vm_11_n04_fall_2011.pdf

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� WHERE VALVES AREUSED: Pipelines

� Actuators in NuclearApplications

� Noise Reduction

� Asset Management

2012 MARKET OUTLOOK:Strength AgainstChanging Winds

Fa l l 2011 | VOLUME 23 , NO . 4

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SPECIAL VALVEMAGAZINE.COM FEATURENUCLEAR INDUSTRY UPDATEA representative from Areva, a nuclear and renewables energy company,brings us up-to-date on what’s happening around the world as a result ofthe nuclear crisis in Japan.

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ValveM A G A Z I N E

Fa l l 2011VOLUME 23 , NO . 4

C O L U M N S

Perspectives 4A Brighter 2012BY BILL SANDLER

Materials Q&A 46Welding Procedure Specs BY DON BUSH

Social Media 48Online Valve CommunitiesBY JIM CAHILL

Maintenance & Repair 51Asset ManagementBY GARY OSTROWSKI

Conversation with … 60Ravi Krishnan on Doing Business in IndiaBY GENILEE PARENTE

D E P A R T M E N T S

Industry Capsules 6

VMA Calendar 10

Index to Advertisers 55

VMA and VRC Member Roster 58

ACTUATION IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTSActuators and the valves they operate face challengingconditions in service to the nuclear industry. Here’s specifics onwhat is used and where.BY PETE KUNDIN3434VIBRATION ANALYSIS PINPOINTS VALVE NOISE SOURCEA power plant in California faced public concern about a noisegenerated by its system. Vibration analysis located the source.BY DANIEL EILERS

1414

MARKET OUTLOOK 2012THE WINDS OF CHANGEMarket outlook speakers addressed both the forces of theprevious year, a year full of surprise gusts from unexpectedevents, and what is to come—a vastly different kind ofrecovery than what has occurred in previous recessions. Still,the news regarding valves and actuators was positive.BY GENILEE PARENTE

WHERE VALVES ARE USED:PIPELINE SERVICEHundreds of thousands of pipelines help bring oil and naturalgas to and from processing facilities. This article describes thevarious types of valves that control that flow.BY GREG JOHNSON

FEATURES

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5454PRODUCTS


EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD

Richard D. OaksAUMA ACTUATORS, INC.

Mike HendrickCONVAL, INC.

Doug ClendeninCRANE FLOW SOLUTIONS

John WellsEMERSON PROCESSMANAGEMENT

Ed HoltgraverQTRCO, INC.

Christopher WarnettROTORK CONTROLS, INC.

VALVE MAGAZINE (ISSN No. 1057-2813) is the official magazine of theValve Manufacturers Association ofAmerica (VMA) and is published quarterly by VMA, located at 1050 17th Street NW, Suite 280,Washington, DC 20036-5521;202.331.8105; Fax: 202.296.0378.

Advertising queries: 540.374.9100.Periodicals postage paid at Washington,D.C., and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changesto VALVE MAGAZINE, P.O. Box 1673Williamsport, PA 17703-1673.

Subscriptions are free to qualified readers in the United States and Canada; $40 per year to unqualified readers in theUnited States and Canada; $60 per yearfor all subscribers outside the UnitedStates and Canada. Statements of factand opinion made are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not necessar-ily imply endorsement or agreement onthe part of the officers or membership of VMA. Materials may not be reproduced in any form without writtenpermission of VMA.

© Copyright 2011. All rights reserved.

A s we went into VMA’s 30th Annual Market Outlook Workshop, which was

held in Boston, our presenters were faced witha particularly large challenge. The stock market was seeing huge swings, and severalspeakers offered a glimpse of how the situa-tion had changed in just the few days leadingup to the August workshop.However, overall, the attitude was opti-

mistic as our experts shared with audiencemembers news about the process controlindustries. The economic recovery is wellunderway and most presenters pointed outthat manufacturing and industry is at theforefront of that recovery. They indicated thatthe near-term future was more positive thanthe last five years, but issued caution becauseof the uncertainty.The figures most speakers gave showed

that 2011 was a good year and 2012 willprobably be even better. For the long-term,end-user experts gave those in attendancehope for the future of the valve industry.Meanwhile, a record number of people

showed up to listen to those comments. We had70 VMA members there, as well as 45 addi-tional attendees from the Hydraulic Institute,the trade association representing pump manu-facturers and our partner at the workshop thelast seven years. Evaluations for this particularworkshop were very favorable both in terms ofvalue of the presentations as well as the meet-ing facility and the staff. Speakers includedsuch long-time friends of the industry as JohnSpears, Spears and Associates, a company thathas shared its knowledge of the oil & gas indus-try for all 30 years of the workshop beginningwith John’s father Bob, who spoke in 1982.Some other long-timers, such as water/waste-water expert Tom Decker and U.S. economicexpert Alan Beaulieu, also were on hand toshare their expertise.

The audience seemed very interested in afew new topics on the agenda this year includ-ing valves and pumps in India (see relatedstory, as well as this issue’s Conversationwith…), and a special presentation on renew-ables. For an in-depth look at what was saidthis year, turn to page 14 to read an overviewof the presentations, written by Genilee Par-ente, managing editor, Valve Magazine.In addition to listening to 12 excellent

presentations, I also heard what attendeeswere saying about their business experienceover the past half-year, which was mostly pos-itive. While no one said they were building anew manufacturing facility, many attendeeswere adding personnel to their productionstaffs.Alan Beaulieu, whose advice our industry

has come to highly value, told us there wereseven items we should watch closely in thenear future:

� Money Supply� Corporate Bonds Rate-of-Change� U.S. Leading Indicator� Purchasing Managers Index� Retail Sales� Employment� Nondefense Capital Goods New Orders

He went on to say there would be a slowerrate of recovery in 2011 than originally fore-cast, followed by ongoing recovery in 2012.Next year VMA will once again evaluate

how the economy and industry is doing at our31st Market Outlook Workshop, scheduledfor Aug. 9-10, 2012 in Chicago. VM

P E R S P E C T I V E S

www.vma.org

www.ValveMagazine.com

Bill SandlerPresident

Valve Manufacturers Association of America

A Brighter 2012

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6 | Valve M A G A Z I N E

ACQUISITIONSRotork Acquires K-Tork International Inc.Rotork Plc has purchased the share capital of fellow VMAmember K-Tork International Inc. Based in Dallas, K-Torkmanufactures pneumatic vane actuators and damper drive sys-tems, serving a wide range of industries and utilities. K-Torkactuators are designed for precise control of quarter-turnvalves and dampers. These products will be used to comple-ment Rotork’s existing actuation portfolio and provide an addi-tional product offering for the Rotork Fluid Power division.

Forum Energy Technologies Acquires SVP ProductsForum Energy Technologies, Inc. (formerly Global Flow Technologies) has acquired SVP Products Inc., a provider ofhigh-pressure flow control equipment and products used inhydraulic fracturing and flow back of oil and gas wells. Thecompany sells Forum’s Wood Flowline and Phoinix productlines, including swivels, plug valves, relief valves, chokes, pupjoints and manifold trailers from three facilities in North, Eastand West Texas. SVP also performs critical repair and recer-tification services of these products from its stores as well asfrom its fleet of mobile units.

Automation Technology, Inc. Acquires GevalcoAutomation Technology, Inc. (ATI) has acquired Gevalco,which specializes in pipeline valve automation. Gevalco hasbeen in business for 16 years and offers unique valve automa-tion solutions and a focus on ensuring pipeline safety. Thecompany markets and manufactures valve actuators (severeservice), line-break control systems, hydraulic power units,station bypass and emergency shutdown systems.

Curtiss-Wright Agrees to Sell Valve Distribution BusinessCurtiss-Wright has completed an asset purchase and saleagreement to divest the legacy distribution business of its ValveSystems and Controls (VSC) operation to McJunkin Red ManCorporation, a global distributor of pipes, valves, fittings andrelated products to the energy and industrial markets. Although the rights to the name “Valve Systems and Con-

trols” is included in the sale, Curtiss-Wright Flow Controlretains all rights in its Total Automation Solutions andDeltaValve business segments, and continues to provideturnkey valve, automation and control solutions for the oil andgas production, refining, petrochemical and power markets.

Crane Co. Purchases W.T. Armatur GmbH & Co.Crane Co. has purchased all the equity interests in W.T.Armatur GmbH & Co. KG (WTA). WTA is primarily a manu-

facturer of bellows sealed globe valves, as well as certain typesof specialty valves, for chemical, fertilizer and thermal oilapplications. Located in Maxdorf, Germany, WTA employs 95people. WTA’s 2010 sales of about $21 million were primarilyto customers in Germany and surrounding countries.

Emerson Process Management Acquires Net Safety MonitoringEmerson Process Management has acquired Net Safety Moni-toring, Inc. For nearly two decades, this Calgary-based com-pany has developed products engineered for continuous per-formance in extreme conditions, particularly for the oil andgas industry. Net Safety and its global sales and supportoffices in Calgary, Houston, Abu Dhabi, Beijing and Singaporewill continue operating as a separate business within EmersonProcess Management.

ITT Signs Corporate Procurement Agreement with Saudi AramcoSaudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) and ITT Corpo-ration have signed a comprehensive seven-year strategic part-nership agreement for ITT to provide products and services tothe world’s largest oil producer for oil, gas and petrochemicalprojects in Saudi Arabia and internationally.

Curtiss-Wright Flow Control and CCI Thermal Technologies Sign Agreement Enertech, a business unit of Curtiss-Wright Flow ControlCompany, and CCI Thermal Technologies, Inc. have signed anagreement to work together in providing heating and filtrationsolutions and products to the nuclear industry worldwide.Under the terms of the agreement, Enertech will focus its

efforts on sales and marketing for CCI Thermal Technologies’Caloritech Engineered Electric Heat and 3L Filters Engi-neered Filtration Systems used in safety-related and non-safety-related applications for nuclear power plants and otherfacilities performing nuclear activities.

Weir Acquires South Korean Valves Business The Weir Group PLC has agreed to acquire a majority interestin the South Korean valves business formerly operated byHIM Tech Co. Ltd. Weir will purchase 60% of a new Koreancompany, Weir International, into which the HIM Tech’svalves business has been transferred.Located in Ansan, near Seoul, the business designs and

manufactures control and choke valves for severe servicepower generation and oil & gas applications. Its products aresupplied to both domestic customers and major South Koreanengineering contractors for international projects. In 2010,HIM Tech’s valve business recorded sales of $10.5 million.

IND U S T R Y C A P S U L E S

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 7

Lone Star Products Group Acquires Energy Hardware Holdings LLCLone Star Products Group expanded its global footprint via amerger with Energy Hardware Holdings, LLC (EH). Headquar-tered in Wolverhampton, UK, the Lone Star Group is a globalprovider of customized, high-performance fasteners, gasketsand flow control components. EH currently operates two distri-bution facilities, the company’s main distribution center andheadquarters in Greer, SC, and another distribution center inPensacola, FL. Additionally, EH maintains stocking locationsin California, France and Hungary.

CONTRACTS & AGREEMENTS

Flowserve Announces Certification to Supply Control Valves to Saudi AramcoFlowserve Corporation’s manufacturing plant in Dammam,Saudi Arabia, which is operated by Flowserve Abahsain FlowControl Company Ltd. (FLS/ABA), has been certified by SaudiAramco for supply of control valves. FLS/ABA is a joint ven-ture of Flowserve and S&A Abahsain Co. Ltd. The certificationby Saudi Aramco allows valves produced by FLS/ABA at theDammam plant to be sold to Saudi Aramco.

Shell Signs Agreements with Tyco, EmersonShell has selected Tyco International Ltd.’s flow control unit to provide butterfly valves globally. The five-year EnterpriseFramework Agreement covers more than 2,500 of Tyco’sVanessa, Winn, NeoTecha and Sapag brand highly engineeredbutterfly valves for use in projects, maintenance repair opera-tions and turnaround applications. Shell and Emerson Process Management have also signed a

five-year enterprise framework agreement that makes Emersonthe single-source supplier of on/off valve actuators to Shell andits affiliates.

Cameron and Petrobras Renew Subsea Aftermarket Service AgreementCameron has renewed an agreement with Petrobras for the sup-ply of aftermarket services and support for developments in off-shore Brazil. This agreement is a continuation to the CAM-SERV aftermarket services contract previously signed in 2007and is expected to generate more than $150 million in revenueto Cameron over the next three years.Cameron will manage the agreement from its service center

in Macae. The facility will support Petrobras operations withinspection, maintenance, repair and remanufacturing, storageand offshore installation services.

Emerson Supplying Control Valves for South Carolina Nuclear Power PlantWestinghouse Electric Company has awarded Emerson ProcessManagement more than $8 million in purchase orders for

critical control valves to be used in two AP1000 pressurizedwater reactors at SCANA Corporation’s Virgil C. SummerNuclear Generating Station in Jenkinsville, SC. With sitepreparation already underway, construction is scheduled tobegin late this year or early next year. The two new reactors arescheduled to begin commercial operation in 2016 and 2019.

Metso Supplying One of the World’s LargestBiomass BoilersMetso will supply a 100 MWebiomass boiler island and plantautomation system to theGainesville Renewable EnergyCenter (GREC) in Gainesville, FL.Metso’s delivery represents morethan 25% of the nearly $500 mil-lion in construction financingGREC has successfully raised. Thenew power plant installation will

supply Gainesville Regional Utilities with a firm source ofrenewable electric power under the terms of a 30-year powerpurchase agreement.

Mueller Co. Signs Distribution Agreement with Advanced Valve TechnologiesMueller Co. has signed an exclusive distribution agreementwith Elk Grove Village, IL-based Advanced Valve Technologies(AVT) for its EZ2 Insertion Valve System, the companyannounced. The agreement makes Mueller Co. the master dis-tributor in the U.S. and Canada for AVT’s EZ2 Valve System.

ValvTechnologies Signs Agreement with KISCIn July ValvTechnologies signed a purchase order with KISC forvalves to be used in China’s Yunnan Province. The valves pur-chased will be used in slurry lines in KISC’s mining operations.In addition, the two companies signed a contract of mutualagreement where ValvTechnologies agreed to purchase an intel-ligent software system to monitor the valves put in place.KISC is an enterprise group engaged in a variety of endeav-

ors, including iron and steel metallurgy, mechanical manufac-ture, project engineering, electronic information technologyand environmental protection.

Rotork Tapped for Wastewater Project in QatarRotork valve actuators will assist the operation of the largestand most advanced wastewater treatment, water reuse andsludge treatment plant in the Middle East. Described as a land-mark project, the Doha North Sewage Treatment Works inQatar has a peak wastewater treatment design capacity of439,000 cubic meters per day. Advanced membrane and ultra-violet treatment technologies are being used to reclaim high-quality water for non-potable purposes, thereby freeing-updrinking water supplies for the community.


STAFF

PUBL ISHER

William S. Sandler

ASSOC IATE PUBL ISHER /

ED ITOR - IN -CH IEF

Judy Tibbs

MANAG ING ED ITOR

Genilee Parente

ASS ISTANT ED ITOR

Chris Guy

CONTR IBUT ING ED ITORS

Greg JohnsonPeter CleavelandGary Grauerholz

ART D IRECTOR /

PRODUCT ION MANAGER

Michelle Wandres

ADVERT IS ING D IRECTOR

Sue Partyke

How to Contact VALVE MAGAZINE

EDITOR IAL OFF ICES

7000 Radford Drive Fredericksburg, VA 22407phone: 540.785.8901fax: 540.785.8903email: [email protected]

website:www.ValveMagazine.com

ADVERT IS ING SALES

Sue Partyke145 Harrell Road

Suite 119Fredericksburg, VA 22405phone: 540.374.9100fax: 540.374.9265

email: [email protected]

C IRCULAT ION / SUBSCR IPT IONS

phone: 570.567.1193fax: 570.320.2079

email:[email protected]

NEW PRODUCTS , MED IA &

INDUSTRY NEWS

Chris Guyphone: 540.785.8901fax: 540.785.8903email: [email protected]

ART ICLE SUBMISS IONS

VALVE MAGAZINEwelcomes articles, proposals,manuscripts, photographs, andideas from our readers. For acopy of the magazine’s Author’sGuidelines, contact Judy Tibbs,editor-in-chief, at [email protected]

or call 540.785.8901.

I N D U S T R Y C A P S U L E S


Tyco Joins Action Against Hunger to Launch Clean Water Access InitiativeIn a new private-nonprofit venture, Tyco International and Action Against Hunger | ACF Inter-national have launched the Clean Water Access Initiative, a global partnership to bring safedrinking water to some of the most vulnerable communities around the world. Dedicating morethan $2 million over the next three years, and drawing on the extensive product line, globalworkforce and technical expertise of Tyco’s flow control business, this initiative will improveACF’s ability to deploy effective solutions for communities lacking access to clean water.

Sales in the chemical processing industry (CPI) should continueto show steady but slow improvement in the coming months,according to a recent survey.The survey of CPI equipment suppliers and chemical manu-

facturers queried about 300 Chem Show exhibitors. Over 75%of those respondents said they believe the industry is showingsigns of growth for 2011. In fact, 83% expect sales to be betterthan 2010, while nearly 15% said sales would be about thesame as 2010. Only 2% expected sales to be less than 2010. The predictions were supported by figures from the “Mid-

Year 2011 Situation & Outlook,” released by the AmericanChemistry Council this past summer. According to that report,capacity utilization will be 71.3% in 2011 (up from 69.6% in 2010) and will increase to75.3% in 2012. Other findings were:

� American chemistry output is anticipated to rise 4.1% in 2011 and 3.5% in 2012. � Chemistry pharmaceuticals output should rise 3% in 2011 and 4% in 2012. � Production of basic chemicals should grow 4.8% in 2011 and 3.2% in 2012. � Capital spending in the business of chemistry will reach $30 billion in 2011. � Long-term U.S. chemistry growth will average 2.9% annually, exceeding the U.S. economy.

� Strong global industry capital spending gains are expected for several years.

U.S. BUSINESS OF CHEMISTRY OUTLOOK (% change in volume, unless noted otherwise)

Average2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017-21

Capacity 3.7 0.0 0.8 1.8 2.5 2.8 3.0 2.8

Capacity Utilization (%) 69.6% 71.3% 73.2% 73.9% 74.0% 74.0% 73.9% 74.1%

Total Output 3.5 4.1 3.5 2.8 2.6 2.8 2.8 2.9

Pharmaceuticals 1.0 3.0 4.0 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.2

Total, excluding Pharmaceuticals 6.1 4.8 3.1 2.0 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.9

Consumer Products -0.1 4.6 2.5 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.2

Agricultural Chemicals 4.0 5.3 2.3 1.0 1.0 1.2 1.3 1.3

Specialties 4.6 3.5 4.0 2.9 2.7 3.0 2.8 2.6

• Coatings 9.7 -0.9 3.3 2.3 2.2 2.1 2.2 2.3

• Other Specialties 2.6 5.4 4.2 3.1 2.9 3.4 3.1 2.7

Basic Chemicals 7.5 4.8 3.2 1.8 1.1 1.3 1.3 1.5

• Inorganics 9.2 3.2 3.0 1.4 0.5 0.6 0.8 0.8

• Bulk Petrochemicals & Organics 7.3 5.6 3.1 1.9 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.8

• Plastic Resins 5.4 4.7 3.6 2.1 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.8

• Synthetic Rubber 8.2 5.7 3.2 1.5 1.1 1.3 1.1 1.5

• Man-Made Fibers 12.4 4.1 1.3 -0.2 -0.8 -1.1 -0.6 -1.2

Source: American Chemistry Council

MARKET FOCUSChemical Processing Industry Faring Well

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VMA Membership Continues to Grow in 2011Since our last new member update in the summer issue of Valve Magazine, three more companieshave been added to the VMA roster, bringing the total for new members this year to 11.Hemiwedge Valve, a division of Chromatic Industries, Inc., is located in Conroe, TX. The

company makes cartridge valves for the refining, mining, power, pipeline and petrochemicalindustries. Learn about the company at www.hemiwedge.com. Victaulic, based in Easton, PA, specializes in grooved and plain-end mechanical pipe joining

systems. For additional information, go to www.victaulic.com. A.W. Chesterton Company of Groveland, MA is VMA’s newest associate member. The

company specializes in valve and pump packing, mechanical seals, polymer seals, epoxy coatingsand maintenance lubrications. Find out more at www.chesterton.com.

