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Copyright © 2014 Brentforth Energy & Oilfield Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Preface TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Why Be Proactive…………………...2
Welcome to our first edition of Oil & Gas 2. Valves Failure Analysis…………….4
Maintenance Guide—A Proactive Approach
To Valve Maintenance; the aim of this guide 3. Valve Maintenance Strategies….3
is to furnish Engineers, Technicians, Supervi- 4. How To Proceed……………………...4
sors and Managers (that are involved in
maintenance activities & planning) with a On-Field Maintenance……………..4
tool which equips them with technical data and information,
Off-Field Maintenance……………..4
often required for effective Maintenance works (especially on
Valves); with applications in other areas, such as maintenance Machining/Lapping………………….5
of: Pipelines, Pumps, Actuators, Wellhead Equipments etc.
Usually, a Maintenance Personnel would have to make reference
5. Appendix
to multiple materials to keep touch with relevant technical data Abrasives & Grit Sizes……………….5
(often required for maintenance operations). What we have
done, is to put together some of the regularly sort-after infor- Flanges & Bolt Dimensions……….6
mation, and a cache of our wealth of experience in the industry, Spanners & Bolt Data……………….6
all in one material so as to reduce the time gap between plan-
ning and work execution (hence, improving efficiency and the Weight of Valves & Lifting………..7
response time to maintenance calls).
Disclaimer: We state that this brochure has been compiled meticulously
Josiah Igoni (B. Eng., DiPM) and to the best of our knowledge, with the good intention of helping mainte-
nance personnel operate better; however we can in no way guarantee the
accuracy or completeness of the information. We therefore do not accept
Director Business Development & Operations any liability for any damage resulting from actions or decision based on the
Brentforth Energy & Oilfield Services Ltd. information in question. We reserve the right to combine, delete or change
any section of this brochure at any time without prior notice.
Copyright © 2014 Brentforth Energy & Oilfield Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Reducing Maintenance Cost & Downtime,
while Increasing Equipment Reliability.
Why Be Proactive
The consequences of running valves to point of failures, and then opting for the options
of shutdown repairs or outright replacement of valves (when an incident has already oc-
curred) can be hugely disastrous and uneconomical.
There are various reasons why proactive maintenance of valve is essential and
beneficial:
It reduces likelihood and severity of
downtime.
Proactive Maintenance is way cheaper
than outright replacement of valves; and
the astronomical cost or reputation dam-
age which may arise in cases of incidents
(due to poor maintenance culture) are
hugely incalculable.
It prevents catastrophic failures before
they occur.
It eliminates the need to keep large
stocks of replacement valves (and the
huge capital required to also maintain
such stocks).
It reduces the instances of having to wait
-out the delivery times of valves, and
their associated problems (as some can
be extremely long).
It improves worker safety and the pro-
tection of our environment.
It supports optimal plant operation, ca-
pacity and productivity.
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Valves Failure Analysis
The causes of valve failures/problems are broadly attributable to two quarters, either the Manufac-
turer or the Operator (as illustrated below):
Valve Failures
Manufacturer Operator
- inadequate design - incorrect installation
- poor manufacture/assembly - incorrect sizing, specification or selection
- deficient materials - change in operating conditions
Note: The Operator also includes
- deficient system software - faulty operating procedure
maintenance & engineering con-
- inadequate/improper maintenance
tractors/subcontractors. - human error
- deficient QA procedures
Figure 1. - lack of training/incompetent personnel
By reviewing the data of valves and their problems from various facilities in U.K and Nigeria, certain
trends can be deduced about the failure types, root causes, and the most susceptible valve types in
the industry.
The various kinds of valve problems (from a broad technical perspective), can be split into three lev-
els or categories as detailed below:
Table 1.
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Sub-categories of the Classification Levels
LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3
INITIAL VALVE PROBLEM PRIMARY PROBLEM UNDERLYING CAUSE
Fail to operate (open, Valve Seized Inadequate maintenance
close) Stem, seal problem Design inadequate, materials deficient
Through valve leakage Actuation problem (e.g. Lack of training, inexperienced staff
(i.e internal/seat leak- electric, hydraulics,
age) Corrosion
pneumatics)
External leakage Sand erosion
Control system problem
Difficult Operation (e.g. communications System software, control system, signal data
faulty, software prob- communications
External Corrosion
lem) Human error
Valve not operating
Human error Incorrectly specified, sized or selected
properly
Seat, seal problem Quality Assurance issue - Procedures of manu-
Body/bonnet, flange, facturer/supplier deficient (e.g. incorrect ma-
trunnion problem terial fitted to valve)
Erosion Poor manufacture - e.g. poor welding
Design defect Quality Assurance issue - Procedures of opera-
tor deficient (e.g. dismantling procedure incor-
Materials defect rect, process operating procedure defective)
Corrosion Not commission properly
Table 2.
