Refining
Metso provides oil refineries with high-performance valves for everything from crude distillation to final products. With our valve technology, refineries are able to minimize risks related to health, the environment and safety. Additionally, plants can reach their product quality targets, as well as reduce maintenance and plant shutdown costs. We have a long and proven history of valve supply to projects with global EPC and refining companies like ABB Lummus, Aker Kvaerner, BP, Chiyoda, ExxonMobil, Foster Wheeler, GS Engineering, Jacobs Engineering, JGC, Kellogg & Brown Root, Petrobras, Saudi Aramco, Shell, Snamprogetti, Technip, Tecnimont and TOTAL.
Alkylation
Since alkylation occurs in the presence of highly acidic catalysts (hydrofluoric acid or sulfuric acid), special attention is required when selecting valves and their material. Metso’s metal-seated Neles and soft-seated Jamesbury valves for control and isolation ensure optimum control performance, friction-free tight valves in a wide selection of materials for optimum reactor performance and column efficiency that ensure top-quality alkylate-compound for gasoline blending.
Catalytic Reforming
Until recently, the only answer to regenerating the coke-coated catalyst was to shut down the system and do it manually, meaning costly downtime. But the UOP CCR (Continuous Catalyst Regeneration) Platforming process technology permits the addition and removal of the catalyst from the reactor while the system is still running, negating the need to shut down the system.
You know what's interesting? UOP has stated that it used
Neles valve designs and their respective Cv and flow coefficient values to establish the flow parameters for the CCR Platforming process. No wonder most of the valves installed in these systems are Neles valves. Needless to say, we offer multiple solutions for handling a range of isolation and control challenges in key segments of the CCR Platforming system: Proven performance, coupled with our extensive experience in this field, makes Neles valves the clear choice among UOP field technicians.
Application reports
Continuous catalytic reformin-catalyst valves
Delayed Coking
Neles Delayed Coker 2-way ball valves provide tight, bi-directional shut-off. Unlike competitive valves that are tight in only one direction,
Neles valves operate reliably under normal or severe pressure or flow conditions - a key requirement in the overhead vapor area, where higher pressure occurs on the valve closest to the fractionator return line.
The Neles Delayed Coker valve's live-loaded stem packing and steam purge connection prevents residuum from leaking into the gland packing area. The stem purge design is critical to the life expectancy of the valves. Because the valves are oriented horizontally in the pipelines, residuum tends to flow into the lower confines of the ball body cavity. Neles supplies two body purge ports on every 2-way valve - one in the lower part of the cavity and one in the upper part - to flood the cavity with steam and minimize the flow of residuum to this area. The results? Neles Delayed Coker ball valves have a proven record of trouble-free operation for periods exceeding 6 to 7 years without maintenance.
Application reports
Delayed coking - coke drums
Coke feed control & isolation valves
Crude Distillation
In crude and vacuum unit heater feed control and isolation the
Neles MBV Series X full- bore ball valve provides maximum flow capacity and tight shutoff at low pressure. Do you want control and isolation of the fuel gas to the heater? Then you want the
Neles R-Series V-port segment valve with
Quadra-Powr® actuator combined with the
Q-Trim® attenuation device for an equal percentage flow characteristic along with Cv and control rangeability. Our customers report remarkable savings in maintenance costs after installing our
control valves in CDU heater coils. Sticky oil leaking through the gland packing has been avoided with
Neles Finetrol and
Top Entry valves, thanks to their rotary stem. This obviously improves heater performance and reduces leakage to the environment.
The Neles Finetrol® control valve is ideal for efficient column performance producing top-quality distillates.
Neles metal-seated ESD (emergency shutdown) ball valves and the Neles ValvGuard partial stroke testing system are designed to increase the availability of safety-instrumented systems. Neles ESD valves also ensure the safe flow of heavy bottom as it progresses to the vacuum distillation column. In vacuum breaker service, Neles L6 Series double-flanged
Neldisc triple eccentric disc valves can be equipped with the
Neles ValvGuard ESD safety system to protect the distillation column in the event of a process upset.
Application reports
Atmospheric distillation tower vacuum breaker
Atmospheric distillation ESD valves
Crude distillation crude heater feed control and isolation valves
Crude distillation
Vacuum distillation
Heater pass flow control
Fluid Catalytic Cracking
The Neles product line, known for its reliable valve sealing technology, has been developing demanding application valves for more than 50 years. Some of the most demanding applications reside in the FCC unit, due to the abrasive nature of the catalyst fines. That’s why Neles gives special attention to material selection and hard coating of the trim. Another strength is the proven and unique solids-resistant seat design in
ball valves – just one more reason why so many
Neles valves are found in these systems. Whether it is oil slurry isolation, oil slurry flow control, or hot air regenerator systems, Metso has the solution. Proven performance coupled with extensive experience in the field are why our valves are the clear favorites among FCC technicians.