Plans Underway for Online ‘Basics’ Training ToolBy spring of 2012, there will be a new addition to theValve Ed family—an online, self-conducted trainingprogram. While VMA’s highly successful Valves &Actuators 101 programs will continue to be held at arate of two per year, many individuals in need of trainingaren’t able to travel to an out-of-town location forbudgetary reasons, or don’t have the time to be out ofthe office or plant for 2 days. “We’ve known all along that to reach the maximum

number of people, we would need to provide alternate methodsof delivering our training program,” said Greg Johnson,president of United Valve and chairman of VMA’s Education & Training program. “Now that our Valves & Actuators 101 course content has been fine-tuned, the time has comefor us to take the next step.”Judy Tibbs, VMA director of education, explains how the online program will work: “The

course will be divided into seven different modules, similar to the seven lessons that make up thecurrent course. Those who wish to sign up for the course will first pay a fee in The VMA Store,then be given a code that allows them to enter a special website. Next, an audio narrative willguide students through each slide in the lesson. At the end of each lesson, participants will takea short quiz; once the questions have been answered correctly, access will be granted to the next lesson, until all seven lessons have been completed.” Once the student has successfully completed the program, a certificate of completion and

continuing education units will be awarded by the Valve Manufacturers Association.The online course is expected to launch in the second quarter of 2012.Meanwhile, VMA will continue holding the Valve Basics Seminar & Exhibits, which includes

the Valves & Actuators 101 course, valve petting zoo and a tabletop exhibition. The 2012events will take place in Houston, March 6-7, at the Hilton Houston NASA Clear Lake, andOct. 10-11 in the Denver area.VMA also offers an onsite training program—Valve Basics in a Box—which supplies all the

materials needed for someone knowledgeable in the valve industry to use for training a group ofindividuals at a company’s plant or facility. A slimmed-down version of this program, ValveBasics in a Manual—designed for an individual that wishes to independently review and learnthe course content—will be offered by early 2012.We asked Greg Johnson what else VMA has in store for its Valve Ed program: “We’re

looking at adding some ‘201’-level short courses. Right now the plan is to offer an optionalseminar following the one-and-a-half day 101 course.” All VMA products can be purchased in The VMA Store on VMA.org. For additional

information, contact Judy Tibbs at [email protected].

OCTOBER 26-27Valve Basics Seminar & ExhibitionRosemont (Chicago), ILwww.vma.org

NOVEMBER 1-3The Chem ShowNew Yorkwww.chemshow.com

DECEMBER 13-15POWER-GENInternationalLas Vegaswww.power-gen.com

JANUARY 16-17Valve IndustryLeadership Forum*Sarasota, FLwww.vma.org

23-25 AHR (Air Conditioning,Heating, Refrigeration)ExpositionChicagowww.ahrexpo.com

MARCH 6-7VMA Valve BasicsSeminar & ExhibitionHoustonwww.vma.org

8-9VMA Technical Seminar& ExhibitionHoustonwww.vma.org

APRIL 18–20VMA ManufacturersWorkshop & Tour*Houstonwww.vma.org

26-27VMA Finance LeadersSeminar*Arlington, VAwww.vma.org

*These meetings are open only toVMA/VRC members. For moreinformation, go to VMA.org >Events.

CALENDAR 2011-2012 VMA NEWS

ASSETMANAGEMENT:FAST, EASY,POWERFUL

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VM_FALL10_VM_FALL10.qxd 10/7/10 12:00 PM Page C3


EVENTSI N D U S T R Y C A P S U L E S

More than 19,000 people involved in power generation fromaround the world will gather at the Las Vegas ConventionCenter Dec. 13-15 for the 23rd Power-Gen International2011. Those people come from every sector of the industryfrom engineering to operations to consultants and top leveldecision makers within power companies, public utilities, sup-pliers and government entities. They also come from all typesof energy industries including coal, nuclear, oil, natural gas,wind, hydro, biofuels and solar. Keynote speakers this year are David M. Walsh, senior vice

president of Service & Manufacturing for Mitsubishi PowerSystems America as well as Donald B. Karner, president andCEO of ECOtality North America, a clean technology compa-ny. In addition, almost 40 educational and informational sessions are held on topics such as industry trends in powergeneration, environmental issues, newer kinds of energy suchas waste reclamation, renewables, fossil fuels, and perform-ance of plants and other power sectors. This year’s education-al program will also include an extensive mega session on thestate of the economy and how the various energy sectors willbe affected. In addition, during three days of exhibits, over 1,200 com-

panies will feature products and services that power profes-

sionals need in their lines of business. Among those exhibitorsare numerous VMA member companies as well as Valve Mag-azine, VMA and the Valve Repair Council, all located at booth#1362. Be sure to visit the VMA exhibit and pick up a freecopy of the North American Catalog of Valves and the latestissue of Valve Magazine.The Power-Gen show is held in conjunction with two

concurrent shows: Nuclear Power, which has its own section ofthe exhibit floor and the newest co-located event, the FinancialForum. The financial forum will provide corporate level project developers and financiers an exclusive venue to learn,network and do business.For information go to www.power-gen.com.

The 2011 Chem Show, which is Nov. 1-3 at theJacob K. Javits Convention Center, New YorkCity, is expected to attract more than 5,000chemical industry processing professionalsfrom around the world who will come togetherto assess how their industry is faring in the cur-rent economy, as well as find out about the lat-est in technology and process improvements.According to an exhibitor survey done

before the show, buying power should be in fullmight—63% of respondents said they will fea-ture new products this year—almost half ofthose products will have never been shown. Onearea where those products will be featured isthe Process Control & Automation Center atthe show, which highlights a wide range ofinnovations in process control systems, wireless monitoringdevices, data collection, instrumentation, sensors, trans -mitters and much more. The 54th biennial Chem Show is the leading event for the

chemical processing industry in North America covering criti-cal industry topics with concentration in key areas of processcontrol and automation solutions, optimizing process efficien-

cy, water/wastewater treatment, emerging tech-nologies, saving energy and sustainability.The American Institute of Chemical Engineers

offers a comprehensive, solution-focused educa-tion conference program during the show brokendown into three areas: nanotechnology; engineer-ing technologies for plants, products and opera-tions; and energy, safety and consulting issues. Included in the conference program is a

VMA-sponsored session—An Introduction toValves, Actuators and Controls—which is a con-densed version of the association’s popular Valve& Actuators 101 seminar. Readers are invited toregister for the session, slated for Tues., Nov. 1,from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Registration informationcan be found at www.chemshow.com. In addition,

Valve Magazine, VMA and the Valve Repair Council will alsobe hosting a booth at The Chem Show (#544), distributingcomplimentary copies of the North American Catalog ofValves as well as magazines and information about new educational resources.For information on the Chem Show, go to

www.chemshow.com.

Power-Gen Now in its 23rd Year

The Chem Show Highlights both Innovation and Established Processes

High pressure. Extreme temperatures. Volatile products. It’s all part of the job in

hydrocarbon processing. But so is the goal of maximizing safety integrity. We make

the process more secure with our innovative valves and controls, which is why the

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VM_SPR11_VM_FALL10.qxd 4/7/11 9:25 AM Page 9

A ttendees at this year’s VMA Mar-ket Outlook walked into the meet-

ing room with a bit of shell shock. Thestock market fluctuated wildly in thedays leading up to the Aug. 11-12event in Boston following weeks oftough U.S. federal budget negotiationsand the downgrading of the U.S. creditrating for the first time in history. SaraJohnson, senior research director ofIHS Global Insight, called the events“headwinds” blowing against what hadbeen expected. She said the year 2011had been filled with such unusualoccurrences, including the Japaneseearthquake/tsunami earlier that year aswell as other natural disasters andpolitical upheavals.But attendees were soon to learn that

outlook speakers, while they admittedsome figures might need to be adjustedfor the remainder of 2011, felt theiroverall prediction was on track—thevalve and actuator industry will see abrighter 2012.“I hope as you leave here today, you

leave uncertainty behind and realizethings are not as bad as you may havethought. There is still force in our sails… it just might be time to adjust thosesails to the prevailing winds,” AlanBeaulieu, president, Institute for TrendResearch,emphasized.

MARKET OUTLOOK 2012: THE WINDS OF CHANGE

THE DOMESTIC ECONOMY: A BRIGHTER YEAR TO COMEWhen economist Alan Beaulieu of the Institute for TrendResearch stood before the Market Outlook workshop audiencethis year, he was facing a room of people afraid of what hemight say. Last year, Beaulieu dropped a bomb when he pre-dicted a depression 20 years down the road, and that predic-tion did not change this year. However, as far as the short-term future, Beaulieu was this year’s voice of reassurance.“This country has no institutional memory. We’ve

already forgotten the early 1980s, which was a muchworse time,” Beaulieu pointed out. “This feeling of doom and gloom has really been overplayed.”However, the main point he said he wanted to make

was this: “The next 20 years are going to bevastly different than the last 20 years.”In the immediate future, stock market

volatility will remain, and it may meansome of the forecasts that experts have beenlaying down as the nation recovers from theGreat Recession may not be as rosy as originally predicted.“But the recovery will continue through

2012 and 2013 before we hit the next dip. Andunless you’re into housing, there will be significant opportunities,” Beaulieu said.In fact, Beaulieu said that during 2012, there will be a mild

movement upwards in stocks overall, which means it will be a goodyear for investing. He also said that because the realestate market is still suffering, investing in that areacould be beneficial.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

MARKET OUTLOOK 2012: THE WINDS OF CHANGE

It’s a different world:There wasn’t much talkthis year about looking to the past to respond tothe future. That’s because almost every presen-ter pointed out that the world and this nation arein a unique economic situation. Most said toexpect the rocky stock market in the U.S. toremain volatile and that while the nation is inrecovery mode, it’s going to be a long steadyclimb back to the prosperity we experienced justbefore the Great Recession.

Shining stars burning brightly: India was mentioned by more speakers this year than atany previous workshop. The country began aclimb toward prosperity in the 1990s when economic reforms went into effect. It did notsuffer the consequences of some other nationsduring the recent economic woes so it is one oftoday’s shining stars. Brazil continues to prosper

and was mentioned by manyspeakers as a good place to dobusiness. China is still a tough contender for business, but ithas experienced high inflationrates and other challengesthat may mean some busi-ness returning to U.S. soil.

Renewables are catching hold:This is the firstworkshop where one session was devoted torenewable energy sources, but it wasn’t just thatspeaker who explained why. From internationalreports on global warming to new technologies thatmake renewables more cost effective to unfavor-able attitudes toward coal, speakers gave reasonswhy wind, solar, biofuels, biomass, hydropower andother new sources of energy are gaining ground.

Shale drilling “rocks”: Any of the speakers whoaddressed energy, petroleum or related productsmentioned the changes in this country that areoccurring because of shale drilling both here andin Canada. Gas prices remain low; drilling hasincreased; more drilling isoccurring on-shore; new technologies areincreasing outputs; newshale sources are beingdiscovered. All of these shale drillingdevelopments meanless reliance by NorthAmerica on foreignsources of fuel.

COMMON THEMES

Although Beaulieu focuses on thedomestic outlook, he brought up severalpoints about what’s happening globallybecause of the effects those develop-ments will have on this country. Forexample, he said that the downgradingof U.S. credit rating means little in theinternational picture.“With all the uncertainty going on in

Europe and other places, the bond mar-ket still favors the U.S. It’s a safe havenfor investors,” and a downgrade will notbring skyrocketing interest rates or a fallin the U.S. dollar as newscasters pre-dicted, he said.He also brought up what’s happening

in China, where inflation is significant. “We can’t ignore what’s going on [in

that country], because we will eventuallyfeel the pain. Inflation will come to theU.S.” in the form of higher prices formany consumer goods, Beaulieu said.Still, China and many other areas of

world are currently losing some of theadvantages that made them so appealinga place to do business at the same timetheir economies are in need of additionalgoods.“That should translate into business

for you, including more export busi-ness,” he said.As far as what’s happening on this

shore, Beaulieu said to look at:Employment. Instead of looking at

the unemployment rate (which was 9.1%at the time of the workshop) corpora-tions need to focus on how many jobs arecreated in the private sector. At outlooktime, that number was about 157,000jobs per month, and anything over100,000 is a favorable figure, he said.“When jobs are created (as opposed tolost), that means houses are paid for,kids are going to school, people are buy-ing.”Lending. Another good piece of news

in this country is that banks are lending,Beaulieu said. “Delinquencies are down,the money supply is expanding. That’seconomic activity, not a double dip.”Interest rates. Along with the infla-

tion rate, interest rates will begin tomove up and will continue to do so for thenext 20 to 25 years, Beaulieu warned.Most people in business today don’t have

much experience with this pressure; how-ever, “we are returning to the 1970s,” solook to what happened during that timeas an example of what to do.

FORECAST:The rate of recovery willslow in 2011, but continue to climb in2012 and then flatten out in 2013,when the next recession will begin.The years 2015 to 2017, however, willcreate new opportunities. Beaulieusaid his prediction of a depression inthe 2030s is still on target, but that alot will depend on whether Congressis able to do anything in the next yearabout the U.S. budget woes. “2012could be a very interesting year to bealive,” he concluded.

WALL STREET: A NOTE OF CAUTIONAlthough Michael Halloran, vice presi-dent of Robert W. Baird and Company,agreed with other speakers that “themarket has certainly thrown us for aloop,” he said caution, not panic is inorder. “I think it’s important to start with

the fundamental tenet that industrialcompanies are not seeing weak trends atall; there are markets that are weak andthere is deceleration in growth rates, butdemand is pretty healthy when you lookat the overall industrial picture,” he toldattendees. The industrial economy is entering a

mid-cycle slowdown after seeing growth

rates peak in 2010—growth in the U.S.turned positive in March of 2010 andpeaked in December of that year. Sincethen, trends have generally moderated.Globally, trends have been on a similartrajectory and currently remain athealthy levels, Halloran said. For example, Global Insights fore-

casts favorable trends in global fixedinvestment (GFI) growth, which turnedpositive in the second quarter of 2010and averaged 5% for the rest of thatyear. Although those trends were slightlyweaker in the first quarter of 2011, thecompany still is projecting healthygrowth for the remainder of the year andinto 2012, Halloran said. However, he also cautioned that

threats of recession “cast a long shadowon the capex opportunity for projectwork and expansionary capital deployment.” One trend that remained a positive

development despite the market’svolatility was that lending standards arerelaxing. “Lending standards are prettystraightforward. If things are loose andcredit is available, it’s more conducive tocapital spending,” Halloran explained.Currently, access to capital is readilyavailable, but the question in an uncer-tain market is “do people want to takeadvantage?” The indicator that Halloran says

Baird and other investment firms look atmost closely in regards to how invest-ment should fare is the Purchasing Man-agers Index—which is positive above 50.


2 0 1 2 M A R K E T O U T L O O K

Corporate Profits - 1st Quarter (Billions of $)

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

Financial

Manufacturing

Retail trade

Information

Wholesale trade

Utilities

Transportationand warehousing

� 2011 (1Q SAAR)� 2010� 2009

$378.4$362.7

$141.6

$280.6$250.4

$141.0

$124.0$129.1

$97.7

$123.3$112.9

$69.6

$73.5$91.5$103.9

$31.9$41.5$37.7$37.3$39.4

$26.9$0 $50 $100 $150 $200 $250 $300 $350 $400

Phonographic finish

Tapered bores

Grooving

Trepan face groove

NC rotary table

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The index rose above that point inAugust of 2009 and has remained aboveit since then. It did very well in thebeginning of 2011 but was hoveringaround 50 at the time of the workshop“so things are still growing, but moremoderately.” As far as end-user industries:Oil & gas demand was strong at the

time of the workshop, showing no signsof deceleration. Globally, rigs were upover 50% from where they hit bottom in2009, and in North America, rigs wereup more the 100%. Halloran said “highoil prices are contributing to the sus-tained drilling trend, as oil companieslook to take advantage.” Horizontal rig applications “have

been the driver” in recent years in theupstream market, which is good forequipment suppliers because this type ofdrilling “leads into a lot of burn andreplacement,” Halloran said. An important overall global trend in

upstream oil & gas markets is that“capital spending should grow at ratesof 5% to 7% (or more) because infra-structure investment in emergingregions has yet to catch the pace ofdemand,” Halloran said. On the downstream side of the busi-

ness, he noted that Global Insights saidglobal capex spending increased 7%year over year in 2010, which indicatesthe potential for favorable “growth rateslong term on the refinery side.” Most ofthat growth, however, is in emergingmarkets. In North America, most newadditions are for Canadian refinery proj-ects, though some modest growth in allareas will occur in maintenance spend-ing going forward.Halloran said that trends in the

chemical market overall are healthy andhave been since late last year. In theU.S., plant capacity utilization rose in2010, but remained well below peak lev-els at about 76% for the year. The over-all trend in the chemical industry contin-ues to be that chemical production ismoving away from North America andWestern Europe to the emerging mar-kets and the Middle East.In power, Halloran said demand in

the U.S. and some other developedregions remains sluggish, but quotingactivity appears to be picking up inplaces (especially emerging nations)because of the need for infrastructureinvestments.The water/wastewater market is

growing at a rate of 6% to 8%, driven bypopulation growth, rising living stan-dards, industrialization and the need formaintenance. Halloran said that in gen-eral, the market is weak for capexspending, though the stimulus monieshave helped. The operating expenditureside, however, is seeing some growthright now.

FORECAST: Global Insights believesglobal oil & gas downstream capitalexpenditures should increase 10% in2011, 6% in 2012 and 7% in 2013.Further, Global Insights believes glob-al capital expenditures for chemicalsshould grow 13% in 2011 and 9% in2012, but that growth will be drivenby China and Latin/Central America.Estimates are for world energy con-sumption to grow 49% by 2035 (over2007) driven primarily by developingregions. Renewable energy use willgrow 3% per year to take a 23% shareof the energy market by 2035.


tions, as well as end users. The most sig-nificant differences in testing proceduredocuments are allowable leakage rates.

PIPELINE VALVESPipeline safety has come to the forefrontlately because of catastrophic pipelinefailures. These failures have occurred pri-marily on older pipelines because qualityrequirements for new pipeline construc-tion are very stringent. Valves forpipeline service are also scrutinized veryclosely. While all pipeline valves arehydrostatically tested at the factory, usu-ally in accordance with API 6D, addi-tional tests are almost always performed.The most common extreme test forpipeline valves is a long duration shelltest, which is carefully monitored by arecording device tracking the pressureand the temperature of the valve as it istested.

During these enhanced duration shellintegrity tests, the pressure on the valvemust be maintained, or the pressuredrop must coincide with a proportionaldrop in temperature to avoid valve fail-ure. It is not uncommon for test dura-tions to run several hours long.

FUGITIVE EMISSIONSTESTINGThe desire to keep our nation’s air cleanis manifested in the valve industrythrough the Clean Air Act and variousstate and local regulations. For manu-facturers to meet today’s low emissionsrequirements, valves must be tested todetermine their ability to contain thesefugitive emissions (FE). FE testing isnow a requirement by most refiners andchemical companies that must containhazardous fluids as part of their every-day processes.

FE testing requires the valve be pres-sured up with an easily measurable gassuch as methane or helium, and then

checking the body and seals, particular-ly the packing, for leakage. An alterna-tive method is to create a vacuum drawnon the valve through a closed piping sys-tem and introducing a tracer gas intothe areas of the valve exterior suscepti-ble to FE leakage.

Two distinct schools of thought existon what gas should be used to FE test avalve—schools separated by theAtlantic Ocean. In Europe, it is deemedunsafe to test with methane, so all test-ing must be performed with helium; inthe U.S., the preferred test media ismethane, which more closely resemblesthe molecular structure of the volatileorganic compounds (VOCs) that bothindustry and government are workinghard to control.

The procedures for FE testing gener-ally require the test valve be mounted ina device that can firmly hold both thevalve and its actuation mechanism. Thevalve is then cycled from dozens to hun-dreds of times while pressured up withmethane or helium. As an added service

S u m m e r 2 0 1 1 | 25

Table 1. Cryogenic Testing StandardsDocument Organization Notes

BS 6364 British Standards Organization Still the most popular

MSS SP-134 MSS (USA) Published in 2008

ISO “XXXX” ISO (International) Still under development

CO N T I N U E D O N PA G E 28

A valve is prepared to undergo fugitiveemissions tests.

