ASME Section III, Class 3 Valve W/ "N" Stamp
ASME Section III, Class 3 Valve W/ "N" Stamp
(OP)
Hi,
I am working on a modification that requires the replacement of ASME Section III, Class 3 valve which requires the "N" stamp. The valve is needed for the upcoming outage that is 2 months from now. Unfortunately, the lead time for new valve is no less than 48 weeks. I am reaching out to other utilities to locate a valve that I can use. What I need to know is what process to I need to follow to qualify the new valve for my application and how long the process takes.
Thanks
I am working on a modification that requires the replacement of ASME Section III, Class 3 valve which requires the "N" stamp. The valve is needed for the upcoming outage that is 2 months from now. Unfortunately, the lead time for new valve is no less than 48 weeks. I am reaching out to other utilities to locate a valve that I can use. What I need to know is what process to I need to follow to qualify the new valve for my application and how long the process takes.
Thanks





RE: ASME Section III, Class 3 Valve W/ "N" Stamp
Alternately, you may need to go with a different type of valve that your plant already has in stock, or different size. If you need a 2" gate valve, but you have a 3" gate valve in your warehouse, you could use that with a modification. There are lots of possibilities but valve companies just don't stock ASME valves on the shelf anymore. Worst case, you might need to temporarily use something else until you can get the proper original design valve delivered and then replace it again.
Also, there are companies you can order the valve from that will perform the required Code reconciliations, etc. for you. NLI is one company we use quite a bit. Structural Integrity Associates is another company that does Code reconciliation a lot.
RE: ASME Section III, Class 3 Valve W/ "N" Stamp
All of this comes out when performing the code reconciliation, which is required per ASME Section XI IWA-4000. If you have never done one of these before, you will need help, and jpankask's recommendations above are good ones, but I am sure you have engineers at your plant who can also help.
BTW, I wouldn't recommend putting a 3" valve on a 2" line. You will have a "head scratcher" installed for the life of your plant. What I mean by that is that people will see the valve, stop and scratch their heads, and say "What idiot engineer did THAT?" Also, the additional weight would likely cause some piping analysis issues.
The best solution is to defer the mod to the following outage so you can get the proper valve.