Whether it’s for an offshore production platform, a natural gas pipeline, or an LNG plant, compressors are found and used throughout the gas and oil industry. By raising gas pressure, compressors are used to liquefy and transport gas from one process or location to another. In the past, these compressors have been driven mechanically by a gas turbine. Today with the use of a dual plate check valve, cryogenic engineering is the forefront of new compressor design and power.
Compressor Components
The key to the successful processing and movement of gases comes down to the successful manufacturing of complex compressor parts and machinery. Compressors are found in everything from personal and business activities, to large-scale industrial use cases.
The components that make up these compressors are used to supply various types of gases at raised amounts of pressures.
The parts that make up each compressor will vary on the nature of its use and type of compressor. In the case of the natural gas and P.E.T. industry, compressors feature carefully manufactured valve parts involved in the safety of transport and energy efficiency.
These parts include springs of all shapes, sizes, force, and resistance, along with metallic plates, which take the form of cushion plates, valve plates, spring plates, damper plates, wafer plates, and even thermoplastic ported plates.
Liquefied Natural Gas Compressors
Natural gas is considered a positive source of energy for both economic and environmental reasons. Due to this, it is growing in popularity and use. As a result, the liquefied natural gas market (LNG) has also seen considerable growth.
This means a greater use of cryogenic valves. Within the LNG industry, along with other fields involving cryogenic, the overall importance of a dual plate check valve, such as the dual-plate wafer check valve is indisputable.
How they are used
A cryogenic dual plate check valve and its metallic components are critical to the liquid natural gas supply chain. The sole purpose of these valves is to direct gases or fluids in a specific direction and prevent any chance of reversal. This is important because although LNG is considered to be a safer fuel option, the improper containing of its vapors can pose a potential hazard.
The entire LNG process uses a dual plate check valve, from conversion of natural gas, to storage, and even transport. In order to maintain reasonable levels of cost and efficiency, it is necessary to use the correct valve and plate components.
Precision materials and quality manufacturing are the first step in operationally safety, productivity, and equipment protection.
Backflow
In almost every piping system, backflow prevention is necessary.
Most pipelines utilize compressors or pumps to generate enough pressure for the movement of gases or fluids. When the equipment is not running, backflow or flow reversal may occur, dependent on the pressures downstream.
One of the most critical elements of the cryogenic compression system design is implementing a means to prevent this backflow.
This not only minimizes equipment damage, but it also ensures that minimum emission leakage and the protection of plant infrastructure.
For this very reason, engineered wafer check valves are paramount through all stages of the LNG chain. This includes the gasification terminal, storage tank, liquefaction plant, and gas field.
Constant exposure to a variety of fluid mediums has not been without its difficulties.
A dual plate check valve can be susceptible to wedging, jamming, sticking, and wear. Traditional solutions may also suffer from slamming due to turbulence. This can have an effect of the prevention of flow reversal.
Dual Plate Check Valve
In order to address some of these challenges, the industry proposed an alternative check valve solution. Solutions such as the highly engineered dual plate wafer valve incorporates all of the benefits and features sought after in a check valve solution while directly countering and addressing the problems.
Dual plate wafer check valves are completely different from control and shut-off valves. Some valves work to stop the flow of gas and liquids completely. However, a dual plate check valve allows for the flow of liquid in a single direction.
Their intended use case is to protect piping systems, compressors, pumps, and other vital system components from dangerous conditions such as water hammer and system deceleration. Contrary to on/off valves, dual check valves are also flow sensitive.
Benefits
They rely on the fluid line in order to open and close. This means that these components are among the few designed, self-automated valves.
The dual plate check valve design is smaller, lighter, stronger, and more efficient than traditional check valves options.
The wafer check valve uses springs to provide faster response time and increase valve reaction (faster closing). This type of valve better protects equipment already in place in the regasification and liquefaction terminals located in a liquefied natural gas processing plant. The lowered closing time diminishes dynamic surges found in the pipeline for an overall improvement to non-slam performance.
In order to address some of liquefaction process’s extreme cryogenic demands, certain dual plate wafers have been approved for cryogenic to sub-atmospheric temperatures. These temperatures range from -58°F to -321°F.
This non-slam wafer dual plate check valve can be sized and modified for specific applications. Other styles can include special modifications for fast-reversing systems or higher protection against convers of backflow.
Highly engineered check valves not only work to minimize the overall effect of water damage in a variety of settings, but they also remove the chatter that has been associated with traditional check valves, providing fast responses to lower reverse velocity, minimize pressures loss found in the piping system, and protect rotating equipment from damage of flow reversal.
Conclusion
Wafer plates and check valves play a vital role in the protection of critical and expensive equipment used in regasification and liquefaction facilities. The sole purpose being to prevent the damaging effects of equipment incurred by flow reversal and the overall safety of plant personnel make wafer plates and check valves a critical addition to any industrial operation.
The LNG industry and cryogenic applications continue to grow. So, the prevalence and need for the dual plate check valve will grow as well. It is critical that highly engineered solutions are in place. Dual-plate wafer valves offer a myriad of benefits over traditional check valves. This makes them an essential component of the value chain.