VM_SUM11_VM_SUM11.qxd 7/7/11 4:49 PM Page 25

2 0 1 2 M A R K E T O U T L O O K

-20%

-15%

-10%

-5%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

1969

1971

1973

1975

1977

1979

1981

1983

1985

1987

1989

1991

1993

1995

1997

1999

2001

2003

2005

2007

2009

Recession U.S. Industrial Production

U.S. Industrial Production (3MMA YOY % Change)

Source: Federal Reserve

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THE GLOBAL PICTURE:FIGHTING BLACK SWANSDespite significant headwinds that aroselast year, the global economic expansionwill continue on course in 2011 and2012, according to Sara Johnson, seniorresearch director of IHS Global Insight.“Certainly we will be at a more mod-

est pace [than some economic recoverieshave been], but that is to be expected inthe aftermath of such a severe economicchallenge,” Johnson said. Householdsare still cautious and trying to rebuildtheir retirement assets while govern-ments that provided massive stimulusare having to wind down that support.“We’re projecting world GDP [gross

domestic product] will slow from 4.1%last year to 3.1% this year,” she said.However, part of that slowdown is adirect result of what Johnson called blackswans: “a number of events that had lowprobability but high impact,” she said.For example, because Japan makes up8% of the world’s economy, 40% of theglobal deceleration can be tied to after -effects of Japan’s earthquake and tsuna-mi. Also, geopolitical instabilities areaffecting areas of North Africa and theMiddle East, causing events such as amajor disruption in Libyan oil production(and a drop of 40% to 50% in that coun-try’s GDP), she added.And in many areas of the world,

including the U.S., developed countriesare discovering that the recession’seffects were deeper than originallythought. “So instead of having this cycle [of

past recessionary periods] where house-holds spend more and employment rises,we are in a more stagnant position” witha loop of weak hiring and weak spend-ing, she pointed out.Confidence in policymakers has not

helped, she said—not just in Washing-ton, DC, but also in most parts of Europeafter the spread of the sovereign debtcrises to Spain, Italy and even France.“European policymakers seemed to

be a couple of steps behind the market,”Johnson observed.She said the major driving force in

the global economy now is the emergingmarkets, and this two-speed world


2 0 1 2 M A R K E T O U T L O O K

or how it is determined might bedescribed in the following simplifiedsequence:

� A decision is made that a processplant needs to comply with theinternational standards forprocess safety systems, usuallyIEC 61511.

� The plant forms a HAZOP (Haz-ard and Operability Study) team.Essentially the HAZOP procedureinvolves taking a full descriptionof a process and systematicallyquestioning every part of it toestablish how deviations from thedesign intent could arise. Onceidentified, an assessment is madewhether such deviations and theirconsequences can have a negativeimpact upon the safe and efficientoperation of the plant. If consid-ered necessary, action is thentaken to remedy the situation.In asense, this is based upon Murphy’s

law: Anything that can go wrong,WILL go wrong. What theHAZOP team attempts to deter-mine is: What will go wrong? Theteam might be comprised ofprocess design engineers, opera-tions personnel, maintenance andinstrumentation engineers, etc.

� As part of the HAZOP, all instru-ment safeguards, i.e., SIS, areidentified and validated for theirprimary capability to prevent anincident from occurring or to miti-gate the consequences of an acci-dent. SIL classification of an SISis the next step after the HAZOPto ensure that the SIS providessufficient risk reduction.

� Essentially, the HAZOP teamidentifies which systems will cre-ate the highest level of risk if theSIF fails and then determines theimpact of the failure, i.e., the con-sequence of failure.

� Consequences of failure might

include escalating examples, butthe possibilities are endless. Inother words, the list mightaddress: “If the system fails…:” • The plant will lose $15,000 per

day. • The plant will lose $1 million

per day. • The plant will become dam-

aged and will shut down forthree weeks.

• A high degree of probabilityexists for injury or loss of lifeto company personnel in theimmediate area.

• A high degree of probabilityexists for explosion and loss oflife to non-company personneloutside the parameter of thefacility.

Ultimately, it is up to the plant ownerand operator to determine what level ofrisk is acceptable based on their owncriteria (best practice, company philoso-phy, insurance rates and requirements,budgets, etc). Therefore, risk toleranceis subjective and site-specific.

Once the level of risk tolerance isestablished, SIL levels may be estab-lished for specific SIF within an SIS.

THE ROLE OF PROBABILITY Before discovering how the numericalvalue of SIL is derived, a better under-standing of PFD is needed.


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Figure 2. PFDAVG and Valve Life CycleGraphs reprinted by permission from ANSI/ISA-TR96.05.01-2008. ©ISA 2008

PFDAVG

See Detail

Time

End of Life

1

0.1

0.01

0.001

0


Copyright © 2011 IHS Global Insight. All Rights Reserved.

-9

-6

-3

0

3

6

9

1974 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014

Real GDP Industrial Production(Per

cent

cha

nge)

-4

-2

0

2

4

6

8

10

1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 2008 2011 2014

Advanced Countries Emerging Markets

(Rea

l G

DP,

per

cent

cha

nge)

Continued Recovery of the World Economy

Emerging Markets Will Lead the Global Expansion

Source: IHS Global Insight

economy will persist well into the future.Advanced countries will experience slowto moderate growth, high fiscal deficits,lower inflation than emerging nationsand currency depreciation while emerg-ing markets will see rapid growth, mod-erate to high inflation, rising interestrates and currency appreciation.More specifically, Johnson said:Asia will see the fastest growth rate at

an average of 7% over the next fewyears. China will see a deceleration of

exports, but a growth in industrial pro-duction, giving the country a soft land-ing. Indonesia will see “very strong per-formance” with strong growth prospects.Japan is bouncing back rapidly, heldback by the shortage of electric powerbecause it’s operating at about 20% lessnuclear capacity than a year ago and bythe need for financing for reconstruction.India is supported by a rising middleclass and the easy availability of credit.However, interest rates are rising, slow-

ing investment growth. In South America, Johnson said there

are two sets of countries: those that areable to attract foreign investment such asBrazil, Chile, Peru and Columbia andthose that suffer from resource national-ism such as Venezuela, Bolivia andEcuador. Brazil faces a particularly chal-lenging inflation picture, and the environ-ment changes day to day. But fiscal poli-cy in that country is tightening and theadministration is focusing on social pro-grams and infrastructure challenges.In the Eurozone, confidence is fragile

right now, not just from consumers, butalso in the industrial and services sectors.Western Europe in general faces persist-ent unemployment, meager wage gainsand higher inflation, which will restrainconsumer and housing markets. Germanyand Sweden will be the pacesetters withgrowth led by exports. In emergingEurope, the Commonwealth of Independ-ent States is currently benefiting fromhigh oil and metal prices, Johnson said.However, the region is unlikely to recap-ture the 5% to 7% growth rates experi-enced before the recession.

FORECAST: Asia will lead globalgrowth, while Latin America andAfrica will improve upon historicalperformances. Emerging markets willrun about 6% to 7% growth whiledeveloped markets will run at about2% to 3% growth in GDP in the nextfew years.

WATER/WASTEWATER:IT’S A BLUE AND GRAYMARKETThe water/wastewater market is nolonger a black and white market—itmight better be described as blue andgray, Thomas Decker, PE, BCEE, vicepresident and mid-Atlantic area manag-er for Brown and Caldwell, Alexandria,VA, told attendees. Decker chose thosecolors not because of their similarity towater/wastewater, but because his pres-entation carried a Civil War theme incommemoration of the 150th anniver-sary of that conflict.“There are a lot of opposing forces


2 0 1 2 M A R K E T O U T L O O K

working in opposite directions in thewater business right now,” he explained.For example, in the year 2010, the

market was up slightly: about 4% growthover 2009. However, “it was an interest-ing year to look at the statistics I typicallytrack—the market was all over the placewith really high highs and low lows,” hesaid. But it also faced a number of con-flicting pressures and situations.On a positive note, there was the

American Recovery and ReinvestmentAct, which pumped money for con-struction that boosted the marketplace,he said. There was also the pressure of con-

tinued and increased enforcementactions “especially for wet weather,combined sewer overflow and sanitaryoverflow programs, and also someenforcement on nutrients as well asgood old secondary wastewater treat-ment” issues, Decker said. Another positive was the fact that

money was available not just from the

federal stimulus, but from attractiveinterest rates and increased utility revenues.What happened in 2010 as a result of

these and other factors actually defiedhistorical trends, Decker pointed out. Inpast recessions, the water/wastewatermarket lagged behind the general econo-my, starting to dip or fall as the rest ofthe economy began to recover.“But we actually saw an increase in

the market during the last 18 months,”Decker said.

To understand how the industry got tothis point, Decker took the audiencethrough an “introspection,” and said:

� The market is huge and the U.S. hasa large chunk of it. Internationally,water/wastewater is a $500-billionbusiness. Of that amount, the U.S.holds about $107 billion.

� The market has seen significantregional swings, which will continue.An interesting development duringthis recession is that the northeast

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 23S u m m e r 2 0 1 1 | 31

Industry responded to this questionwith accepted industry standards (essen-tially self-governing practices) such asISA-S84.01 and IEC 61508/61511 tomeasure the acceptable level of perform-ance of these systems. Adherence to thestandards became a best practice. Notethat the standards are not prescriptive—they are performance oriented. They saywhat level needs to be achieved, not howto reach those levels. Ultimately, it is upto the end user to make the decision ofhow that’s to be done.

An SIS is designed to prevent orreduce hazardous events by taking aprocess to a safe state when predeter-mined conditions are violated. An SIScan typically be an emergency shutdownsystem (ESD), a safety interlock systemor a safety shutdown system. Each SISwill have one or more Safety Instru-mented Functions (SIF). Such a func-tion might be something like:

� When the tank pressure gets toohigh, a safety valve opens.

� When the solution in the tank getstoo hot, the inlet steam valve closes.

Of course, each SIF loop will be acombination of logic solvers, sensors,solenoids and final control elements,such as an automated valve. Every SIFwithin an SIS will have an SIL level.These levels may be the same or theymay differ, depending on the process. Acommon misconception is that an entiresystem must have the same SIL level foreach safety function.

An SIL is essentially a measure of thesystem performance in terms of Proba-bility of Failure on Demand (PFD). If the

goal is to reduce risk, we need to under-stand what that risk is. The simplifiedequation for risk is:

Risk = Probability X Consequence

We can think of probability in termsof hazard frequency (how often will aprocess exceed normal conditions andneed to be brought to a safe state?); andconsequences in terms of hazard conse-quences (what happens to the plant,employees, environment and communityif the process upset is not brought to asafe state?).

Where the SIL number comes from

Figure 1. Safety Integrity LevelsSafety Integrity Level Risk Reduction Factor Probability of Failure on Demand

SIL 4 100,000 to 10,000 10-5 to 10-4

SIL 3 10,000 to 1,000 10-4 to 10-3

SIL 2 1,000 to 100 10-3 to 10-2

SIL 1 100 to 10 10-2 to 10-1


Gro

wth

Time

What Happened

What Usually Happens

~ 18 months

June 2009

January 2011

Economy/GDP

Water/Wastewater

A Lag Line that Defied History

Source: Brown and Caldwell

quadrant of the U.S. is seeing themost activity while the traditionallybulletproof areas of the southwestand Florida are experiencing drop-offs in business.

� Although engineering firms report a drop-off in design activity, theindustry is still attracting many bidders for projects. However, thepencils are getting sharper on con-struction projects and fewer “new-bies” are entering the business(firms who got into the businesswithout a lot of experience when themarket was so hot).

� Notices to proceed with utility projects are “slow as molasses”right now, though Decker is not seeing outright cancellations ofexisting projects as much as ownersbacking off of projects they hadannounced.

A newer macrodriver in thewater/wastewater business is climatechange. He cited a recent NationalResources Defense Council study thatexamined the effects global warming arehaving in this country. Some traditional-ly wet areas in the U.S. are getting drierand some traditionally arid areas aregetting wetter, which is going to affectwater supply and demand in the future,Decker pointed out. Another macrodriver is the balance

between population growth and conser-vation. Decker said that, in this country,conservation efforts, such as low-flowshowerheads, smarter water use, reuseof water for landscaping and other prac-tices have been successful. He cited fig-ures that show in 1980, this nation used440 billion gallons of water per day—more than 30 years later, that numberwas 410 billion, which is pretty incredi-ble considering the population growth.For 2011, Decker says the battles

between forces will continue but that“we haven’t hit a stone wall”— the market will continue to grow as it balances the pressures.

FORECAST:The market will be flat toslightly up at the end of 2011 over2010 and will do better in 2012.

POWER: LONG TERMFAVORABLE; SHORTTERM COMPLICATEDBecause the power industry is driven bydemand, and because the pressures andinfluences on that demand are so wideand varied today, policy in the industry“is changing almost daily,” said MarkZeiger, principal vice president and man-ager of procurement for Bechtel PowerCorporation.For example, in the UK, the country

has decided to place emphasis on cleanair so it’s shutting down a lot of its coalfacilities, and in Germany, the countryhas looked at what happened followingJapan’s earthquake/tsunami and is con-sidering shutting down its nuclear plantsagain, Zeiger said.Overall, however, the power industry

faces a favorable long-term outlookbecause demand throughout the worldwill grow. In developing countries, forexample, “consumption is only limitedto the extent you can get power to thepeople, so your potential is endless,” hesaid. And in certain other areas, the sit-uation is rosy for other reasons. Forexample, Australia’s demand is growingbecause the “mining business is robustand takes a lot of power,” Zeiger said.And in Brazil, the economy itself is verystrong, which means development, andthat translates into power demand fromboth manufacturing and consumerneeds. Then, there’s China, which “dwarfs

other global markets” with its potential.Zeiger pointed to figures from Global -Data that show China will add over 350gigawatts (GW) of power in the nextfour years.About 200 of those GWs will be

coming from coal-fired plants, Zeigersaid, but China has a robust nuclear pro-gram, as well. The country also is mov-ing heavily into renewables—Global -Data’s figures show that wind capacitywill grow to 77 GW, and hydro will growto 50 GW by 2015.Globally, coal is still the leading

source of capacity additions—it will con-stitute a third of the world’s market foradditions, but most of the growth will bein China. Gas will be the next greatest


or mitigate the hazardous conditionresulting from pressure vessel over -pressure. The SIS will have an SIFwhich might include a pressure trans-mitter which can sense when an intol-erable level of pressure has beenreached, a logic solver to control thesystem logic, and a solenoid valvewhich might vent the contents of thevessel into a safe location (flare stack,environment, storage tank, etc.), thusbringing the pressure vessel to a safestate.

If the risk reduction factor requiredfrom the Process Hazard Analysis is afactor of 100 then an SIL 2 level of SIFperformance would be specified. Cal-cula tions for the components of theentire SIF loop will be done to verifythat the PFD of the safety function is10, meaning that the SIF is SIL 2 orreduces the risk of the hazard by afactor of 100. This one SIF may consti-tute the entire SIS, or the SIS may becomposed of multiple SIFs that areimplemented for several other unac-ceptable process risks in the facility.

Now we see from the chart in Table1, and the example, above, the SILnumerical values relate directly to theminimum risk reduction factor. Forexample: SIL 1 = 10, SIL 2 = 100,etc. This is helpful in allowing us to geta feel for what SIL is.

SIL AND THE VALVEINDUSTRY Since this article is primarily for thosewho are not instrumentation engineers,it is helpful to also know how SILapplies to the valve and actuator industries.

A HAZOP team will look closely atautomated valve systems that need toperform an action to return the processto a safe state when design or operat-ing parameters have been exceeded. To keep the discussion simple, we willuse the term ESD, assuming we areconcerned with an emergency shut-down valve.

The HAZOP team will want toknow: What is the likelihood of my

valve working when I need it to work?They will perform a risk analysis andassign an SIL level to that ESD sys-tem. The SIL will cover the entire ESDsystem—from initial process sensor tothe valve itself, and everything inbetween. It is important to note thatSIL covers systems comprised of indi-vidual products. Products are not “SILrated.” There is no such thing, forexample, as an SIL 3 actuator, an SIL3 digital valve controller or an SIL 3solenoid valve. There are only productsthat are reliable to the degree they aresuitable for an SIL 3 environment.

So, as industrial fluid control repre-sentatives, it would be inappropriate tosay of a product: This is SIL 2. Thecorrect nomenclature would be: This issuitable for an SIL 2 environment.Likewise, as a consultant or end user, itis inappropriate to ask a vendor: Whatis the SIL rating of your product? Itwould be more appropriate to ask forspecific failure rates.

In determining whether a product issuitable for use in a given SIL environ-ment, the important factors are failurerates such as PFD.

PFD average (PFDAVG) is relevant tothe valve industry and users of valves.As the graphs in Figures 2 and 3 indi-cate, the probability of operationalfailure for a valve escalates soon afterevery full cycle test. It has beendemonstrated that partial stroke test-ing (PST) of the valve (when full stroketesting is not practical) significantlylowers the PFDAVG.To say it anotherway, partial stroking increases theprobability that the system and valvewill work when it needs to work (Figure 3).

Based on the need to increase relia-bility and the desire by end users tocomply with new safety standards, aPST industry has emerged. It hasspawned a plethora of increasinglysophisticated products and systemspromising to make the SIS more reli-able. The end result has been confusionnot only for vendors, but for consult-ants and end users as well.

A good way to think about this




2 0 1 2 M A R K E T O U T L O O K

source of capacity additions in the imme-diate future because it’s the best andfastest source of replacement power inareas where coal or nuclear is losingground, but renewables are gainingground in many areas of the world,Zeiger said.In the U.S., coal will not be playing

much of a role going forward whereasgas is entering the picture very rapidly,Zeiger pointed out. “Right now, there are only a couple

dozen new [gas-fired] plants in develop-ment, but that can change quicklybecause plants have a very short devel-opment cycle,” he said. However, “windseems to be where developers are placingtheir bets with a fair amount of solar onits way. But solar takes a lot of foot-print,” he said. A lot of the drive in theU.S. for renewables, however, is drivenby incentives, and with the economic sit-uation putting constraints on budgets“we don’t know where those incentiveswill be going forward,” Zeiger said.The next largest market, after China

and the U.S., is India. That country willalso have a very high amount of coalactivity, some nuclear and some com-bined cycle, but it’s also got a source forpower that many other countries haven’ttapped to the extent India has:hydropower. Figures from Global Insightshow that capacity additions in hydro inthat country almost match additions incoal “and this could be understated if

funding [for development] can be accel-erated,” Zeiger said. As far as the markets for valves in the

power industry, “the largest installationin valves on a global basis will be in Chinaand India in coal.” In the U.S. the great-est potential for power business currently

is wind and combined cycle plants.As far as nuclear, “the industry has

stalled for new plant generation con-struction. But at the same time eventsfrom Japan may cause modificationwork to be done to include lessonslearned and retrofits,” Zeiger said.

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 25

Coal39%

Gas14%

Oil3%

Nuclear7%

Wind16%

Solar PV2%

Solar Thermal0%

Geothermal1%

Biomass1%

Biogas0% Hydro

17%

Coal 200

Gas 3

Nuclear 35

Wind 77

Solar PV 6

Solar Thermal 1Biomass 1 Hydro 50

Total World New Capacity Additions by Technology Share (2011-2015, excluding China)

China’s Capacity Additions by 2015

S u m m e r 2 0 1 1 | 39

However, both types are capable ofcontinuous movement. They both have avariety of failure modes—through the useof simple springs or stored energy devicessuch as accumulators and volume tanks.However, pneumatics is more akin toconventional hydraulic technologyregarding the power source. Just as aconventional hydraulic uses a continuous-ly running unidirectional motor andpump to maintain pressure, the pneumat-ic has stored energy (supply pressure)from a central air compressor. Bothapproaches consume much more powerthan either the electromechanical or thediscrete electrohydraulic technologies.

The real “chink in the armor” of thepneumatic dynasty is positioning per-formance: pneumatics (air) is a com-pressible substance that will limit thepositioning performance of the actuator.Boyle’s Law in physics simply statesthat P1 x V1 = P2 x V2. There is nogetting around that reality; but thinkwhat that means in relation to staticand dynamic forces on actuator stems.

AN ALTERNATIVEEffectively, what’s taken place gradual-ly over the last 20 years is emergence ofa viable alternative to both electro-mechanical and pneumatic actuation.By modernizing the solid, but obsoletehydraulic-based actuation technology,with performance more in line withmarket needs, new application opportu-nities have opened up for use of discreteelectrohydraulics. Some interestingapplications include: steam temperaturecontrol or spray valves, boiler feedwatercontrol valves, power plant damper con-trols, mining separator level controlvalves, water treatment plant filter levelcontrol valves, and more.

