Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) has announced a 10-year licensing agreement with Appalachian Made Tool Company (AMTC) for the ball valve extractor tool. The ball valve extractor was designed, developed, and patented by engineers at WSRC, the primary contractor for the Department of Energy at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina. The tool was developed to promote easier and quicker removal of a ball from the valve of field installed ball valves. Using a simple sliding impact tool, this method shortens labour time, reduces maintenance cost and increases worker safety over current methods for removing ball valves. With the new ball valve extractor tool, workers can unseat and remove a ball valve ball in seconds. The easy, two-step method prevents damage to the surface of the valve ball, extending the life of the valve and sealing gaskets.
