Whether firms carry out their own control valve maintenance or use a third party, the design of a control valve will influence their strategy and budget, says Spirax Sarco.
To stay one step-ahead of unexpected maintenance challenges, consider the following vital areas:
Materials: You can help yourself by asking whether the materials have been chosen with the process conditions in mind. For example, what grade of stainless steel has been chosen for the control valve internals, and will this stand up to the potential for corrosion and erosion?
Can it be maintained?: On the surface of it a control valve may be advertised as maintainable. In reality, however this is not always the case. For instance, control valves with screwed in seats are notoriously difficult to maintain with the seat sometimes being impossible to remove. Leaving you with no option but to live with an underperforming control valve or take the unenviable route of buying a new one.
Ease of maintenance: This key point can significantly impact process downtime and the quality of the control valve after it has been maintained. You may also take the decision to carry out maintenance in-house or use a third party, dependent on the ease of maintenance.
One way of having total peace of mind when it comes to control systems is to find out more about how maintenance contracts can help you.
For more information, click here.
