Izomax performs first intervention in U.S.A. – Isolation of critical passing valve at refinery in Montana 5

LocationUSA
Year2022

Save customer 5-7 days of delayed production

Shorten the maintaining period involving approximately 200 people

Safely done without any incidents

Successfully completed the scope on schedule

A refinery Operator in the Montana region required a solution to address problems with cooling pumps. The process requires one pump in continuous operation with a functional backup. In this instance, two of the pumps had reliability issues with the third pump being inoperable. Due to the pumps being connected to the same main spools, initiating maintenance work was only possible by isolating the valve. Traditional technologies were considered, but judged to likely require a partial plant shutdown and would require major changes to infrastructure including removing roofing.

The Izomax AOGV mechanical isolation system was evaluated and selected to perform an on-site intervention.

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A passing valve was causing significant problems at a Montana refinery, where two out of three cooling pumps had reliability issues while the third was inoperable. The refinery was facing outages unless a suitable solution could be found. Furthermore, traditional interventions would require relatively major changes to infrastructure, including removal of roofing, due to accessibility issues.

The client, a Supermajor, had not used the Izomax AOGV mechanical isolation system previously – meaning that a detailed evaluation of the AOGV technology, engineered solution and all processes and procedures would be required.

The application was a high temperature environment with 400 degrees Fahrenheit, with internal pressure in the region of 725 psi.

All three cooling pumps were connected to the same main spools, so initiating maintenance work was only possible by isolating the passing valve. An additional consideration was the asbestos gasket which would require careful handling and disposal.

Postponement of planned shutdowns and maintenance increases the risk of unwanted incidents and longer shutdowns in the future. The patented mechanical isolation tool AOGV (Add On Gate Valve) can insert and retrieve an isolation spade on any live flanged connection, allowing you to isolate process segments for inspection and maintenance without a shutdown.
This patented field-proven technology reduces time spent for maintenance and the need for drainage, venting, purging and flushing is significantly reduced. The use of the AOGV technology also allows you to reduce your carbon footprint.

The AOGV provides positive isolation without any physical

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