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b) Hydrocarbon Release & Operational Causes
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d) Initial Valve Problems & Production Hours Loss Analysis
This data-set has a total of 2,300 entries recorded over a period of 21 years from 1993—2014 for a number of fields in UK
and Nigeria; and is a record of valves that have been removed from the field. The reason for the valve’s removal is gener-
ally identified together with the primary/secondary problems that have caused the valve to fail.
Primary Valve Problems: From the distribution of primary valve problems shown on the pie chart, it is not surprising
to see that seat/seal problems dominate at 76%, followed by corrosion (internal & external) at 9%. Valve seizure occurred
in 6% of the entries, stem seal problems 4% and then body/bonnet flange and trunnion problems at 3%. Interestingly only
a very small 1% of the valves were identified as having actuation problems, meaning that most actuation problems could
be sorted out without having to remove the valve from line.
Secondary Valve Problems: Most of the valves removed were subjected to strip-down/examination to identify the
problems (reasons) for failing. Scoring and Galling is the major dominating factor at 80%, which affects the internal me-
chanical movement of the valve obturator, stem and seals. Worn and damaged seals accounted for a further 10% of the
problems, followed by corrosion at 5%, corroded housings 3% and erosion & scaling at 1% each.
Copyright © 2014 Brentforth Energy & Oilfield Services Ltd. All Rights Reserved. 7
Valve Maintenance Strategies
Introduction: The mind-set that maintenance b.) Corrective Maintenance: The unsched-
is only necessary when an equipment is faulty uled maintenance or repair to return items/
or has broken down already (as a reactive or equipments to a defined state and carried out
recovery measure) is totally a wrong one. We because maintenance persons or users perceived
should be proactive in our approach to mainte- deficiencies or failures.
nance and NOT reactive. The overriding reason of initiating a corrective
The timing when maintenance action was initi- maintenance activity is to restore an equipment
ated in the cycle of the equipment’s failure de- to its normal operating condition (owing to obvi-
velopment, determines the category such ac- ous presence of failure characteristics that
tion would be classified (as described below). shows it has fallen short of acceptable state).
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c.) Predictive Maintenance: A maintenance
technique that employs the use of modern
measurement and signal processing methods to
accurately diagnose equipment condition during
operation (so as to identify any deviation from
its normal operating state at an early stage).
Predictive maintenance attempts to detect the
onset of a degradation with the goal of cor-
recting that degradation prior to significant de-
terioration in the component or equipment. The
advent of intelligent control systems and instru-
mentation has made it possible to spot early
signs of failures and initiate maintenance activi-
ties at the right time (which is the essence of
predictive maintenance). d.) Equipment Reliability: Is the probability
To be truly proactive, one should be able to that an equipment will perform its stated func-
identify and predict failure signs accurately early tion satisfactorily for a given time period when
on before they’re fully developed; and then nip- used under the specified conditions.
ping them in the bud immediately (by initiating Equipment reliability is an important factor in
maintenance activities at the right time). maintenance engineering, because lower equip-
ment reliability means higher need for mainte-
nance or greater frequency of equipment break-
down.
When the reliability of an equipment has gone
down below an acceptable limit; then, it is no
longer economical to keep refurbishing that
equipment - as it is bound to fail again. Hence,
an outright replacement would be recommend-
able (instead of going round in circles).
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How To Proceed
It is extremely important to act as soon as the first sign of failure is noticed, because even relatively
small damage to the sealing surface can quickly develop into a major leak, which may then require
comprehensive and expensive repairs.
Preventive measures are extremely important for well-organized valve maintenance; this means reg-
ular checking of the condition of the valves (quality of sealing, tightness of closed valve). Valve fail-
ure/leakage can cause considerable loss of process fluid and can represent a major environmental
hazard or even lead to catastrophe if toxic gas escapes (e.g. SEVESO in Italy, BHOPAL in India).
