ON LINE TESTING OF SAFTEY VALVES

CONVENTIONAL APPROACH

It would involve, removing the valves from the plant, testing in the workshop and inspecting, repairing, readjusting, and final testing (whatever necessary). In order to perform this procedure the plant should be (temporarily) shut down.

THE ALTERNATIVE

Testing of safety valves on-site during the regular plant operation. To perform the test the safety valve spindle has to be pulled with defined additional force in order to open the valve. While pulling the spindle, the force applied, the spindle lift and the system pressure are measured and recorded and the „opening point“ determined. Provided that the force necessary to open the valve, the effective area of the valve seat and the corresponding pressure in the system are known, the opening pressure can be calculated. The acoustic phenomena that are connected to the valve opening may also be recorded and used for simpler determination of the „opening point“. If necessary, the safety valves can be adjusted on-site and / or repaired. To perform such tests are special testing equipment has to be implemented.

THE DEVICE

Our answer is LEGATEST – fully automatic device for on-site testing of the safety valves. During the testing the operation of the plant in which the Valve is installed, is not impaired. For more than 10 years LEGATEST is regularly used for testing of safety valves in: Germany, Sweden, Slovenia, France, Austria, Finland, India, Italy, China, Iran, Kuwait, Croatia, Macedonia, BIH … regularly checked with LEGA TEST.

LEGATEST is a complex microprocessor controlled system, using the high performance sensors used to determine the opening pressure of safety valves. The high accuracy and reliability of the device are the result of careful system configuration, numerous laboratory and field tests, the use of highest quality components and of uncompromising quality control. It is a highly mobile and autonomous in operation, designed for use in eEx zones. It may be used in virtually any facility, on almost all types of safety valves.

Regular on-line testing of your safety valves will result in increased availability of your plant and equipment. You will get a better information on the status of the safety valves and will be able to improve their maintenance.

FEATURES

  • automated testing procedure

  • universal application, including the eEx zones

  • simple handling and operation

  • high reliability

  • manually & automatically controlled valve reseat

  • full autonomy in operation due to rechargeable batteries

  • electric motor drive for spindle lift
    lift force up to 50 kN

  • multiple safety interlocks protecting the valve and the device from damage

  • hi performance data acquisition system

  • Database with versatile search functions

  • interchangeable force and pressure transmitters

  • instant printing of test reports

  • automatic calculation of measurement uncertainty

BENEFITS

  • it’s not necessary to shut down the production

  • shorter maintenance shutdown

  • increased plant / equipment availability

  • reduced  operational and maintenance cost

  • improved maintenance and spare part management

IMPRESSIONS