CHAPTER VIII

Valve Inspection & Testing

(API 598)

Training on Valves: Selection,

Operation, and Maintenance

Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Some standards for valves:

No Standard Information
1 ASME B16.34
B16 34 Valves – Flanged,
Flanged threaded,
threaded and welding end
2 API 598 Valve inspection and testing
3 MSS SP-55 Quality standard for castings for valves, flanges and fittings
and other piping components – visual method
(Manufacturers Standardization Society)
4 MSS SP-91 Guidelines for manual operation of valves
5 API Std 594 Check valves
6 API Std 599 Steel and ductile iron p
plug
g valves
7 API Std 600 Steel gate valves
8 API Std 602 Compact steel gate valves
9 API Std 603 Class 150 cast, corrosion-resistant, flanged end gate valves
10 API Std 608 Metal ball valves
11 API Std 609 Butterfly valves

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

No Standard Information
12 CGA V-9 Compressed Gas Association Standard for Compressed Gas
Cylinder Valves
13 BS/EN 12516-2 Industrial vales. Shell design strength. Calculation method
for steel valve shells

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

8.1 General
ƒ Scope of API 598
ƒ Scope of works:
ƒ Inspection
ƒ Examination
ƒ supplementary examinations
ƒ Seat:
ƒ Resilient-seated*
ƒ Non-metallic-seated (e.g. ceramic)
ƒ Metal-to-metal-seated
ƒ Valve types:
ƒ Gate valve
ƒ Gl b valve
Globe l
ƒ Plug valve
ƒ Ball valve
ƒ Check valve
ƒ Butterfly valve

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Resilient seats, include:

ƒ Soft seats, both solid and semi solid grease type (e.g.
lubricated plug)
ƒ Combination of soft and metal seat
ƒ Any other type valve designed to meet resilient seat leakage
rates by the standard

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ The test requirements cover both required and

optional pressure tests at the valve
manufacturer’s plant
p
ƒ The tests consist of:
ƒ Shell test
ƒ Backseat test
ƒ Low-pressure closure test
ƒ High-pressure
g p closure test
ƒ Visual examination of castings
ƒ High-pressure pneumatic shell test

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

8.2 Inspection, Examination & Supp. Exam.

ƒ At the manufacturer’s plant
ƒ The purchaser will specify in P/O to perform witness
test at manufacturer’s plant
ƒ Purchaser’s inspector shall have free access to any
part of the plant, concerning the valve’s
manufacturing whenever work on the order is
underway
ƒ Outside the valve manufacturer’s plant
ƒ Shell components may be manufactured at other
locations
ƒ If so, and if specified in P/O, purchaser will inspect at
those locations

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Examination
ƒ Visual examination for all casting of bodies, bonnets,
covers, and closure elements to ensure conformance
with MSS SP-55.
ƒ Valve manufacturer shall examine to assure the
compliance to this standard and the referenced
standard (e.g. API std 600, according to the valve
types)
ƒ All examinations shall be p
performed in accordance
with written procedures that comply with the
applicable standards

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Supplementary examinations by the

manufacturer are required and witnessed by the
purchaser’s inspector,
p p , if specified
p in P/O,
/ , such
as:
ƒ Magnetic particle
ƒ Radiography
ƒ Liquid penetrant
ƒ Ultrasonic examination

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

8.3 Pressure Tests

ƒ Test equipment
ƒ Shall only apply pressure load, no other external
forces that may affect seat leakage allowed.
ƒ End-clamping is allowed for valves designed to
function between mating flanges, e.g. wafer check
and butterfly valves !

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Tests required
ƒ For NPS ≤ 4 and pressure rating ≤ 1500
Valve Type
yp
Butterfly and
Test Description Gate Globe Plug Check Floating trunnion-
Ball mounted Ball

Shell Required Required Required Required Required Required

Backseata Required Required NA NA NA NA

Low-pressure closure Required Optional Requiredb Alternativee Required Required

High-pressure closured Optional Requirede Optionalb Required Optional Optional

aThe backseat test is required for all valves that have backseat features,
except for bellows seal valves.
dThe high-pressure closure test of resilient-seated valves may degrade subsequent low-

pressure service.
eFor power-operated globe valves, the high pressure closure test shall be performed

at 110% design differential pressure used for sizing the power operator

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ For NPS > 4 and pressure rating > 1500

Valve Type
Butterfly and
Test Description Gate Globe Plug Check Floating trunnion-
Ball mounted Ball

Shell Required Required Required Required Required Required

Backseata Required Required NA NA NA NA

Low-pressure closure Optional Optional Optional Alternativeb Required Optional

High-pressure closured Required Requirede Required Required Optional Required

aThe backseat test is required for all valves that have backseat features
features,
except for bellows seal valves.
cThe high-pressure closure test of resilient-seated valves may degrade subsequent low-

pressure service.
dFor power-operated globe valves, the high pressure closure test shall be performed

at 110% design differential pressure used for sizing the power operator

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Test fluid
ƒ For shell, high-pressure backseat, and high-pressure
closure tests: Air, Inert gas, kerosene or water or
noncorrosive liquid with viscocity ≤ water’s
ƒ For low-pressure closure and low-pressure backseat
tests: air and inert gas
ƒ Test fluid temperature ≤ 125oF (52oC), or as specified
in P/O
ƒ If air or gas is used, the manufacturer shall
demonstrate the adequacy of the leakage detection
method

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Test Pressures
ƒ Shell test
Shell Test Pressure (Min.)
Valve Type Class psig barg
Ductile Iron 150 400 26
300 975 66
Cast Iron: 125
NPS 2-12 350 25
NPS 14-48 265 19
Cast Iron: 250
NPS 2-12 875 61
NPS 14-48 525 37
Steel
Flanged and Butt-weld 150 – 2500 Per ASME B16.34
Screwed and socked-weld 800 1.5 pressure rating at 100oF
150 – 2500 Per ASME B16.34

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Other test pressures

Test Minimum test pressure
psig Bar
Valves Except Butterfly and Check

High-pressure closure and backseata b

Low-pressure closure and backseata 60-100 4-7

Butterfly Valve
High-pressure closure c -
Low-pressure closure 60-100 4-7
a The backseat test is required for
f all valves that have this feature
f
b 110% of MAP at 100oF in accordance with the applicable specification
c 110% of design differential pressure at 100oF in accordance with

the applicable specification

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Other test pressures (cotd.)

