industry throughout the world and have been aware of
the difficulties with globe valves for some time. However,
following an investment in some specialist machines that
we bought especially to handle the difficulties mentioned,
we have already coated globe valves from 12 - 24 in. Since
installation, these machines played an important part in the
initial planning for globe valve contracts and have applied
anti-corrosive coatings to the first batch of globe valve in the
current contract.”
Dedicated welding equipment
The machines extend the size and scope of corrosion resistant
coating contracts that Arc Energy can handle. The automated
machines manipulate the welding
torch around a fixed component,
accurately positioning it to apply
the overlay to large and/or complex
components using MIG or HW TIG.
Having worked with the
machines for five years, Arc Energy
has gained valuable experience
of their strengths, one of which
is its versatility. This has enabled
Arc Energy’s experienced welding
engineering team – which have
many years of experience between
them – to develop a technique
that enables the company to
dramatically improve access to the
internal surfaces and vastly improve
the coverage and consistency of
the coatings that can be applied
to difficult internal and external
surfaces. Significantly, this technique
has proved extremely valuable in
the application of coatings for globe
valves.
In order to supplement the
existing equipment, Arc Energy
has also invested in new state
of the art bicathode equipment
from Polysoude. The new process
significantly increases the deposition
rate whilst maintain top quality weld
metal.
Designing a successful
coating operation
Robinson states: “To achieve the
improvements we now work with
valve manufacturers to develop
certain aspects at the design stage,
which enable us to apply coatings
more efficiently and cost effectively.
The developers then analyse
our suggestions to confirm the
functionality of the globe valves is
still intact.”
In terms of the design changes needed to enable the
coating operation to succeed, Arc Energy briefed the
customer’s engineering teams on the specific design changes
involved, and followed that with further discussions and
demonstrations at its Eastington facilities covering every
aspect of the project. The customer accepted that the new
approach was a combination of knowledge based on years
of engineering experience in the oil and gas industry, with
experience of how globe valves work and their functionality.
Whilst also showing that the changes would not reduce the
performance flow of the globe valves, the engineers who
design, produce and sell the actual products, were impressed
that lasting material flowrates could be accurately maintained.
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