Parker valves for Arctic vessels

The three vessels are part of the fifteen vessel series of Arc7 ice-class LNG carriers bound for the Yamal LNG project in Russian Siberia. Parker Bestobell Marine previously supplied the first vessel in the series with its cryogenic globe and check valves.

Duncan Gaskin, market development manager, Parker Bestobell Marine, said: “The fact that our valves have been specified for such a large and prestigious project is testament to the quality of their manufacture.”

“This project called upon the innovation of our design and technical engineers to come up with a solution to ensure that the actuators would operate normally in such extreme environments.”

These valves will be used in the cargo handling systems, including the main discharge line that controls the initial flow of LNG from the cargo tanks when pumping starts.

The ‘on-deck’ valves will be subjected to extreme sub-zero temperatures and are designed to operate down to -196°C. For added protection, covers will be supplied for the headworks to protect the exposed parts of the valves.

Due to the arctic conditions that the LNG Carriers will operate in, it is not possible to use actuators which operate via hydraulic oil due to viscosity issues. As a result, Parker Bestobell Marine innovated its valve design to ensure that the valves could operate efficiently using electric actuators.

It said that these will be the first LNG carriers to have electric actuators fitted to globe valves.