IMI Remosa has gained considerable experience in modifying, overhauling and retrofitting FCC valves. Most of these valves were originally manufactured by a different valve supplier. In many cases, the substantial modifications introduced by IMI Remosa allowed a longer valve operating life.
The evolution in valve design has greatly influenced the maintenance and overhauling methods. In the past, 80% of the valves operating in FCC units were the hot wall design, flanged type. These valves could be removed easily from the line and repaired at a qualified workshop under IMI Remosa supervising. Since then, the percentage of valves flanged to the line has drastically decreased to the advantage of the cold wall design, welded to the line valves. For understandable operating reasons, these valves cannot be removed from the line for maintenance or overhauling purposes.
By the time these different needs surfaced, IMI Remosa had already designed and built some portable machines which could be installed inside the valve to perform any type of repair work. Together with the high-qualified expertise of our supervisors - who know what type of welding, hardfacing, refractory, machining or repair is required - these portable machines have successfully gained our FCC customers' approval by solving many problems which were regarded difficult to tackle.
In addition, the new IMI Remosa-manufactured valves have been designed considering any possible maintenance problem. Our company provides technical assistance to the refinery personnel responsible for turnarounds. Preliminary meetings are held to discuss any problem experienced during the valve operating life. Then IMI Remosa prepares a technical recommendation providing the solution to the specific problem.
We have successfully performed repair works and maintenance all over the world, from the mouth of Rio La Plata, Argentina to the desert in Saudi Arabia, to Manaus in the heart of the Amazonian Forest, to Mendoza in the Cordillera of the Andes, and many others.
Several competitors' valves have been repaired, overhauled or retrofitted by IMI Remosa and we are very proud to have filled our data base with experience and above all to have exported our brand name and know-how which, in many cases, have brought our customers to prefer IMI Remosa to the original valve manufacturer.