Life-Cycle Costing: The True Cost Associated

Buying valves, tools, and other industrial devices for your company isn’t an ordinary purchase; it’s an investment that may require additional expenses over time. So how do you know if a product is worth your money? This is where life-cycle costing, or LCC, comes in and the true cost associated with it.

What is Life-Cycle Costing?

Life-cycle costing is a popular method that emerged in the 1960s to help consumers determine the true cost of a product over its lifetime. The method quantified not only the cost to buy a product but also all ownership expenses, including repairs, maintenance, and installation and disposal fees.

An LCC analysis can give consumers an idea of how much they could spend on a new system, software, or part. On top of that, an LCC analysis can help businesses narrow down their options and decide whether an item is worth the expense.

How to Calculate the True Cost Associated

An life-cycle costing analysis combines all ownership expenses to determine the true cost associated with a product. However, the value calculated is only an estimate of an item’s overall cost. There are ways to calculate the real cost associated with a product more accurately, but they require expensive data collection procedures.

With that said, it’s best to base your buying decisions on qualitative parameters rather than just price. Doing this won’t show the amount of all the expenses a product may need in its lifetime, but it will help you determine if the product is worth your time and money.

Here are the steps you need to follow to create an life-cycle costing analysis table based on qualitative parameters, like this one seen in Valve Magazine.

1. Fill Table with Products and Parameters

The first step when creating an life-cycle costing analysis table is to list all the products you’re considering on one axis. If you’re considering multiple products made by one company, categorize each product by brand.

Then make a list of the parameters that are most important to you on the other axis. A few examples of parameters include product availability, ease of maintenance and application, and overall reliability. You can also add price to your list, but refer to it only as a qualitative feature, not a numerical value.

2. Rank Each Product

Next, rank each product on its ability to fulfill each parameter listed on a scale of one to five. For example, if a product has the lowest purchase price, you would give it a five. If another product has an average price point, you would give it a three.

3. Calculate Final Score for Each Product

Finally, add up all numerical scores for each product to determine its final score point. The item with the highest score point will be the one that’s best for your money and your company.

Life-cycle costing doesn’t just help you determine the true cost associated with a product. It also helps you understand which valves, tools, and devices are worth your time and your money and which items are best for your company.

For more cost-effective solutions to help you better run your business, read our post on how to calculate and budget manufacturing overhead.

Valves 101: The Ultimate Guide to Valves

With more and more advanced technologies being developed every day, it’s easy to forget that valves are still one of the most critical components in industrial plants. In fact, without the proper valves, systems are more to likely deteriorate and ultimately fail.

To prevent these catastrophic system failures, here’s your ultimate guide to valves to help you get a better understanding of some of the most important devices in your plant.

Basic Valve Information and Uses

Valves are mechanical devices used to regulate and control the flow of an industrial system or process. This means they can stop, start, or throttle flow. They can also increase or decrease the amount of pressure flowing through the system.

Valves are designed to work with a variety of materials as well. This includes liquids, gasses, vapors, and even corrosive materials. Because of their versatility, most valves are ideal for an array of industries, including the manufacturing industry, the petrochemical industry, and the compressed gas industry.

Types of Valves

However, not all valves are the same. Many different types of valves are designed to work with specific materials and provide a particular function. To help you understand which valve is right for you, here’s a breakdown of a few of the most common valves for industrial systems.

Pressure Relief Valves

Pressure relief valves prevent overpressure situations for high-pressure systems. They’re designed to gradually open depending on the system’s current pressure levels. When pressure increases, the valve opens more so more fluid can flow through. This helps to maintain appropriate pressure levels and ensures stable and safe operations.

Globe Valves

Globe valves start, stop, and throttle the flow of the pipeline. The disc in the globe valve moves slowly from the seat to prevent vibrations and water hammer. Generally, companies use this valve as a regulating device and an on/off device.

Check Valves

Check valves help systems to maintain flow in one direction. This two-port device uses a clapper that lifts to keep fluids flowing in the right direction. When pressure in the system begins to decrease or when the flow starts to reverse, the flapper closes the valve to ensure proper directional flow.