Such applications have historicallybeen pneumatically or electromechani-cally actuated. The advantages of elec-trohydraulic actuators were outweighedby the capital and maintenance expenseof older hydraulic actuator technology.With advances in electrohydraulic tech-nology, there are now applications thatcan benefit economically from electro-hydraulic through process efficiency

improvements.The conventional hydraulically oper-

ated valve (HOV) and electrohydraulicactuator (EHA or EHV) applicationsare also being fit with newer discretehydraulic actuators. These applicationshistorically were specified HOV, EHA orEHV for one of three reasons:

1) The control requirement wasknown to exceed the capability ofcompressible pneumatics (i.e.steam turbines).

2) The torque was too large for pneu-matic or electromechanical actua-tor.

3) Compressed air was not available.

Today, these applications are beingretrofit with today’s discrete high per-formance electrohydraulic actuators togain the benefits mentioned above.

The level of requirements for actuatorsophistication do vary greatly acrossapplications. Some specification break-

points to consider when evaluating elec-trohydraulic actuator technology versusother technology are: valve operation(on/off, modulating, fail-position); com-munications requirements (feedback, busnetworks); power consumption/availabili-ty; and the critical nature of the locationand application.

This last consideration can be con-strued many ways, but a general way toput it is: How critical is the availability ofa valve to the process? Is it acceptable totake this valve out of service annually? Isthe location an environment that is easilyaccessed, inhospitable or hazardous? The answers to these questions are vitalto the type of electrohydraulic actuatortechnology selected. The answers canalso influence which overall technology toselect—whether it is pneumatic, electro-mechanical or electrohydraulic. VM

KEVIN HYNES is president and CEO of KOSO Amer-ica (www.koso.com). Reach him at [email protected].

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Source: GlobalData, Bechtel, AWEA, Bloomberg, EIA, IEA

FORECAST: Although capital expen-diture spending has suffered from theeconomic uncertainties and policyissues, significant growth for poweron a global basis is ahead. Projectsworldwide will continue to providegreater challenges in scope and size.In the end, quality of product will bethe differentiator for suppliers to thepower industry.

PETROCHEMICALS:NORTH AMERICA BACKAT BATUnlike some of the end-user industriescovered at this year’s workshop that takea longer time to recover from a reces-sion, the news from petrochemicals wasmostly already bright.In fact, speaker Mark Eramo, exec-

utive vice president, CMAI, says thatNorth America is “back in the game,”while Asia is presenting new demandopportunities and seeing tremendous

growth, and South America continuesto pick up speed. That’s partly because the industry is

tied so closely to what people buy, asopposed to how cheaply raw materialscan be taken out of the ground.“At the end of the day, this business

isn’t about pipelines. It’s about efficientdelivery and demand for durable andnondurable goods,” Eramo said.In North America, investments in

the conversion industry started to shutdown over the last decade, but recently“we’re getting back into this businessbecause we’re at a lower cost basis,”Eramo said. This won’t occur immedi-ately, but “people are makingannouncements,” and building shouldbegin sometime in the next five years.During 2011, for example, Eramo saidmore than 5.0 million metric tons ofnew capacity for ethylene investment inNorth America were announced forstart-up by 2020.Eramo said he expects to see a full

recovery in the petrochemical market by2012 or 2013. What drove down margins in 2008 and 2009 was surpluscapacity, but “we’ve chewed through alot of that,” he said, and demand is actually outpacing capacity in someareas of the world. For example, demand in China and

India is booming. Asia’s cumulativedemand for basic chemicals and plasticsgrew at about 8% per year over the lastdecade. It suffered a small retractionduring the recession, but it’s now back atabout 7% cumulative growth each yeargoing forward, which means the area“cannot build fast enough to keep upwith demand” so it needs imports,Eramo pointed out.In North America, on the other hand,

some manufacturing moved offshore,which means this region has lost some ofits export capability to competitors.“The good news is that there has been

a steady level of demand growth in NorthAmerica,” which means some of the


S u m m e r 2 0 1 1 | 43

ANOTHER MINDWhy do I advise this? Beyond the socialbonds you establish, with each and everyconnection, you are adding anotherhuman brain to the equation (as onesource puts it):

…containing about 10 billion nervecells, or neurons. On average, eachneuron is connected to other neuronsthrough about 10,000 synapses… Thebrain’s network of neurons forms amassively parallel information pro-cessing system. This contrasts withconventional computers, in which asingle processor executes a singleseries of instructions. i

Imagine if you’ve built your socialnetwork into the hundreds—that’s amassively parallel information-process-ing power with the potential to help inyour problem-solving quest.

One way to expand that network is tojoin “Groups” if you use LinkedIn, inyour areas of expertise or use the“Answers” area to ask questions. Youalso might try answering others’ ques-tions and building expertise credibilitywhen your answer is selected as a goodor best answer. If you do a search on theword “valve” in the LinkedIn Groupsarea of the site, you’ll find 10 pages ofgroups, including Valve World Group,Valve Network, Valve Solution andValve User Forum, to name just a few.

Increasingly, Facebook fan pages arebeing used by businesses and leadingbrands. Similar to LinkedIn Groups,these fan pages provide a wall on whichto ask and answer questions. You maywant to search and connect with thecompany or brands that you use whenyou encounter the need for answers. Idid a Facebook page search on “valve,”for example, and again had pages and

pages of search results.If you use Twitter, try posing ques-

tions to those who choose to follow you.You’ll grow your list of followers as youshare interesting things about yourselfand/or your expertise. Or if Twitter isnot for you, try using some of the well-established email lists from the Interna-tional Society of Automation and Con-trol.com.

My recommended problem-solvingpath is to start with the search engines.Next, tap your close circle of colleagues.Then, try your social network.

And as you take these steps, alwayslook for ways to build this social networkby offering your expertise through someof the ways I’ve highlighted. Your effortswill be rewarded exponentially. VM

JIM CAHILL leads Emerson Process Manage-ment’s social media efforts and writes the Emerson Process Experts blog: www.EmersonProcessXperts.com.


2 0 1 2 M A R K E T O U T L O O K

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capacity may be repatriated here. Mean-while, this area has other advantages.What it now costs to make goods inNorth America, for example, supportsgrowth in the sector, especially for prod-ucts based on natural gas liquids. As withmany developments in the oil- and gas-related field today, shale gas is having asignificant impact on the situation, givingNorth American producers an advantageover other regions, Eramo concluded.

FORECAST: Global ethylene capacitywill grow to 165 million metric (MM)tons by 2015. Of that amount, Asiancapacity will grow to 54 MM. Afterfalling from 2008 to 2010, NorthAmerican capacity will grow over thenext few years to more than 32 MM.North American exports based onlight feeds will continue to accelerateand new investment in the petro-chemicals-to-derivatives part of thechain will total in the multi-billions ofdollars going forward.

OIL & GAS: STRENGTH—ESPECIALLY FOREMERGING MARKETSBarring a double-dip financial crisis, thepetroleum industry should remain strongfor the next several years, according toJohn Spears, president of Spears andAssociates. Over the long term, industri-alized countries will see little growth intheir own oil markets, but globally, that

will be balanced by emerging markets. “Global oil demand can grow at

about $100 per barrel,” Spears said,and while some areas of the world arerunning higher than that, the U.S. hasstayed about that level because of itssupply, while the emerging nations haveevened things out globally as far asdemand.The world consumes about 90 million

barrels of oil per day and about half ofthat is consumed in the industrializedworld, Spears explained. And while thecountries in the other half of the worldhave only about a fifth of the consump-tion per capita, they have five times asmany people.

“Clearly as emerging countries con-tinue to industrialize and urbanize, theycan support increased consumption ofpetroleum products,” he said.One of the more immediate trends

affecting the industry is that, because ofvolatility and high costs in the energyworld, prices “will increasingly reflectthe production end of the business”instead of consumer use, Spears said. In the U.S., oil production from con-

ventional sources such as Alaska and off-shore is on the decline; however, that hasbeen more than offset by increases fromunconventional sources, such as the ris-ing output from the Williston Basin inNorth Dakota, Spears pointed out.


2 0 1 2 M A R K E T O U T L O O K

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15

Gas as %

of Crude

$ / M

M B

tu

Crude (WTI) Natural Gas Gas as % of Crude

North America Energy Dynamics

U.S. Drilling Activity by Rig Type

Source: Purvin & Gertz

Sources: BHI, Spears

1600

1400

1200

1000

800

600

400

0

2009 2010 2011 2012

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

Horizontal

Directional

Vertical

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Fugitive emissions(FE) testing is supportedby several specially-designed and built testingfixtures. The actual testingis controlled by customsoftware and human-machine-interface (HMI)technology. FE testing can be performed with eitherMethane or Helium.

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Meanwhile, the numbers for naturalgas liquids “will grow pretty dramatical-ly” because of drilling in liquid-rich gasreserves such as the Marcellus andEagle Ford shales, Spears said. Over thenext five to six years, about 25% to 30%of natural gas will come from onshoreshale sources and by 2035, almost halfthe production of gas in the U.S. willcome from shale sources. This emerging market is also

spreading to a number of othercountries around the world. Spearspointed to a recent Energy InformationAgency report that showed 33 countriesaround the world have enoughrecoverable shale gas reserves toincrease the world’s supply by 40% to22,600 trillion cubic feet.New horizontal drilling methods will

compound the importance of these shalesupplies, “changing the economics ofdrilling tremendously,” Spears said. Thecombination of hydraulic fracturing anddirectional drilling, a combination thatbegan to be used for gas in 2004 andfor oil in 2009, means that each wellcan produce much more and the returnson investment for operators have goneway up. For example, the Bakken fieldis currently producing about a 70%return compared to only about 5% foropen water shelf drilling.Costs for drilling, however, will also

rise, and Spears said that meansactivity may shift to some of the higherprofitability areas.

FORECAST: U.S. natural gas demandwill reach 25.6 trillion cubic feet in2016, with the lower 48 onshore pro-duction of shale gas growing at anaverage annual rate of 14%. U.S.drilling activity will be up about 22%from last year and about 17% in 2012with horizontal drilling activity upmore than 25% in the coming year.Well costs are expected to rise about4% per quarter through the end ofnext year. Canadian rig count willincrease 17% in 2011 and 15% in2012. International activity is expectedto increase 7% in 2011 and 8% in2012 with South America and the Mid-dle East the fastest-growing regions.

RENEWABLES: NEWOPPORTUNITIES FORVALVE MANUFACTURERSDespite the fact the advancement ofrenewable energy depends so heavily ongovernment policies, many of which arein a state of flux, the industry “has seencontinuous growth” around the world,according to Rakesh Radhakrishnan,associate director for Navigant Consult-ing, Inc.The market share of energy that

renewables provided stood at about 12%worldwide in 2009, according to theInternational Energy Agency (IEA) andabout 6.2% in the U.S., but Radhakrish-nan explained to outlook attendees why

all that is about to change. “Over the next decade, I feel it

[renewable energy] will evolve into aclean energy standard—there are goingto be a variety of technology systemsadopted depending on regional priori-ties,” he said. In the U.S.’s immediate future, the

year 2012 will see annual renewableinstallations leap to almost 13,000megawatts (MW) from just over 6,000MW in 2010. What happens after thatpoint, however, is largely dependent onwhether the production tax credit due toexpire for wind that year is renewed, theproduction tax credit for biomassexpires as planned in 2014 and theinvestment tax credit for solar expires asplanned in 2016. Still, even with those expirations,

renewable energy annual investments inthe U.S. will range between $15 billionand $25 billion per year and biofuelsmake up another $25 billion to $35 bil-lion per year going forward to 2020(according to IEA). That opens up a lotof opportunity for suppliers to theseindustries, Radhakrishnan pointed out.Specifically, he said:

� Around the world, hydropower is thelargest source of growth and opportu-nity, especially in developing coun-tries such as India and China wherethe industry is well established. It’salso one of the cheapest sources ofpower available, producing electricityat about 2 cents per kilowatt hourcompared to 9.5 cents for nuclear,7.5 cents for coal and 6 cents for nat-ural gas. In the U.S., growth willdepend on policy, but a bill has beenintroduced in Congress that wouldsupport development of smallerhydroelectrical plants. These micro-plants are compelling because theydon’t need the extensive permittingand approval process that large damsgo through in the U.S.

� Seventy to 110 GW of biomass powerwill be added in the world by 2030(according to IEA), though biomasswill be competing with the biofuelssector for resources. In the U.S., facil-ities are being built to make pellets


2 0 1 2 M A R K E T O U T L O O K

Source: Energy Information Administration

Gas Demand and Supply

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

1990 2000 2009 2015 2025 2035

History

Shale gas

Tight gas

Lower 48 onshore conventional

Lower 48 offshore Coalbed methane

Alaska

2009 Projections

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VM_SPR11_VM_FALL10.qxd 4/7/11 9:25 AM Page 11

that will be exported to Europe wherethe biomass market is expansive.Feedstock will be the greatest chal-lenge in the industry, though new tech-nologies to use new sources areemerging such as animal digestivegas, cow waste and other sources.

� The geothermal market going for-ward will depend on how quicklynew systems can be developed.About four years ago, systems werelaunched that could use low temper-ature heat such as wastewater fromoil and gas drilling, which invigorat-ed interest in geothermals. Butalthough many projects wereannounced, few made it to maturity.Meanwhile, enhanced geothermalsystems that harness energy fromdeep below the earth’s surface arealso under development, and howfast the industry grows will dependon how quickly those systems, whichshare some of the same challengesas the shale gas drilling and frack-ing industry, can be put in place.

� The biofuel industry will see signifi-cant growth going forward as oilprices rise. Between 2009 and 2035,worldwide consumption will grow by2.4 million barrels per day as a con-servative estimate (by IEA). Newgenerations of biofuels are currentlybeing developed from cellulose andalgae, and as a result, more specialtychemical production will be added,which means more capital expendi-tures (capex) spending in this area.

FORECAST: Navigant estimates(based on IEA figures) that capex inhydropower will offer $970 millionto $1.4 billion in opportunities forvalve sales by 2030. Capex for bio-mass will offer $3.1 billion to $4.9billion in valve sales opportunitieswhile capex opportunities for geo-thermal would be $600 million to$900 million; solar will offer $1.1billion to $2.1 billion; and biofuelswill offer $9 million to $1.2 billion.

INDIA: A LUCRATIVEMARKET FOR VALVESIndia has a very strong demand for flowcontrol equipment and is about a $2 bil-lion market for valves, according toRavi Krishnan, principal consultant atKrishnan & Associates. The country isone of the few in the world that did notsuffer much loss from the Great Reces-sion, and it is poised for major growth inmany of the sectors where valves areused, he said.

The reason it was not affected asmuch by economic woes was because“India is not a high credit market. Wehad a small bubble burst, but the countryhas a low dependence on imports, aclosely regulated banking system and aneconomy that has seen resilient year-to-year growth,” he said. In fact, India’seconomy is projected to grow 8.75% thisyear. The gross domestic product, whichis growing at one of the highest rates inthe world (about 7.5% to 8% per yearfor the last 6 to 7 years), just crossed the$1.4 trillion line, which is pretty aston-ishing growth compared to the $410 billion it was just 10 years ago, Krishnanpointed out.The huge population growth means

the country has a large pool of bothskilled and unskilled workers, and whilemany of them require training, the coun-try ranks second only to China in thenumber of engineers, he said. At thesame time, the manufacturing sector inIndia is growing rapidly, held back onlyby infrastructure challenges, govern-ment red tape and the need for tech -nology expertise.In terms of individual sectors:The current power generation capaci-

ty is at 167 GWs, putting it about sixthin the world in generated power. About64% of that is from fossil fuels (53% iscoal, 10% from natural gas and 1% fromoils), 33% from renewables andhydropower, and 3% from nuclear. Coalis highly abundant in the country withproven reserves estimated at 200 years.Privatization of the coal mining sectorwill only accelerate the process of gettingthe coal out of the ground.In the oil & gas market, deregulation

of the upstream market means that


2 0 1 2 M A R K E T O U T L O O K

2.80%

6% 6%7%

8%6.80%

8.50% 9%

0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%

10%

1971-79 1980-89 1990-99 2003-06 2007-2008 2009-10 2010-11E 2010-20E

Actual & Projected GDP Growth: India

Source: Goldman Sachs

Notes: Forecasts assume 1) no renewal of existing federal tax credits after their current expiration dates, and 2) no new federal stimulus program is created. Source: Navigant Consulting, Inc., February 2011

U.S. Annual RE Capacity Additions 2010-2020

Annual Installations (MW)

14,000

12,000

10,000

8,000

6,000

4,000

2,000

0

Ocean

Offshore Wind

Geothermal

STE

Biomass

Hydro

Solar PV

Onshore Wind

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Expiration of PTCin 2012 for wind

Expiration of PTC on1/1/14 for biomass

Expiration of ITC in2016 for solar

private players are expanding into themarket, and equipment opportunitiesfor exploration, production and modern-ization stand at about $6 billion. In themidstream market, the infrastructure isgrowing at a rapid rate with pipelineprojects under development that willadd 6,400 miles for natural gas, 5,200for cooking gas and 5,125 for crudeproducts. And in the downstream area,refining capacity is undergoing anexpansion from 150 metric tons perannum (MTPA) to 250 MTPA by 2015.Geographically, the country is betterpositioned for downstream productionthan China because facilities are closerto crude oil producers.Petrochemicals is one of the fastest

growing sectors of the Indian economy,mirroring the rates of the GDP, Krishnansaid, with a 15% growth in the polyesterindustry alone in 2010. The industry hasalso been helped along recently by gov-ernment initiatives designed to promoteinvestment in this area.

Government incentives play a role inencouraging private investment inwater/wastewater in India, Krishnansaid. That market is driven by the rapidlyexpanding infrastructure for the countryas well as diminishing water quality, andmore recently, public awareness of theneed for clean water and sewage treat-ment.In all of these market sectors, “there

is a strong demand for flow control, fluidisolation and pressure relief, thus a con-tinual need for valves,” he said.In recent years, India’s manufacturing

sector is also seeking partners and suppli-ers that are experienced. Traditionally,the market has been very price sensitivewith low bidders at an advantage andwestern technology at a disadvantage.However, the country’s industry is nowlooking at life cycle costs of equipmentmore broadly as some purchases havebrought serious problems (such as boilerfailures in the power industry).“A lot of industries that procured low-

cost equipment are now seeing that was-n’t necessarily the best decision,” Krish-nan says, so differentiated tech nology isbeginning to command premium pricing.

FORECAST: Long-term growth ratesare projected at 9% for the Indianeconomy supported by strong domes-tic consumption and strong growth inthe services sector. Nearly 100,000MW of new commissioning in thepower industry will occur by 2017.Power capacity will grow from 167GW in 2010 to 400 GW over the nextdecade. Petroleum refining will growfrom 153 tons per year installedcapacity to 302 tons per year by 2017.The water/wastewater market willgrow at a rate of about 15% annually.Consequently, the valve industry willrealize annual growth rates of 12% to14% going forward. VM

GENILEE PARENTE is managing editor of Valve Magazine. Reach her at [email protected].

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 33

have multiple areas designated withineach plant with different approvalrequirements depending on the mediathat could or would be present in thoseareas of the plant. These decisions haveto be made when the plant is designed,and they are reviewed by the appropri-ate safety officials and insurance com-panies. However, hazardous environ-ment considerations are an area ofmajor expense for end users and forsolenoid manufacturers. The initial costto get approvals is just the beginning ofthat cost. Next come regular plantinspections, file fees and paperworkchange charges.

VOLTAGEVoltage is a simple, but still vital part ofthe specification process. It merely is thevoltage of the system to which the valveis wired. Most coils are designed per ULrequirements to operate at +10% to -15% of the rated voltage because of nor-mal voltage fluctuations in the line orfrom the source. However, care is neededwith voltage range tolerances, becauseall coils are not designed this way. Theinformation needed to determine coil

design is in the valve manufacturer’sinstallation and maintenance sheets orcatalog information. When specifyingvoltage do not assume that the manufac-turer knows whether voltage require-ments are AC or DC. When specifyingDC voltage, the letters DC should bewritten out after the voltage value: as in24/DC. When specifying AC voltage, thefrequency should be included (For exam-ple: 120/60 or 230/50).

EXTRASThe extras category in specificationpoints can mean just about anything. Forexample, if something like extra-longlead wires, manual operator, mountingbracket, manual reset, functional safety

data, certificates of compliance, lowpower or bus system compatibility isadded, it can be mentioned under“extras.” Many extra features are possi-ble, but not always available on everysolenoid valve. Those specifying solenoidvalves need to use this category to listwhat’s not listed in the other categories.

