Pre-commissioning and commissioning support for new valves

1. Why new valves need commissioning care

Pre-commissioning covers everything before process fluid first enters the line. Commissioning covers the first operations under real pressure and real product. Both stages decide how the valve will behave for years afterwards.

New valves normally leave the factory tested against published acceptance standards. The same valve then passes through storage, installation and construction before start-up. Storage caps, open ends and site fabrication all create entry paths for contamination.

Construction debris, welding spatter and residual hydrotest fluid can settle on seats and in sealant grooves. Line flushing cleans the main pipe run, but does not always reach every valve. A new valve that passes at start-up therefore suggests debris, not always a manufacturing defect.

Commissioning support exists to close this gap with modest, targeted work from the first day.

2. Test debris and early seat leakage

The first symptom is usually seat leakage soon after start-up. Downstream pressure rise or unexpected flow indicates a passing valve, but screening evidence alone proves nothing. The cause becomes clear only after a proper test.

The confirming step is a seat-leak test under agreed conditions. That may mean pressure decay across the closed valve, or double block and bleed monitoring. A witnessed leak test under site procedures is another option.

API 598 and ISO 5208 are factory acceptance references, not field test results. If a field test confirms leakage, debris is a common cause on new installations. Common causes include debris in the line, hydrotest residue, and seat damage from forced cycling.

A controlled programme of cleaner and gentle cycling often clears the seat in suitable cases. If leakage persists beyond it, the honest endpoint is a proper assessment or replacement under warranty.

3. First fill: cleaner, lubricant and sealant

First fill is only possible when the basics allow it. Not every valve is built for injection, so check the design first. The valve must have injection fittings in good condition, and a service suited to injection.

Site rules and the permit-to-work must allow the work. Where OEM documents exist, we consult them for limits and warranty terms.

The fill itself then follows a simple and repeatable order:

1. Inject cleaner to lift debris from the seat area, then cycle the valve gently several times.
2. Inject lubricant to coat the stem and seals, which lowers operating torque.
3. Inject sealant in controlled amounts within equipment and fitting ratings, watching the pressure response throughout.

Stop and reassess if the pressure response climbs sharply or the valve resists movement. Sealant choice also matters from the first fill onward. Industry knowledge holds that organic sealants can harden in dry gas service and seize valves.

Match the compound to the service fluid before the first injection. Our valve sealants are made in-house for a range of duties. Request the guide through an enquiry and an engineer sends it.

4. Records that start on day one

A valve with no service history is expensive to defend later. Records opened at commissioning give every later decision a starting point. They also protect warranty claims where factory defects surface after start-up.

We ask every site to capture the following from day one:

1. Valve identity: tag number, size, class, manufacturer and model.
2. Injection points available, and their condition at handover.
3. Compounds injected, quantities, pressures observed and torque before and after.
4. The result of any seat-leak check performed under agreed conditions.

This baseline turns a later passing valve into a comparable event rather than a mystery. It separates a valve that degraded from a valve that never worked. The record also travels with the valve into later maintenance contracts.

For valves already in service with nothing recorded, see baselining valves with no service history.

5. How we support your commissioning

Commissioning support can be a site visit or remote guidance for your own crew. Our field teams travel worldwide from India to attend start-up windows. Where travel is not needed, an engineer advises remotely throughout the job.

An engineer replies within 24 hours to valve problems sent by WhatsApp or the contact form. Send the valve list, the service fluid and the start-up date. We confirm the compounds, the injection plan and the record template.

The work draws on our clean, lubricate and seal service. The visit itself follows the stages and acceptance evidence of a standard online sealant injection visit.

When comparing suppliers, our guide to choosing an online valve maintenance provider lists what to check. A single commissioning visit can also serve as a trial before a wider programme. See from one-valve trial to a programme for that route.