Tyco’s Expanded Testing Facility

Setting the standard in steam test capabilities

Tyco Valves & Controls has significantly expanded its state-of-the-art testing facility at its Mansfield, Massachusetts, USA location. Originally opened in 2010 following a $25m program of investment, Tyco has recently further improved the existing test boiler fleet and steam flow loop, including the addition of a new 2250 psig (155 barg) 350 horsepower boiler.

This expansion enables Tyco to fully flow test products from any manufacturer up to pressures of 2000 psig (137 barg) with flow requirements of over 2 million lbs per hour (over 900,000 kg per hour) of saturated steam. Modularity of the facility also allows testing of straight through and angle type products with various inlet and outlet connections.

“We have already worked with some major OEMs in the valves and controls industry to augment their nuclear program by providing product related testing,” comments Don Coons, Marketing Manager for Nuclear Power and Service, Tyco Flow Control. “The facility is available to any organization that needs to test equipment at high pressures and flow rates. With this expansion to incorporate higher pressures and short times needed between tests, we are unrivalled in our saturated steam testing capabilities.”

The Mansfield facility offers testing resources well beyond the requirements for full-flow steam testing of equipment for the new Gen III and Gen III+ Nuclear Power reactors. With this capability, Tyco is able to test steam service equipment for full functionality and repeatability with ease. Since the test facility can regenerate quickly, full functional tests of the latest advanced Nuclear Main Steam Safety Valve products for the new generation of Nuclear Power reactors can be tested repeatedly within minutes. In addition to tracking pressure and temperature throughout the product operational cycle, other measurements can be tracked and recorded as required for any specific test. Fundamentally, the test arrangement and measurements taken can be customized to customers’ own specific needs.

Alongside the expanded high pressure steam flow loop, Tyco also offers additional testing facilities at the Mansfield location. Product tests using air, steam (high flow, lower flow, high pressure and lower pressure) and water are also available from other test loops within the facility. A selection of these capabilities includes:

• Measured flow testing on air, steam and water.
• Reaction force calculations.
• Seismic calculations and testing.
• Stress analysis.
• Finite element analysis (FEA.)
• Temperature correlation testing.
• Pressure testing in excess of 3,000 psig.
• QME-1 qualification testing.
• Full-flow testing in excess of 2 million pounds per hour saturated steam at pressures up to 2,000 psig.
• Operational testing with measurements of pressure, temperature, time and stroke among other parameters.

Engineering, product design and quality assurance expertise acquired through decades of experience in the Nuclear Power industry ensures the team at the Mansfield facility are uniquely qualified to assist customers with a full range of specialist testing and engineering analysis requirements.

Tyco Valves & Controls
Tel: 01858 467281
Website: www.tycovalves.com

Published: 2nd August 2012