SEVERE SERVICE The Titan severe service ball valves, which offer a substantial service life, were supplied with Rotork actuators for use in an extreme slurry application at Sasol
Commercial and technical valve solution specialist Heaton Valves Africa (HVA) last month supplied 14 Titan severe service ball valves for the second phase of petrochemicals giant Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch wax expansion project (FTWEP).
The FTWEP involves the construction of a new wax plant at the Sasol One site, in Sasolburg. Phase 1 of the project was commissioned in July.
The new facility is expected to double the production of hard waxes, and increase the production of medium waxes that are mostly used for South Africa’s candle industry.
The plant will also increase liquid paraffin production, used in a variety of industrial applications, such as bitumen, which is used in road construction, printing ink and adhesives, with total production of all wax products expected to increase by about 65%.
HVA technical consultant George Wilkinson tells Engineering News that the Titan severe service ball valves were supplied with Rotork actuators for use in an extreme slurry application, as these valves offer a substantial service life, lasting much longer, compared with other valves.
“Moreover, the Titan severe service ball seated valve is locally manufactured, meeting and exceeding all relevant American National Standards Institute (ANSI), American Petroleum Institute (API) and US-based ASTM standards; they are also tested according to API 598,” says Wilkinson.
Multiple actuation options are also available and sizes range from 15 mm to 600 mm, with flange classes from ANSI 150 to 600 as standard.
He further explains that the valve comprises an integral hard-faced body seat, ground and lapped, to ensure positive sealing and to eliminate seat gasket leakage issues.
“Additionally, the high-velocity, oxy-fuel tungsten carbide ball and seat coatings, with enhanced ground finishes ensure smooth, low-torque operation, while the heavy-duty disc springs eliminate the ingress of medium between ball and seat,” Wilkinson stresses.
Titan valves can be used as tight shut-off, isolating valves, as well as on modulating control applications, which could range from cryogenic temperatures to temperatures of up to 850 °C. The valve is also ideal for use in emergency shutdowns, as it can isolate flow in less than five seconds.
Other key features include, but are not limited to, ball and seat coatings several times harder than the valve industry standard stellite, zero leakage, ball and seats in constant wiping contact, the highest calorific value of any valve type, an uninterrupted flow for abrasive media, and easy automation.
Titan Reach
In addition to the supply of Titan valves to Sasol, HVA has received another multimillion-rand order for the supply of more than 20 valves for Sasol’s new coal tar filtration (CTF) east plant in Secunda, Mpumalanga.
Sasol reported in June 2014 that the CTF east project, which will increase tar-processing capacity to avoid tar dumping, was expected to reach beneficial operation in the first half of the 2017 calendar year.
HVA expects to supply the valves next month.
“HVA has been supplying Sasol with an entire range of specialist valves for the past 15 years and the company looks forward to maintaining its supply relationship and increasing its involvement in new projects in future,” Wilkinson concludes.