1. On-field Maintenance: Generally speaking, this is a case where valves are required to be re-
paired or serviced right on site (within the facility where they are installed or utilized). However, if
the valve is to be maintained while under system pressure without having to remove it from the pip-
ing system, then it is strictly referred to as online maintenance.
Online maintenance is feasible for various kinds of valves in the industry. The maintainability fea-
tures of the valve (as provided for, by the manufacturer) determines the level of work that could be
done on it (safely) while still online.
Installed or in-service valves which are routinely maintained offer higher reliability and longer service life.
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In most cases where the problem is with the actuator alone (manual or automatic), as the case may
be, the anomaly could be corrected online, without needing to remove the entire valve from the pip-
ing system (but this requires considerable skills and experience, so you don’t cause a blowout).
Then the valves are maintained according to the categories & level of damage they have (as shown be-
low), after which they are re-assembled & tested:
Category A. Valves requiring ‘Build-up Welding’ and ‘Turning’.
Category B. Valves requiring replacement of badly damaged parts and servicing of dysfunctional components.
WORST CASE
SCENARIOS CAN
BE REMDIED
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Machining/Lapping: To ensure reliable performance and prolonged service life of valves, the
final control elements (and their counterpart mating parts) do not only require high dimensional and
geometrical accuracy, but also require high surface finishing. Superfine surface finishing, can be
achieved particularly through the process of lapping, while the dimensional and geometrical accura-
cy of the components can be achieved generally by the process of machining or turning (even with-
out employing additional techniques). The quality of surface finishing has a vital role in influencing
the functional characteristics of components, such as: wear resistance, leak tightness, fatigue
strength, corrosion resistance, and power loss due to friction.
Definition: Lapping can be defined as an abrasive process in which a rotating/
moving lap, charged with a loose slurry, removes very small amounts of materials
from metallic or non-metallic surfaces.
Technical parameters of lapping process:
Applied pressure
The grain size of abrasive
Concentration of abrasive in the lapping fluid (or vehicle)
Lapping speed
Corroded
Plug
Plug of a Globe Valve which requires Lapping Valve machining process using a Lathe Machine
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www.brentforth.com
Note 1:
GRIT SIZE PARTICLE DESCRIPTION
The lapping fluid must be selected carefully. If the lapping 36
fluid (e.g. oil), is too viscous, the film formed will be very Very Coarse
thick, and if the grains are too small, then their tips pro-
50
trude insufficiently from the film (hence, little or no work 80
shall be done during lapping). However, if the film is too
100 Coarse
thin, then their protrusion will be too much (which will
allow for metal-to-metal contact between the working 120
plate and work-piece).
150
The Rule of Thumb:
Medium
180
GRAIN DESCRIPTION SUITABLE FLUID TYPE
220
Large lapping grains Thick (or viscous) lapping fluid Medium Fine
240
Small or fine lapping Thin (or less-viscous) lapping
280
grains fluid Fine
320
400
500 Very Fine
Note 2: 600
The type of fluid used for lapping also depends on the 800
type of lapping stone or work-piece material. When the
work-piece is Aluminum, Brass, or Copper, a water-soluble 1000 Extremely Fine
compound is used. When the work-piece is Cast Iron, 1200
Hardened Steel or Tool Steel, a weak oil or grease-based
fluid is often used.
ABRASIVE MATERIALS & APPLICATIONS
The Rule of Thumb:
ABRASIVE MATERIALS GRIT SIZE APPLICATIONS
WORK MATERIAL LAPPING FLUID
100 - 400 - Tool-room lapping
Aluminum Water-Soluble Compounds Silicon Carbide
600 - 1000 - Roughing hard steels
Brass Water-Soluble Compounds
Corundum 400 - 800 - Roughing and Finish-
ing soft steels
Cast Iron Oil– or Grease-Based Compds.
Garnet 600 - 800 - Finishing Brass and
Bronze
Stainless Steel Oil– or Grease-Based Compds.
