Case Study: Valve Success Story

Furmanite’s Guidance Minimizes Testing Expense and Downtime

Furmanite has provided valve testing services at the Utah-based terminal facility of a global energy company since 1997. The facility tests it’s approximately 300 relief valves every three years. When Furmanite was first hired more than seven years ago, the testing process required removing each of the valves from the system, putting them out of service, making for a lengthy testing process.

When the Furmanite team saw how the terminal piping was designed, they recommended a design change: If the client installed block valves underneath some of the relief valves, it would be possible to test the valves in place, reducing testing time, downtime, and costs.

The energy company investigated Furmanite’s recommendation researching the necessary codes, and securing company approval for the design change. Convinced of its merits, the client installed the block valves in 2000.

Three years later, Furmanite returned to the terminal facility to test the valves. Out of approximately 300 relief valves, the team was able to test 250 in place – saving a significant amount of time and money. Keeping the valves in service minimized the disruption to operations. The remaining 50 relief valves were pulled out of the system and tested onsite using Furmanite’s mobile test facility.

John Waters, manager of the Valve Repair business line for the Intermountain Region, notes that this successful achievement marked the first time such a recommendation to improve a client’s valve repair processes was carried through to completion, allowing Furmanite to fully deliver on the benefits it foresaw.

As a result of Furmanite’s recommendations and technical expertise, the client is exploring the logistics of rolling out this design change to allow testing in place at its other terminal facilities. Furmanite’s expertise and dedication to the client’s best interests clearly passed this test of approval.