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Welcome to the
Summer 2009 HSP Aberdeen Newsletter |
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We have decided to launch this e-newsletter in order
to keep you informed of all the most recent developments
within our company and the industry. I look forward
to sharing our future editions with you.
We are continuously evolving as a business and have
invested in our portfolio of products and services
to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry.
Our responsiveness and real time delivery is acknowledged
to be one of the most progressive in our field.
Our success has been built on over many years by
providing customers with a reliable and exceptional
service, coupled with offering the most appropriate
valves from our stock of the world's leading valve
manufacturers. Our strong relationships and partnerships
with leading valve manufacturers have resulted in
HSP being able to deliver unrivalled levels of service.
This is an exciting time for us, we are continuing to grow as a business with annual sales of £20m and we have doubled our stock holding to over £5m in our Teesside and Aberdeen warehouses; in reaction to recent industry demands. We are committed to growing our valve offering by working with world class manufacturers. This has been recently demonstrated with the increase in stock of Valbart Trunnion Mounted valves and Hobbs Triple Offset Butterfly valves.
Yet this fruition would not happen without the strong
team and excellent work ethic we have developed
at HSP. To strengthen our ongoing commitment to
providing customers with the highest service in
response to our growth, we have increased our staff
levels and product portfolio to ensure that the
most appropriate valves are delivered on time and
that stock is maintained and selected to suit local
requirements and specifications.
Don't forget to visit our updated website,
click here now. We hope that you enjoy our first
newsletter and would appreciate any feedback.
Derrick Mackenzie
General Manager
Aberdeen Office
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HSP Appoints New Sales Manager |
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We have appointed Raymond Watson as our Area Sales
Manager for Scotland. This appointment will strengthen
our ongoing commitment to providing unrivalled levels
of quality and service and will further support
the company's strong reputation as a leading provider
of world-class valves.
Chief Executive, Peter Everett comments on his appointment,
"I am delighted to have a focused Area Sales
Manager, such as Raymond, to support and promote
our business development in Scotland. His expertise,
skill and proven ability to anticipate and meet
customer demands make him a welcome addition to
our successful team."
Raymond brings with him a wealth of experience having
a strong professional mechanical engineering background.
He has worked for reputable companies such as Thomson
Valve and Rotork PCC.
Raymond has an extensive and diverse experience
within the valve industry, which has been acquired
during his previous roles within leading companies
and end users such as BP.
In his new role, Raymond will focus on promoting
our corporate profile, products and service offering
throughout Scotland. He will play a fundamental
role in increasing and driving new business opportunities,
in particular the company's turnkey actuator package.
Raymond comments on his new role, "A new job
is always a pleasure, but it has helped working
in an enjoyable, friendly and professional environment.
I am very much looking forward to promoting H.S.Pipequipment's
dynamic business, whilst driving the business forward
and meeting the challenges over the next few years."
We our continuing to enhance our truly global position
and we are strategically employing experienced personnel
in key positions to improve our service levels,
so we are better placed to create a world-class
company, who can provide customers with the technical
support their business requires. |
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Exclusive Stockists in the UK for Maxseal Solenoid Valves |
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For the last five years, HSP has been the exclusive
stockist in the UK for Maxseal's range of solenoid
valves and ancillaries. Stock is held in our strategically
located operations in Aberdeen and Teesside, where
ultra quick and even same day deliveries are available.
Maxseal solenoid valves have over 50 years of experience
operating in the worlds most extreme and hazardous
environments. The range sets rigorous standards
for safety on ESD, HIPP Systems and process control
in the most demanding environments for the worlds
offshore and petrochemical industries. The Maxseal
range includes the market leading IC04S EExd direct
acting solenoid valve, the IC02S EExia Pilot operated
solenoid valve and following the phenomenal success
of the IC04, over the last five decades, the Compact
ICO3S solenoid valve has evolved. All Maxseal products
utilise the same stringent design and performance,
all of which are SIL certified and have full ST
construction accreditations.
We were recently recognised by a leading UK refinery
to source Maxseal solenoid valves, due to our comprehensive
stock and off the shelf deliveries. Upon visiting
the site, we identified an existing solenoid valve
that had been in operation successfully since the
early seventies which required replacing in order
to meet with the SIL legislation that was being
brought into place. The Maxseal IC04S valve needed
certifying to SIL 3 standard and to replace SIL
4 to a redundant mode. Furthermore, Maxseal and
HSP provided a cost effective solution by the replacement
of a like for like IC04S valve some 30 years later.
Effective safety practise is an absolutely imperative.