Application reports
Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit - FCCU
Gas treatment / amine plant
Major operating considerations for amine units are maintaining the condition of the amine solution, minimizing losses and preventing hydrocarbon carryover to the sulfur plant. The amine circulation rate according to the acid gas loading is one of the two typical process variables to be optimized. With
Neles Finetrol and
Neles RotaryGlobe, high loop performance gives the potential to operate the absorber closer to the edge of the operating envelope. The savings are realized in reduced amine consumption. Long lasting metal-seat tightness minimizes amine losses and the gland packing structure reduces emissions to the environment. Process reliability can be improved by the
Neles ND9000 intelligent valve controller’s on-line diagnostics that provide full transparency of valve performance. Wide rangeability with rotary valves ensures that the lean amine circulation rate can be changed as the need arises during the run period. For severe applications, such as rich amine letdown, we recommend Finetrol flow to close or
T-series top-entry rotary valves for high-pressure applications with optional hard coatings and
Q-Trims for flashing conditions or outgassing applications to ensure optimum plant performance.
Efficient operation of the amine plant stripper is a balance between the amine separation from acid gases and reboiler energy consumption.
Neles Finetrol valve is ideal for these tasks, due to its stable control behavior that keeps process variability to a minimum. Savings are realized in effective amine separation from acid gases and reduced energy consumption in the reboiler. Rotary design low emission valves with reliable stem packing provide a simple and cost-effective way to avoid fugitive emission for acid gas service.
Application reports
Amine plant - absorption
Amine Plant - stripper
Hydrocracking
The objective of hydrocracking is to convert heavy hydrocarbons into high-quality lighter products. The most important part of the cracking process is the catalyst system and reactor temperature control in order to avoid catalyst fouling and safety risks. This control is achieved by injecting cold hydrogen quench into the reactor.
With the
Neles RotaryGlobe valve and the
Neles ND9000 intelligent valve controller the hydrogen quench to the reactor can be controlled safely and accurately. This gives potential to improve the process economics by optimized hydrogen consumption and the use of more efficient catalysts. Therefore the unit production can be increased. Wide rangeability with rotary valves ensures that hydrogen flow can be increased as the need arises during the run period due to catalyst activity loss; reserve capacity for emergency quench is available with a single valve solution.
Neles control valves provide proven reliability and accuracy to heater fuel gas control with \ single valve solution that eliminates the use of split range control. Reliable fuel gas control is important in order to avoid system failures and to protect the reactor from excessive temperatures.
Application report
Hydrocracking
Sulfur Recovery / Tail gas treatment
Increasing environmental demands require correct performance of these units, which are critical to the operation of the entire refinery. Correct valve selection for control and isolation of the sulfur recovery and tail gas treatment units is therefore a critical factor in overall performance.
Neles valves have been installed in these plants for a number of control, on/off and ESD installations worldwide for over 30 years. Because sulfur compounds are very hostile to metals, particularly at the high pressures and temperatures encountered in refining, the quality of control valves takes on prime importance. Stable and accurate control behavior obtained by
Neles Finetrol and
Segment valves is extremely important for efficient burner operation. Rotary design low-emission valves with reliable stem packing provide a simple and cost effective way to reduce overall fugitive emission.
With Neles high-integrity certified
ESD valves and the SIL 3
Neles ValvGuard™ partial -stroking system, sulfur recovery unit safety and reliability targets can be met.
Neldisc butterfly valve’s long lasting bi-directional metal-seat tightness and fire-safe construction ensure long-term performance and tight shut-off with full steam jacket and optional bearing protection that prevent sulfur build-up and provide a compact and economical valve solution for the handling of liquid elemental sulfur.
Application reports
Sulphur recovery
Tail gas treatment
Visbreaking
Neles Finetrol and
Top Entry control valves are ideal in demanding visbreaker applications – from heater coil flow control to column bottom residue control. Due to the rotary stem, oil leaking through gland packing can be avoided, and the unique
Q-trim design reduces the risk of coke particle build-up inside the valve.
Neles valves provide reliable fuel gas control with a single valve solution and reduced variability that improves heater efficiency and visbreaker heater outlet temperature control, which is important for optimum cracking temperature.
Application report
Visbreaking
