AVK CSR 2023-24 web - Flipbook - Page 35
CASE
REFURBISHMENT OF VALVES AS A
BUSINESS CASE
In addition to recycling the waste generated
in the manufacturing and to use recycled
materials in our cast iron and plastic
production, Glenfield Invicta, part of the AVK
Group, refurbishes old Glenfield valves that
would otherwise be scrapped.
Glenfield Invicta has been providing valve,
penstock, and engineering site solutions across
a wide range of water, wastewater, and nonutility infrastructure projects for over 170 years.
Some of the valves installed through the past
many years could use a refurbishment. A case
of such refurbishment is the two 24” gate
valves from Munnoch Reservoir.
Munnoch Reservoir is a small 25.8ha/63 acres
service reservoir located in Scotland. The
reservoir was decommissioned in 2008. In
2022, work on the site was commissioned to
lower water levels and rewild the surrounding
area. The reservoir now acts as a flood
prevention measure.
When the conservation works were being
undertaken, two 24” gate valves were found
hidden in dense undergrowth. Although
nobody can say for sure, it is possible that
the valves were removed when the reservoir
was decommissioned in 2008. The original
use of the valves is likely to have been scour
protection or reservoir drawdown.
Scope of works
Scottish Water, a waterworks supplying more
than 5 million customers with drinking water
in Scotland, contacted Glenfield Invicta to
check if the valves could be refurbished. The
valves were delivered to Glenfield Invicta’s
manufacturing site in Kilmarnock where
they were cleaned, disassembled, and all
components were subjected to a detailed
condition assessment.
Whilst the valves carried the Glenfield
markings of that era, there was no mark or
date on the casting to identify when it had
been manufactured. However, the flange
configuration and the use of coach-type bolts
indicated that the valves were probably the
originals installed when Munnoch Reservoir
was built in 1902.
During reassembly, the original fasteners were
replaced with new, as were the non-metallic
seals and packing.
The benefits of refurbishing legacy valves
Benefits of valve refurbishment, when
compared to new replacement valves, include
carbon emission savings from the casting
process and transport of the components,
lower costs, and faster turnaround. Returning
a refurbished valve to its original location
and function also ensure that the dynamics
of the pipework/system configuration remain
unchanged.
In recent years, Glenfield Invicta refurbished
around 10 valves annually. However, now there
is a growing number of refurbishment inquiries
from the UK market.
Once cleaned, the valves were disassembled
into their component parts which, on
visual inspection alone, appeared to be in
good overall condition. Glenfield Invicta’s
engineers then completed a detailed condition
assessment. Scottish Water agreed with the
report’s suggestion to refurbish the valves and
gearboxes because it was a cost-effective
option.
The refurbishment process took six weeks.
Firstly, the valves’ castings were shotblasted
and spray coated with repeated protective
layers of paint that is used on our current
valve range, and the seat rings were cleaned
manually.
AVK Sustainability report 2023/2024 | 35
