Fire-safe valves
UK valve supplier Albion Valves (UK) has added a range of fire-safe, anti-static, stainless steel ball valves to its product portfolio, designed to withhold hazardous substances in the event of a fire around the valve.
The new products are suitable for installations within the pharmaceutical and petrochemical industries, as well as a variety of other industrial processes dealing with oil, gas and other flammable media, where there is an increased risk of explosion if it leaked during a fire.
The anti-static device fitted on the valve, ensures that friction caused by the operation of the valve does not cause a build-up of static which could potentially spark and have disastrous consequences.
The API 607 standard, which certifies the valves as fire-safe, looks at the performance of valves by establishing limits of acceptable leakage when they are exposed to defined fire conditions.
Valves that meet the API STD 607 requirements should allow enough time for the fire to be extinguished whilst still holding the pipeline media, to avoid fueling the fire further. Fire-safe valves are also required to operate once more after fire exposure, from the ‘open’ to the ‘closed’ position at a high pressure.
