Tag Archive for: valve repair

BAY VALVE SERVICE CONTINUES GROWTH WITH PUMP SERVICES

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The drop in oil and gas prices has affected a wide range of companies, but we’re weathering the volatility by focusing on expanded value propositions for services in non-oil and gas industries.

With operations in 17 Western U.S. states,we’ve been able to continue growing our business through pump projects and repairs, as well as other flow solutions projects, in the pulp & paper, power generation, marine, aerospace, mining, water/waste water, food processing industries and more.

“Most companies know Bay Valve Service for its expertise in valve and actuator repair, maintenance and replacement within the oil and gas and power generation industries, but alongside that we have significant expertise to develop solutions for all flow path problems in a wide variety of markets,” our company President Jason Schrage said.

We provide pump repair and part manufacturing services primarily from five of our locations – Longview, Wash.; Benicia, Calif.; Salt Lake City, Utah; Billings, Montana; and Aurora, Colorado. Additionally, experienced Bay Valve Service pump technicians are available for on-site work anywhere within our service territory.

We supply and service a variety of pump styles, including vertical & sump pumps, submersible pumps, centrifugal pumps, metering/drum pumps, liquid ring vacuum pumps, axial flow/mixed flow peristaltic pumps, progressive cavity pumps, engineered pulp and paper pumps (Thick Stock pumps), and API pumps, from a wide variety of major pump manufacturers.

Our relationship with several sister companies also provides Bay Valve Service access to major motor manufacturers with motors up to 8,000 HP. “If it’s in the flow path, we can work on it, from controlling pressure in piping, vessels, and tanks, controlling flow, straining flow, and ensuring piping system integrity through non-destructive testing,” Schrage said.

“Not only can Bay Valve Service improve the safety and reliability of your flow systems,” he said, “we effectively reduce your total cost of ownership with business strategies that keep your systems operating at peak efficiency.”

“With more than 35 years’ experience in managing flow solutions projects, including pumps, valves, and actuators, Bay Valve Service offers the innovation, expertise and business flexibility to provide the best flow solutions for our customers,” Schrage said.

Make sure to contact us for the expert engineered flow solutions that your next project requires.

BAY VALVE SERVICE PIONEERS ARC VALVE REPAIR SOLUTION

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When Benny Bencheikh, one of our senior project field managers, saw an opportunity to solve an operational problem for a customer, he took it – and ended up pioneering a new approach to repair and upgrade critical valves used in power generation plants.

When these automatic recirculation valves (also known as ARC valves) were first introduced, they were seen as a great solution for maintaining the minimum flow levels required to keep critical pumps at a safe operating point on their performance curve.

The solution, however, did not work as plants aged and were faced with different operational demands.

“As the fleet of power generation facilities has aged, our customers were experiencing significant wear and tear and damage to their ARC valves,” Benny explained. The wear and tear has resulted from two inherent characteristics of ARC valves:

  • The valves are custom designed to meet the specific operating environment at each installation.
  • The bypass system in the valve contains a number of small internal parts that regulate the flow and keep the pump on the operational curve.

“The valves were designed and installed for one specific set of operational parameters and were not able to handle differences in operating conditions that emerge as a power plant ages or changes operational requirements,” Bay Valve Customer Service Manager Kent Rummelhart said.

“When the valves face changing pressures and operating environments, the smaller bypass components experience damage to the point of failure and end up in the piping system, creating additional operational problems for the facility”, Benny said.

Power plant operators eventually face two difficult choices; manage increased maintenance costs or large-scale retrofits to replace the ARC valves altogether. Either choice means significant downtime and increased costs. “Our valve repair solution provides greater operational flexibility without requiring major piping modifications”, Kent said.

The solution’s success at a major client of Bay Valve Service is typical of this repair and how we work with the customer to solve complex problems. The maintenance manager at a 550MW plant experiencing ARC valve problems commented that “equipment reliability and a proactive approach are an absolute necessity to the continuous and safe operation of any facility when developing repair plans.”

This specific plant’s ARC valves were known for developing minor leaks, requiring annual repairs and adding to maintenance costs. We were instrumental in working hand in hand with their facility to implement an engineered solution that addressed these repeated failures.

“Bay Valve Service performed the valve repair modification in 2010, which has been proven to be successful and robust, as the valves continued to develop zero leaks throughout the plants operation,” the maintenance manager said.

“After more than eight years, 25 retrofits, and excellent feedback from our customers, this solution is proven to improve reliability and reduce operational costs,” Benny said.

Bay Valve Service is ready to apply this patent-pending solution across the U.S. in all power generation facilities. To receive an initial evaluation, contact us at (707) 748-7166.