Piston valves for CO2 purification and liquefication

High reliability and high degrees of tightness were required in a delicate project in South America. KLINGER Brazil and KLINGER Argentina teamed up to deliver a valuable collaboration.

KLINGER Argentina has a long history as a leader in fluid control for the South American market. In the early 1970s, KLINGER began in-house factory production of rubber-bound compressed sheets. This early success led to expansion in the following decades, and the product offerings increased to also include materials for gaskets, level indicators, and piston valves. Key to customer satisfaction in this region has been their domestic production, which ensures shorter lead times and closer contact with end users.

 

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Valves with tailor made solutions

When Lito Gonella, a long-term customer, was in need of materials for a CO2 purification and liquefaction plant project in Salta, their many years of industry experience led them to contact KLINGER Argentina for assistance with piston valves to be used for installation in polyurethane foam-insulated pipes. Sales Manager Cristian González swung into action, discussing the project needs with the team’s subject matter experts through e-mail and phone conferences. As the conversation progressed, the project’s need for high reliability and a high degree of tightness within the valves suggested that a tailor-made solution was the best path forward.

 

The valves are equipped with PTFE seats and packings. Screws, nuts, lantern, and washers comes in a stainless-steel version.

 

Piston valves ensure reliable fluid control in various setups

Close collaboration to meet the client's needs

With a preliminary plan in place, Cristian reached out to Luciano Bussi, a Sales Manager at KLINGER Brazil, as well as a long-time friend and colleague. Their past collaborations within the KLINGER Group include a variety of gasket and valve projects over the years, ranging from standard to custom solutions. “We are practically brothers!”, Luciano jokes. As two of the main leaders for KLINGER’s South American presence, Cristian and Luciano are used to relying on each other for brainstorming and troubleshooting in order to meet urgent client needs with regional solutions. Post pandemic, their collaborations have become even more frequent and valuable, as local customers struggle with long distance suppliers falling short of needed inventory stock and projected delivery dates.

Surprisingly short turnaround time

Because Cristian and Luciano have so much history, they have streamlined their collaborative process to achieve peak efficiency. Turnaround time for a quotation or specification is no longer than ten days. Delivery time for standard piston valves is thirty days; or, for the kind of customized valves created for this project, around sixty days.

 

Cristian agrees and adds that “the customer has the confidence that he’ll 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, the entire planning process was handled virtually. Cristian and Luciano were working from two separate countries, several other KLINGER experts were weighing in from their respective locations, and the customer headquarters as well as the job site were located in two different Argentinian provinces. The short time frame and multiple layers of input called for frequent check-ins, all handled via conference call to keep everyone on the same page. Once the valves had been selected, additional research was conducted to ensure that the body material could withstand the required pressure and temperature dictated by the customer.

After several consultations with factory experts to review the mechanical and chemical demands of the plant, the team was able to confirm that the customized valves would suit the project requirements. All the valves Ø2” and Ø3” are for the piping insulated with polyurethane foam and will be installed at the outlet and inlet of the liquefied CO2 storage tanks.

Custom fluid control solutions

At the end of the project, the customer had gone from ideation to working status in less than six months. Luciano and Cristian were able to deliver a bespoke valve that not only met exacting requirements, but also one that was delivered within the promised time frame. Their years of flawless teamwork have turned the somewhat complicated process of developing custom fluid control solutions into a smooth and steady operation. Luciano is interested to see what the future brings: "We have a lot of business in standard products, there is no issue about that. But even when they have a special case, we are always open to discuss and meet their needs.” Together, they look forward to the challenge.

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KLINGER Argentina and KLINGER Brazil