Gate Valves

valves Gate valves are designed to be on/off valves for industrial companies. They won’t regulate the flow or pressure within a system, but they’re known to have lower pressure drops when correctly installed.

Ball Valves

Ball valves use a rotating ball to open and close so they can transfer various types of materials through a system. They’re known to be fast-acting valves, which makes them ideal for any start/stop application.

Materials and Selection

All valves are made with different types of materials. Depending on the application, you’ll need a valve made of a specific material to ensure proper operation. For example, if you’re looking for something that can withstand corrosion, you’ll need to choose a valve made of nickel alloys or other durable metals.

To ensure that you select the right valve for your system, consider the application and the type of liquid or gas through the system. This will help you understand what type of valve you need as well as which material will work best for your needs.

Valves are essential parts of any industrial system. If you’re looking for a high-quality valve for your company, check out CPV Manufacturing’s catalog of pressure relief, check, and gate valves. As a leading valve manufacturing company, CPV can provide you with the necessary insight to purchase the right products for your projects.

Globe Valve Direction Flow

Globe valves have become one of the most-used valves in companies in almost every industry. And with their ability to start, stop, and throttle fluid flow within a pipeline, it’s easy to see why. But how exactly do these valves work and what’s the globe valve direction flow? Read on to find out.

How Do Globe Valves Work?

Globe valves stop, start, and throttle the flow of a system depending on its operational position (fully or partially opened or closed). The valve is made of a spherical body and uses a disc to regulate the fluid flow within a pipeline. When the disc is positioned further away from the seat, more fluid will flow through the valve. When it’s closer to the seat, less fluid can pass through the system.

Generally, globe valves are used in systems such as flow-regulated fuel oil systems, flow-regulated cooling water system, and boiler, main steam, and heater vents and drains.

The construction and design of globe valves also makes them an ideal component for high-pressure and high-temperature systems. Plus they’re known to have less seat leakage than other types of valves.

Globe Valve Direction Flow

The most important thing to understand about globe valve direction flow is that they have specific flow directions. Depending on the application, a globe valve will have fluid flow above or below the disc.

Globe Valve Direction Flow Globe valves designed to have the pressure flowing under the disc are used in low-pressure and low-temperature applications such as general plumbing. This type of flow direction lets the disc to rotate freely on the valve stem. This allows the disc to fit properly against the seat as the valve closes, which results in less seat leakage

Globe valves can also have pressure flow above the seat when applied as part of high-pressure and high-temperature systems. This type of flow direction helps to prevent the stem from contracting when it cools down and will keep the disc from lifting off the seat.

To determine the globe valve flow direction, simply look at its body. Here, you should find an arrow indicating the valve flow direction.

Selecting the Right Globe Valve

The easiest way to choose the right globe valve for your company is to think about the application that you need to use it for. Those looking to regulate the flow of a basic system that operates with low-temperature and low-pressure materials should select a globe valve designed to have pressure flow under the seat. Those that need a valve to withstand more severe conditions should choose a globe valve that allows pressure to flow above the disc.

To learn more about globe valve flow direction and how to select the best valve for your plant, contact CPV Manufacturing today.

Gate Valve vs Globe Valve

Globe valves and gate valves are two of the most common valves in industrial plants. Both are designed to keep systems running as efficiently and safely as possible. However, contrary to popular belief, these valves aren’t the same.

These valves have similar bodies, but they feature their own unique designs and have their own applications. To help you understand the differences between globe valve vs gate valve, read the guide below.

Contact The Valve Experts

Globe Valves

Globe Valve vs Gate Valve Globe valves vs gate valves are designed for many applications in several fields, including the oil and gas industry. However, each valve doesn’t serve the same function.

Globe valves are generally used to stop, start, and regulate flow within a pipe. They’re made with a spherical body and a disc. The disc within the globe valve is designed to move up and down from the seat. These vertical movements allow the space between the disc and the seat to change slowly when the valve starts to close. This gives the valve good throttling ability and allows it to regulate flow within a pipeline.

