Pharmaceutical

A pharmaceutical company in West Virginia faced a problem when it needed to isolate and replace a leaking valve on a horizontal overhead chilled water line. Their problem was the area served by the chilled water was temperature critical and therefore could not have a loss in flow. An additional complication was that maintenance of the air quality within the indoor workspace was essential. Consequently, the solution proposed could not include welding, since it wasn’t possible to effectively collect and filter or exhaust fumes out of the area.

With extensive experience working in sensitive locations where loss of flow could result in catastrophic losses, Topaz, Inc. was called upon to get the job done. The Topaz service department recommended a dual plugging operation to isolate the valve with a temporary bypass, so water flow would not be lost. Topaz provided the fittings, equipment and technician to get the job done.

Topaz began by making hot taps on either side of the valve to be replaced through special mechanical plugging tees and Topaz temporary valves. These bolt-on style fittings are not welded to the line, but rather seal against the pipe O.D. with elastomeric seals chosen for compatibility with the contents of the line. Two additional smaller taps were made for blowdown and equalization of the work section. The plugging heads were inserted into the line, the isolated section was depressured and the valve was successfully replaced. With the new valve in place, all Topaz temporary equipment and the temporary bypass were removed. The job was completed without loss of flow and without detrimental effect to air quality.