Piston valves for CO₂ purification and liquefaction

KLINGER KVN piston valves in Lito Gonella: ✔ Fluid: liquid and gaseous carbon dioxide ✔ Temperature: -30 °C water temperature adjustment / -22 °F ✔ Pressure: 27 BarG (under pressure)

KLINGER has been a leader in fluid control for the South American market for many years.. This is a story that began in the early 1990s. 1970, when KLINGER started its own production of gasket sheets.

This early success saw the company grow and expand over the following decades.. Consequently, the offer of these products increased and now also includes materials for gaskets, level sight gauges and piston valves.

In-house manufacturing was a big key to customer satisfaction at that time., Since local production ensured shorter delivery times, in addition to closer contact with end consumers.

VALVES WITH CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS

Lito Gonella, an old client, needed materials to carry out a CO₂ purification and liquefaction plant project in Salta. Their many years of experience in the industry led them to contact KLINGER Argentina to get assistance with piston valves that would be used for an insulated pipe installation with polyurethane foam.

Sales Manager Cristian González stepped in and discussed the project needs with the team's experts via email and video calls. As the conversation evolved, the need for the project was very clear: a high level of sealing in the valves and great reliability would be required. The way out then was to develop a customized solution.

The valves are equipped with a PTFE seal and also have screws., nuts, stainless steel flashlight and washers.

CLOSE COLLABORATION TO MEET CUSTOMER NEEDS

With a preliminary plan in place, Cristian looked for Luciano Bussi, sales manager at KLINGER Brazil who, furthermore, he was also his longtime friend and professional colleague..

Over the years in the KLINGER Group, they have worked on a variety of gasket and valve designs, from standard solutions to customized solutions. “We are practically brothers!”, Luciano jokes.

Cristian and Luciano are two of the main leaders of KLINGER's South American presence, and they are already used to relying on each other to carry out brainstormings and devising problem solutions, in order to meet the urgent needs of customers with local solutions.

after the pandemic, their collaborations became even more frequent and valuable. This because customers in the region face difficulties with suppliers that are far away and end up with less than necessary inventory, in addition to facing very long delivery dates.

SURPRISINGLY SHORT RESPONSE TIME

As Cristian and Luciano have a lot of experience and previous contact, they streamlined their collaborative process to achieve maximum efficiency. Turnaround time for a quote or specification is no more than ten days, for example. In addition, lead time for standard piston valves is thirty days and for the custom valves created for this project, the term was around sixty days.

Cristian agrees and adds that “the customer is confident that he will always receive a quick response from us”.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR A CO₂ PURIFICATION AND LIQUEFACTION PLANT

For the custom piston valves needed in this project, all the planning process was carried out virtually.

Cristian and Luciano worked in two different countries, plus several other KLINGER experts who evaluated the design of their respective locations. In addition, the client's headquarters and workplace were located in two different provinces in Argentina.

Another highlight was the short period of completion of the project and the various technical details, that required frequent checks: All of this took place via videoconferencing., in order to keep everyone involved updated.

After the valves have been selected, Additional research was carried out to ensure that the material withstands the pressure and temperature required by the customer.

After several consultations with plant experts to review the mechanical and chemical demands of the plant, the team was able to confirm that the custom valves would meet the project requirements.

All Ø2” and Ø3” valves are for pipes insulated with polyurethane foam and will be installed at the outlet and inlet of liquefied CO₂ storage tanks.

CUSTOMIZED FLUID CONTROL SOLUTIONS

At the end of the project, the client went from ideation to execution in less than six months. Luciano and Cristian were able to deliver a bespoke valve, that not only met the requirements demanded, but it was also made available in the promised time frame. Their respective impeccable years of teamwork transformed the complicated process of developing custom fluid control solutions in smooth and stable operation.

Luciano is interested in the promising prospects of the future: “We have a lot of business with standardized products, and there is no problem with that, but when our customers have a special project, we will always be prepared and open to discuss and meet your needs.” Together, they are looking forward to the challenge.