World’s Largest Gate Valve
(DN2800)
Made for Texas, USA
John Lewthwaite, Technical Director
“When the world’s most impressive pipeline scheme
asks for 100 year asset life valves, you listen.
Blackhall Engineering Limited has a proven track
record of making 100 year asset life valves, and
we’ve recently designed and manufactured the
World’s Largest Gate Valves ever for Texas, USA. My
name is John Lewthwaite, the Technical Director at
Blackhall, and it gives me great pleasure to introduce
the below case study that shows how we overcame
one of our biggest challenges to date with our
technical expertise and innovative philosophy.”
DALLAS – FORT WORTH METROPLEX
Texas, the second largest state in the USA both in area and population faces enormous demand for
drinking water. Within Texas lies America’s largest inland metropolitan area, Dallas – Fort Worth
Metroplex (DFW) province which is the economic and cultural hub of North & Central Texas.
The water in DFW is both sourced and managed by two major Texas water authorities, Tarrant
Regional Water District (TRWD) & Dallas Water utilities (DWU). With the rapidly growing population
in this area it is expected that more than 13 million residents will need water by 2060 which is more
than double the population served by the authorities today. As a result they have partnered to
execute the 2 billion dollar Integrated Pipeline Project (IPL) which will enable them to increase the
water supply by 350 million gallons per day (1.59 billion litres per day) meeting the ever increasing
demand in the long term.
www.blackhall.co.uk
The Project involves the construction of 150 miles of
pipeline extending and integrating from multiple
lakes. In addition it involves the construction of 3
Lake Pump Stations and 3 Booster Pump Stations.
Blackhall Valves are playing an essential role on
this mega project by regulating the water in the
largest and longest segments of the pipeline. This
involved the design and manufacture of High
Pressure DN2800 / 108 inch Parallel Faced Metal
Seated Gate Valves, considered to be the World’s
Largest Gate Valves weighing in at over 100 tons
and standing a majestic 40 feet (477 inches) tall.
The specifications of these magnificent valves were stated by some of the USA’s top consulting
engineering firms like AECOM, CDM Smith, Black & Veatch and Freese & Nichols.
TRWD placed the order after evaluating Blackhall’s award winning design expertise, capability,
utilisation of manufacturing technology & exceptional project management skills. Furthermore,
Blackhall’s proven track record of manufacturing 100 year asset life valves matched perfectly with
TRWD’s 100 year sustainability promise on the IPL project.
Design and Manufacturing
Blackhall Engineering has always been at the
forefront of embracing advancements in
computational technology for the development
of their products, thus delivering improved
performance & efficiencies for their
customers.
These Parallel Faced Metal Seated Gate
Valves are an excellent example of a world
class product that has been designed with
these advancements in technology fused with
the experience of the Blackhall Design Team.
www.blackhall.co.uk
3D MODELLING FEA SEISMIC
Along with the theoretical knowledge and empirical data, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) has been
comprehensively used to simulate and to predict both the structural behaviour of the valve during its
operation, and its capability of sealing under various flow and pressure conditions. The geometry of
the components have been optimized for enhanced stress distribution. The FEA results were
validated by performing Strain Gauge testing on the valve. The design of the valve also incorporated
external loading factors, for example Computational Seismic (Modal) Analysis that was performed to
ensure the sustainability and robustness of the valve during earthquakes & such events.
Casting Process of Blackhall DN2800 Metal Seated Gate Valve
The success of any highly engineered product depends not
only on the design, but equally on the manufacturing and
assembly processes involved. Advanced Casting Simulation
Programme was employed to optimise the casting process to
ensure the castings manufactured were free from any residual
stresses that could potentially develop during the solidification
MAGMA SIMULATION
of metal.
This prevents any over stressing of the components during operation and helps in ensuring the
prolonged life of the valve. Extensive NDE and inspection techniques are also used to guarantee that
the valves are manufactured to the highest quality standards. By employing all of the methods above
Blackhall provides our customers with the ultimate peace of mind over the life cycle of their assets.
www.blackhall.co.uk
Highly reputed and technologically advanced
machining facilities were sourced for machining of the
valve components to achieve dimensional and
geometric accuracy which are critical for the
functioning of the valve. The complete valve was
assembled with the utmost care and diligence by
employing Blackhall’s trained & highly experienced
personnel to ensure the exceptional reliability of the
valve build.
The first valve to be installed on the pipeline
successfully passed all hydraulic tests; Shell Strength
at 375psig and Seating Capability tested at 250 psig.
Five further valves are currently in production for this
impressive pipeline scheme, designed in the UK and
manufactured in the USA with delivery running On-
Time & In-Full.
www.blackhall.co.uk
Installation
Dave Richmond (Service Director) and John
Lewthwaite (Technical Director) standing inside
the installed valve which opens into the mega
pipeline that promises the most sustainable
water supply for people of Texas.
James Blackhall the Managing Director of Blackhall Engineering commented “It has been a joy working
with TRWD, both engineering teams worked exceptionally closely with a true sense of purpose to deliver
this legacy project”.
Blackhall Valvologists take great pride in delivering the Ultimate Valve Solution.
Buy your critical assets once for Ultimate Peace of Mind.
www.blackhall.co.uk