The flow rate of a globe valve depends on the space between the disc and the seat. The further apart they are, the more liquid that will flow through the valve.

Globe valves are also designed with a stem connected to the bonnet right above the disc to maintain a tight seal when the valve is fully closed. Because of that, globe valves are less likely to experience seat leakage compared to other valves.

These valves can double as control valves and are commonly used for corrosive, highly viscous media as well as high-pressure and high-temperature systems.

Gate Valves

Gate valves are used in plants in the oil and gas industry as well. However, they’re designed only to start and stop flow within a piping system. They, unfortunately, won’t regulate flow.

Gate valves are also designed differently than globe valves. Instead of a disc, these valves have gate faces that are parallel or wedge shaped, and they’re designed with a rising or a non-rising stem. This helps workers understand when the valve is fully open or fully closed.

These valves are also known to have lower pressure drops and offer little resistance to fluid flow, especially in the fully open position. Most importantly, gate valves can be set in any directional flow. Globe valves, on the other hand, can’t.

Learn more about Globe Valve vs Gate Valve

For more information about globe valve vs gate valve for your business, contact CPV Manufacturing.

Training Valve and Control Engineers

Valve and control engineers are a critical part of any manufacturing plant. But as the industry continues to grow, it’s getting harder and harder to find skilled engineers with ample experience. This is causing plants to resort to hiring and training new recruits.

Training valve and control engineers can be a difficult process, especially when they have little to no experience. However, proper training is necessary to help them ensure that all valves and systems run smoothly and efficiently.

training valve To help you train your new team of workers, here are a few tips to ensure proper training for valve and control engineers in your plant.

Start with the Basics

We all know that there are tons of different valves and systems involved with manufacturing plants. However, new valve and control engineers may not have a proper understanding of the purpose, design, and difference of each valve. So start your new hire training by covering the basics.

Teach them about the different types of valves they’ll work with and a few other valves that are popular in your particular industry. Then tell them how each one works and their applications. You also want to make sure that you teach them basic valve service and repair procedures according to the manufacturer to prepare them for system failures and emergencies.

There are many areas to cover when training new engineers about valves. So use this helpful training program developed by the Valve Manufacturers Association of America to help you structure your training program for your new hires.

Train Them on New Industry Technologies

Petrochemical industry2 Industry 4.0 is bringing more and more technologies and advancements to the manufacturing sector than ever before. So employers need to make sure that they train new valve and control engineers on the latest industry technologies.

You need to teach them how each piece of advanced equipment works and what they need to do to operate them. Most importantly, make sure that your engineers understand the warning signs and issues associated with these technologies. This will help them catch and address problems as early as possible to prevent system damage and failure.

Prepare Workers for Any Job

Depending on your company, valve and control engineers may need to travel to offsite locations for valve services. So provide your employees with the proper training necessary to perform any job both in your facility and offsite.

You also want to make sure that your workers have a variety of resources before they travel offsite. For example, if they need to work at a location that includes several different valves or systems, they should have the right tools, spare parts, and documentation to help them understand what they need to do to service or repair those particular pieces of equipment.

The need for skilled valve and control engineers is rising. That means it’s more important than ever to provide your workers with the proper training needed to ensure that all systems and valves work smoothly and efficiently.

To learn more about how to train your workers and ensure success for your plant, check out CPV Manufacturing’s blog.

Preventing Valve Problems in Your Pipeline

Valves in pipelines can keep materials flowing smoothly through any industrial system. However, all valves are susceptible to certain problems that can negatively affect system operations and cause severe and expensive damage. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent valve problems in your pipelines.

Here are a few common problems and what you need to do to prevent them from occurring in your pipelines.

Water Hammer

Preventing Valve Problems in Your Pipeline Water hammer is a common problem with various types of systems and pipelines. It’s caused by pressure surges and shock waves that occur when the direction and flowrate of the liquid running through the system changes. Symptoms of water hammer include loud hammer noises and vibrations in the pipelines.

