Kent Introl has long conducted a wide range of valve testing techniques to ensure valves manufactured at the Yorkshire factories meet the requirements of the world’s most demanding applications and global quality standards.
Previously the testing of valve assemblies was outsourced to a third party, which added to the production schedule and added significant costs to the process. With customers increasingly demanding this test for both topside and subsea valves, Kent Introl decided to invest in building its own load test rig on-site.
Meeting the rigorous standards of Eurocodes 1 and 3 the rig stands at 4.3m high and weighs approximately 8 tonnes. It can test objects of any type and dimension up to 2.5m x 2m x 2.5m, accommodating tensile and compressive strength tests up to 10T. Individual valve assemblies under test are subjected to tensile or compressive forces of twice the gross weight specified on the assembly.
Customers and auditors are invited to witness the testing process, which is carried out under strictly controlled conditions. The structure is surrounded by high energy impact wire frames and bullet-proof glass for the unlikely event of a valve failure under test.