Prepared and Presented By:

Abdulaziz M. Al-Arfaj
Sr. Mechanical Inspector

Introduction
In the petroleum industry, the primary responsibility of the inspector is to insure plant safety, quality of materials, and achieve maximum plant reliability and efficiency. The piping system makes up a major part of the any petroleum processing operation,a very important part of the piping system is the valve.

Definition & basic function

General : The most common mechanical device used in Saudi Aramco plants is the valve. Definition: The Valve is a mechanical device that is used to control the flow of liquids & gases through the piping system. Basic Functions of valves: 1. Shut off or open a system to fluid flow. 2. Regulate or throttle any fluid flow. 3. Prevent backflow. 4. Relive pressure.

Maine categories of valves

Valves have four main categories in Saudi Aramco Plant & Piping Services : Block Valve (Gate, Ball, Plug, Butterfly, Diaphragm, Globe) Throttle Valve (Globe,Butterfly, Diaphragm,) Automatic Control Valves Check Valves

Gate Valve
GATE VALVE About 75% of all valve in process plant are gate valves. The gate valve is an optimum engineering and economic Choice for on or off service. This type of valve is not suitable to throttle flow because the valve seating surfaces can erode rapidly from fluid flow when the valve is not in the fully open or fully closed position.

Gate Valve

Valve symbols

Plug Valve
When quick on/off or tight shutoff is required a plug valve is good choice as block valve, since it operated by a handle instead of a wheel, only a quarter (1/4) turn of the handle will change the plug from fully closed to fully open.

PLUG VALVE

Ball Valve
Ball valve like plug valve requires only turn. Soft seated ball valve are not normally used for throttling service because the valve soft seats will be subjected to erosion or distortion /displacement caused by fluid flow.

Advantage of Plug and Ball valves over Gate Valves

- Close the line more quickly than gate valve - Plug valve and ball valves are considered to be tight shut-off (TSO) valves. However, plug valve and ball valve are more expensive than gate valve. For this reason, they are not as common as gate valves.

Angle Valve
An Angle Valve is a globe valve which is combined with the function of a 90 deg. Elbow, which needed where the piping makes a 90 deg. Turn. Angle Valve come in class rating from 150 to 600 and in sizes from inch to 12 inches.

Butterfly Valve
The butterfly valve uses a flat circular disk control line flow in the piping system. Butterfly valve can be used as block valve or a throttle valve. Although a Butterfly Valve constitute a small percentage of all valves used in process plant application, their low cost and simple operation warrant their consideration whenever possible.

Globe Valve
Globe Valve are multiturn throttling valve. All Glove Valve patters involve a change in flow direction, they are not suitable for piping system that requires scraping. Rarely used for strictly on/off block valve operation (gate valve lower cost and much lower pressure drop).

Automatic Control Valves

Automatic Control Valves is similar to a glove valve because it is used to control the rate flow. Notice that the automatic control valve has no wheels, handles or levers to operate. The top of the valve has a diaphragm that moves the valve stem. An instrument control system change the pressure on the diaphragm to open, close or adjust the valve. Automatic control valves are found throughout any large plant and are used to control such things such as temperature, flow, liquid, level, and pressure.

Needle Valve
Needle Valve are throttling valve that are used for very accurate control of flow with a ranging size from 1/8 to 1 inch, they come in all classes and they are often used at high pressure.

Diaphragm Valve
Diaphragm Valve are multi-turn, corrosion proof valves. They may be operated open, throttled or closed. A diaphragm corrosive and dangerous system products. A diaphragm valve is a pack less valve where the flexible function as both a closure and a seal.

Swing Type Check Valve

Check Valves are designed to prevent flow reversal for system that required protection against backflow. Swing-Type Check Valve When the system products is flowing, a disc inside the valve is forced open allowing the product to flow. If flow direction changes (back flow) the disc swing down onto a seat and the valve is closed.

Other Types of Check Valve

Piston check valve (A)

Lift check valve (B)

Ball check valve ( C )

Safety Pop valve

A safety pop valve is an automatic pressure reliving device. Usually Safety pop valves are used in piping systems where the product is a gas such as steam, compressed air or natural gas.

BI- 3150 VALVES QUANTITES

Around 13737 valves will be installed in Berri Ethan Recovery Project @ BGP

Conclusion
For an inspector to do a better job he must have a good basic understanding of the equipment that he will be inspecting . In this case inspector must be able to identify the type of the valve, and its function within the piping system, moreover identifying the internal part of the valve and their functions & to be able to identify the material used in the valve parts.