#Product Trends
Check Valves in Cryogenic Service
In the LNG industry, as well as some other cryogenic fields, the importance of check valves is indisputable.
Cryogenic check valves are a critical component of the LNG supply chain. They have the sole purpose of directing fluids or gases in a single direction and preventing their reversal. Using the right engineered check valves, on the other hand, can help to ensure equipment is protected, productivity is maximized and operational safety is ensured.
Not only does this minimize damage equipment, it also ensures plant infrastructure is protected and emission leakage is kept to a minimum.
Check valves are totally different from shut-off and control valves. While those valves can stop flow completely, check valves allow the flow of fluid in a single direction. Additionally, unlike on/off valves, check valves are flow sensitive. They rely on the line fluid to open and close them, which means they are one of the few self-automated valves.
To address these challenges, a highly engineered dual-plate wafer valve design is a stronger, lighter, smaller and more efficient check valve in common use in this field. Using springs to increase the valve reaction and provide more efficient response time (faster closing), this type of dual-plate check valve can better protect equipment already in place in the liquefaction and regasification terminals within an LNG processing plant. The lesser closing time can reduce the dynamic surge effect in the pipeline for an improved non-slam performance as well.
