Anyone who has experience in working in the oil and gas fields in Texas knows how important each component is to the safe and effective operation of a rig and to safely monitor and control the flow and pressure in any pipe system.
A very important type of valve in use in these types of applications is the vent valve. The vent valves come in a range of standard sizes including two, three and four-inch valves to work with standard sizes of pipes used throughout the industry.
The vent valve can also be used on tanks as well as other types of storage systems. These are float controlled valves that can be used to prevent vacuums from forming in systems as well as to either allow air to vent or to bring air into the system to provide stability and pressure equalization.
Choosing the Right Option
Most of the vent valves used in the Texas oil and gas industry are made out of aluminum due to the high tensile strength of this alloy. It is also extremely resistant to corrosion, which means it is a lower-maintenance valve with a longer duty cycle than would be possible with other types of metals and alloys.
Ideally, look for a vent valve that is designed to be easy to maintain in the field. They do require occasional clean-out and maintenance, typically a replacement of the pressure or vacuum seat is required. Valves that allow these replacement parts to simply clip in means the valves can be easily repaired in the field, reducing downtime and costs.
The top lines of vent valves used in applications are designed to be installed as a stack configuration or as an inline valve. The choice of these two configurations is primarily a factor of where the valve is used in the system.