This pipeline problem is quite common, but it can cause severe system damages if left untreated. Partially closing the system’s current valves can help to reduce the velocity and pressure of the liquid flowing through the system. However, a better solution is installing a faster-closing valve. This type of valve is designed close at a faster rate to prevent the pressure surges and shock waves that cause water hammer.

Reverse Flow

Reverse flow occurs when the liquid flowing through the system suddenly changes direction. It’s one of the top issues that most plants deal with and the cause of extreme pipeline and overall system damage.

Preventing Valve Problems in Your Pipeline Like water hammer, reverse flow can be prevented by using a silent check valve, a spring-assisted in-line valve, and other types of faster-closing valves. These types of valves are designed to close as soon as the forward flow velocity of the liquid reaches zero to prevent reverse flow.

Valve Leaks

Valve leaks are a widespread issue many plants face on a regular basis. The best way to prevent them is by ensuring that the valves installed in your system are the proper size and designed to perform with the material flowing through the pipeline.

Valves that are properly fitted to the pipes are less likely to leak than those that are too big or too small. On top of that, valves of certain materials may only help to prevent leaks for systems using certain liquids. With that said, it’s important to check your valves to ensure that they’re made of the proper materials to help prevent leaks.

Additional Tips to Prevent Valve Problems

In addition to the few tips mentioned above, you want to perform the following maintenance to prevent valve problems in your pipelines:

Replace old, deteriorating valves.
Ensure that valves are lubricated.
Clean valves as needed.

These tips will not only help to prevent valve problems in your pipeline, but they’ll also help to preserve the condition of your valves so they can help your system perform optimally for years to come.

For more information about how to prevent valve problems in your pipeline, check out our post on symptoms of a failing valve and how to prevent it.

What Is a Check Valve?

Check valves are often referred to as misunderstood or forgotten by many industry experts. However, check valves are one of the most important valves in a system. They work to ensure smooth operations and safety. But what is a check valve and how does it work?

What Is a Check Valve & Their Purpose?

what is a check valve Check valves are found in just about any type of facility from industrial plants to homes. They help to prevent reverse flow of fluids and gases within a system. Simply put, their sole purpose is to keep fluid flowing forward.

They’re two-port valves designed for specific cracking pressure, or the amount of upstream pressure needed for a valve to work. On top of that, check valves are self-automated, so they don’t need any form of manual assistance to help them open and close.

How Do Check Valves Work?

The overall construction of check valves is designed to keep fluids in one direction through a pipeline. These valves come with a clapper that’s attached to a hinge and a clapper shift or pint that’s mounted to the underside of the bonnet within the body of the valve.

The clapper lifts and allows fluid to flow through the system in one direction. This causes the valve to open. If fluid pressure decreases or flow begins to reverse, the flapper is triggered to close to help maintain directional flow.

How much the valve will open depends on the flow rate of the system, or the amount of fluid passing through. The more fluid traveling through the pipeline, the more the valve will open. Usually, the full open position of a check valve is about 85 degrees depending on the type you’re using.

Learn more about how a check valve works here.

Why Do You Need Check Valves?

what is a check valve Check valves are one of the most-used valves available and for good reason. These valves can help to boost efficiency and ensure safety for many types of systems.

For example, check valves can operate even when a facility loses power or when a device is off. This means they can keep the flow rate and direction steady so reverse flow is prevented.

Check valves can also help to prevent flooding in devices like water heaters. Plus they work to prevent damage to control valves, strainers, and flow meters caused by reverse flow of materials.

Check Valve Types and Selection

There are numerous types of check valves for just about any application. These ball check valves, swing check valves, and split disc check valves.

One top of that, brands like CPV Manufacturing offer different kinds of check valves based on your specific needs. Their check valves include the following:

To learn more about check valves and choosing the appropriate valve for your specific needs, contact CPV Manufacturing today.

Types of Check Valves and Their Recommended Applications

Check valves are one of the most important valves for any system, whether for industrial equipment or a household item. They’re critical for ensuring the proper operation and to prevent reverse flow and damage. However, types of check valves are designed for a specific application.

To help you choose the right check valve for your needs, here are a few of the most common types of check valves and their recommended applications.

