Three Week Custom Valve Prevents Summer Shutdown
Project Overview
A U.S. power plant urgently needed a custom ASME Section VIII steam valve replacement that wasn’t available from its Approved Vendor List (AVL) suppliers within eight weeks. Sarasin-RSBD™ delivered the valve in just 2.5 weeks, preventing a critical summertime outage and saving the customer $17,000 compared to alternate bids.
The customer is a regional utility operating a gas-fired power plant that uses steam turbines for peak and baseload generation. Grid demand spikes during summer, and plant availability becomes crucial to avoid service interruptions.
The customer did not have Sarasin-RSBD™ on its AVL. However, when a key valve failed and no approved supplier could meet the required delivery timeline, they opened the bidding process to other OEMs. This gave Sarasin-RSBD™ a chance to prove its performance and agility.
Customer Challenge
The failed valve was a non-standard 3” 900 x 4” 300 configuration used on steam service, subject to high temperatures and cyclic pressure spikes. With ambient temperatures near peak and energy demand rising, the plant could not afford an eight-week wait for replacement.
Given its AVL status, Sarasin-RSBD™ was not initially considered. But the procurement team was desperate for faster alternatives and asked for timeline estimates from alternate vendors. The target was clear: deliver a high-integrity, ASME VIII-certified valve in under four weeks.
The Trillium Solution
Sarasin-RSBD™ responded within one business day, promising to manufacture the required valve in just three weeks. Thanks to our streamlined engineering and machining process, we completed and tested the valve in just 2.5 weeks.
The Sarasin-RSBD™ team validated the design specs, selected the appropriate metallurgy, and ensured blowdown and seat tightness matched the system’s existing performance. All work, including hydrotesting and certification, was performed in-house.
The customer received full documentation for ASME compliance, and the valve was installed without the need for design alterations to the piping system. Additionally, our pricing saved the customer $17,000 compared to the nearest competitor’s offer.
This project demonstrated our quality, responsiveness, and engineering excellence.
Results
- 2.5-week delivery of custom ASME VIII valve
- $17K in procurement cost savings
- Prevented a high-cost summer power loss event
- In-house testing and certification enabled quick delivery
- Customer added Sarasin-RSBD™ to AVL for future projects
Conclusion
This project highlights Sarasin-RSBD and Trillium Flow Technologies’ ability to respond quickly to urgent customer needs with a custom high-quality pressure relief valve delivered before the peak summer energy season.
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