FOLLOW US
24/7 EMERGENCY LINE
1-619-599-8209
Call Office
1-888-372-2205
About Us
Valtech Engineering is a niche engineering and fabrication company focused on critical application expansion joints for the oil & gas and petrochemical industries. Primary focus is on new design, refurbishment, and related field services.
Our Capabilities:
-
FCCU expansion joints and transfer lines
-
Styrene expansion joints
-
Hinge and gimbal piping networks
-
Onsite field service surveys and inspections
-
Onsite emergency repairs on running and cool units
-
Pressure balanced elbow joints
-
In-line pressure balanced joints
-
Engineering technical support before and during turn arounds
Meet The Team
The skills in the Valtech staff are unique and diverse. The people below introduce the focused skill sets necessary for a complex sales cycle, detailed design engineering, on-site field services and project management to get your part delivered on time.
Michael Cabrera - Chief Engineer
Industry expert with over 27 years engineering experience in expansion joint design. 12 year technical chairman of EJMA. BSME San Diego State University. The hotter the temperature, the higher the pressure and the more exotic the materials, the better!!
Ken Whitney - Senior Designer
Head of 3D modeling, animation and machine design. Over 27 years experience in expansion joint detailed design, 3D Studio Max animation and in charge of bringing designs to life in the 3D world.
Chris Raquel - Chief Operating Officer
17 Years’ experience in all phases of the expansion joint industry including design, manufacturing and project management. Chris has spent the last few years in a management role which includes single point responsibility for business operations, procurement, production, safety and quality.
Rich Eichhorn - Sales Manager
Mechanical Engineer with 20 years experience in expansion joint design. Global Sales Manager with much experience in international sales and contractual negotiation. Rich is an engineer that understands the product and wants to get onsite and provide solutions for your expansion joint applications.
Guillermo Lerena - Field Service Director
Field Service expert with 11 years of experience and numerous projects on 5 continents under his belt. Guillermo has extensive experience in field engineering as well as coordination and implementation of projects. Whether it is an emergency leak or a large planned outage, Guillermo and his team will support you with timely and safe solutions.
Chris Ennion - Field Service Manager
A 14 year ExxonMobil veteran, Chris is as home in a refinery setting. He has extensive field experience with operation and maintenance of several refinery units and plant safety. He is responsible for the interface between the client and the field service team.
John Cejka - Sales, Texas
With over 20 years experience servicing the expansion joint industry, John reacts quickly to any issues in the Texas area. He brings problem solving skills at the plant level and support to the EPC's as well.
Nick Macomber - Field Service Manager
Our most recent addition to the field service team, Nick has several years of experience in project management and enjoys working in a refinery environment. Persistent hard work and problem solving are two characteristics that Nick brings to our field service team. Nick leads and owns implementation of field service projects, from request stage to final handoff. He is also a Formula 1 superfan.
Field Service Team
The most experienced Expansion Joint field crew out there. Whether it is a leaking running FCCU part or 175 penetration seals that need to be repaired, they will get the job done, safely, and on time.
Engineering
The engineering office is the heart of Valtech Engineering. All of our parts go through a rigorous design process using custom built software, FEA and 3D solid modeling before one piece of steel is cut. Check out one of our 3D models below. Our expansion joint design experience is invaluable. We see the possibilities for improvements and steer clear of pitfalls learned through 80 years of combined design experience
Design
It is of the utmost importance that expansion joints in critical service continue to run without failure and the only way to ensure this is to perform a detailed design before any fabrication begins. Valtech Engineering uses the most modern design tools to ensure that all aspects of the joint are structurally sound.
-
Custom EJMA 10th Edition software for bellows and hardware design developed in-house
-
Creo 3D solid modeling (formerly Pro/Engineer)
-
Structural FEA
-
Thermal FEA (Steady state and transient)
-
AutoCAD
-
Mathcad
-
Specification experts with: Shell, ExxonMobil, KBR, Technip/Axxens, UOP, BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Foster Wheeler, CBI, Valero, Tesoro and many more.
Our manufacturing plant is located in Valleyfield, Quebec just outside of Montreal. The facility is comprised of more than 106,000 sqft (9,850 sq meters) of covered fabrication space located less than a mile from the Port of Valleyfield allowing for convenient global shipping.
-
Bridge crane capacity of 150 tons (136 metric tons), 60ft (18.3m) under hook
-
Bellows forming up to 200in (5m) diameter
-
Welding processes, GTAW (TIG), GMAW (MIG), SAW (Sub-Arc), SMAW (Stick), resistance welding
-
Refractory shop
-
Heat cure and post weld heat treat
-
Paint shop
Visit Valtech Fabrication:
http://www.valtechfabrication.com/
Quality First
Valtech is committed to quality and customer care. Our attention to detail and product quality stem from 75 years of combined experience. We provide products that fully meet design and fabrication per EJMA (Expansion Joint Manufacturers Association), UOP, ASME Sec VIII Div. 1 (U Stamp), NBIC (R Stamp), B31.3 and B31.1. Our personnel are qualified for the following non-destructive testing procedures.
-
Radiographic testing (RT)
-
Liquid dye penetrant testing (PT)
-
Ultrasonic testing (Shear Wave, UT)
-
Hardness testing
-
Positive Material Identification (PMI)
-
Magnetic particle inspection (MT)
-
Ferrite testing
-
Pneumatic pressure testing
-
Hydrostatic pressure testing
-
API 936
World Class Manufacturing
Field Services
Valtech Engineering’s Field Service Team is recognized as a global leader in expansion joint installation and repair.
Emergencies - 24/7
Valtech Engineering has extensive experience dealing with expansion joint emergencies. Whether it is a repair, an evaluation, if the unit is running or cold, our technicians are always on standby ready to support your expansion joint needs!
Call +1 (619) 599 8209
On-Site Repairs
Many expansion joints are long lead items that can take up to 25 weeks to manufacture. Unfortunately a plant does not always have the luxury of such time. For these cases an onsite repair might be the best option. Onsite repair or refurbishment is also a cost effective option when something minor is causing the expansion joint to fail.
Offline installations/repairs
A traditional repair is performed when the plant is shut down and it allows the technicians to work for a longer period at a time in good conditions.
Online installations/repairs
For specific cases when an expansion joint is failing or leaking and a plant shut down is unwanted, Valtech Engineering offers online installations and repairs. Our technicians are equipped with high temperature aluminized reflective suits and supplied air certified to work on the unit while it is still running. This one of our most specialized services and has saved multiple clients from a costly shutdown.
Inspections
An inspection is a great way of determining the current condition of your expansion joints. It will dictate what needs to be replaced, repaired and what the expected expansion joint lifespan is. Further it is an ideal way of gathering all your expansion joint documentation in one comprehensive report for future reference.
Thermal Imaging
Valtech Engineering utilizes thermal imaging during hot inspections to determine the internal condition of your expansion joint ducting. By looking for hot spots any potential refractory or braid seal issues can be localized prior to shutdown and visual inspection.
The Team
The Valtech Engineering field crew has extensive experience in clamshell bellows installation in many applications. The team has an impressive record of successful emergency projects including multiple online installations while the unit is running. They are professional and understand clients urgency to get the job done safely and correctly the first time.
Field crew experience include:
-
FCCU
-
Styerene
-
Gas Turbines
-
HRSG
-
ASME U Stamp or R Stamp Heat Exchange Joints
