Butterfly Valves for Oil & Gas Applications

Crude Oil & Refined Products

Butterfly valves can be used in crude oil handling, terminal systems, storage facilities, refinery process lines and product-transfer pipelines where reliable isolation and controlled flow are required.

Typical media may include sweet and sour crude oil, condensate, diesel, gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, naphtha and other refined hydrocarbon products.

For higher temperatures, elevated pressures or demanding isolation duties, metal seated and triple offset butterfly valves are often appropriate because the sealing components do not rely solely on resilient elastomers. The valve body, disc, stem, seat and packing materials should be selected according to fluid composition, operating temperature, pressure class and corrosion requirements.

Where fire exposure is part of the project design basis, the required fire-safe design and applicable testing standard should be specified at the enquiry stage.

Natural Gas

Natural gas transmission and processing systems require reliable isolation with careful attention to pressure, sealing performance and fugitive emissions.

BZVF butterfly valve configurations can be considered for natural gas, methane-rich streams, process gas and associated gas-handling systems, depending on the operating conditions and project requirements.

Triple offset metal seated designs are particularly relevant where low friction between the disc and seat, reduced wear and dependable shutoff are required. Electric, pneumatic, hydraulic and gearbox-operated configurations are available across the BZVF product range.

For gas applications involving volatile or hazardous fluids, stem sealing and body-joint leakage can be important project considerations. Where fugitive-emissions performance is required, the relevant qualification and production testing requirements should be defined in the project specification.

LNG & Cryogenic Service

Liquefied natural gas systems operate at extremely low temperatures, creating significant challenges for valve materials, sealing components and thermal movement.

BZVF metal seated butterfly valves are suitable for temperatures down to -196°C, making cryogenic designs relevant to LNG and other low-temperature services when appropriately engineered for the application.
 

Cryogenic valve selection should consider:

• minimum design temperature;

• material toughness at low temperature;

• stem and packing configuration;

• thermal contraction;

• seat and sealing-ring materials;

• operating pressure;

• orientation and installation requirements;

• actuation requirements;

• applicable cryogenic testing procedures.
   

Cryogenic butterfly valves should therefore be selected as engineered products rather than simply standard valves fitted with different seals.
 

For LNG projects, provide us with the minimum and maximum design temperatures, fluid specification, pressure class, required valve size, end connection and project standard so that the appropriate configuration can be evaluated.

Produced Water & Injection Water

Oil and gas facilities also contain extensive water systems, including produced water, injection water, treated seawater, freshwater and process-water services.

These applications may present different challenges from hydrocarbon service. Chlorides, suspended solids, dissolved gases, treatment chemicals and corrosion can affect the appropriate valve materials and coatings.

Depending on operating conditions, double offset soft seated butterfly valves may be suitable for lower-temperature water service, while metal seated configurations can be selected where higher temperatures, pressures or more severe operating conditions apply.

Large-diameter butterfly valves are particularly useful for high-flow water transmission and injection systems because their compact construction can provide significant size and weight advantages compared with some other isolation-valve designs.

Material selection should be based on the actual water chemistry rather than simply describing the service as "water."

Steam & Thermal Systems

Steam, hot process fluids and heat-transfer systems are common throughout refineries, processing plants and oil and gas facilities.

BZVF's metal seated butterfly valve range is designed for demanding thermal applications and is published with temperature capabilities up to +850°C for appropriate configurations. Metal seating is advantageous where temperatures exceed the practical operating limits of common elastomeric seat materials.

Potential applications include:

• saturated steam;

• superheated steam;

• hot hydrocarbons;

• heat-transfer fluids;

• utility steam systems;

• thermal process lines.

Valve selection for high-temperature service must account for pressure-temperature ratings, material strength at operating temperature, thermal expansion, sealing design and actuator sizing.

The maximum published temperature of a product range should never be interpreted as the allowable temperature for every material, size and pressure class. Final ratings depend on the selected valve configuration.

Sour & Corrosive Service

Sour oil and gas environments can contain hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), carbon dioxide, chlorides and other corrosive constituents. Material selection for these services requires particular care because H₂S-containing environments can create cracking mechanisms in susceptible metallic materials.

Where sour-service requirements apply, the purchaser should specify the fluid composition, H₂S partial pressure, temperature, pressure, chloride concentration and applicable material requirements.

ISO 15156 / NACE MR0175 requirements may apply to metallic materials used in qualifying H₂S-containing oil and gas production environments. Compliance should be evaluated for the specific materials and service conditions rather than assumed for a valve simply because it is manufactured from stainless or alloy steel.

BZVF offers carbon steel, stainless steel and alloy-steel material options across its metal seated range. Final body, disc, stem, seat, overlay, bolting and sealing materials should be selected against the project corrosion and sour-service specification.