Dec-2022

Valmet butterfly valves deliver versatility and performance for severe service applications

Their compact and lightweight design, availability in larger sizes and easy usability make our butterfly valves an attractive option for many industrial processes.

Dhanesh Bhaskaran
Valmet

Article Summary

Their versatility makes them suitable for a wide range of temperatures, pressures, industries, and applications. They can be used in either control, on-off or emergency shutdown service.

Versatility through smart design
One industrial sector where Neles™ and Jamesbury™ butterfly valves continue to prove themselves is the refining and petrochemical industry. As in many industrial segments, there too, the requirements placed on valves are becoming increasingly tight. To ensure we stay ahead of evolving customer demands, we have released our most versatile and advanced butterfly valves to date.

Maintaining excellent long-lasting tightness over the valves entire service life is one key requirement for valves in on-off and emergency shutdown service. Safety is a high priority for Neles butterfly valves such as the new Neldisc™, which offers true metal-to-metal sealing with virtually zero leakage. Our butterfly valves are SIL 3 capable for reliable performance in ESD service

When it comes to using butterfly valves in control valve service, we now offer customers two different shaft options — Drive shaft with trunnion providing high flow rates and a robust through-shaft option for both Neldisc™ (triple offset) metal-seated valves and Wafer-Sphere™ (double offset) soft-seated valves. This is a particularly useful feature for control valves, especially in cases where higher Cv is required for a particular size.

Optimised performance for severe services
The vast majority of valves and valve applications in any industrial process could be classed as standard. Yet in all process units there are some valve applications that are considered challenging. For example, when valves need to handle oxygen, high cycling, dirty media, corrosive media or cryogenic temperatures. Neles and Jamesbury butterfly valves have the answers for such challenging and severe service requirements.

Valves in refinery and petrochemical industry service typically need to handle very high temperature liquid flow media. For example, in processes such as hydrotreating, reforming or cracking, and when handling utilities like medium- and high-pressure steam.

Our metal-seated Neldisc butterfly valve is suited for high temperatures and has the capability to handle dirty media. Our true metal-to-metal seal has no graphite, which is known to flake and be unable to withstand higher temperatures. Our metal-seated butterfly valves also come equipped with a high cycle construction. Also, the Neldisc’s soft-seated twin brother, the Wafer-Sphere, may be the right choice for some demanding, high cycling applications.

Keeping sustainability in mind
When talking about sustainability and safety in industry, the topic quickly turns to emissions. Emissions have gained more and more attention and continue to be a literal hot topic as we discuss the threats of climate change. Eliminating leakages and fugitive emissions through the valve body has become more or less a mandatory feature for any top-of-the-line process valve. Neles and Jamesbury butterfly valves comply with ISO 15848, which is the widely accepted emissions standard in industry.
The other key areas where the best valves can make a difference is in helping optimise process efficiency and energy consumption. We design and manufacture the world’s most versatile butterfly valves, which have been designed with three types of performance in mind; process performance, environmental performance and economical performance.

Versatility can also mean simplicity and ease
With our new butterfly valve offering we are providing customers one single technology platform that covers a wide range of process needs with benefits such as a simplified offering, improved availability and lead times, reduced variance, interchangeability of parts, late configuration with add-ons and a simplified spare parts strategy for more efficient operations.

The Neldisc and Wafer-Sphere valves have both been considered the industry benchmark in their respective fields for decades. But we have always been, and still are, committed to continuously developing our offering to meet and exceed the needs and expectations of a rapidly evolving world and industrial landscape.