With the assistance of the MTBF information gathered
from many blue chip end users, it is established
that they would use nothing less than the market
leading manufactures like Maxseal and leading stockists
and distributors such as us. When it comes to safety,
why settle for anything less. You can feel confident
of the safety and integrity of Maxseal products
having been assessed through genuine field delivered
data as oppose to lab conditioned supplied data
that many manufacturers submit.
Maxseal are committed to continuously developing
their product range to support and meet the exacting
standards in the Chemical, Gas Turbine, Naval, Nuclear
Power, Offshore, Petrochemical and Pharmaceutical
applications. This is apparent through their latest
IC03S EExd solenoid valve, which now has a low power
consumption of two watts and is available as a Numar
mounted, direct acting valve. This alleviates the
need for a pilot, which is commonly found in most
Numar designed valves, making the IC03S EExd a much
safer design.We have doubled our inventory to stock
a wide range of Maxseal products, available from
¼"to 4" solenoids with various voltages
and pressure ranges up to 414 bar. |
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 Despite
the recent decline in oil prices and the hiatus
investment in new projects, the global valve market
continues to develop. Driven by difficult operating
environments and HSE concerns, the specifications
for valves have become more varied and complex.
In addition many customers are planning activities
on tight programmes and taking a punitive view of
late delivery.
In this difficult environment we can play a vital
role in the oil and gas industry by providing local
support as well as products to ensure that projects
can be completed on time.
We have been developing our portfolio of products
and services to meet the ever-changing demands of
the industry. In terms of stock we have doubled
our inventory to over £5m. Whether it's a small-bore
forged valve, triple offset butterfly valves or
a large trunnion mounted ball valve, we recognise
the importance of a comprehensive range of products
with differing technical specifications. We hold
a complete portfolio of products including: Bonney
Forge, Valbart (formerly Velan srl). Della Foglia,
Audco, Maxseal, Crane Stockham, Hobbs and Larsen
and Tubro and represents specialist world leading
manufacturers such as OMS Saleri and Orton.
In terms of recent stock investments, we have added
trunnion mounted ball valves from Valbart in Italy,
formally part of the Velan group and widely known
and respected, with client approvals from Saudi
Aramco, Shell and Total to name a few. Further investments
in terms of triple offset butterfly valves, where
we now stock valves in low temp carbon steel, aluminium
bronze and super duplex valves.
These products are available and supplied to our
worldwide customers including areas such as Kazakhstan,
and the Middle East. Our services include rapid
responsiveness to enquiries for help and a world-class
attention to detail. Whether it is a kick off meeting
or site support, customers can be sure that the
right information will be provided on time.
When it comes to refitting operating sites there
is always a requirement for shutdown planning and
for the distributor to be close to staff on site
to offer support and guidance. We work conscientiously
to identify customer needs and anticipate what products
may be required. This allows for a quick response
in case of unexpected requirements.
As the demands of HSE grow, the requirement for
the supply of documentation has become critical.
Our documentation team can provide documents in
accordance with all customer requirements, including
Russian translations.
These services have enabled us to build our reputation
as a world-class provider of services to the Oil
and Gas industry in the UK, Middle East and Europe.
By reacting to customer demands and by stocking
a comprehensive portfolio of products ensures that
we can deliver the most appropriate valves on time. |
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Attention to Detail and Communication is the Key to Successful Valve Actuation |
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 Over
the last four years we have significantly grown
our valve actuation service with over £20m sales
of actuated valves to customers in the UK and overseas.
We are able to provide a diverse range of actuated
valves that vary both in design and dimensions ranging
in sizes from 1 to 48 inch diameter and in pressure
ratings up to Class 2500.
Actuators provide automatic control by physically
opening and closing valves in response to a signal
from an independent power source. The actuator is
mounted upon the valve to provide remote operations.
The actuator can be moved into position by air,
gas, electric or liquid energy, depending on the
power source available at the site and the control
systems that are required. Most actuators are used
to move valves to either a fully opened or fully
closed position. However, in the case of control
or position regulating valves, the valves are given
a positioning signal to move to a specific position.
The need for valve actuators to provide the interface
between the control intelligence and the physical
movement of a valve has grown significantly in recent
years. Remote operation of valves in large plants
is often essential but there is an added need for
increased working safety and the environmental protection
that valve actuators can provide.
There are several basic types of valve actuators:
electric, pneumatic and hydraulic. Electric actuators
are dependent on an electrical power source for
their rotary or linear operation. These valves respond
to a signal and automatically move to a desired
position using single-phase or three-phase AC /
DC motors, which drive a combination of gears
to generate the desired torque level.