Many areas must be consideredwhen selecting solenoid valves. A cata-log cannot answer all the questionsbecause there are many optional fea-tures that may not be included. To besure the right valve is selected, list spe-cific considerations along with quanti-ties and needed lead times. What is notoptional needs to be outlined. If someflexibility in the specification exists,options can be recommended, which isespecially helpful when lead times arecrucial. A good technical support rep-resentative can not only find a valvethat meets specification needs, but beable to find one that can be delivered indesired time frames. VM

BILL REESON is a technical support manager atEmerson Industrial Automation, ASCO Numatics(www.ASCONumatics.com). Reach him [email protected].


S O L E N O I D V A L V E S

A solenoid valve manifold is used for fluidpower and process valve automationapplications. One manifold can containseveral 3- and 4-way solenoid valves together.



C urrently, 104 nuclear power-plant reactors are working in the

United States, and all of them haveoperating environments that areextremely challenging. Of those 104plants, 35 are classified as boilingand 69 as pressurized water reactors. While the design details vary from

plant to plant, each nuclear facilityhas thousands of valve actuators usedin various processes and applications.The newest-generation nuclear planthas more than 13,000 valves. It’s clear, then, that valve actua-

tors play vital roles in maintainingprocess safety, efficiency and produc-tivity in a wide range of situations. This article contains a brief

description of some of the special cir-cumstances encountered in challeng-ing nuclear environments and the dif-ferent styles of actuators used to meetdemanding operational and safetyrequirements.

STRICT GUIDELINES ANDREQUIREMENTSAll equipment used in nuclear plantsbuilt in the United States is certifiedunder stringent guidelines mandatedby the Nuclear Regulatory Commis-sion (NRC). Verification of reactorsor equipment to standards from othercountries is not acceptable for the104 working reactors in the U.S. To understand basic requirements

the nuclear power industry faces inthis nation, a review of the similari-ties and differences between nuclearpower and fossil power is helpful. In a fossil power plant, coal might

be crushed and mixed with air to boil

ACTUATION IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

THE THOUSANDS OF ACTUATORS USEDIN A NUCLEAR PLANT FACE SOMEPRETTY TOUGH CONDITIONS AS WELLAS RIGOROUS TESTING.BY PETE KUNDIN

The actuator pictured right operates a mainsteam isolation valve for General Electric’sboiling water reactors. It is a pneumaticcylinder in tandem with a hydraulic speedcontrol system. While the hydraulics are selfcontained, there is a small pistonaccumulator that accounts for thermalexpansion of fluid in the plant.

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 35

water, which produces steam to drive aturbine. With nuclear reactions, theprocess is different, but the operationalobjective is essentially the same—toheat water to produce steam to drive aturbine. With a coal steam generator,the activity of burning the pulverizedcoal and producing steam is containedwithin what is termed the “boilerisland.” Because of the strong similarityto what happens in the coal plant, manyengineers and technicians in a nuclearplant refer to the area where steam gen-eration occurs as the “nuclear island.” Within the nuclear reactor, equip-

ment must meet rigorous standards.Since radiation is very high, the stan-dards require all equipment materialsused in this phase of the process to with-stand high levels of radiation for the lifeof the plant. Therefore, materials suchas iron or steel are required rather thanaluminum. Also, temperatures in thisportion of the plant are elevated, whichwill affect seal materials. The combina-tion of severe environmental conditionsdetermines the various coatings andpaints allowed for use in this area,which is known as “inside contain-ment.”To be suitable for service in a nuclear

reactor, an actuator must go throughspecific testing by outside testing agen-cies. The test reports produced mustthen be reviewed not only by the actua-tor suppliers, but by consulting engi-neers and the utilities themselves. Manydocuments also are reviewed by theNRC. The tests for actuators used “inside

containment” apply to all styles. Theplants use electric motor operators aswell as pneumatic cylinder actuators andhydraulic cylinder actuators. All of theseactuators must be tested to ensure theycan withstand the environment for theirexpected lives. Also, in addition to envi-ronmental concerns, the actuators mustbe able to operate during extreme acci-dent conditions such as an earthquake.

THE TESTING PROCESS Testing for a motor operator isdescribed in a standard written by theInstitute of Electrical and Electronic

Engineers (IEEE)—IEEE-382. Thisstandard describes the testing requiredto produce a motor operator for use in aU.S. nuclear reactor. An additional keystandard used is IEEE-344, whichdescribes standards for seismic testing.The certification process puts the

actuator through a simulated life testwhere it is aged seismically, environ-mentally and mechanically. In otherwords, the actuator is exposed to thenormal radiation and temperatures itwould experience in over 40 years ofoperating in a nuclear plant, and it isstroked as many times as expected overthat time period. When it is shown to beat the end of its expected life, it is thenput through the most rigorous test of all,which is known as the loss of coolantaccident (LOCA) test.The LOCA test simulates a Design

Basis Event (DBE), such as an earth-quake, in which the severity would varydepending on where the plant was

located. During the test, the actuator isexposed multiple times to extreme temperature variations up to 500° F(260° C). It also might be sprayed withvarious caustic materials and/or berequired to stroke to ensure it canoperate under those conditions. Thebottom line is that very few safety-related actuators have the integrity topass this sort of testing, but whetherthe safety-related actuator is pneumat-ic or electric, it has to be able to sur-vive the stipulated LOCA test require-ments to serve inside containment.Another issue regarding nuclear

actuators concerns the designation of“active” with regards to safety systems.When a situation occurs in which a safe-ty system needs to be invoked, such asensuring coolant water is available forthe reactor, actuators required to oper-ate to deliver that water are part of thesafety system. These actuators are thenclassified as “active” as they may berequired to operate during or after aDBE. Thus, even when equipment is notwithin the inside containment areaitself, if it is considered active, it mustgo through stringent testing to ensurereliability. The seismic and environmental tests

can take 12 to 18 months to complete.Once the actuator is qualified to workwithin this environment, another impor-tant step is taken. Although actuators are used on

dampers in heating, ventilation and airconditioning systems, many actuatorsare operating valves inside the contain-ment building. The valves have theirown standards because they are pres-sure containment devices. To operate inthose areas, the valves must carry whatis known as the “N” stamp, and thetests of valves associated with the “N”stamp are demanding and arduous. Sometimes, the “N” stamp testing

terminology causes confusion as far ashow it relates to actuators. Actuators bythemselves have no “N” stamp. Instead,they have a pedigree based on varioustesting results over many years. Review-ing and evaluating the numerous testreports is how a determination is madeas far as whether or not an actuator can

ACTUATION IN NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

With O-ring sealed covers in place on thiselectric actuator, the motor, limit and torqueswitches, as well as other electricalcomponents, are housed within a pressure-tight enclosure. This keeps out dirt andmoisture and prevents breathing fromexpansion and contraction of the internal aircaused by temperature changes.

This cutaway illustration shows the internalcomponents of a typical electric actuator.

be used for an application. When a qualified actuator with the

appropriate pedigree is mated to an“N” stamp valve, the integral unit mustpass one more important test. This testis to assure the “N” stamp valve com-bined with the approved attached actua-tor has sufficient integrity to withstanddifficult seismic requirements. The testis governed by another standard knownas QME-1. Although it is essentially avalve test, the actuator is an importantcomponent so it is part of the testing.

WHEN AND WHEREEQUIPMENT CAN BE USED As explained, only the most ruggedactuators manufactured today are suit-able for use inside a nuclear reactor.When equipment is not part of the safe-ty system and it is outside of the reactor,standard industrial equipment can beused that takes advantage of some oftoday’s newer technologies. An example is smart actuators. The

modern electric actuator used in manyprocess plants today consists of an inte-gral motor control center with a digitalcontrol module. That configurationallows remote monitoring of valve andactuator data useful for maintenanceand diagnostics. Unfortunately, the tech-nology of today does not allow thesesophisticated electronics to reside withinan actuator or to pass the environmentaland seismic testing required for insidethe reactor. Actuators with advanced

technology can only be used in applica-tions that do not require active testing.

ENHANCEMENTS UNDERSTRINGENT TESTINGBecause motor operators are very sim-ple with just a motor, gear set, and limitand torque switches within robust castiron and steel housing, some advancedoptions are available that can assist thenuclear industry in certain applications. For example, several major actuator

manufacturers offer a thrust monitoringcomponent so the nuclear plant can

monitor valve thrust requirements andactuator thrust outputs. While thatcapability is a standard item with asmart actuator, it’s not as simple withthe nuclear actuator. The typical waythis capability is achieved in a nuclearactuator is by measuring the deflectionof the motor shaft via the spring packon the end of the motor. Another example of a nuclear option

becoming very popular is the torquelimiter. When sizing an actuator for avalve in a nuclear application, the crite-ria are different than for most otherapplications. The valve factors used tocalculate the thrust required are veryhigh so sufficient safety margins areensured. The safety margins are set bythe industry and monitored very closely. Another factor that comes into play is

power voltage. The actuators must besized to work on reduced voltages thatmight be available during accident condi-tions. When a motor is running onreduced voltage, it produces reducedtorque. The combination of these chal-lenges means an actuator might be muchlarger for a valve than normally used. Motor operators are also very power-

ful and have a reserve torque and thrustcapability. The industry calls them stalltorques, and they can more than doublethe rated output torque of an actuator.Because of the demands, the associatedvalve must have a stronger superstruc-ture as well as a larger stem than whatmight be expected. The larger stem thenmight require a larger thrust, and theexact balance becomes a challenge forspecifying engineers. The torque limiter is a brake that will

reduce the force put on the valve duringabnormal operation so that the valvedoes not need as large a structure tohold the actuator. Another option usedfor high-speed valve applications isthrust compensators, which are essen-tially disc spring packs that allow for agradual loading of the actuator as thevalve seats.

PNEUMATIC PISTON/HYDRAULIC/DIAPHRAGM/MANUALVarious nuclear plant applications usepneumatic piston operators. In many


A C T U A T I O N I N N U C L E A R P O W E R P L A N T S

This self-contained, linear hydraulic actuator isdesigned for a nuclear plant’s main steamisolation valve or main feedwater isolationvalve. It uses an electric motor to turn thehydraulic pump, which generates the fluidpower pressure and flow to extend and retractthe main hydraulic cylinder. It is coupled to theisolation valve to safely shut down the plant.

Much testing and precise quality control goes into manufacturing nuclear actuators. Here, ahighly trained quality control inspector is performing a quality test on two control packages fora nuclear pneumatic linear actuator.

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 37

cases, spring-return actuators are usedwhen the valve must fail to a position onloss of air supply. In other cases, nitro-gen-charged accumulators can powerthe cylinders to achieve the desired fail-ure position. Often, these actuators areused in critical applications, such as tooperate main steam isolation valves.Typically, such pneumatic spring-returnactuators will have very fast operatingtimes with many redundant sets of con-trols to ensure operation during a plantshutdown.Pneumatic spring-return actuators

can be constructed of ductile iron, castiron or steel and have to pass the samedifficult tests as their electric counter-parts. Because the controls for pneu-matic actuators tend to be bolted ontothe cylinder and gearbox housings, thesecontrols usually require their own IEEEtesting. Once the controls are mountedto the cylinders, they are tested as adedicated package. The cylinders themselves can also be

hydraulically powered. Because of thecompressibility of air, hydraulics canprovide more precise control than pneu-matics. However, hydraulics can addcost and complexity to a system. Also,hydraulic equipment could require moremaintenance during its life because ofthe nature of the sealing surfaces withcylinders.

To best meet the needs of nuclearcustomers, many manufacturers ofhydraulic actuation equipment offermaintenance programs to assist utilitiesin keeping equipment up to date and inline with current qualifications andstandards, which is an important goal ofevery well-run nuclear facility. Nuclear plants also have a need for

traditional quarter-turn cylinder actua-tors to operate the growing populationof quarter-turn valves in their facilities.For example, rubber-seated butterflyvalves for water service are used exten-sively as well as the more industrial-service butterfly valves. In the past,electric actuators were often employed,but today, with the addition of morehigh-pressure severe service quarter-turn valves in the market, many of thesevalves are provided with spring-return,quarter-turn cylinders and are mainlypneumatic. Inside the containment, there is still

a large population of diaphragm-operat-ed control valves. The actuators tend tobe an integral part of the valve in thiscase. While pneumatic actuators are thenorm for this application in nuclearplants, many industrial process plantsare starting to look at the use of electricactuators to operate various controlvalves. Also, interest is growing amongnew plant designers for electric solu-

tions for modulating service particularlywhere instrument air is difficult to pro-vide or maintain. Finally, no nuclear plant would be

complete without a large number ofmanual gear operators. If these opera-tors are in critical areas, they also needto be seismically tested and qualified.This can be difficult since the gears canbe quite large, which makes findingshaker tables for seismic testing bigenough to handle those gears a challenge. Bevel, spur and worm gearsalso are all used in various nuclearapplications.

SUMMARYBecause of the hundreds of differentvalve-actuator applications in anuclear facility, it’s essential that those involved in specifying and main-taining such equipment work closelywith reputable actuator manufacturersto determine the best solution for eachsituation. Safety, efficiency, meeting the appro-

priate standards and longevity are allcrucial issues that need to be consideredfor each and every valve actuatorinstalled in a nuclear plant. VM

PETE KUNDIN is general manager of the EasternUSA business unit, Rotork, Rochester, NY.(www.rotork.com). Reach Kundin [email protected].

A C T U A T I O N I N N U C L E A R P O W E R P L A N T S

Environmental qualification parameters.


VIBRATION ANALYSIS PINPOINTSVALVE NOISE SOURCEA REFINERY THAT SHARED A PROPERTY LINE WITH LOCALRESIDENTS LOCATED AND CORRECTED A WHINING SOUNDTHAT THREATENED THE PEACE OF THE COMMUNITY.BY DANIEL EILERS

T he beaches and vast expanse of thesouthern California coast serve as

a drawing card both for recreation andresidency. Yet while the sound of theocean can prove refreshing and sooth-ing, excessive noise from businesses,traffic, construction and industrial operations can disrupt and impact thequality of a community. Such is the case today with a heavily

populated, coastal California town thatconstantly strives to reduce noise and itsimpact within its urban environment.The city has a noise ordinance thatestablishes exterior noise standards byland use. The ordinance regulates avariety of noise generators, with a focuson commercial and heavy industrialoperations.One of the operations that is a source

of problems is a major “in-town” refin-ery. However, the refinery constantlyworks to reduce its disturbances. In arecent case, they pinpointed andremoved a noisy valve.

THE REFINERYWhen founded over 90 years ago, therefinery was distant from heavily popu-lated areas. Today, however, the refinerycomplex is tightly surrounded by areasconsisting of industrial, commercially-zoned, recreational and residentialproperties. Land use to the north of the refinery

is primarily residential mixed with somecommercial and light industrial zoning.Heavy industrial operations with a smallparcel of commercial and multiple-fam-ily residences dominate the west side ofthe refinery, while to the east is a golf

course along with light commercial andheavy industrial zones. The noise prob-lem was most prevalent, however, at thesouthern length of the refinery, whichborders single-family residences, sepa-rated from refining processes only bythe width of a four-lane avenue.The oil refinery is configured to pro-

duce large volumes of high-value, clean-er-burning gasoline and diesel fuelsdesigned to meet the air quality stan-dards of the California market. It has acapacity of over 300,000 barrels per day,but operates around the clock so the pro-cessing units contribute ambient noise tothe surrounding neighborhoods. Thisnoise is particularly troubling to residentswho live on that southern border.

THE REFINING PROCESS IN A NUTSHELLTo understand the source of the noise, itis helpful to review the refining processitself. This particular refinery receivescrude oil both from a marine terminaland by conventional pipeline. The oil isheated and processed in the crude unitfor primary distillation and separationinto various components. It is processedfirst in the crude distillation towerwhere the oil is fractionated into the following streams:

� Liquid and non-liquid petroleumgas products, such as fuel gas,propane and butane.

� Light liquid products (naphtha),which are further upgraded in thenaphtha hydrotreater and plat-former for subsequent blendinginto gasoline.

� Middle distillates (kerosene anddiesel), which are produced fromthe middle of the distillationtower. The kerosene goes to eitherjet fuel blending, the distillatehydrotreater for ultra-low sulphurdiesel (ULSD) production or No.6 fuel blending. The diesel goes tothe distillate hydrotreater forULSD production.

� The material remaining in the bottom of the crude distillationtower (the material is calledatmospheric tower bottoms orATB) is sent to the vacuum towerfor further separation.

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 39

VALVE NOISEBROADBAND VS. TONALIn general, valves in refineries pro-duce two types of noises. They are:

� Broadband—Typically, noise gen-erated by valves and piping com-ponents is broadband. That meanshuman ears can hear the noise, butit is difficult to distinguish betweensources.

� Tonal—Valves can also generatetones, but these situations arerare. Tones drive the overall soundpressure level, and therefore thehuman ear perceives them asbeing louder than the same overalllevel from a broadband source. Tones are typically generated

by a resonance, which can beeither mechanical or acoustical innature.

Typical mounting of accelerometer to valve stem. Magnetic mounting of an accelerometer to a pipe wall.

The vacuum tower operates at lessthan atmospheric pressure and fraction-ates the ATB further. Vacuum gas-oil(VGO) recovered from the vacuumtower is then routed to the ISOMAXunit to be upgraded primarily into naph-tha, kerosene and ultra-low sulphurdiesel. The residual vacuum tower bot-toms (VTB) stream is routed to the vis-breaker.

THE OFFENDING UNITThe ISOMAX unit (a unit that runs apatented and licensed hydrocrackingprocess) uses high heat and pressure toupgrade the VGO through catalytichydrogenation. This process removescontaminants and produces naphtha forgasoline blending and platformer feed,ULSD and jet fuel. The ISOMAX frac-tionation bottoms (frac bottoms) aresold as a valuable lubricant feedstock.For many years, very loud harmonic

noises (over 113 dBA, refer to Figure 1)were generated somewhere in the ISO-MAX process unit near the hydrogencompressors and hydrogen quench con-trol valves. Although the refinery hiredan outside consulting firm to determinethe exact source of the process unitnoise, a problem that had increased overseveral years, the tests by the consultantwere inconclusive.The problem was exacerbated recent-

ly, when the ISOMAX unit began to gen-erate noise that propagated beyond therefinery property line. In fact, the refin-ery received complaints from nearbyresidents about a continued, high-pitched whine. Refinery engineers were uncertain

how to resolve the issue since previousstudies were inconclusive. Suspectingthat control valves could be the poten-tial noise source, they contacted the

local business partner of their majorvalve supplier. Subsequent discussionsled to consultation with the valve manu-facturer’s severe service group, whichrecommended using vibration-analysis-based, noise measurement equipmentand processes.

PINPOINTING THE SOURCESince the exact noise source could notbe identified using acoustic sound pres-sure level measurement techniques,which was the process used earlier bythe consulting firm, the efforts to meas-ure vibrations began with a survey ofthe quench valve area to determinewhere to begin testing.Accelerometers were used to allow

testers to isolate a specific componentfor analysis, which leads to a systematicevaluation and subsequent eliminationof suspect piping and valves. To determine whether the noise source

in this case was upstream of the valveswith noise then propagating through thesystem, the accelerometers were mount-ed upstream and downstream of themotor-operated valves that feed thequench valves. Following measurementstaken at these locations, the sensors then

were placed immediately upstream anddownstream of each quench valve, as wellas mounted on the stem of each valve.The highest piping vibration levels

were found next to the quench valves,with the highest overall reading beingtaken on the valve stems. This findingindicated that the source or cause of the noise was most likely the valve trimcomponents.Stroking the quench valves was

shown to impact the tone of the noise.Depending upon the travel, the toneswould disappear, increase or change frequency. The quench valves were 25-year-old

units that used post guiding of thevalve plug. In such valves, if the toler-ance between the plug and valve bodyis too large, the plug/stem assemblycan vibrate. If the assembly is excitedat the resonance of the plug/stem com-ponent, the vibrations can cause tones.

