Improving safety, efficiency and extending the service life of gas valves.
AVK’s Market Leading Donkin Polyurethane Coated Gas Valve Range is Growing! 16-03-2022
The gas network plays a vital role in transporting energy to consumers securely and effectively. Over time materials and assets used in pipelines degrade, and wear out, increasing the risk for potential leak paths, to mitigate against this, all ageing assets must be replaced.
AVK understands that our customers want a robust and effective solution when considering the replacement of assets within the network. From extensive research into the challenges faced by our customers, we developed our Donkin Polyurethane coated valve range. Polyurethane is a unique, factory applied, high performance coating, specially developed by AVK to withstand the rigors and challenges of underground installation.
Developed back in 2016, the Donkin Polyurethane coating is fully type tested to European standard EN 10290 and complies with all the relevant parts of UK gas standard T/SP/CW/6-2. In addition the coated valves have also undergone site specific tests to validate and approve the robustness of this coating. Proved to significantly improve the asset life and integrity of the valve whilst minimising the need for additional protection systems.
Through significant investment and to meet the growing market demand for coated valves AVK has now increased production capacity at our factory in Chesterfield, Derbyshire expanding the capability to Polyurethane coat the Donkin range of valves now up to DN800.
The Benefits of POLYURETHANE Coating:-
Reduced valve wrapping
- Exceptionally strong coating protection
- When combined with PE tails, the valves can be installed without any need for further corrosion protection
- Valves with flanged ends have fully protected valve bodies but will still require wrapping on the connecting flanges - a major saving on both models when compared to wrapping the whole valve
Quick installation
- Installing a Donkin Polyurethane coated, PE tailed valves eliminates bolting connecting flanges and fully wrapping – estimated potential labour saving of two hours on a DN300 valve
Enhanced Benefits
The full system is comprised of five main elements that deliver the following benefits:
- A unique, factory applied, high performance Polyurethane coating, specially developed by AVK to withstand the rigors and challenges of underground installation.
- Factory fitted PE tails.
- *AVK ASSIST to log, locate and audit valves.
- Stainless steel spindle.
- Stem cap.
- 20 year warranty for valves which incorporate all the above features (information available upon request).
Reduce potential for underground leaks
- Because the PE ends are directly electro fused to the PE pipeline the potential for leaks is removed and increases the asset integrity of the pipeline.
In addition to the Polyurethane coated valves we offer a ‘free to use’ mobile application *AVK ASSIST to enable customers to log, locate and audit all valve installations. This system in its entirety has been designed to ensure that valve installations are quicker, of a consistent high quality, and are fully traceable and auditable. The system in its entirety has been designed to ensure that valve installations are quicker, of a consistently high quality, and are fully traceable and auditable.
Lewis Davis, Operations Manager at AVK UK Ltd, explains:
“By increasing both our capacity and capability to supply Polyurethane coated gate valves and under pressure drilling valves up to DN800, we simultaneously add value into our own business and that of our customers. Polyurethane coating not only furthers our already market leading quality standards, it also saves the customer valuable time and money at the point of installation and benefits everyone through risk reduction out in the field.”
Setting the Standard.
At AVK UK and Bryan Donkin Valves Ltd, we’re proud to say that quality is built into all our products, from the initial concept, through design and right through the manufacturing process at our factory in Chesterfield, United Kingdom.
AVK was the first in the gas distribution sector to achieve the international quality standard ISO/TS 29001:2011 for the entire design-to-delivery gas valve manufacturing process.
AVK is also certified to ISO 9001 quality management and ISO 14001 for environmental management.
Our valves are all approved to UK Gas Industry Standards (GIS) and certified to the BSI Kitemark scheme. Other relevant international standards are complied with where appropriate including the European Pressure Equipment Directive (PED).
*The AVK Valve Installation Tracker
- Alongside the Polyurethane coated valves, the AVK Assist app enables the logging of GPS location and provides full auditing of installed works.
- Every valve is fitted with a QR code label through which the AVK Assist app can provide an accurate GPS location, log all the relevant installation details and more. This same QR code also provides full traceability throughout the manufacturing process at Bryan Donkin Valves Ltd.
