It is reported that Spirax SafeBloc
Double Block and Bleed valves
have helped SCA Hygiene in
Prudhoe, Northumberland, to
eliminate unscheduled boiler
shutdowns costing up to £20,000 each
in lost production.

SCA Hygiene runs a 24/7 process,
producing branded tissue. It is the
company’s practice to only carry out
maintenance work on a live steam
system behind double block and
bleed isolation.

The company frequently suffered
minor problems with blocked level
gauge glasses on its boilers.However,
because only single isolation valves
were fitted to the gauge glasses, the
boiler had to be shut down and
depressurised to enable maintenance
engineers to fix the problem safely,
halving production output for up to
10 hours.

“We replaced the existing single
isolation valves with four SafeBloc
valves on each of our boilers, so that
any future maintenance work on our
gauge levels can be done without
having to shut down a boiler, enabling
us to maintain production,” explains
Neil Carroll, area engineering leader
at SCA Hygiene, Prudhoe Mill.

“Previously a boiler shutdown could
cost us up to £20,000 in production
downtime. The last four valves paid
for themselves three times over within
the first six months.”
The Spirax SafeBloc incorporates
two isolation valves and a bleed port
in a compact assembly, making it easy
to install in the space left by an
existing single isolation valve.