NEW VALVES SOLVE THE PROBLEMWorking together, refinery engineersand engineers from the local valvesales office identified a valve configu-ration that could meet the requiredperformance level and eliminate noiseconcerns. A cage-guided valve design for high-

pressure control requirements was chosen for its more stable operatingcapability. Also, a digital valve con-troller was added to each valve to allowoptimizing control of the reactor tem-perature as well as to gain the ability toperform online valve diagnostics. Alleight quench valves that were in theISOMAX unit were replaced with thisnew valve configuration. The problemswith noise were also helped out when therefinery installed a noise monitoringand early warning system to assist inidentifying and subsequently controllingunwanted sound.The result is that the refinery and the

nearby community live much more com-fortably side by side. VM

DANIEL EILERS is a research engineer at EmersonProcess Management, Fisher Division. He isresponsible for noise and vibration testing, noiseprediction development, and computational fluiddynamic simulations of flow-through control valves.Reach him at [email protected].


V I B R A T I O N A N A L Y S I S

Figure 1. Noise/Land Use CompatibilityNoise Level Noise Environment

Below 55 dB Relatively quiet suburban or urban area

55 – 65 dB Somewhat noisy urban area, but not directly adjacent to high- volume traffic

65 – 75 dB Very noisy urban areas, near arterials, freeways or airports

75+ dB Extremely noisy urban area with potential hearing damage with constant exposure

Accelerometers were mounted upstream anddownstream of each quench valve as well ason the valve stem.


A ccording to Hart Data and Map-ping Services, the United States

has over 700,000 miles of crude oiland natural gas pipelines—about100,000 miles of crude onshorepipelines and over 600,000 miles ofonshore gas pipelines. This numberstands to greatly increase as drillingin the various shale plays across thecontinent occurs. These seeminglyendless strings of pipe have one thingin common: They all contain largenumbers of valves optimized forpipeline operating conditions.

WHAT’S IN A PIPELINE?Both quarter-turn and multi-turnblock valves as well as check valvesare used in pipeline service. Thosebuilt for gas or crude oil pipelineservice are designed and tested inaccordance with the American Petro-leum Institute (API) specification 6D“Pipeline Valves.” The document,which is also published by the Inter-national Organization for Standardi-zation as ISO 14313, includesrequirements for gate, ball, checkand plug type valves. Prior to themid-1950s, the choice of valve foruse in pipeline blocking applicationswas easy—gate valves were usedbecause the pipeline ball valve hadnot been invented yet. Some plugvalves also were used back then, butthe majority of the designs for thesevalves were reduced-port type thatwere not piggable.The term “piggable” has nothing

to do with breakfast meat choices.Rather, it means being “pig-capa-ble”—in other words, the devicesdesigned to clean or inspect the interi-or of the pipeline (the “pigs”) alsomay be passed through the bore of thevalve without catching on a reducedbore or other interior projection in thevalve. A requirement in API 6D gate

PIPELINE VALVES—ALWAYS READY

This nation is crisscrossed by hundreds ofthousands of miles of crucial pipelines thattransport vital feedstock from sources to theplaces where it’s transformed into fuel andproducts. For the valve industry, that translatesinto millions of dollars of business.BY GREG JOHNSON

W H E R E

VALVESA R E U S E D

valves is that their inside bore dimen-sions are precisely specified to allow thispassage of pigs. With the advent of quality pipeline

ball valves over the past few decades,sales of pipeline gate valves have fallen.Meanwhile, pipeline ball valves, whichare trunnion style, are now makinginroads in all types of pipeline service,particularly in natural gas. Still, hold-outs exist. “Some companies are staunchly

entrenched in the gate valve,” accordingto David Fehrenkamp, a senior sales engi-neer with Cameron. He also adds that “inmany natural gas pipeline operations,quarter-turn has taken over 100%.”So why do many pipeline owners

favor the gate valve for pipeline service?Product pipelines that carry fluids suchas gasoline, distillates, diesel fuel andother finished petroleum products are apopular place for the rough and readygate valve. “We use slab gate valves formost of our main line valves, but we douse expanding gate valves on our prod-uct line from Texas City to Pasadena,”says Billy Daigle, maintenance servicesspecialist for Marathon Pipe Line LLC(MPL). “We use expanding gate valvesfor station isolation valves and piglaunchers. Pig launcher and receiverservice is harder on valves because ofthe debris from the pigging operation,so we choose expanding gates becauseof their toughness,” he adds. The quarter-turn vs. gate valve debate

gets hotter when cost becomes the primefactor for selection. The quarter-turntrunnion pipeline ball valve is muchcheaper to make than the jumbo-sizedgate valves, with their large and expen-sive body castings. Another factor thattips the pendulum toward quarter-turnpipeline valves is the availability anddelivery of quarter-turn products.Because drilling in the shale plays acrossthe country is exploding in terms of howfast it’s occurring, Fehrenkamp says therequests from customers for deliverytime is “rush, rush, rush, I need it now!”A domestically produced trunnionpipeline ball valve can be built in roughlyfour weeks, which is about the time

needed to get a good gate valve castingunder the luckiest of circumstances. Anadditional four to six weeks might thenbe required to complete the gate valvemachining, assembly and testing.Some explanation is in order when

speaking of pipeline gate valves. Gatevalves used in this service are differentfrom the wedge-type gate valves com-mon in the downstream petrochemicaland refining industries. The pipelinegates come in two basic types: slab andexpanding wedge. The slab type utilizesa large slab that floats slightly in thevalve body and seals downstream withthe aid of upstream pressure. Spring-loaded seats are often employed toincrease the sealing efficiency. Theexpanding gate, on the other hand, usesa split-disc design and separator mecha-nism that tightly expands the gate bothupstream and downstream as the valveis closed. This type then reverses theprocess upon opening. The tighter clos-ing design enables the valve to seatmore effectively at lower pressures.

A QUESTION OF INTEGRITYValve integrity along with pipelineintegrity is of prime importance to thepipeline owner as well as those who liveand work close to the line. A complexformula for risk assessment is used toguide pipeline operators with inspectionprograms. The assessment criteriainclude the product, age of the pipeline,and proximity to population centers,local housing and occupied structures.The pipeline itself must be inspected atspecified intervals. This line inspectionis usually performed by “smart pigs,”complex devices that roll through theline to perform radiography, remotevisual, ultrasonic evaluation and otherinspections.Valves, on the other hand, need their

own inspection programs. The U.S.Department of Transportation has devel-oped natural gas pipeline valve inspec-tion criteria detailed in CFR Title 49,part 192, “The Transportation of Natu-ral and Other Gas by Pipeline: MinimumFederal Safety Standards.” Paragraph192.745 of that title states, “Eachtransmission line valve that might berequired during any emergency must beinspected and partially operated atintervals not exceeding 15 months, butat least once each calendar year.” Simi-lar requirements are published for crudeoil and hazardous liquid pipelines inCFR Title 49, part 195, “Transporta-tion of Hazardous Liquids by Pipeline,”paragraph 195.420. Proper valve maintenance is always

UPSTREAM, DOWNSTREAM, MIDSTREAM: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?Those three terms are used all the time in the oil and gas industry, and althoughthe definitions sometimes overlap, they denote specific areas on the oilfield torefinery trail:

Upstream: Starts at the bottom of the hole in the ground and covers most every-thing on the wellhead up to the choke. The choke is a specialized globe valve thatis mounted on wellheads and is used to regulate the output of the well.

Midstream: Starts at the output of the choke and continues through all the sur-face processing equipment and through the pipeline to the fence at the refinery.In decades past, the term “midstream” was not in vogue, and everything waseither “upstream” or “downstream.” Now, midstream is used extensively.

Downstream: Generally speaking, everything inside the fence of the refinery.

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 43

PIPELINE VALVES—ALWAYS READY

Ball, check and manifold valves are commonlyused in pipeline service.

vital, and pipeline valves are no excep-tion. Since most pipeline valves have aseat sealant injection feature to facili-tate tight closure, the sealant must beproperly introduced into the seat sealarea. New valves typically require moresealant top-off than those that havebeen in operation for a year or two. All pipeline operators have preven-

tive maintenance (PM) and repair pro-grams to ensure the life and functionali-

ty of their valves. Mostcompanies will use a com-bination of in-situ repairalong with shop refurbish-ments for tough repair cases. “Wespend over 25% of our time in valveshops to get the valves just like we wantthem,” says MPL’s Daigle. Because of the importance of proper

pipeline valve repair, a specification thatdescribes the repair procedure is in

place: API 6DR, “Repair and Remanu-facture of Pipeline Valves.”

HOW PIPELINES WORKUnderstanding how pipelines operateprovides a better understanding of howvalves are used in pipeline service.Major pipelines receive input fromeither smaller gathering lines, tankfarms or, in the case of finished prod-ucts, refineries and petrochemical

plants. Because of friction losses,the arriving pressure of thefluid is much too low to pro-vide enough energy tosend the product very farthrough the line. Mosttransmission pipelines inthe United States operateat maximum pressures ofless than 1440 psi. Com-

mon maximum target pres-sures range from 700-725 psi and

1300-1400 psi, which equates to ANSIclasses 300 and 600 respectively. Thesemaximum pressures would only befound immediately downstream ofpumps or compressors. Because of the pressure drop in the

line, booster pumping stations at inter-vals along the line are needed. In thecase of a liquid such as crude oil, a min-imum pressure of about 25-50 psi isneeded for the suction side of the boost-er pumps to operate. Each boosterpumping station is equipped with mani-folds containing many valve types,including gate, ball, check, and in areaswhere pigging is not required, reducedport, lubricated plug valves. Additional-ly, control valves often are used to regu-late flow from the stations.The most common pressure class for

pipeline transmission lines is class 600,which has a working pressure of 1440psi. The valve ratings are in accordancewith The American Society of Mechani-cal Engineers (ASME) standardB16.34 and API 6D.Although a number of valves are in

operation at each pumping station (forliquids) or compressor station (for gastransmission), the critical valves in apipeline are spaced along its route. Theyserve as blocking or isolation valves tosegregate pipeline sections for requiredmaintenance or to help in cases of an


P I P E L I N E V A L V E S

Above: Pig launchers are hard on valves because of the debris from the piggingoperation. Right: Valves play a critical role in keeping the nation’s pipelines safe.

Pipelines use a variety ofvalves to control fluids bothabove and below the ground.

accident. The minimum required spac-ing of these valves is prescribed inASME B31.4, “Gas Transmission &Distribution Piping Systems” andASME B31.8, “Pipeline TransportationSystems for Liquid Hydrocarbons &Other Liquids.” Several factors influence valve spac-

ing, including: 1) the amount of poten-tial fluid leakage, 2) the impact of arelease, 3) future development in thepipeline area, and 4) the time requiredto blow down (empty) an isolated sec-tion. Other criteria include how close theline is to occupied buildings and houses.According to B31.4, the distancebetween block valves could be as littleas four miles apart for a gas pipeline. Liquid pipelines have their own crite-

ria for valve placement. They areplaced: 1) at the suction end and dis-charge ends of a pump station, 2) oneach line entering or leaving a storagetank area, 3) on each mainline at loca-tions along the pipeline that will limitdamage or pollution from accidentalhazardous liquid discharge, 4) on eachlateral take-off from the trunk line, 5)on each side of a water crossing that ismore than a 100 feet wide, and 6) oneach side of a reservoir holding waterfor human consumption. Additionally, check valves may be

installed on grades and the downstreamside of rivers and streams for more pro-tection from backflow conditions in caseof a line breach.Many block valve installations are

outfitted with automatic shutdown con-trols. These controls are set to close thevalve if pressure or flow rates change,indicating a possible breach in the line.By having these valves spaced through-out the line, the amount of potentialfluid leakage that might occur during aline break is limited. Additionally, manypipeline valves are designated as emer-gency shutdown valves (ESD), which areremotely operated from the pipelinecontrol center. These block valve location require-

ments account for the numerous small,fenced-in valve installations visiblewhen driving around areas with manypipelines—numerous pipeline blockvalves are located above the ground foreasy maintenance. However, some are

buried, with only the operating mecha-nism and auxiliary lubrication and bleedlines showing. These installation areasused to be the exclusive domain of gatevalves. However, today welded bodytrunnion-mounted ball valves are verypopular, especially for clean natural gastransmission lines. The unique weldedbody construction eliminates the poten-tial body-bonnet leak path, while theonly remaining leak path is up throughthe packing area.Though fugitive emissions (FE) leak-

age has been a focal point in the refiningindustry for over 20 years, the upstreamand midstream markets have been fairlyimmune from FE scrutiny. However,that situation is changing. According toMPL’s Daigle, “LDAR [leak detectionand repair] for pipelines is becomingpopular and required, especially sincepacking leaks are the most commonleaks we deal with.”One place where emissions of any

type are unacceptable to almost every-one is in undersea pipelines. Becausethey are surrounded by water andvibrant marine life, undersea pipelinescertainly have their own set of chal-lenges. However, there are other key dif-ferences from on-land pipelines thataffect design, including the design of thevalves attached to the pipelines. For example, undersea pipelines that

connect wellheads to gathering pointsoften operate at much higher pressuresthan their onshore counterparts. It isnot uncommon for these lines to see10,000 psi. Valves designed for thissubmerged service are critical, purpose-

built flow control devices that absolutelymust work properly when called upon tooperate. Because of the unique underseaenvironment, standard API 6D require-ments are not deemed tough enough, soa special underwater valve specificationwas written to cover these products:API 6DSS “Specification for SubseaPipeline Valves.”

TESTINGAlthough interior pressures are alsoquite high in subsea pipelines, it issometimes the outside pressure from theextreme depths that introduces the moststress on valves and piping. As a result,pipeline valves designed for installationat great depths are often tested in ahyperbaric chamber, where extremepressure is exerted on the outside of thevalve, while the inside is sealed againstthe external pressure.All pipeline valves receive seat and

shell tests per API 6D or 6DSS, notunlike their downstream counterparts,which are usually tested in accordancewith API 598, “Valve Inspection &Testing.” One difference between thetwo testing documents is that, with API6D pipeline valves, the holding times forthe tests are much longer. For example,a 24-inch valve shell tested per API 598requires a five-minute duration, whilethe same size valve tested per API 6Drequires a 30-minute duration. Theselonger holding times for pipeline valvetests are often extended into hours bythe supplementary test requirements ofmany pipeline owners. While pipelines and pipeline valves

lie mostly invisible beneath six feet ofearth or under 600 feet of ocean, theyare nonetheless highly “visible” whenan accident occurs. As a result, pipelinevalves are closely scrutinized membersof the valve family. They are built totougher standards and must work everytime because they must protect lives andproperty that lie near their installations.Pipeline valves could borrow the Latinmotto of the United States Coast Guard,which is “Semper Paratus,” whichmeans: always ready.VM

GREG JOHNSON is a contributing editor to ValveMagazine and president of United Valve(www.unitedvalve.com), Houston. Reach him [email protected].

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 45

Slab gate valvesare used alongthe pipelinesystems.


Q: My customer has rejectedmy welding procedurespecification (WPS) and hasasked me to address itemsthat are not required byASME Section IX. Is thisreasonable?

A: Yes, this is a reasonable request. Inmany cases, it is a good idea to addressitems not covered by Section IX1.Many people view any given ASME

code section as a handbook, andassume that if they follow everything inthat code section, they have met allnecessary requirements. However, eachASME code section has verbiage in theforeword warning the user that merelyfollowing the rules in that particularsection will not ensure an adequatedesign. Such wording is phrased in

ways like: “The user of the Code shouldrefer to other pertinent codes, stan-dards, laws, regulations or other rele-vant documents,” and “it is not intend-ed that this Section be used as a designhandbook; rather, engineering judg-ment must be employed in the selectionof those sets of Code rules suitable toany specific service or need.”For example, Section IX does not

impose enough controls to ensure reli-able weld joints because it does notaddress the proper choice of fillermaterials. Section IX would allowwelding nickel alloys or copper alloystogether using carbon steel filler, pro-vided the qualification specimen passedthe appropriate mechanical tests.Many variables are not required to beaddressed in a Section IX WPS. But inmany of these cases, a WPS that does

not address those variables may notproduce consistently reliable weldjoints or provide adequate guidance tothe welder, both of which should be theprimary purpose of the WPS.The following are examples of fac-

tors Section IX does not require, butthat should be considered for inclusionin a WPS:

1. There are supplementary essentialvariables not required to beaddressed for a WPS to be used onmaterials that are not impact-tested. One such essential variable isheat input, which is calculatedbased on current, voltage and travelspeed. If heat input does not need tobe addressed, Section IX does notrequire including voltage or travelspeed values. Some of the softwarepackages for creating WPS docu-ments will even omit this informa-tion automatically. On the otherhand, if no voltage or travel speedvalues are specified, it is possible tofollow the WPS and still produceunacceptable welds. Therefore, eventhough not required by Section IX,it is beneficial to include reasonablevoltage and travel speed values onthe WPS—even for materials thatare not impact-tested.

2. For a WPS that involves carbon andalloy steels postweld heat-treated(PWHT) below the lower transfor-mation temperature (LTT), SectionIX only requires the WPS to indicatethe PWHT must be below the LTT.Most WPSs for non-impact-test-

ed carbon steels and alloy steels willactually state a PWHT temperature,but many omit the tolerance on thistemperature and any soak timerequirements.To ensure that proper strength,

ductility and hardness requirementsare met, a PWHT temperaturerange should be stated on the WPS.That temperature range should be

M A T E R I A L S Q & A BY DON BUSH

It’s easier to express probability interms of failure, rather than in terms ofproper performance. As published in theaforementioned standards and someproduct brochures, four levels of SILare listed, enumerated 1-4—the higherthe SIL level, the higher the associatedsafety level, and the lower probabilitythat a system will fail to perform prop-erly (Figure 1).

These various SIL levels might becorrelated to the above mentionedexamples of consequences of failure.

For purposes of this article, it isappropriate to think of SIL as “thedegree of likelihood that our system willwork when we want it to.” (Generally,SIL 4 is beyond the scope of what wesee in the process industries.) Again, wemight want to think of a “function” asan emergency shutdown valve system,typically consisting of a sensor of sometype (pressure, level, temperature) and alogic controller that will send a signal toan automated valve. The automated

valve package might consist of an actuator (pneumatic, electric, hydraulic,etc.), solenoid valves, quick exhaust

valves and the final control element, thevalve. The “system” may consist ofmany functions; it might have five emer-gency shutdown valves protecting apressure vessel cooking a process. Or, itmight have only one function (the SIF)making the entire SIS.

To summarize, the HAZOP team willdetermine SIL levels based on deter-mined PFD. Michael Young of GeneralMonitors has summed this issue up nice-ly in his paper, SIL 101: How Safe Do INeed to Be?

A simple example will help illus-trate the concepts of SIS, SIF, and SIL.Consider the installation of a pressurevessel containing flammable liquid. Itis maintained at a design operatingpressure by the Basic Process ControlSystem (BPCS). If the process controlsystem fails, the vessel will be sub-jected to an over-pressure conditionthat could result in a vessel failure,release of the flammable contentsand even fire or explosion. If the riskin this scenario is deemed to be intolerable by the facility owner, an SIS will be implemented to further reduce this risk situation to a tolerable risk level.

The SIS system will be independentfrom the BPCS and will act to prevent



Figure 3. PFDAVG is decreased due to PST combined with full cycle testing Graphs reprinted by permission from ANSI/ISA-TR96.05.01-2008. ©ISA 2008

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based upon the PWHT temperatureused on the qualification coupon,taking into consideration the effectsof higher and lower temperature onthe strength, ductility, hardness andtoughness of the material. In addi-tion, as a function of base metalthickness, guidance should be pro-vided regarding the soak time, aswell as providing absolute minimumand maximum allowable soak times.Again, strength, ductility, hardnessand toughness of the materialshould be taken into account.

3. Section IX does not prohibit com-bining procedures that have beenqualified in different ways, such asprocedures qualified with and with-out PWHT, or procedures qualifiedwith and without controls requiredfor impact-tested materials. In fact,creating one WPS that covers non-impact-tested material (such asWCC) and impact-tested material

(such as LCC), with and withoutPWHT is both possible and allowed.These procedures are handy when itis necessary to get a customerreview. However, the combined pro-cedures tend to be difficult forwelders to follow because they usu-ally contain a number of notes andtables, and for any given job it canbe hard to determine what informa-tion actually applies.Although the combined approach

is allowed, and although the com-bined document might be convenientfrom a creation and maintenancestandpoint, it is actually better tocreate four separate WPS docu-ments (non-impact without PWHT,non-impact with PWHT, impactwithout PWHT and impact withPWHT), because each WPS willthen convey much more clearly thespecific requirements for the perti-nent situation.

