Month: July 2022

Congratulations to Ian Townsend for his 20 years of service with Oliver Valves. Ian joined the business in 2002 and during his time has worked across the Oliver group of companies gaining a wealth of engineering experience on pipeline, sub-sea, hydrogen, and instrumentation valves for the Energy Sector.

Ian’s career continued to excel, and in 2009, he joined our Research & Development team where he worked on our very first Petrobras Qualification and is now responsible for processing critical test data. Seen by many as the linchpin of the R&D team, Ian plays a key role with customers, partners and colleagues, and has helped to grow the department from four staff to twelve. R&D Works Manager David Twigg compliments Ian’s achievement saying “Ian’s good nature, wit, and dedication to his work makes him a well-respected figure amongst his peers and I have personally worked with him for 12 years and consider him not just a colleague but a friend.”

We thank Ian for his loyal service and hard work, and we wish him well for the future – here’s to another 20 years!

[Ian is pictured receiving his special Rum Gift Set from the Oliver R&D Team] #olivervalves #valves #congratulations

If you’re interested in a career at Oliver Valves and in engineering, please visit our careers page on the website https://www.valves.co.uk/careers/

Following our excellent achievement on winning the highly prestigious ‘The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise 2022’, of which we’re super proud of, we’ve just received our first printed copies of the official Queens Awards Magazine.

Read the digital version online and find us on page 70: www.queensawardsmagazine.com/online-magazine/

Traditionally within LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) plants, there are ‘cold service’ applications and cryogenic. Cold service is typically between -29degC (-20degF) and -50degC (-58degF). Valving for cold service do not require cryogenic bonnet extensions, however, they often require smaller extensions to allow for the application of lagging. Lagging types and thicknesses vary from project to project, and can be up to 50mm thick.

The reason for using a bonnet extension with lagged valves is to move the top of the bonnet outside the lagging. Should the valve ever develop a gland leak, the produced fluid will not be trapped within the lagging and cause corrosion issues.

• Fugitive Emission Leak Rate B
• 3rd Party Witnessed and Approved Qualification
• Qualified Temperature Range -50°C to Ambient operable
• Qualified in MESC SPE 77/300 Feb 2021
• Qualified Pressure Class Range: 150:300:600: 900:1500:2500

Valves used on cold service are required to be operable at -50degC, that is, be able to be opened and closed and maintain leak tightness through the gland and across the seat at the valve design pressure.

Oliver Valves Limited Slimline monoflange block & bleed and double block & bleed assemblies, utilise an outside screw and yoke needle valve primary isolate and an inside screw and yoke type needle valves for a second isolate and bleed valve. For cold service applications, these can be supplied with extended bonnets. To validate the two types of needle valves with extended bonnets, Oliver have utilised the rigorous testing requirements called for within the Shell specification 77/300. Unlike some specifications which only deal with purely the ability of the gland seal to perform at the low temperatures, the Shell specification reviews both the gland seal and the seat seal.