Valtech Engineering completes online FCCU expansion joint repair

Valtech Engineering received an emergency phone call from a major gulf coast refiner. Their FCCU had an expansion joint failure in their flue gas line. The 20 year old expansion joint was leaking from a crack in the bellows that had propagated through both bellows plies, along the skirt, and through the first convolution. This catastrophic failure would normally be costly and require the FCCU to be shut down for expansion joint replacement.

Within 18 hours from the initial phone call Valtech Engineering was onsite and together with client designed an engineered clamshell solution for online installation. In concurrence with site preparation Valtech Engineering delivered a new Inco 625 clamshell bellows to site on expedite basis.