How to Prepare and Ship Valve Samples for Fire Testing

A valve fire test campaign can be delayed for weeks by something as simple as a missing material certificate or a sample shipped without its actuator. This guide sets out exactly what to prepare and how to ship, so your fire test starts on schedule and the certificate covers what you need.

1. Selecting the right sample

The sample you ship becomes the qualification. Choose it deliberately:

• Pick the representative size and pressure class for the range you want covered — most standards allow a tested sample to qualify a defined family, so test the one that unlocks the widest range
• Use a production valve, not a prototype or a specially prepared unit
• Ensure the seat, packing, gasket and stem seal are the part numbers you will actually ship to customers
• Include the actuator or gearbox if the qualification must cover an assembled unit

2. Documentation to send with the sample

• General arrangement drawing and, if available, the sectional assembly drawing
• Bill of materials with seat, packing, gasket and stem seal identification
• Material certificates for pressure-retaining parts and for the sealing components
• Nameplate data: type, model, size, pressure class, serial number, manufacturer
• Rated pressure and the test pressure you expect to be used
• The target standard and edition: API 607 2022, API 6FA 2026 or ISO 10497
• The qualification range you want the certificate to cover

Missing material certificates are the single most common cause of delay, because the laboratory cannot confirm the sealing materials it is being asked to qualify.

3. Physical preparation

• Ship the valve clean and dry, free of preservative oil that could affect the burn or the leakage measurement
• Leave the packing and gaskets in the as-shipped production condition — do not add sealant
• Protect flange faces and the stem; damage in transit can invalidate the sample
• If the valve has a gearbox or actuator, confirm with the laboratory whether it should be fitted for the test

4. Packing and shipping

• Block and brace the valve so it cannot move inside the crate
• Use a wooden crate for larger valves; do not rely on cardboard for heavy items
• Include a packing list and a copy of the documentation inside the crate as well as by email
• Mark the shipment clearly with a reference so the laboratory can match it to the enquiry
• Notify the laboratory of the tracking number before dispatch

5. What happens when the sample arrives

1. Goods-in inspection and photographic record of the valve and its nameplate
2. Documentation review against the declared standard and edition
3. Confirmation of the test programme: burn curve, duration, cooling method, operational test and measurement points
4. Baseline ambient seat test
5. Burn, operational test and post-cooling leakage measurement
6. Report and certificate issue

Mistakes that cost money

• Shipping before confirming the required standard and edition — re-testing is the expensive outcome
• Sending a prototype rather than a production valve
• Seat or packing part numbers that differ from production
• No material certificates
• Asking for a size range the standard will not allow from a single sample

How Valverz can help

Valverz reviews your documentation before the sample ships, confirms the qualification range the standard permits, and issues a test plan and quotation within 1 working day. Contact: +86-18731031297 (WeChat available).