Ferric Oxide 1 Micron - Polishing soft metals
Mild Steel Oil– or Grease-Based Compds. Aluminum Oxide 400 - 900 - Finishing of soft steel
& Non-ferrous metals
Diamond 0.5 - 20 - Hardened materials
Microns
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Appendix: B
FLANGES & BOLT DIMENSIONS
CLASS 150# CLASS 300#
Pipe Sizes Length for Length for
Diameter Length for RF Diameter Length for RF
No. of RTJ No. of RTJ
of Bolts of Bolts
DN NPS Bolts Bolts
(inches) Stud Bolts Machine Stud Bolts
(inches) Stud Bolts Machine Stud Bolts
(mm) (inches) (mm) Bolts (mm) (mm) (mm) Bolts (mm) (mm)
25 1” 4 1/2” 65 60 80 4 5/8” 80 65 95
300 12” 12 7/8” 125 105 140 16 1-1/8” 180 150 190
350 14” 12 1” 140 120 150 20 1-1/8” 185 165 195
450 18” 16 1-1/8” 150 130 155 24 1-1/4” 200 175 215
500 20” 20 1-1/8” 165 145 175 24 1-1/4” 210 190 225
550 22” 20 1-1/4” 170 145 185 24 1-1/2” 225 195 250
600 24” 20 1-1/4” 180 155 190 24 1-1/2” 230 210 260
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Appendix: B Continued
FLANGES & BOLT DIMENSIONS
CLASS 600# CLASS 900#
Pipe Sizes Length for Length for
Diameter Length for RF Diameter Length for RF
No. of RTJ No. of RTJ
of Bolts of Bolts
DN NPS Bolts Bolts
(inches) Stud Bolts Machine Stud Bolts
(inches) Stud Bolts Machine Stud Bolts
(mm) (inches) (mm) Bolts (mm) (mm) (mm) Bolts (mm) (mm)
300 12” 20 1-1/4” 225 220 225 20 1-3/8” 260 250 260
350 14” 20 1-3/8” 240 230 240 20 1-1/2” 280 270 285
400 16” 20 1-1/2” 260 250 260 20 1-5/8” 290 285 300
450 18” 20 1-5/8” 280 270 280 20 1-7/8” 330 325 340
600 24” 24 1-7/8” 335 330 340 20 2-1/2” 445 440 465
950 38” - - - - - - - - - -
1,000 40” - - - - - - - - - -
1,050 42” - - - - - - - - - -
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Appendix: B Continued
FLANGES & BOLT DIMENSIONS
CLASS 1500# CLASS 2500#
Pipe Sizes Length for Length for
Diameter Length for RF Diameter Length for RF
No. of RTJ No. of RTJ
of Bolts of Bolts
DN NPS Bolts Bolts
(inches) Stud Bolts Machine Stud Bolts
(inches) Stud Bolts Machine Stud Bolts
(mm) (inches) (mm) Bolts (mm) (mm) (mm) Bolts (mm) (mm)
550 22” - - - - - - - - - -
650 26” - - - - - - - - - -
700 28” - - - - - - - - - -
750 30” - - - - - - - - - -
800 32” - - - - - - - - - -
850 34” - - - - - - - - - -
900 36” - - - - - - - - - -
950 38” - - - - - - - - - -
1,000 40” - - - - - - - - - -
1,050 42” - - - - - - - - - -
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Appendix: C
SPANNERS & BOLT DATA
5/8 1-1/16 27
1/2” M 14 Double Ended Open/Flat Spanner
3/4 1-1/4 32
5/8” M 18
Note: Flat or Open End spanners are not meant for High Torque applications.
7/8 1-7/16 36
3/4” M 20
1 1-5/8 41
7/8” M 24 Ratchet Spanner
1-1/8 1-13/16 46
1” M 27
1-1/4 2 51
1-1/8” M 30
1-3/8 2-3/16 56
1-1/4” M 33
1-1/2 2-3/8 60 Chain Wrench
1-3/8” M 36 Strap Wrench
1-5/8 2-9/16 65
1-1/2” M 39
1-3/4 2-3/4 70 Slogging Wrench
1-5/8” M 42
1-7/8 2-15/16 75
1-3/4” M 45 Swivel Head Wrench
2 3-1/8 80
1-7/8” M 48
2-1/4 3-1/2 89
2” M 52
2-1/2 3-7/8 99
2-1/4” M 56
2-3/4 4-1/4 108 Angled Socket Wrench
2-1/2” M 64 Deep Socket Wrench
3 4-5/8 118
2-3/4” M 72
3-1/4 5 127 Adjustable Spanner
4 6-1/8 155
Hook Spanner
Allen Spanner/Hex Key
Crow Ring Spanner
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Appendix: D
WEIGHT OF VALVES & LIFTING GUIDE
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Appendix: D Continued
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Appendix: D Continued
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Appendix: D Continued
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Appendix: D Continued
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Corporate Address:
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Chief Ofieafate Close, Off Iyowuna Drive,
Portharcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
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