Lubricated & Non-Lubricated Plug Valves?
Lubricated & Non-Lubricated Plug Valves?
(OP)
As far as I know there are Lubricated Plug Valves & Nun-Lubricated Plug Valves.
According to my short experience Non-Lubricated Plug Valves are mainly used in process industries like petrochemical or refining & Lubricated Plug Valves are used in Crude Oil Pipelines.
Can anyone tell my why?
Thanks,
Nerio.





RE: Lubricated & Non-Lubricated Plug Valves?
Lubricated plug valves are used in applications where the lubricant will not render the process contaminated. Mining, gas, petroleum are reasonably typical. To cycle a nonlubricated plug valve, it is appropriate to first exercise the lubricator, forcing sealant between the plug and the body. This "floats" the plug clear of the body so it can be turned. Sealant (frequently called "grease" is specially formulated for the intended application, and the sealant selected should not be washed away nor react with the process fluid.
Take a look at the Flowserve.com website under "Durco" for nonlubricated plug valves and for "Nordstrom" for Lubed valves.
RE: Lubricated & Non-Lubricated Plug Valves?
Too much or not enough grease can cause problems and we could never get the operations & maintenance folks to do the right thing, even with training. Debating union job duties came into play.
RE: Lubricated & Non-Lubricated Plug Valves?
Thanks,
RE: Lubricated & Non-Lubricated Plug Valves?
I spent a lot of time and money ripping them out of a natural gas gathering system I operated because we simply did not have the attention span to keep them properly lubricated.
David
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
www.muleshoe-eng.com
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
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RE: Lubricated & Non-Lubricated Plug Valves?
Geoffrey D Stone FIMechE C.Eng;FIEAust CP Eng
www.waterhammer.bigblog.com.au
RE: Lubricated & Non-Lubricated Plug Valves?
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Not a problem as long as the crude oil service is within the published ratings of the plug valve.
zdas04, One big difference between plug valves and ball valves: If the plug valve leaks, it can be adjusted to restore shutoff. This is particularly true of nonlubricated plug valves. If a ball valve starts to leak, you shut down the line, pull the valve, strip out the guts, and replace the seat(s).
RE: Lubricated & Non-Lubricated Plug Valves?
In upstream, if a ball valve leaks through and injecting grease doesn't fix it, we replace the whole valve--the downtime to kit it is worth more than the savings.
David