gas applications
The manufacturing industry saw a significant rebound, and oil prices started to recover as well. Both of these trends are expected to continue in 2017.
At Allied Valve, we also saw some big changes this year. We expanded our product line to include Masoneilan control valves, CDC rupture discs, and Groth relief valves and flame arresters. We also beefed up our service capabilities with a new Mobile Lab trailer and new control valve testing systems.
Finally, we continued our initiative to bring you valuable content related to valves, actuators, and the many industries we serve. Here are our top 5 industrial valve articles of 2016.
Maximizing Your Control Valve Performance: A Guide to Control Valve Selection, Maintenance, and Repair
Process plants can contain thousands of control valves, responsible for keeping process variables like flow, level, pressure, and temperature within the desired operating range. Despite their importance to product quality, efficiency, and a company’s bottom line, control valves are often neglected. This article provides an in-depth look at the factors that affect control valve performance and how to keep your valves always working their best.
It came to our attention earlier this year that some safety valves containing Thermodiscs (e.g., Consolidated 1811 and Consolidated 1711 series) were being put through hydrostatic testing. These valve parts are designed for steam service only and water can cause damage, potentially beyond repair. This article describes the problems that hydrostatic testing can cause and what you can do to mitigate these problems.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Society of Automation (ISA) provide standards for the hydrostatic testing of control valves. The goal of the test is to verify the valves’ structural integrity and leak tightness. This article summarizes the fluid, pressure, and time requirements of hydrostatic testing as well as the standards for acceptable performance.
To work properly when they’re needed, all valves must be maintained. It used to be that preventative maintenance was the only option. But with the diagnostic tools available today, it’s possible in some cases to use a data-based predictive approach instead. Both of these approaches are part of an effective valve disc maintenance program. This article helps you understand when each of them is most appropriate.
Sand casting can be used for the majority of metals. Even highly reactive magnesium is sand cast provided care is taken and the correct materials used by adding what are called inhibitors into the sand.
Sand castings inevitably have a slow cooling rate because of the large insulating mass of sand surrounding the liquid metal as it cools. Grain sizes and dendrite arm spacings tend to be larger than in equivalent section sizes in die-castings.
Sand casting involves the pouring of molten metal into a cavity-shaped sand mould where it solidifies (Fig. 6.8). The mould is made of sand particles held together with an inorganic binding agent. After the metal has cooled to room temperature, the sand mould is broken open to remove the casting. The main advantage of sand casting is the low cost of the mould, which is a large expense with permanent mould casting methods. The process is suitable for low-volume production of castings with intricate shapes, although it does not permit close tolerances and the mechanical properties of the casting are relatively low owing to the coarse grain structure as a result of slow cooling rate.
The goal of this experimental study is to manufacture a bolted GFRP forged flange connection for composite pipes with high strength and performance. A mould was designed and manufactured, which ensures the quality of the composite materials and controls its surface grade. Based on the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section X, this GFRP flange was fabricated using biaxial glass fibre braid and polyester resin in a vacuum infusion process. In addition, many experiments were carried out using another mould made of glass to solve process-related issues. Moreover, an investigation was conducted to compare the drilling of the GFRP flange using two types of tools; an Erbauer diamond tile drill bit and a Brad & Spur K10 drill. Six GFRP flanges were manufactured to reach the final product with acceptable quality and performance. The flange was adhesively bonded to a composite pipe after chamfering the end of the pipe. Another type of commercially-available composite flange was used to close the other end of the pipe. Finally, blind flanges were used to close both ends, making the pressure vessel that will be tested under the range of the bolt load and internal pressure.
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