Integrity - a tradition spanning half a century

For decades, the Maxseal name has been associated with process management inmany of the most exacting environments in the world. Today, from the North Sea toSouth-East Asia, through North Africa, South America and the Middle East,Maxseal solenoid valves have a proven track record of safety and reliability. Sincethe 1950s, when the original concept was developed for nuclear power applica-tions, the scope has extended to industries as diverse as aerospace, defense,power generation, mining and, of course, offshore and petrochemicals.

Maxseal

Safe, reliable and cost-effective ThompsonValves solutions

Thompson Valves Ltd is internationally renowned for the hightechnical added value of strong, dedicated brands such asMaxseal solenoid valves and IVP pressure regulators.

Whether part of a packagedsolution or as individual compo-nents, they have become stan-dard specification in a variety ofcritical control and instrumenta-tion applications. This specialistnature of the company's corebusiness means that ThompsonValves is ideally positioned tosupport customers with a levelof performance that is fine-tunedto specific expectations.

Explaining a recent restructing,in which three distinct businessunits were created, Thompson

Valves Sales Director forIndustrial Products, DarrenSheppard, commented that ithad resulted in clear identification of market-ledopportunities for all areas of the business.

Due to launch September 2005,the new Maxseal IC03S solenoidvalve is a compact 2 kg versionof the market-leading IC04S,featuring fully 316 stainless-steelenclosure and valve constructionto IP66/X8.

The dual-certified, direct liftsolenoid design is magneticallyfine-tuned to operate a 1/4"valve at 2.9W. Retaining thetraditional Maxseal generousoperating forces and safetymargins required for reliableoperation under the mostarduous conditions, the ICO3 istypically suited to applicationssuch as emergency shut downsystems (ESD).

See inside for more details.

STOP PRESSNew compactconcept

Industry standard evolved froman original conceptMaxseal was founded in 1952, by a group of engineers, tomanufacture reliable solenoid-operated valves for theautomation and control of process media. 1954 saw thefirst of an ongoing series of developments that were tocontinue throughout the UK nuclear-power build pro-gramme, with units for the Calder Hall experimentalnuclear reactor. Read full story inside

Thompson Valves Ltd17 Balena CloseCreekmoor, Poole, Dorset BH17 7EFUnited KingdomTel: +44 (0)1202 697 521Fax: +44 (0)1202 605 385sales@thompson-valves.comwww.thompson-valves.com

A subsdiary of Truflo International PLC

Zone 0 Zone 1 Zone 2ICO2S ICO4S ICO4N

Typical Maxseal solutions in hazardous areas

By 1958, Maxseal was alreadyforging associations with largerorganisations such as RustonGas Turbines (European GasTurbines, now Siemens), ICI andThe National Coal Board,designing for instance valves forthe first automatic colliery atBeavercoats.

The original, and now famous,ICO4 - a 1/4" three-port directacting solenoid valve for instru-ment changeover duties - wasdeveloped for ICI in 1964.Evolution models included two-port and five-port configurations.What was to emerge as theworldwide market leader in itsclass, offers the offshore andpetrochemical industries of todaya uniquely reliable and heavy-duty unit. A number of variationson this proven design, such asthe ICO4N, ICO4P, ICO4D(4.5W) or ICO4S (stainless steel),cater for a range of specificapplications.

Joint development work withthe Ministry of Defence began inearnest in 1965. This producedan entire, purpose-built, newrange of solenoid and servo-operated valves. Options from1/4" to 6" were fitted to RoyalNavy and other naval craftaround the world, both conven-tional and nuclear.

Over the period 1978-80,Maxseal was working on a 1/4"three-port pilot-operated intrinsi-cally safe solenoid valve to ICIspecifications. This enhance-

ment of the product range waseventually launched as the ICO2,to which a CSA version wasadded later.

