Valve seat challenge
The extreme conditions at the bottom of the ocean pose major challenges for the oil and gas industry and for the manufacturers producing the high-tolerance equipment required.
An increasing need for corrosion resistance poses a major challenge for the manufacture of valves controlling the flow in pipelines and the mechanical assemblies known as Christmas trees. The seat pockets in these valves require extreme dimensional and surface finish tolerances to achieve the required precise operation and zero leaks in constantly corrosive conditions and under high pressures.
The harsh conditions require advanced corrosion-resistant materials such as duplex steel and Inconel alloys on surfaces in contact with the oil, gas and other corrosive mediums. This can be accomplished cost-efficiently by cladding the most exposed surfaces of a steel valve with Inconel 625. These cladded surfaces are often even more challenging to machine than solid Inconel because of the rough surface structure produced by cladding.
The design of these valves and internal bores makes it even more important to have a stable internal turning setup. The seat pockets increase the requirement for a long tool overhang and reach in radial direction, which can easily result in vibration tendencies. Sandvik Coromant rises to the challenge with a unique solution dedicated to these components.
SL cutting head
Based on the CoroTurn® SL range from diameters of 16 millimetres and larger, these dedicated cutting heads combine a simple, lightweight structure and extremely rigid serration lock (SL) coupling. Thanks to this, the combination of the cutting head and adapter is highly capable of achieving a long radial reach distance with minimal vibration tendencies.
Coromant Capto®
A complete solution naturally must include a rigid machine interface with efficient quick-change features: Coromant Capto adapters in size C6. In other words, the engineered tool is totally compatible with a very common standardized machine interface.
Silent Tools™
The application calls for an elliptical adapter specially designed for large radial reach dimensions. The elliptical cross-section geometry reduces weight compared with a round bar and also increases the vertical strength and rigidity of the setup. The minimal weight and the effective anti-vibration mechanism of Silent Tools products will yield a reliable, stable process despite the extreme overhang this operation requires.
Valve seat pocket
The valve seat is the feature on the component against which the actual valve rests in the closed position and thus is critical for correct, leakage-free operation of the valve assembly. Failure to meet the tolerances during machining may result in re-cladding or even scrapping.
The low thermal conductivity of Inconel material, functionally a benefit, causes high cutting forces and high temperature generation at the cutting insert, which demands the correct choice of insert grade and geometry as well as a dedicated machining process, the 3-pass method, in order to meet surface finish, tolerance and tool life demands.
What is Silent Tools?