Rotary electric actuators use ball, plug and butterfly
valves that rotate a quarter-turn from open to close.
Linear electric actuators are used on gate, globe
and diaphragm valves.
Pneumatic and Hydraulic actuators can either be
classified as single acting (e.g. Emergency Shut
Down or ESD valves) where the air or hydraulics
operate the valves in one direction and a spring
in the opposite direction. Alternatively, these
actuators can be double acting, where the air or
hydraulic fluid operates the valve in both directions.
Pneumatic actuators adjust valve position by converting
air pressure into linear or rotary motion. Similarly,
electro hydraulic valve actuators and hydraulic
valve actuators convert fluid pressure into motion. When
large valves are being actuated it is often necessary
to mount the actuators on mechanical gearboxes in
order to provide increased torque outputs.
Given the various choices of actuator available
and their individual design features, the selection
of the correct actuator is as critical as selecting
the correct valve. The design of the actuation package
has also to take account of critical site information
such as the power supply available and air and hydraulic
fluid pressure.
In addition to this information, it is necessary
to establish the action required from the actuator
should there be a failure. In the case of the fail
action of an electric actuator this is described
as "Stay Put" in the event of power failure.
In the case of pneumatic and hydraulic actuators,
these spring return actuators are either fail open
or fail close. In the case of a double acting actuator,
it will need to be established if the actuator is
fail "stay put" (and maintained by air
pressure) or fail "stay put drift". If
its "fail stay put" then it will be necessary
to advise the stroke operations required from the
air or hydraulic fluid tank.
Other critical information required for the design
of the actuated package are the valve torque figures.
These are the physical forces that are required
for various positions of the actuator. The manufacturer
of the valve normally provides these torque figures.
Depending on the valve
type the following information is required: |
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The
maximum torque required to break (unseat)
the valve element from its fully closed
(seated) position, against the maximum
pressure differential in the valve.
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The
maximum running torque required to operate
the valve against the applicable flow
rate and the differential pressure in
the valve.
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The
maximum torque required to seat the
valve in its fully open position.
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The
maximum torque required to unseat the
valve from its fully open position to
start closing.
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The
maximum torque required to close (seat)
the valve in its fully closed position.
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The
direction of operation required to close
the valve - clockwise or anticlockwise.
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The
most contentious matter in actuator sizing,
are the Safety Factors. Safety Factors are
defined as the difference between the torque
requirements of the valve and the torque
generated by the actuator. These are often
empirical factors developed by end users
that provide some comfort in sizing calculations
and as such there can be significant variation
in the industry.
Generally the Safety Factor should be a
minimum of 1.25 (i.e. the actuator torque
is 1.25 higher than the minimum valve torque)
It is important not to apply a higher than
required Safety Factor, especially for pneumatic
actuators. The result of this can be mechanical
breakage of valve stems and adaptation kits
(the connection between the valve and actuator).
The stroke time of the valve (i.e. the speed
of movement) is another fundamental consideration.
Typically for electric actuation the stroke
times are three - five seconds per inch
of valve bore size. The gearing in the actuator
and the valve gearbox restricts faster acting
electric actuation.
For hydraulic spring return actuation stroke
time requirements are often one-two seconds
per inch of valve bore size for the fail
stroke, For pneumatic actuators the air
stroke it is likely to be two-four seconds
per inch of valve bore size.
The air/hydraulic stroke times of both double
acting and spring return actuators are determined
by the supply media (air or hydraulic fluid)
and the flow / exhaust rates through the
control components. The actuation package
is completed by a control system including
control panels and ancillary equipment,
like solenoid valves and pressure regulators.
Clearly the design considerations of the
actuation system must also include client
preferences in terms of design, materials
of constructions and the hazardous area
classification. This will include such issues
as the orientation of the valves and control
panels.
Chief Executive, Peter Everett, comments,
"Understanding and choosing the ideal
actuator for your valve is essential. HSP's
approach to providing world-class actuation;
is our attention to the detail of all the
design elements and initiating detailed
discussions with customers. It is fundamental
that we monitor all engineering aspects
of the design thoroughly. This can be achieved
by ensuring that all parties are aware of
the design elements and any potential interface
complications. The essence of providing
a world-class package is keeping all key
people (e.g. valve engineers, actuator manufacturers)
involved. The key to providing successful
actuation packages is selecting an economical
solution that meets the customer's specifications
and provides a lasting solution for site."
Peter continues, "As an independent
supplier of actuators, we offer a flexible
approach to clients, making sure that scheduled
deliveries are achieved. This is supported
up by a professional project and documentation
management team and 24/7 site support." |
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