VALVE Magazine: Readers' Choice 2017

Standards

We begin our review of Readers’ Choice articles with a web feature. In “Misconceptions Regarding Control and Isolation Valve Standards,” Andrew Prusha and Mark Nymeyer of Emerson assert that not all on/off isolation valve standards are created equal and cannot be applied unilaterally to all valves. This article references control valves and isolation or shutoff valves. The authors note that the several different standards across process industries will vary with criteria and many will defer to other standards for components of a valve’s design such as wall thickness, fire ratings, fugitive emissions or shutoff classifications.

Prusha and Nymeyer stress how important it is to understand that the standards listed on the spec sheets given to your valve suppliers is crucial to the installed performance and lifespan of your final control elements. On the other hand, specifying an unintended standard to an application may also add unnecessary cost and lead time to replacement or repair of a critical loop.

Pulp and Paper

From the Winter print edition of VALVE comes our next in the top Readers’ picks for 2017. Todd Greer’s (DeZURIK) “Valve Selection in Pulp and Paper Operations” addresses the challenges of this industry as electronic channels have created significant decreases in newsprint and coated paper. However, other industry sectors have emerged, including packaging and boxboard, tissue, toweling, diaper and personal hygiene products.

In response, some traditional pulp mills have converted to produce fluff pulp, which is used for personal hygiene products; others have converted to make alpha crystalline cellulose for the manufacture of rayon fiber in the textile markets. Paper machines also are being repurposed to produce tissue, toweling or boxboard predominantly from recycled fiber. Correctly selecting valves for applications in this modern and ever-evolving industry can significantly enhance a mill’s performance and increase profits.

Solenoid Valves

Safety is obviously uppermost in readers’ minds as articles with this theme consistently rank high in this and every year’s most popular articles. Included among those was “Improve Reliability and Safety of Solenoid Valves.”

Safe shutdowns frequently involve isolating a process fluid flow, often accomplished using an ESD (emergency shutdown) valve. If the ESD fails dangerously, the worst-case consequences can be catastrophic. ESD valves often include a solenoid valve, but solenoid valves can fail due to several different conditions. However, the failure mode contributing most significantly to this is stiction.

In this web feature, Loren Stewart of Exida describes stiction in a solenoid valve and suggests ways to reduce the chances of failure by using solenoid valve stroke testing.

Oxygen Safety

More safety concerns are addressed in a web feature on oxygen safety. In his presentation at VMA’s 2017 Technical Seminar, Kurt Larson, a process control engineer for Air Products, spoke about the inherent danger of the oxygen production business and how it is particularly important for end users and valve manufacturers to work closely together. Additionally, he stressed the importance of having organizations that work to standardize and ensure the safety of plants and people.

In Valves in Oxygen Service, we report on Larson’s presentation, and learn how to minimize the risk of fire by being careful to choose highly compatible materials for valves—both metals and soft goods. Larson itemizes several factors to consider when choosing the metals for valves in oxygen service, and stresses that the end user must know the geometry of every component of the valve to determine its suitability for oxygen service.

Distribution

The “State of Industrial Distribution” is a summary of Modern Distribution Management’s annual webinar analyzing the state of industrial distribution in 2016 and forecasting what to expect in 2017. While there were some positive indicators of growth in the industrial distribution sector, a variety of challenges arising from technology and a changing digital landscape continue to have an impact on distributors that do not make a concerted effort to stay on top of these challenges. Also, while the new administration in the U.S. may support a more pro-growth, anti-regulatory environment, market fundamentals, such as the price of oil and metals, will continue to shape the outlook for industrial distribution.

Coming up mid-January 2018, we will publish a web feature again at VALVEMagazine.com to report on MDM’s 2018 State of Industrial Distribution. Be sure to check back to learn the changes that have occurred over the past year, and what you can expect in the next 12 months.

Pressure Relief Valves

In “The Dos and Don’ts of Isolating Pressure Relief Valves,” Sean Croxford of Farris Engineering Services points out that, while isolation valves are not used on every PRV installation, they are common and often found in critical service or for production areas that cannot tolerate a shutdown.

The use of isolation valves presents real risk to operators if either the shutdown procedures are not correct or if operators do not follow the procedure as described. Both situations can create a scenario where the system is either unprotected from an overpressure event or inadequate in preventing system damage. There are ways of eliminating the risk associated with isolation valves, and Croxford offers several solutions in this article.

Safety Instrumented Systems

Water Hammer

And... drum roll please... Arie Bregman’s “Water Hammer” from the Spring 2017 print issue of VALVE was a feature in our Back to Basics series and the top Readers’ Choice article for 2017. Bregman, of DFT Inc., explains the difference between flashing and water hammer, discusses the effects and offers ways to predict and mitigate the damage this condition can cause to entire piping systems.

Bregman recommends installing water hammer arrestors and check valves. Additionally, pumps that output into a long run of vertical pipe should be avoided. If you have not read this article, take the time to do so now—it could mean huge savings for your operation.

WHAT’S NEXT?

That’s it for VALVE Magazine’s “Readers’ Choice 2017” articles, but 2018 is here and you have an opportunity to have your technical or business-related article featured next year. Is there something you’d like to know more about? Or do you have information, tips or tools that could be turned into an article that could improve some aspect of our industry? Whether you have a topic suggestion or would like to write an article yourself, let us know. We want to hear from you.

Kate Kunkel is senior editor of VALVE Magazine.