With the advancement of large-scale foreign technology, a wide range of new equipment and standalone machines have emerged. The development of valve-related technologies has become more focused on large-scale, high-parameter, high-performance, and automated systems that are compatible with modern control methods. Over the past two decades, the control techniques for valves abroad have also seen significant progress. In addition to traditional manual, motorized, electric, pneumatic, and hydraulic operations, there is now a growing variety of electro-hydraulic, gas-liquid linked, and automatically controlled valves, with continuous innovation expected in the future.
For example, in oil refining, the largest refineries can process up to 36.4 million tons annually (such as in the Virgin Islands), while others like Venezuela reach 30 million tons per year. There are nearly 30 refineries with a capacity of 20 million tons per year. The largest units, such as the crude distillation and vacuum units, can process up to 24 million tons annually, catalytic cracking units reach 8.24 million tons, and hydrocracking units go up to 3.2 million tons. These large-scale facilities have driven the need for larger valves, pushing the industry toward automation in control methods.
In recent years, long-distance pipeline systems have developed rapidly due to their low cost—only about one-third of railway transportation. They are buried underground, making them less prone to damage, and they can be constructed quickly, saving both time and investment. As a result, the demand for pipeline valves has surged. For power generation, the maximum unit capacities include 130,000 kW for dual-axis thermal units, 1.2 million kW for single-axis thermal units, and 1.3 million kW for the largest nuclear power units.
Valves designed for these systems have grown in size as well. The largest gate valves can reach 1,620 mm and 2,000 mm in diameter, while butterfly valves can be as large as 9,750 mm. Ball valves can reach 3,050 mm, with some drive valves weighing up to 184 tons. Water gate valves can have a diameter of 2,750 mm and operate under 9 MPa pressure.
The economic benefits of large-scale equipment are clear: increased production efficiency, reduced infrastructure costs, and lower raw material consumption. Compared to a 1-million-ton refinery, a 5-million-ton facility reduces investment per ton by 50%. A 6-million-ton refinery requires only 69% of the investment, 53% of steel, 54% of floor space, and 75% of operational costs compared to two 3-million-ton refineries, while labor productivity increases by 170%.
As automation levels rise, many petrochemical processes now use direct digital control, and some even employ computerized hierarchical control. Chemical companies involved in synthetic ammonia, urea, synthetic fibers, rubber, and plastics typically implement patrol detection and alarms, with some achieving partial automation.
Modern large-scale power plants over 200,000 kW are increasingly computer-controlled. Nuclear power plants and long-distance pipeline systems are also managed via computers, often equipped with microwave communication systems. A single control room may require only two or three staff members, who can monitor the entire system through television screens.
With the continuous improvement of equipment, processes, and performance, the range of valves available globally has expanded significantly. New types of valves, such as emergency shut-off valves, quick-opening valves, fire dampers, anti-static valves, temperature-reducing pressure-reducing valves, butterfly check valves, pressure relief valves, vacuum jacket valves, water-cooled or air-cooled valves, safety gate valves, and safety shut-off valves, have emerged. Among general-purpose valves, ball valves, butterfly valves, and gate valves have shown the fastest growth over the past 20 years.
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