Tyco Flow Control’s Fasani plant near Milan has inaugurated a new test bench for large gate, globe and check valves that is believed to be the biggest in Europe. In the presence of a number of clients and an enthusiastic workforce, a hydraulic test was successfully performed on a 72-inch gate valve purchased by Reliance for its Jamnagar project in India.
“The investment is part of a larger lean manufacturing project that has seen a major assembly line reorganisation and the provision of testing facilities dedicated to large size and high-pressure valves,” a company spokesman said.
“The programme is a further demonstration of Tyco Flow Control’s commitment to process excellence at its Fasani plant.”
The test bench facility was designed and built by Italcontrol, one of the most renowned European suppliers of testing facilities and only company in the world with an established track record for test benches for valves over 60 inches. The investment enables the Fasani plant to test large-sized valves in dramatically reduced time frames and its location in a specially constructed pit safeguards health and safety considerations.
Commenting on the news, Andrea Nannini, plant manager, said “This facility clearly gives the Fasani brand a competitive advantage and we have good reason to believe that it is the largest test bench ever built in Europe. It will enable us to offer customers complete peace of mind for highly specialised, bespoke orders while cutting lead times.”
The bench can test valves with transition pipes with up to 4,700 mm face-to-face dimensions as well as gate, globe and check valves up to 60 inches ANSI  600; 30 inches ANSI 1,500 and 24 inches ANSI 2,500, with a reaction force of 3000 tons.
The Fasani range includes carbon steel, stainless steel and special alloy gate, globe and check valves in bolted bonnet and pressure sealed designs, widely utilised in process industries worldwide including offshore, oil and gas, and power.