Contact The Valve Experts

Types of Check Valves: Swing Check Valves

Types of Check Valves Swing check valves feature a simple design complete with a disc attached to a hinge at the top. As fluid passes through, the valve remains open. When a reverse flow occurs, the changes in motion as well as gravity help to bring down the disc, effectively closing the valve.

These types of check valves are commonly used for firefighting and flood prevention in sewage systems. They’re also designed to work with materials such as gas, liquids, and other types of media.

Types of Check Valves: Stop-Check Valves

Stop-check valves can be used for many applications. They’re designed to start, stop, and regulate the flow of materials, and they help to prevent backflow.

If pressure in the system is too low, these valves will automatically close to prevent reverse flow. As a result, damage usually caused by backflow is prevented.

stop-check-valve These types of check valves also work with an external mechanism or an override control. With these, you can set the valve to close regardless of flow direction or pressure to ensure safety and efficient operations.

Generally, stop-check valves are used in power plants and boiler systems. They’re also beneficial for petroleum production and refining, hydrocarbon processing, and high-pressure safety services.

Types of Check Valves: Ball Check Valves

Unlike other valves, ball check valves use a spherical ball inside their bodies to help control the flow direction in pipes and systems. This ball rotates freely when fluid passes through the system, which causes a wiping motion and even wear between the ball and seat. According to Valve Magazine, this unique action makes ball check valves ideal for systems working with viscous materials.

If pressure decreases or reverse flow is detected, the ball will move toward the seat. This creates a seal and helps to maintain the appropriate direction of fluid flow.

Ball check valves are one of the most common valves available. Industrial systems as well as common household items use them. In fact, The Valve Pipeline states that ball check valves can be found in liquid or gel mini-pump dispenser spigots, spray devices, and manual air pumps.

On top of that, ball check valves are used for metering pumps and chromatography pumps as well.

Types of Check Valves: Silent Check Valves

Silent check valves are incredibly useful for water pipelines and systems. These valves are engineered to control and protect against pressure surges that can occur in water lines. They also work to prevent water hammer and reverse flow.

Silent check valves are constructed with a spring-assisted disc. When fluid pressure in the valve is higher than the cracking pressure, or the pressure needed open or close the valve, the spring lowers the disc to prevent reverse flow.

The valve is also manufactured to include a guide to keep the disc moving in a vertical. This allows it to reseat properly.

Contact CPV Manufacturing for more information regarding the types of check valves and their recommended applications.

How Does a Hydraulic System Work? O-Seal Trusted by the Navy

Hydraulic systems can be found in everything from cars to industrial machinery. They’re designed to provide power, control, safety, and reliability, but how does a hydraulic system work?

How Does a Hydraulic System Work?

How Does a Hydraulic System Work Hydraulic systems are made up of numerous parts:

The reservoir holds hydraulic fluid.

The hydraulic pump moves the liquid through the system and converts mechanical energy and motion into hydraulic fluid power.

The electric motor powers the hydraulic pump.

The valves control the flow of the liquid and relieve excessive pressure from the system if needed.

The hydraulic cylinder converts the hydraulic energy back into mechanical energy.

There are also numerous types of hydraulic systems, but each contains the same main components listed above. They’re also all designed to work the same way.

Hydraulic systems use the pump to push hydraulic fluid through the system to create fluid power. The fluid passes through the valves and flows to the cylinder where the hydraulic energy converts back into mechanical energy. The valves help to direct the flow of the liquid and relieve pressure when needed.

Hydraulic Systems on Ships

How Does a Hydraulic System Work In addition to vehicles and industrial machinery, hydraulic systems can be found on ships. Hydraulic systems on ships are used in various applications. For example, systems used for cargo systems make carrying heavy materials and performing other cargo operations easier and less time consuming.

A ship’s engine room also includes hydraulic systems such as a hydraulic automatic control system. These help to regulate valve positions as well as the pneumatic air pressure in the engine room.

On top of that, hydraulic systems in a ship’s stabilizers prevent the vessel from rolling and ensure a smooth performance across open waters.

