Since the upper Bavarian gas storage facility of DEA was established in 1973 about 800 Hartmann ball valves have been installed in the various operations. The depleted gas reservoir with depths of 2,900 to 3,000 metre located southeast of Munich is the deepest gas storage in Europe. Besides the 10 wells for injection and production, facilities are run for the compression, pressure reduction, drying and temperature control of the gas. A very high safety level as well as plant availability are critical. When old shut-off valves had to be replaced, Hartmann designed extra compact Twin Ball Valves, which are bubble-tight and solve problems of space limitation.
| Facility | Pore storage DEA Wolfersberg, Germany |
|---|---|
| Working gas capacity | 365.000.000 m³* |
| Max. injection rate | 140.000 m³/h* |
| Max. withdrawal rate | 240.000 m³/h* |
| Valves | approx. 800 Hartmann ball valves, including approx. 40 Twin Ball Valves |
| Nominal size (DN) | 15 – 300 mm |
| Pressure rating (PN) | 100 – 250 bar |
| Characteristics | Standard or studded flanges, True metal-to-metal sealing, Zero-bubble-tight, Maintenance-free |
| Design | PED + AD 2000, DIN 3230 part 5 PG3 Inspection 3.2 (TÜV) |
On rare occasion when a Hartmann valve has not immediately been gas tight, we conduct some repeat cycles which allow the valve to settle to complete tightness again. Whereas previously, even when we greased the original valves every half year – they were still leaking.
Stefan Jirsak
