Service life of valves in slurry pipelines
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Dear teachers, what is the service life of the valves in the slurry pipelines of your facilities? What are your usage experiences?
Our company has been in operation for about 2 years. The main principle for maintenance is to ensure that the valves are in one of two states: either fully open or fully closed
At our facility, the slurry valves are generally replaced during the annual maintenance overhaul, as a precaution. However, some wear and leakage still occurs despite the pressure testing carried out after each replacement. This year, during the overhaul, we added another valve above the inlet valve; by enlarging the diameter of the pipeline and using a larger valve, we were able to reduce the flow rate and thus minimize wear. The larger valve remains open at all times, while the original smaller valve is used for operations such as switching pumps. If the smaller valve starts to leak, then the larger valve is activated, which helps to mitigate the problem. Previously, leaks would occur within just a few months, and it was very troublesome because it was not possible to completely shut off the flow during pump repairs
The valves on the pipelines of the slurry system are fully open and controlled by control valves; dual valves are used at the inlet and outlet of the slurry pump, with those at the pump’s inlet and outlet remaining fully open during operation. The replacement frequency mainly applies to the inlet and outlet valves of the pump; depending on usage conditions, they are generally replaced once every three years, though not always. Sometimes the new valves are not as good as the old ones. Currently, the quality of valves in China is not high, so it’s possible to run into problematic valves if you’re not lucky.
There are now special valves designed for slurry use, which help prevent blockages and coking as well as reduce wear. In normal operating conditions, these valves do not require maintenance or replacement at each cycle; the soarup FCCU special valves for slurry use have been in use in large-scale oil refining plants for nearly a decade