Parker Instrumentation has launched a range of high-pressure hand valves that feature the company’s MPI(tm) end connections. Instead of offering traditional “cone and thread” connections to tubing, the new valves come with familiar compression tube fitting ends. These joints can be assembled in seconds by simply tightening a nut. Compared with installing a cone and thread connection, Parker conservatively estimates the savings at over 20 minutes per connection. The connections are also inherently resistant to vibration, eliminating the additional cost of the vibration gland that is commonly used with cone-and-thread fittings. The new MPI valve range includes 2- and 3-way ball valves, 2-way needle valves in inline or angle configurations, check valves, relief valves, plus options for 3- and 2-way pressure and stem connections. The range includes options for pressures from 10,000 to 15,000 PSI / 690 to 1034 bar, and tubing sizes from 1/4 to 3/4 inches outside diameter. The new valves may be used on cold-drawn 1/8-inch hard (unannealed) 316 stainless steel tubing, or thick-walled (annealed) instrumentation-grade 316 tubing. The fittings also feature nuts coated with molybdenum disulphide, which provides a long-lasting lubricant to help prevent thread galling, and reduces the torque required to create the seal – easing both assembly and the remaking of joints. Among the applications that can benefit from this innovation are deepwater oil and gas drilling, and industrial laboratories where products are developed and tested under extreme conditions.
