TPI July 2014

products & developments Industrial ball valves take-off

Valvestock and Pipe Center report that sales of Conbraco’s Apollo ball valves have gone from strength to strength since the company was appointed a distribution partner just over a year ago. Valvestock is now an authorised service centre for the Apollo range of industrial products, and holds significant stocks at its new facility in Fareham, UK. Additional stocks are held centrally by Pipe Center, and at strategically located branches near industrial centres across the UK. The company says the Apollo range has been very well received by existing and new customers, both in the UK and overseas. There has been particularly strong take-up among engineering contractors, skid builders and OEMs, who are using Apollo products on a regular basis as one of their preferred options for ANSI flanged ball valves. A key area of application is within the power sector. The Apollo top entry ball valve is reportedly being adopted due to a lack of availability of a suitable high quality alternative in the market. It has several major benefits, according to Adrian

Class 600 top entry flanged Apollo ball valve

“When this happens, the seats will extrude if soft (eg PTFE) and shatter if hard (eg carbon graphite). “Both cases can result in catastrophic seat damage and an unserviceable valve. “Alternatively, if a valve is in its closed position, and the temperature decreases very rapidly, then the ball will be the first thing to contract. When this happens, the ball and seats are no longer creating a tight seal, and through-leakage will result. In most cases, the ball will actually drop lower into the cavity, and when temperatures return to normal, the ball will become trapped and seat damage will again occur. “The special ‘V’ seating design of Apollo top entry ball valves introduced the self- adjusting seat to the floating ball valve. This design does not rely on the built- in interference of conventional floating ball valves, as it provides automatic compensation for pressure, temperature and wear. As these changes occur, the ball and seats continuously move up and down into the ‘V’, resulting in positive leak-tight shutoff when using resilient seats.” Apollo top entry ball valves have an ‘anti-static’ feature as standard, and all valve configurations feature blow-out proof stems.

Byrne, Apollo ball valve’s UK sales manager and partner to Valvestock/Pipe Center: “The first and most obvious advantage of using the Apollo top entry ball valve is the ease of in-line maintenance, which can dramatically reduce operational down-time and maintenance costs. “The main bulk of the valve is in its body, and this remains in the pipeline for the duration of the valve’s life. The internals of the valve are accessed by removing the bonnet and entering through the top – hence the name ‘top entry’. This becomes extremely

important with weighty, large bore valves, as the logistics involved in removing them from their line are extensive, costly and time-consuming. “The second important benefit comes into play when rapid temperature changes occur within the piping system. Standard parallel-seated floating ball valves are simply not capable of dealing with this, as the seats have no room for movement. If a valve is in its closed position and the temperature increases very rapidly, the ball will be the first thing to expand.

Pipe Center – UK www.pipecenter.co.uk

Valvestock – UK valvestock.enquiries@wolseley.co.uk www.valvestock.co.uk

A 12" class 300 TEV valve used on a PTA plant in the USA

28

Tube Products International July 2014

www.read-tpi.com