In summary, although Section IXimposes an abundance of rules forqualifying and writing WPSs, there aremany instances where additional con-trols and information need to be con-veyed to ensure results that meet theintended requirements of the weld.Therefore, if your customer makes acomment on your welding procedure,view it as a possible learning experi-ence. In the end, your WPSs will bebetter for it. VM

Reference:1ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, SectionIX, “Qualification Standard for Welding andBrazing Procedures, Welders, Brazers, andWelding and Brazing Operators,” AmericanSociety of Mechanical Engineers, New York, NY,USA.

DON BUSH is a principal materials engineer atEmerson Process Management-Fisher ValveDivision (www.emersonprocess.com). Reachhim at [email protected].

SPEC IT AND FORGET IT.

Since 1958West Des Moines, Iowa, USA

In earlier columns, I highlighted thevalue of online communities and theirability to connect people with similarexpertise. The successful communitiestypically grow into the thousands andhave many people actively participatingby asking questions, providing answersand linking to interesting informationavailable on the Web.LinkedIn is a vibrant place for many

of the professional groups, includingthose that deal with automation, whichis one of the discussion areas that is agood source for Emerson ProcessExperts blog posts.A quick check to see how many

valve-related LinkedIn groups wereactive revealed a long list. At the timethis article was written, the top fivewere Valve World Group with 3,052members, Valve Network with 2,615members, Valve Sales with 1,262 mem-bers, Valve Solutions with 995 mem-bers, and Valve Actuation Group with759 members (see listings for these at

the end of this column).Together, that’s a lot of people shar-

ing what they know on the subject ofvalves. A good way to see how useful theindividual sites are is to look at a sam-pling of some of the discussions current-ly taking place.The Valve World Group community

is described as, “...a platform for valveprofessionals in the global processindustries to exchange knowledge andoffer networking opportunities.” Its dis-cussions range from asking for sugges-tions for suppliers for specified valves,to suppliers sharing their recent whitepapers, to people new to the industryasking how to gain experience in thevalve industry. The Valve Manufactur-ers Association and VMA.org websitewere highlighted by many respondentsas an excellent resource for people newto process automation. The rest of these groups require

membership to see what’s available inthe discussion threads. LinkedIn allows

group owners the choice whether tohave open groups or not. If open, any-one can view information about thegroup, but not participate unless he orshe is a member. If the goal of thesegroups is to be broad based and easilyfindable through search queries, admin-istrators are well served to open uptheir groups.Each of the five groups mentioned

above has a description that may help indeciding if they are valuable. For exam-ple, Valve Network is described as, “...aglobal networking platform for market-ing, sales, development, design andmanufacturing professionals dealingwith valves and control valves.”Valve Sales describes its purpose as,

“...for sales professionals within thevalve industry, to network and jobsearch.” The Valve Solutions groupshares its mission as, “...to offer a plat-form where piping & design engineers,flow professionals, process & operationspersonnel from various upstream &downstream manufacturing plants caninteract with each other and seek flowsolutions to various process applica-tions.” Finally, the Valve ActuationGroup, “...is for actuator, valve, controlvalve, instrumentation and automationexperts in the global process industries.Through the group, members can devel-op their professional networks, transferknowledge and share experiences.”In just this small sampling of

LinkedIn groups, you can see the focusedcommunities for valve manufacturers,valve sales professionals, and project andplant engineers. If you are in one of thesegroups, it may be worth a look to join thecommunity—it costs nothing except yourtime. You can configure your group set-

VMA AND VALVE MAGAZINE ON THE WEBAs columnist Jim Cahill has noted, many in the industry are aware that the ValveManufacturers Association has a website—www.VMA.org—that contains muchuseful information and resources. The same can be said of Valve Magazine’sweb-site, www.ValveMagazine.com, in which we post Web-exclusive articles, newproducts, frequent news updates about valve manufacturing, end-user news andmore.We’d also like to remind readers that we have been posting digital editions of

the magazine online since 2008 (www.ValveMagazine-digital.com). This can be agreat way to find articles that include information you are seeking, using a key-word search.Finally, we have plans to start our own group in LinkedIn, which will be active

by the end of the year. Our focus will be on connecting U.S. and Canadian valve,actuator and control manufacturers with those who specify, purchase, maintain,operate, distribute and use these products.


Online Valve Communities—Something for EveryoneBY JIM CAHILL

tings to get a daily or weekly summary ofthe discussions sent to your work or per-sonal email. I find these email summarieshelpful so that I can view what’s beingsaid on my own time and to get a quicksense for the conversations occurring inthe community.There is also no cost to start one of

these communities, so if you have anarea of specialization, you can easilybecome administrator for your owngroup. And the fact they can be open orclosed to different degrees can be help-ful in targeting the discussion. Forexample, if the knowledge you want toshare is strictly for people inside yourcompany, it makes sense to start thiscommunity inside your own firewall.Many enterprise software products alsoare adding their own capabilities forforums, status updates and other socialforms of communication. In addition,open source software such as Wordpressand the BuddyPress provide a way toquickly enable knowledge-sharing sites

inside your own firewall.These online communities continue to

grow in popularity because they are eas-ily discovered through search engines. Ifyou’re searching and land upon a threadthat helps solve a problem, it’s possible

you will end up joining the communityto help you solve future problems.Email most likely will remain a domi-

nant form of business communication forthe foreseeable future. But, as theseonline communities spring to life and addcapabilities, their appeal will grow.Email is limited by who is already in youraddress book, and how easy it is to findinformation by digging through yourarchives. Online communities connectpeople with common knowledge andinterests together from across the world.By and large, if the community is open,the content is fully indexed in the searchengines and waiting to be discovered.I hope you’ll give one of the men-

tioned valve communities a try to seewhether or not it adds value. If it does, Iencourage you to seek more value bygetting your fellow experts to join. VM

JIM CAHILL leads Emerson Process Manage-ment’s social media efforts and writes the Emerson Process Experts blog: www.EmersonProcessXperts.com.

LINKSValve World Group:www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2067722Valve Network:www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1890432Valve Sales:www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2105714Valve Solutions:www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=2436680Valve Actuation Group:www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=134832

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 49

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F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 51

I nformation about the performance ofa facility’s valves has never been morereadily available—or more important.Digital positioners and distributed con-trols can provide valuable data about theoperation of the overall system. At thesame time, the growing complexity oftoday’s facilities, increasingly stringentregulatory and reporting requirements,and growing pressure to improve plantperformance have combined to makethat valve data more vital than ever.But how can an operations or main-

tenance manager get the best informa-tion? To be useful, the data must bereadily available and presented in auser-friendly manner. Asset manage-ment systems can fulfill this need byproviding easy access to a database con-taining details of the history and healthof every valve in a plant.

WHAT IS AN ASSETMANAGEMENT SYSTEM? An asset management system is thevalve equivalent of the electronic med-ical recordkeeping systems used by hos-pitals and clinics. For medical applica-

tions, the patient’s electronic record con-tains such information as test results,prescription history, diagnostic imagesand notes on previous appointments. Thephysician can access this data with just afew clicks of a mouse, no matter thetime of day or night or whether he or sheis in the office the patient typically visits,or at a sister facility. Having this com-plete record helps the physician identifyany changes in the patient’s health overtime, make accurate diagnoses, alertwhen routine tests and proceduresshould be completed and properly billthe insurance provider. Similarly, an asset management sys-

tem for valves stores performance data,maintenance records, test results, pip-ing and wiring diagrams, photos andother vital and diagnostic records in asimple and logical manner. The infor-mation can then be easily retrieved foruse in tasks such as performance analy-sis, outage and maintenance planning,inventory management, validationreporting to inspectors and loop analy-sis. An asset management system alsocan help plant personnel see trends in

valve performance over time, diagnoseperformance problems, determinewhether a valve should be repaired orreplaced, streamline plant turnaroundsand other maintenance activities, andmore easily meet documentation andreporting requirements. Various types of asset management

tools are in use today, ranging fromspreadsheets and other user-designedtools to sophisticated Web-based pro-grams. The following are key factors toconsider when evaluating the optionsand choosing the right solution.

RANGE OF CAPABILITIESA key objective of implementing anasset management system is to simplifyand streamline processes. To aid in thisgoal, plant personnel can choose a sin-gle tool that will meet all of the plant’sneeds, rather than juggling multipletools to accomplish different tasks. This single tool should be able to

capture data about all types of valves ina plant—control, pressure relief, line,gate, motor-assisted, etc. It also shouldrecord information about a valve and allof its accessories, not just an individualcomponent, such as a positioner.

SUPPLIER SUPPORTIt also is important to have confidencethat the system’s developer will standbehind the product and provide ongoingsupport and service, including addingnew features and modules. The collegestudent next door who is home for thesummer may be a software developmentwhiz; but he or she is not likely to beavailable come fall, let alone years downthe road, to field technical questions andensure a tool meets evolving needs. Awiser move would be to choose a strongprovider committed to its product.

MAINTENANCE & REPAIRBY GARY OSTROWSKI

Asset Management: A Plant Manager’s Best Friend

Asset management tools can allowusers to upload or view a wide varietyof images associated with a valve,including parts photos and otherdocuments related to a recent repair.The user can then browse the imagelist, edit images or add comments.

BASICS


DATA INPUTBecause asset management is about thequality of data, the old adage “garbagein, garbage out” holds true. Data inputand maintenance must be regular andaccurate if a tool is to provide expectedbenefits. Some plant operators prefer tohandle these tasks in-house. Those whodo not have on-staff resources toaccomplish these tasks faithfully, how-ever, should consider other options.Some valve service providers offer man-aging their customers’ asset manage-ment systems as a value-added benefitat no additional cost. The end user stillowns the data and links to that informa-tion, but the service provider handlesthe data entry and system maintenance.

KEY FEATURESInformation is only valuable if it isaccessible when needed. In today’s 24/7business world, that can be any time of

the day or night, any day of the year.Web-based asset management toolsprovide around-the-clock access 365days a year—even when the plant man-ager has questions about the plans foran upcoming turnaround at midnight ona Saturday.

Something else a good asset management program has is tightsecurity, and in today’s world of cyber-crimes, that’s even more critical. Keyfeatures to ask for when considering anasset management system includestrong firewalls against outside intru-sion, robust password protection withinthe system and the ability to restrictaccess so that individuals within afacility only have access to the datathat pertains directly to their areas ofresponsibility. Another key ingredient is provision

of reports that are useful and key inplanning future action as well as review-ing past events. Reports are an essential piece of any

good asset management tool. Personnelshould have the flexibility to customizereports and make the process of manag-ing assets and providing these reportsquick and easy—whether the user needs

MAINTENANCE & REPAIR

Tablet computers can allow a member of themaintenance team to access the assetmanagement tool as he or she walks throughthe plant.

The Manufacturers Standardization Society (MSS) has created andmaintains a number of quality assurance standards for the PVF industry

Quality Standards...

TheManufacturersStandardizationSocietyof theValve&Fitting Industry

For further information onMSS membership or MSSstandards, contact Bob O’Neill,MSS executive director at703/281-6613, or on the webat www.mss-hq.com.MSS isanANSI accredited standardsdeveloper.

SP-53Magnetic Particleexamination of Steel Castingsand Forgings

SP-54 RadiographicExamination of Steel Castings

SP-55Visual Evaluation ofSurface Irregularities of SteelCastings

SP-93 Liquid PenetrantExamination of Steel Castingsand Forgings

SP-94UltrasonicExamination of Ferritic andMartensitic Steel Castings

SP-112Visual andTactileMethod for Evaluation of CastSurface Finishes -

SP-137Quality Standardfor Positive MaterialIdentification

Fall_2011 Ad_FA 9/29/11 7:29 AM Page 1

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 53

to create pie charts showing the plant’svalves by brand, to generate a list ofvalves due for repair during an upcomingturnaround (and hopefully a calendar toassist in that process) or to identify all ofthe pressure relief valves for which testcertificates must be submitted to thelocal or state boiler and pressure vesselinspectors the following month.

OUTAGE PLANNINGAsset management tools can be a hugehelp in planning outages, especially inlight of the fact that delays can costthousands or even millions of dollars perday in lost production. Such tools havethe potential to save both time andmoney. Key features that can be includ-ed in an asset management tool are:

� The ability to plan spare partsacross an entire loop so that partscan be ordered in advance of an

outage and surprises that mightoccur during that outage can beprevented.

� The ability to see comments notedduring a previous outage that may be pertinent to an upcomingoutage.

� The ability to track the progressmade in completing a turnaroundand comparing the actual comple-tion timeline to the planned time-line. This allows maintenance per-sonnel to easily provide updates toplant management.

IMAGE DEVELOPMENT ANDSTORAGEThe saying that “a picture is worth athousand words” certainly applies tomanagement of valve assets. Good man-agement tools allow users to quickly andeasily record and view a wide variety ofimages of those valves and their environ-

ment from “before” and “after” partsphotos and other documents related to arecent repair, to reports from the in-situtesting of a safety valve and the pipingand instrumentation diagram of the loopassociated with a valve. There is, afterall, no better sign of preparedness thanbeing able to answer an inspector’squestion immediately by calling up therequired materials on a computer withjust a few clicks of a mouse.We live in a digital world in which

information has become our king. An asset management tool can be thebest friend a plant and maintenancemanager has by helping to navigate the waters of this digital world while providing quick access to essentialinformation. VM

GARY OSTROWSKI is director of product management – aftermarket with GE Energy (www.ge-energy.com). Reach him [email protected] or 508.941.5407.

The OEM Approach To RepairThe Valve Repair Council (VRC) is the most reliable OEM parts supply and repair network in the industry. From critical upgrades, full life-cycle engineering support and strict documented quality procedures, our members offer unequaled safety and efficiency in OEM rebuild and supply, backed with the full support of the manufacturer.

With VRC, you’re guaranteed trust, reliability and quality with all your repairs.

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When it comes to your valves and actuators – RELAX – you can TRUST a VRC repair.

1050 17th Street, N.W. Suite 280, Washington, DC 20036Phone: 202.331.0104 | Fax: 202.296.0378 | http://www.vma.org/?ValveRepairCouncil

VRC_AdV2.indd 1 7/27/2010 9:22:57 AM

Dowco Valve Company

Allied ValveAVP Valve, Inc.Bay Valve Service, Inc.CameronCCI Houston (Repair Center)CFM/VR-TESCO LLCChalmers & Kubeck NorthCleveland Valve & Gauge/

Renew Valve & Machine Co.CRANE Energy Flow SolutionsCWFC Farris EngineeringDayton Precision ServicesDMC Carter ChambersDowco Valve Company

Dresser, Inc. - ConsolidatedDresser, Inc. - DirectDresser, Inc. - MasoneilanECI/ICE Valve and Instrument ServicesEmerson Process Management -

FisherFlotech, Inc.Flowserve CorporationFormosa Plastics USAFurmaniteGulf Coast Modification, LPGulf Coast Valve, Inc.J&S Machine and Valve, Inc.Kirksey Machine

Metso AutomationMidwest Valve Services, Inc.The Wm. Powell CompanyPrecision Pump & Valve ServiceQuality ValveSoutheast Valve Inc.Southern Valve Service, Inc.Thorco, Inc.Tyco Valves and ControlsUnited ValveValve Reconditioning Service Co.Wal-Tech Inc.


Editor’s Picks

ENERTECH, a businessunit of Curtiss WrightFlow Control Company,has developed an extend-ed mission model to sup-port nuclear plant cooldown during station blackconditions. Conventionalelectrohydraulic, gasspring actuators are lim-ited to one direction—failsafe positioning of isola-tion valves. Enertech’s

advanced technology permits bi-directional, mid-positioncycling of throttling valves and dampers from stored ener-gy for a 72-hour period or longer without dependency onoff-site power, emergency diesel generator power or airsupply. The space required to facilitate the stored energymodule is a fraction of that required by traditional air sup-ply tanks and control panels used in early generationnuclear plants.

ITT ENGINEERED VALVES introducesthe Fabri-Valve 33 PTA push-throughslurry valve, specifically designed towithstand harsh slurry applications inthe mining industry. It incorporates pro-prietary sleeve technology and a widebody design, which increases the valve’slife span in slurry applications.The product has elastomeric seats

that have been engineered to provide thehighest degree of abrasion resistance andchemicals compatibility. The valve seatsform a pressure boundary, allowing thegate and actuation to be maintainedwhile under pressure, ultimately reducingdowntime.

METSO offers a new valvedesign derived from their tra-ditional V-port segment valveseries. The two-way-tight, sin-gle-seat design is suitable fornumerous applications and isavailable for R-series valves.The optional two-way-tightfeature covers size rangesfrom DN25 up to DN700 (1”up to 28”) in all availablepressure classes.

The V-port segment valve series is designed to improveprocess performance and reduce variability in controlapplications. However, there are a lot of applicationswhere two-way-tight, on-off type performance is required.The customer benefit of the new valve design is that itoffers the possibility of combining control and on/off per-formance in a single valve assembly.

MUELLER CO., awholly owned sub-sidiary of MuellerWater Products, Inc.,has expanded its prod-uct line with the addi-tion of the Hydro-Guard brand ofautomated flushingsystems. The system

uses modern technologies, including SCADA compatibility,to monitor water quality in distribution piping and auto-matically initiate flushing as necessary to maintain disin-fectant residuals as required by the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency. This system conserves water, reduceschlorine consumption and improves customer satisfactionby avoiding taste and odor, while requiring virtually nosupervision by utility personnel. On average, one Hydro-Guard Automatic Flushing System can save as much as180,000 gallons of water annually compared to traditionalhydrant flushing methods.

ASCO NUMATICShas introduced the8361 Series of stain-less-steel pilot valves.The series’ uniquedesign eliminates thedormancy or stickingproblems that canoccur in control valvesinstalled in the pneu-matic logic panels thatcontrol monitoringsafety systems in off-shore oil and gas production facilities. In addition, thevalve line was launched with online tools that permit rapidproduct configuration and ordering.The 8361 Series (¼-inch NPT, 3-way, 316L stainless

steel) valves are offered in manually operated, air-pilotedand solenoid-piloted versions. They can be configured asbreathing and non-breathing. The non-breathing versionisolates internal components from the atmosphere and is

Products

F a l l 2 0 1 1 | 55

INDEX TO ADVERTISERS26 American Foundry

www.americanfoundry.com

1 ASCOwww.ascovalve.com/lowpower

41 AUMA Actuatorswww.auma-usa.com

9 Badger Meterwww.badgermeter.com/valvefam27.aspx

53 Check-All Valve Mfg. Companywww.checkall.com

C4 Crane Energy Flow Controlwww.craneflowsolutions.com

13 Curtiss-Wright Flow ControlCompanywww.cwfc.com

5 Delta Centrifugalwww.deltacentrifugal.com

31 Farris Engineering(a div. of Curtiss-Wright Flow Control)http://farris.cwfc.com

C2 Flexitallicwww.flexitallic.com

23 Highland Foundrywww.highlandfoundry.com

25 Key Bellevilleswww.keybellevilles.com

22 Kimraywww.kimray.com

52 Manufacturers StandardizationSocietywww.mss-hq.com

19 Matrix Metalswww.matrixmetalsllc.com

17 Mazak Corporation www.mazakusa.com

21, 27 The Wm. Powell Companywww.powellvalves.com

C3 Power Genwww.power-gen.com

33 Reyco Valvewww.reycovalve.com

11 Rotork Controlswww.rotork.com

46 Scientific Linings & Coatingswww.weathercap.com

18 Solon Manufacturing Companywww.solonmfg.com

20 U.S. Alloyswww.usalloys.cc

29 United Valvewww.unitedvalve.com

24 UniTorq Actuators & Controlswww.senitec.com

53 Valve Repair Councilwww.vma.org

2 Velan Valvewww.velan.com

internally vented, preventing contami-nants such as salt and dust from enter-ing the valve and corroding internalcomponents.

TYCO FLOW CONTROL has expand-ed its Anderson Greenwood instrumentvalve line to include the new M30series primary isolation instru-mentation rootvalve. This large-bore isolation valvehandles particularlyhostile environments and process-es, including high temperaturesand pressures, while pro-viding excellent seatingcapabilities.

The M30 series includes singleblock (M37), block and bleed (M38),as well as double block and bleed(M39) functions built into one compactmodular single valve body. This elimi-nates the need for field assembly andtesting of conventional valve and fitting

stacks while reducing leak points.These valves can be used in appli-cations such as refineries, chemi-

cal plants, powergenerating facilitiesand at unconven-tional petroleum

projects such as oil sandproduction and high-pres-sure natural gas shale-field production.

