Parker Bestobell Marine Launches Compact Valve
Parker Bestobell Marine has launched a new compact version of its Float Isolation Valve (FLIV). The compact FLIV, which is 150mm in diameter and 600mm high, was developed to cater for the use of smaller diameter floats that are now being specified by shipyards for secondary level monitoring systems on LNG carriers
The patented Parker Bestobell Marine FLIV is installed on top of the cargo tanks of LNG carriers and isolates the gauge and float from the cargo tank. These essential valves prevent boil-off gas from the cargo tanks, which could potentially be extremely dangerous.
Parker Bestobell Marine’s original FLIV valve is available in 300mm and 200mm diameters. The first FLIV was supplied to an LNG carrier in 2007 and since then has been fitted to over 120 LNG carriers, making it the preferred choice for the majority of ships built since then.
FLIV was originally designed to work in conjunction with the secondary float system supplied by Whessoe (now Wartsila Tank Systems) and has now been adapted to work with a similar system manufactured by Henri Systems.
The FLIV was designed by Bestobell Valves back in the mid 2000s to eliminate the problems associated with gate valves that were originally used to isolate the secondary float level gauge from the cargo tanks. Unlike gate valves the operation of the valve eliminates the risk of cutting the tape or damaging the float during operation should the valve be closed accidentally, and when the float is still in the tank. This can potentially lead to the float falling back into the cargo tank and having to be retrieved. The FLIV includes an integral inspection chamber from which the float can be serviced, thus eliminating the need for a separate fabricated component. An open/close indication, and lock should ensure that the crew members cannot close the valve when the float is still in the cargo tank.