CASE STUDY

Live Valve Insertion

AFT is an emerging Live Services Company in the southwest region. Advanced Flow Technologies is focused on using advancing equipment and cutting edge mechanical technology to answer the need of every customer consulted on planning, executing or preventing shutdowns.

Industry: Mechanical Division: Live Piping Solutions

Project: Large multi-building campus sharing mechanical systems from two (2) CUP's. Chilled water and heating water being critical systems for cooling and humidity control.

Challenge: Heating/Hot water system transports through underground tunnel from North CUP to South CUP. The piping is galvanized with Victaulic couplings throughout the tunnel and has limited isolation outside of Central Utility Plants. One (1) Victaulic coupling starting leaking in the tunnel with many hundreds of feet to drain if isolated with valves that were currently installed. This option would depressurize and cool many other couplings in the system, leaving a potential for more leaks when pressure and heat is restored. This was not a desired outcome, and AFT was consulted on alternative options.

Specifications: AFT collected system data on-site to develop options of isolation with minimal operation loss and minimal draining.

- 6” schedule 40 galvanized steel -30 years of age - Design pressure - 150 psi - Operating pressure of 95 psi - Design temperature - 180 degrees - Operating temperature - 140° to 160°

Solution: Pipe needed to be isolated in a short section around leak. With a lack of valves in the tunnel, new permanent valves in-line would be beneficial for future isolation. The Hydra-Stop IV-250 Insta-Valve is rated at or above system design specifications - 250 psi @ 180°. The Insta-Valve was a great option for this older pipe with years of build-up on the inside wall of piping. A resilient rubber wafer is used in the IV- 250 to seal against the inside wall of the pipe with the strength to compress into the wall of the pipe at 800 ft. lbs. of torque. The saddles were installed and tested ahead of time designated for isolation. After valves were installed, they could be shut under full operation pressure and temperature leaving the two CUPs operational and feeding most of the buildings from either side of the Insta-Valves. The line was isolated for 12 hours with 100% shut off.

Pipefreezing * Hot Tapping * Live Valve Insertion * Line-Stopping Services