Plus many industrial ships include machinery and tools like deck cranes that are run by hydraulic systems.

O-Seal Valves and Fittings and the Navy

Hydraulic systems can be found on many US Navy vessels. And with help from CPV Manufacturing and our line of O-Seal valves and fittings, these systems can ensure smooth operations and safety.

Our line of O-Seal products was developed in the 1950s when CPV Manufacturing started working with the US Navy. We wanted to make sure that every component of our high-pressure couplings met US Navy specifications. However, testing each connection would have been too strenuous and dangerous to do by hand. That’s when we created a test stand using O-ring connections.

Contact The Valve Experts

This method allows us to easily disassemble and reassemble each component to perform each test to ensure proper performance and safety. We then took those concepts and developed our line of O-Seal products.

Benefits of O-Seal Valves and Fittings in Hydraulic Systems

CPV Manufacturing’s O-Seal valves and fittings are unique. Unlike other valves, our products are leakproof and designed to last. On top of that, they can withstand extreme temperatures and are rated for vacuum to 6,000 psi in liquid or gas applications, making them ideal for many types of hydraulic systems.

However, what makes our O-Seal valves truly unique is that they come with interchangeable parts. The soft goods in the cartridge can be removed and made with different types of materials for certain applications.

The versatility of our O-Seal products presents a cost-effective solution for the US Navy and many other companies across the globe. With interchangeable parts, our O-Seal valves can be used for a number of applications, which means companies no longer purchase additional valves to run their systems.

To learn more about our line of O-Seal products, contact CPV Manufacturing now.

How to Improve Control Valve Performance in Your Plant

Control valves are one of the leading factors in plant efficiency. They’re designed to keep systems operating smoothly and safely. However, with time, a valve’s performance can plunge. Luckily, there are ways to prevent that and optimize its performance.

Here are some of the ways that you can improve control valve performance in your plant.

Minimize Contamination

How to Improve Control Valve Performance Control valves are one of the leading factors in plant efficiency. They’re designed to keep systems operating smoothly and safely. However, with time, a valve’s performance can plunge. Luckily, there are ways to prevent that and optimize its performance.

Here are some of the ways that you can improve control valve performance in your plant.

Minimize Contamination

Most control valve issues stem from contamination damage. When air flows through the valve, particles combine with moisture and oil droplets and form a substance that builds up in the valve’s orifice. This can lead to unreliable valve operation as well as issues with the pneumatic signal.

Avoiding potentially damaging air in your plant can, at times, be impossible. However, there are ways to minimize the effects of dirty air. One option would be use an inline filter upstream of the control valve for optimum performance and longevity.

Preventing Damage from Vibrations

How to Improve Control Valve Performance For a control valve to work properly, the linkage within the assembly must provide feedback on the valves’ position so the control instrument can control it accurately. Unfortunately, vibrations that occur around the assembly can cause damage and severe wear and tear to the linkage. This can make it fail in providing the necessary feedback.

Proper Monitoring and Diagnostics

Ensuring immediate maintenance is key to improving any valve’s operation in your plant. There are many technologies available that can be used to deliver the diagnostic information needed to monitor the performance of the control valve in your plant.

With the information gathered from these technologies, plants can understand exactly how the valve is performing and spot any minor issues. They can then provide the right services at the best times to avoid valve failure. Best of all, this prevents unanticipated malfunctions and downtime.

Choosing the Right Control Valve

According to an article in Valve Magazine, the control valve is critical to plant optimization but only when the right valve is used. To ensure the performance for your valve and your plant, it’s important to make sure that you choose the right valve.

To do that, you must consider what type of system you’re operating. Some control valves are made with material specifically designed to work with certain applications. On top of that, the control valve must be the right size for the pipe. There are a variety of other factors you must consider to find the right valve for your plant. To learn more, contact CPV Manufacturing.

Above all, once you select the right control valve, perform routine performance tests and audits to stay on top of its condition. These tests can give you information on possible control issues so you can better prevent decreases in performance.

The control valve is critical to any plant’s operation, so follow the tips above to improve and maintain your control valves’ performance.