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Editor’s Picks

CONTINUED ON PAGE 56

Editor’s Picks


GE recentlyreleased the Con-solidated 1900Series UniversalMedia Cryodiscsafety valveoption, one of theproducts that werepart of GE’s Feb-ruary 2011 acqui-

sition of Dresser, Inc. Consolidated Valves patented Cryo-disc technology, which deflects toward the nozzle to createa seal tighter than other technologies when exposed to iso-lated colder spots, helps reduce leakage of cryogenic fluidsand correct small leak paths. The technology helps cus-tomers such as LNG processing facilities curb plant emis-sions and cut maintenance costs when keeping liquids atcryogenic temperatures.The 1900 Series Universal Media Cryodisc safety valve

option uses a unique disc geometry that is specificallygeared toward the cryogenic application of leakage solu-tions. It diminishes the amount of process fluid lost duringa valve leakage and ultimately reduces the potential needfor intervention by maintenance personnel.

FLOWSERVE announces theavailability of the LimitorqueQXM smart valveactuator, which isdesigned for risingstem valve applica-tions, includingchoke valves and smallcontrol valves in the upstream oil andgas, water, fossil fuel and renewablepower markets. This smart electronic valve actuator is available with

either 6.5 total turns or a maximum of 20 total drivesleeve turns, which is especially important for small valvesthat require limited travel and maximum control. In addi-tion, the encoder employs system-on-chip technology,which permits redundant, 12-bit resolution over 20 totalturns or an accuracy of less than two degrees of drivesleeve rotation. The QXM uses an innovative brushless direct current

voltage motor that is designed to meet most global voltagerequirements. This unique design helps eliminate sparks,reduce mechanical and electrical noise, and dissipate heatbetter than direct-current motors with brushes. The brush-less motor is designed to last longer than conventionalmotors and allows for more accurate positioning.

VICTAULIC offers Vic-Press, aflame-free press system thatjoins pipe in a matter of sec-onds. Vic-Press, theindustry’s first ANSISchedule 10S pipe-sized press-to-con-nect systemdesigned foroff-the-shelfASTM A-312Schedule 10S stainless-steelpipe, is an industrial-grade solu-tion for quickly and reliablyjoining small-diameter pipingsystems. The system offersincreased strength, durability and improved flow charac-teristics compared to light-wall tube systems as well assafer, more efficient pipe assembly than welding, threadingand flanging. It meets or exceeds industry standards. Vic-Press is used with standard Schedule 10S stainless-steelpipe, which offers increased strength and durability andeliminates the need to stock specialty pipe.

SPIRAX SARCO has released a new range of lift checkvalves, LCV3 (Cast Iron), LCV4 (Carbon Steel), LCV6(Stainless Steel) and LCV7 (SG Iron) suitable for mostindustries. These check valves are designed for EN andASME standards, which can be used for a wide range ofapplications. They use proven designs including a clamp-in-place seat. The replaceable seat arrangement offersquick and easy in-line maintenance, reducing plant down-time.The check valves help prevent reverse flow in pipelines

carrying most types of liquids, steam and gas. They protectany item of equipment and prevent pressure surges associ-ated with hydraulic forces such as water hammer. Therange isfabricatedfor horizon-tal pipelineinstallationsfor arduousapplicationsand pro-vides higherflow ratescomparedto existingdisc checkvalves. VM

Products

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ValveMAGAZINEDIGITAL EDITION ARCHIVES2000-2010

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The Greeningof ProcessControl

PLUS: � The Corn Rush is On!� Cold Facts about Cryogenic Valves� The Case for OEM Certified Repair� Advances in Mechanical Seals

PLUS: Five Years of Features

For information on joining the Valve Manufacturers Association, contact Bill Sandler at 202.331.8105 or [email protected].


Allagash International Portland,MEwww.allagashinternational.com

• Allagash Valves & Controlswww.allagashvalve.com

• Forbes Marshallwww.allagashinternational.com

• Nor’ East Controlswww.noreastcontrols.com

American Cast Iron Pipe Co.Birmingham, ALwww.acipco.com

American Valve, Inc.Greensboro, NCwww.americanvalve.com

ASCO Valve, Inc. - EmersonIndustrial AutomationFlorham Park, NJwww.ascovalve.com

AUMA Actuators, Inc.Canonsburg, PAwww.auma-usa.com

Automation Technology, Inc.Houstonwww.atiactuators.com

Babbitt Steam SpecialtyCompanyNew Bedford, MAwww.babbittsteam.com

Harold Beck & Sons, Inc.Newtown, PAwww.haroldbeck.com

Bernard Controls, Inc.Houstonwww.bernardcontrols.com

CameronHoustonwww.c-a-m.com

• Flow Control Houston

• Valves & Measurement Houston

Check-All Valve Mfg. Co.Des Moines, IAwww.checkall.com

Conval, Inc.Somers, CTwww.conval.com

Cornerstone ValveHoustonwww.cornerstonevalve.com

Crane Co.Stamford, CTwww.craneco.com/business/crane_valves.cfm

• Crane Energy Flow Solutions The Woodlands, TX www.craneenergy.com

• Crane ChemPharma Flow Solutions Cincinnati www.xomox.comwww.resistoflex.comwww.saundersvalve.com

Curtiss-Wright Flow ControlCorporationFalls Church, VAwww.cwfc.com

• DeltaValve South Jordan, UT

• Enertech Brea, CA

• Farris Engineering Brecksville, OH

• Peerless Instrument Co. East Farmingdale, NY

• Tapco/Enpro Houston

• Target Rock East Farmingdale, NY

DeZURIKSartell, MNwww.dezurik.com

• APCO WillametteSchaumburg, ILwww.apcovalves.com

DFT Inc.Exton, PAwww.dft-valves.com

Eii Valve CompanyHouston, TXwww.eiivalve.com

Emerson Process ManagementMarshalltown, IA

• EIM Company, Inc.Missouri City, TXwww.eim-co.com

• Fisher ControlsMarshalltown, IA www.fisher.com

• TopWorxLouisville, KYwww.topworx.com

• Valve Automation Division St. Louis www.emersonprocess.com/valveautomation

Flowserve Corp.Irving, TXwww.flowserve.com• Flowserve, Cookeville

Cookeville, TN • Flowserve, Springville

Springville, UT • Flowserve, Raleigh

Raleigh, NC www.edwardvogt.com

• Flowserve, Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA www.limitorque.com

• Flowserve, Sulphur SpringsSulphur Springs, TXwww.nordstromaudco.com

FluoroSeal Inc.Montreal, Quebec, Canadawww.fluorosealvalves.com

Forum Energy Technologies -Valve SolutionsStafford, TXwww.f-e-t.com

GE EnergyHoustonwww.ge-energy.com• Consolidated Safety Valvesand Safety Relief Valves

• Masoneilan Control Valves• Regulation and Control

Groth CorporationHoustonwww.grothcorp.com

Hemiwedge Valve, Division ofChromatic Industries, Inc.Conroe, TXwww.hemiwedge.com

High Pressure EquipmentCompanyErie, PAwww.highpressure.com

Indelac Controls, Inc.Florence, KYwww.indelac.com

ITT Engineered ValvesLancaster, PAwww.engvalves.com

Kinetrol USA, Inc.Plano, TXwww.kinetrolusa.com

Kingston ValvesTorrance, CAwww.kingstonvalves.com

Kitz Corporation of AmericaStafford, TXwww.kitz.com

KOSO America, Inc.West Bridgewater, MAwww.kosoamerica.com

Lined Valve Company, Inc.Woodland, WAwww.knifegatevalves.com

Mastergear, Division of Regal-Beloit CorporationClinton, WIwww.mastergearworldwide.com

McWane Valve and HydrantGroup Elmira, NYwww.mcwane.com• American RD Valve Co.

Anniston, ALwww.american-rd.com

• Clow ValveOskaloosa, IAwww.clowvalve.com

• Kennedy ValveElmira, NYwww.kennedyvalve.com

• M&H Valve Co.Anniston, ALwww.MH-valve.com

Metso Automation USA Inc.Shrewsbury, MAwww.metsoautomation.com

Mikron Valve andManufacturer Inc. Cranesville, PAwww.mikronvalve.com

Moog Flo-Tork, Inc.Orrville, OHwww.flo-tork.com

Mueller Water ProductsAtlantawww.muellerwaterproducts.com

• Anvil InternationalPortsmouth, NHwww.anvilintl.com

• Henry Pratt CompanyAurora, ILwww.henrypratt.com

• Milliken Valve CompanyBethlehem, PAwww.millikenvalve.com

• Mueller Co.Chattanooga, TNwww.muellerco.com/water

• U.S. PipeBirmingham, ALwww.uspipe.com

PBM, Inc.Irwin, PAwww.pbmvalve.com

Portland ValveSouth Portland, MEwww.portlandvalve.com

The Wm. Powell CompanyCincinnatiwww.powellvalves.com

Process Development &Control, Inc.Coraopolis, PAwww.pdcvalve.com

QTRCO, Inc.Tomball, TXwww.qtrco.com

Richards Industries-ValveGroup, Inc.Cincinnatiwww.jordanvalve.com

Roto Hammer Industries, Inc.Tulsa, OKwww.rotohammerinc.com

Rotork Controls, Inc.Rochester, NYwww.rotork.com

• Flow-Quip, Inc.Tulsa, OKwww.flowquip.com

• K-TORK Actuators + ControlsDallaswww.ktork.com

• Rotork Controls Canada Ltd. Calgary, Alberta, Canada

• Rotork Controls Canada Ltd. Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

• Rotork Gears Rochester, NY

• Rotork Controls ProvidenceN. Kingstown, RIwww.rciactuators.com

VMA MEMBERROSTERGo to www.vma.org for a complete list of VMA members

S u m m e r 2 0 1 1 | 59

• Rotork Process ControlsMilwaukee, WI www.jordancontrols.com

R.S.V.P. Actuators & Controls Hempstead, TXwww.rsvpactuators.com

Samson Controls, Inc.Baytown, TXwww.samsoncontrols.com

SMG Valves, a Unit of SouthernMfg. Group, Inc.Morrison, TNwww.smg-global.com

Spirax Sarco, Inc.Blythewood, SCwww.spiraxsarco-usa.com

• Spirax Sarco Canada Ltd.Concord, Ontario, Canada

Townley Engineering &Manufacturing Company, Inc.Candler, FLwww.townley.net

Tyco Flow ControlHouston www.tycovalves.com

UniTorq Actuators & ControlsDuluth, GAwww.unitorque.com

ValvTechnologies, Inc.Houstonwww.valv.com

VictaulicEaston, PAwww.victaulic.com

Velan Valve CorporationMontreal, Quebec, Canadawww.velan.com

Weir Valves & Controls-USAIpswich, MAwww.weirvalveusa.com

WEY ValveNettleton, MSwww.weyvalve.com

Associate Members

A.W. ChestertonGroveland,MAwww.chesterton.com

All-Pro Fasteners, Inc.Arlington, TXwww.all-profasteners.com

American Foundry GroupBixby, OKwww.americanfoundry.com

Auge Industrial FastenersHoustonwww.augeusa.com

BelleFlex Technologies, LLCFreeport, PAwww.belleflex.com

Delta Centrifugal Corp.Temple, TXwww.deltacentrifugal.com

Engineered Software, Inc. Lacey, WAwww.eng-software.com

Enthone Inc.West Haven, CTwww.enthone.com

The Flexitallic Group, Inc.Houstonwww.flexitallic.com

Garlock Sealing TechnologiesPalmyra, NYwww.garlock.com

Grede Holdings LLC Southfield, MIwww.grede.com

Harrison Steel CastingsAttica, INwww.hscast.com

Highland Foundry LimitedSurrey, British Columbia, Canadawww.highlandfoundry.com

IMT PartnershipIngersoll, Ontario, Canadawww.imtcorporation.com

John Crane PackingMorton Grove, ILwww.johncrane.com

Key Bellevilles, Inc.Leechburg, PAwww.keybellevilles.com

Lone Star FastenersSpring, TXwww.lonestarfasteners.com

Matrix Metals LLCRichmond, TXwww.matrixmetalsllc.com

NAMCO ControlsElizabethtown, NCwww.namcocontrols.com

Quadrant EPPReading, PAwww.quadrantplastics.com

Scientific Linings & CoatingsSan Antoniowww.weathercap.com

Solon Manufacturing Co.Chardon, OHwww.solonmfg.com

VanAire, Inc.Gladstone, MIwww.vanaireinc.com

Allied ValveChicagowww.alliedvalveinc.com

AVP Valve, Inc.Lakeland, FLwww.avpvalve.com

Bay Valve Service, Inc.Seattlewww.bay-valve.com

CameronHoustonwww.c-a-m.com

CCI Houston (Repair Center)Houstonwww.ccivalve.com

CFM/VR-TESCO LLCElgin, ILwww.globalfield.net

Chalmers & Kubeck NorthWestfield, MA www.candknorth.com

Cleveland Valve & Gauge/ RenewValve & Machine Co.Cleveland/Carleton, MIwww.clevelandvalve.comwww.renewvalve.com

CRANE Energy Flow SolutionsHoustonwww.craneenergy.com

CWFC Farris EngineeringBrecksville, OH www.cwfc.com

Dayton Precision ServicesDayton, OHwww.daytonprecisionservices.com

DMC Carter ChambersBaton Rouge, LA www.dmc-cc.com

Dowco Valve CompanyHastings, MN www.dowcovalve.com

Dresser, Inc.Addison, TXwww.dresser.com• Dresser Consolidated

Alexandria, LA• Dresser Direct

Deer Park, TX• Dresser Masoneilan

Avon, MA

ECI/ICE Valve and InstrumentServicesMonessen, PA www.service-solution.com

Emerson Process Management -FisherMarshalltown, IAwww.fisher.com

Flotech, Inc.Jacksonville, FLwww.flotechinc.com

Flowserve Corporation Houston www.flowserve.com

Formosa Plastics USAPoint Comfort, TXwww.fpcusa.com

FurmaniteLaPorte, TXwww.furmanite.com

Gulf Coast Modification, LPHoustonwww.gulfcoastmod.com

Gulf Coast Valve, Inc. Corpus Christi, TX www.gulfcoastvalve.net

J&S Machine and Valve, Inc.Nowata, OKwww.jsmachineandvalve.com

Kirksey Machine Houston www.kirkseymachine.com

Metso AutomationShrewsbury, MA www.metso.com

Midwest Valve Services, Inc. Minooka, IL www.mwvalve.com

The Wm. Powell Company Cincinnati www.powellvalves.com

Precision Pump & Valve Service Charleston, WV www.ppvs.com

Southeast Valve Inc.Charlotte, NC www.sevalve.com

Southern Valve Service, Inc.Baton Rouge, LAwww.southernvalve.com

Thorco, Inc. Tulsa, OK www.thorcoinc.com

Tyco Valves and ControlsStafford, TX www.tycovalves.com

United Valve South Houston www.unitedvalve.com

Valve Reconditioning Service Co. Melvindale, MI

Wal-Tech Inc. Mobile, AL www.wal-tech.com

V R C A S S O C I A T E M EMB E R

Quality ValveMobile, ALwww.qualityvalves.com

For more information, contactMarc Pasternak at 202.331.0104

([email protected]).

For information on joining the Valve Manufacturers Association, contact Bill Sandler at 202.331.8105 or [email protected].

MEMBERS OF THE VALVE REPAIR COUNCIL An affiliate of the Valve Manufacturers Association of America

C O N V E R S A T I O N W I T H …

A lthough this year’s Market Outlook had its share of gloomynews regarding international economic woes, a bright spot

in many of the speakers’ comments was India. That country,which did not have nearly the magnitude of problems during theGreat Recession as the rest of the world, has seen consistentlylarge year-over-year gains in the last decade and a half as it haslearned to deal with the major economic reforms that began inthe early 1990s.The country now has one of the highest Gross Domestic

Product (GDP) growth rates on the globe (about 7.5% to 8% atthe time of the market outlook), with a strong demand for flowcontrol and a current market of about $2 billion in valves,according to outlook speaker Ravi Krishnan, president of Krish-nan and Associates. Krishnan’s company is a technical and energy consulting

firm located in the U.S. that specializes in helping countrieshere with their dealings in major Indian industries such aspower and infrastructure. Krishnan himself was born in India,though he has made his home here in the U.S. for the last 20years.According to Krishnan, the growth that has occurred in his

native country has not been without its challenges.For example, “India still deals with infrastructure prob-

lems,” Krishnan explained. “There are many regions that arevery well developed with manufacturing activities runningsmoothly. But there are other parts of the country with short-ages of labor, power supplies and other essential commoditiesneeded for a successful business operation,” he adds. Findingskilled labor or contractors skilled in western standards to exe-cute a job can also be a challenge, as can finding the rightequipment, he said.Still, in the six years since starting his consulting business,

he says an enormous change has occurred in the business worldand that change permeates the Indian culture.“The Indian entrepreneur of today is lot different than the

businessman of the 1990s. Today’s companies have access tocapital, knowledge of the technology, access to resources, andthey have learned to do business in a global environment,”Krishnan says.That is a critical development for anyone who wants to do

business there because to be successful as an outsider requiresforming good partnerships and cooperative arrangements withpeople and companies on the inside, he points out.

OTHER CHALLENGESOne of the reasons good partnerships are so critical is price sen-sitivity within India’s borders, Krishnan says. “The governmentand industry in general have a high focus on low capital costs,

even if it means moderately higher life-cycle costs,” Krishnanexplains. Competition for technology is tough in India so “sup-pliers to the Indian industry may have to either set up opera-tions in low-cost regions of the world such as Viet Nam orChina or try to manufacture the products or most of the compo-nents of the products in India itself,” he said.

However, it does not meanquality isn’t important or is notreceiving increased attention asthe country learns the hard les-sons that come from buyingcheaper products and findingout how unsafe they can be orhow expensive short life cyclescan be.“Today, you can go into that

country at higher prices if you have a premium product, but ithas to have demonstrable value,” he said. In the case of valves,that translates into efficiency or performance improvementsover standard commodity valves.But this value also needs strong intellectual property (IP)

protection. “Products that come into India that don’t have a strong IP

position could easily be reverse engineered,” he said. At thesame time, Krishnan pointed out that the country has come along way in this area. “There has been a lot of progress in rela-tion to IP issues in India’s court system, though damagesawarded there might not be as high as in western markets,”Krishnan says. The country has aligned itself with the WorldIntellectual Property Organization and has patent offices in itsmajor cities with a system design to protect both domestic andforeign technology—all of which “are positive trends towardsenforcement of stronger IP situations,” he said. Finally, a requirement for success in India is learning to rec-

ognize cultural issues with respect to the working environment. For example, “in a small village, if there is a safety or envi-

ronmental incident at a plant site, it’s likely to start a riot if aperson is hurt—these issues could delay project schedules andconstruction activity,” Krishnan says. The country feels strong-ly about its communities, local customs and labor relations.For all of these reasons, “it’s a good idea to enter the country

through a joint venture, a licensing arrangement, an agency rela-tionship or some other form of collaborative partnership withparties that know how to deal with local manufacturing issues,personnel issues, sales and marketing issues, plant siting or con-struction or project management issues,” he concludes. VM

GENILEE PARENTE is managing editor of Valve Magazine. Reach her at [email protected].

Ravi Krishnan on Doing Business in India

“You can go into[India] at higherprices if you have apremium product,but it has to havedemonstrablevalue.”


FULL HOUSE.

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas Convention Center | Central Halls www.power-gen.com

Owned & Produced By: Presented By:

December 13 - 15, 2011

Supported By:

SAVE THE DATE!Connect with POWER-GEN International:

The NEW Technical Paper TP-410 is a technical resource for engineers, designers and engineering students that explains the flow of fluid through valves, pipe and fittings to aid in the appropriate selection of equipment for piping systems. The 2009 edition marks the introduction of a companion website containing a suite of web-based tools that solve equations found within the paper.

Expect more from us.

DEPA® ELRO® PSI® RESISTOFLEX® RESISTOPURE® REVO® SAUNDERS® WTA® XOMOX®

ALOYCO® CENTER LINE® CRANE® DUO-CHEK® FLOWSEAL® JENKINS® KROMBACH® NOZ-CHEK® PACIFIC VALVES® STOCKHAM® TRIANGLE®

PHOTO: Rylan Ardoin, Vertical Marketing Manager-Refining, Crane Energy Flow Solutions and Alexander Rosenbusch, Product Sales Manager Ball Valves, Crane Energy Flow Solutions, Krombachrecommend TP410.

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