The Characteristics of Quality Cryogenic Valves
When selecting a valve, it’s important to understand where cryogenic temperatures start. In the oil and gas industry, the cryogenic temperature range starts at –238 degrees Fahrenheit. Certain gases are considered cryogenic because they take more than just an increase in pressure to compress their volume.
Understanding Valves
Nathaniel Paxton, Cameron product manager, said, “A general rule is that continuous temperatures less than –100 degrees are considered cryogenic service and warrant specific valve preparation.”
Severe temperature variations of a cryogenic nature can be dangerous for the valve. When heat is gained from the environment, the components of a valve (body, bonnet, stem, stem seals, ball, seats, etc) contract and expand. That’s why there’s insulation in valves and piping.
During gas processing, we deal with the physical properties of gases, such as liquefied natural gas, nitrogen, oxygen, argon, and helium. The liquids don’t want to be at atmospheric pressure and can violently transform.
There’s always the buildup of pressure in the processing of cryogens because of the heat gain from the environment. For this reason, the valve/piping system must be designed specifically to allow for the buildup of pressure.
Selecting a Valve
Many choose quarter-turn ball valves for valve type in cryogenic service because of their tight shut-off capabilities. For larger valves, gate valves are utilized over ball valves.
For piping connections, flange and welded configurations are typically used, but it’s also about customer preference.
Ensuring Valves Are Clean
While cryogenic valves do not need to be cleaned and assembled in a clean room, valves that go into critical services, such as oxygen or other products that would be specified by the end user, do need to be cleaned.
Safety is the top priority at CPV Manufacturing, so making sure that our valves and fittings are clean is crucial. These were our thoughts when we made an investment and installed our 10,000 class oxygen clean room in our facility.
We provide commercial oxygen cleaning for the compressed gas market, and our valves are used in high-pressure oxygen systems. Our class 10,000 clean room is above and beyond the industry standard.
In addition to the compressed gas industry, we also provide oxygen cleaning for a wide array of industries such as government officials and the petrochemical industry.
CPV’s designs and products exceed industry and customer specification and meet all standards of performance, reliability, and quality. CPV Manufacturing’s Quality Management System is certified in Design, Material, Fabrication, and Testing and meets the requirement of MIL-I-45208, SUBSAFE Level 1, EB 2678.
Contact CPV Manufacturing directly if you have any questions or would like to learn more about our products.