Test Minimum test pressure
psig
p g Bar
Check Valves
High-pressure closure and backseata
Class 125 (Cast Iron)
NPS 2-12 200 14
NPS 14-48 150 11
Class 250 (cast iron)
NPS 2-12 500 35
NPS 14
14-24
24 300 21
Class 150 (ductile iron) 250 17
Class 300 (ductile iron) 640 44
b
Carbon, alloy, stainless st., & special alloys -
Low-pressure closure and backseata 60 - 100 4-7
(as in shell test)

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Test Duration
Minimum Test Duration (second)
Shell Closure
Valve Size Check Valves Other Backseat Check Valves Other
(NPS) (API Std valves (API Std Valves
594) 594)
≤2 60 15 15 60 15
2½-6 60 60 60 60 60
8 – 12 60 120 60 60 120
≤ 14 120 300 60 120 120

The test duration is the period of inspection after the valve is fully prepared and is
under full pressure

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Test Leakage
ƒ For shell and backseat tests, no visible leakage is
permitted
ƒ Liquid : No drop, wetted of the external surfaces
ƒ Gas: no leakage shall be revealed by the established method
ƒ For low and high pressure closure tests:
ƒ visual evidence of leakage through the disk, behind the seat
rings, or past the shaft seal is not permitted.
ƒ Structural damage is not permitted
ƒ Plastic deformation of resilient seats and seals is not
considered structural damage

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Allowable rate for leakage of test fluid past the seats

All Metal – Seated Valves Except Check Metal –Seated Check
Valves
Valve
V l Size
Si All Resilient
R ili t Liquid
Li id Test
T ta G T
Gas Testt Liquid
Li id G
Gas
(NPS) Seated Valves (drop per (bubbles per Test Test
b
minute) minute)
≤2 0 0b 0b c d
2½-6 0 12 24 c d
8 – 12 0 20 40 c d
≤ 14c 0 28 56 c d
a For liquid test, 1 ml is equivalent to 16 drops
b There shall be no (visible) leakage for the specified minimum test duration
c The maximum permissible leakage shall be 3 ml per minute per inch of

nominal pipe size

d The maximum permissible leakage shall be 1.5 SCF of gas per hour

per inch of nominal pipe size

e For check valve larger than NPS 24, the allowable leakage rate shall be

per agreement
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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

8.4 Test Procedures

ƒ General
ƒ Valves shall be free from injectable sealant to the
seat of packing area
ƒ When liquid is used for test fluid, the valves shall be
free from air
ƒ Required protective coating, e.g. paint, which may
mask surface defects, shall not be applied before
inspection or pressure testing
ƒ When closure testing valves, the applied closure force
shall be as specified in the applicable standard, no
excessive closure force allowed.

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Shell test
ƒ Valve ends closed,
ƒ Valve partially
p y open
p
ƒ The packing gland tight enough to maintain test
pressure
ƒ Test pressure, as specified earlier
ƒ Backseat test
ƒ Valve ends closed
ƒ Valve fully open
ƒ Packing gland loose
ƒ Test pressure, as specified in std. or catalogue or
110% MAWP at 100oF
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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ Low pressure closure test

ƒ Sealing surfaces clean and free from oil, grease and
sealant
ƒ This does not apply to a valve that uses lubricant as
its primary seal
ƒ Procedure:
ƒ For both direction closure Æ pressure shall be applied
successively for each side
ƒ For one direction Æ pressure only in one direction (pressure
direction
ƒ Any leakage at the seat, is observed using water or soap

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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

ƒ High-pressure closure test

ƒ Procedure is the same as Low-pressure closure test
q
ƒ When liquid test fluid is used,, leakage
g is observed byy
the drops

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

8.5 Certification and Retesting

ƒ Certification:
ƒ Valve’s manufacturer shall submit a certificate of
compliance with the P/O
ƒ Retesting
ƒ A completed valve is required to be retested unless
specified, and may be waived by written certification
by the manufacturer that the valves have been
inspected, tested and examined for conformance with
the standard’s
standard s requirements.
ƒ Painted valves need not have paint removed for
retesting.
ƒ Stored valves shall be commercially cleaned before
retesting and shipment
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 Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

8.6 Purchase Order

ƒ If required, the following can be specified in P/O
ƒ Inspection by the purchaser at the valve manufacturer’s plant
ƒ Inspection by the purchaser outside the valve manufacturer’s
p
plant
ƒ Address for inspection notices
ƒ Any supplementary examination required
ƒ Type of backseat test
ƒ High-pressure closure test
ƒ High-pressure pneumatic shell test
ƒ Test fluid temperature for low temperature valves
ƒ Use of wetting agent in the test water
ƒ Certificate of compliance
ƒ If API 598 is used for valves not covered by the
standard, the purchaser will specify the extend to which
the standard is to be applied

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

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Chapter VIII Valve Inspection & Testing

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