During the 1980s flameproofcertificates were updated fromHealth and Safety, Buxton, toBASEEFA and CENELEC standards. The new certificationmeant that solenoids up to150W could be used in haz-ardous areas requiring EEx eand EEx d, as well as CSAapproved equipment.

Steady progress

In 1984, this inventive companywas purchased by the Bath andPortland group (operating as adivision of KDG Instruments Ltd).It became known as KDGMaxseal Ltd, only to be takenover by Meggitt plc in 1988, andrevert to the name Maxseal Ltd.Then, in September 1994,Maxseal was acquired byCharles Baynes plc (subsequent-ly the FCX group; TrufloInternational since August 2005)and relocated from Bristol to theThompson Valves factory inPoole, Dorset.

While these events were takingplace, Maxseal was steadily pro-gressing on other fronts too,with BS 5750 registration in1991 and ISO 9001 in 1994.

It was in 2001 that Maxsealdecided to pursue new opportu-nities in the low ambient temper-ature market, proceeding to

Maxseal was founded in 1952, by a group of enginand control of process media. 1954 saw the first oUK nuclear-power build programme, with units for t

Industry standard evo

Team newsIn June 2005, the Maxseal team was strengthened by thetechnical expertise and enthusiasm of new Sales ManagerScott Waugh. Scott will focus on development opportuni-ties in Europe and the Middle East. Describing the commit-ment of the Maxseal team, Sales Director Darren Sheppardadded: “Exciting market opportunities mean that thisworld-renowned product and its potential are hugelyimportant to Thompson Valves”.

Maxseal 1/4" ICO3 solenoid valve standard features:

• Direct-lift, balanced and universal poppet valve design

• NACE compliant 316L stainless steel ecnlosure and valve assembly

• HNBR seals as standard with other options available

• Class H insulated coil rated for continuous duty

• 0-10 bar gas and hydraulic media

• Low-power 2.9W solenoid at 24V

• 1/4" valve via effective 5.0 mm orifice achieving Cv = 0.5~0.6

• -20 to +90°C temperature range

• M20 x 1.5 conduit entry thread

• Various DC voltage options with Zener diode surge suppression

• Lightweight model at 2.3 kg for typical 1/4" 3/2 automatic configuration

Maxseal 1/4" ICO3 solenoid valve technical specifications:

• ATEX classification complies with ATEX directive 94/9/EC

• ATEX certificate Sira 00ATEX1156

• Certification II2G / EEx d IIC T6 - T4 & EEx me pending

• IEC Ex Sira 05.0029

• SIL 3 pending

• Ingress protection IP66/X8 to BSEN 60529:1992 & NEMA 4X

• EMC certified to EN 50081-2/82-1

• Fast operating speed with 80 ms pull-in and 60 ms drop-out

NewCompactConceptICO3

ICO2S

SOV 3

ICO4S

Maxseal production team

Ma

launch the low-temperatureIC04S. Results were quick to fol-low, in the form of major con-tracts including Karachaganak,Sakhalin offshore and Tengiz.Today, low temperature expertisecoupled with a well-suited prod-uct is a winning combination,accounting for a major part ofthe Maxseal business recog-nised by the GOST (K)Kazakhstan and GOST (R)Russia licensing authoritiesapproving the supply ofequipment suitable for usein hazardous areas.

More recently (2004), inorder to align Maxsealmanufacturing resourceswith current market trends,Thompson Valves hasmade significant newinvestments: CNC lathes,vertical machining centres,new engineering andassembly facility employ-ing the latest in flow-linetechniques.

Today

The launch of the newMaxseal IC03 is scheduled forSeptember 2005. A compact,lower power and reduced flowversion of the IC04S, this prod-uct is designed specifically tomeet modern requirements ofthe oil and gas, and petrochemi-cal, industries around the world.Typical certifications include EEx d,EEx me (pending), ATEX, IEC,

IP66/X8, NEMA 4X.The Maxseal 2005 product

development programmeremains demanding, one exam-ple being the release of a filterregulator by early 2006. As SalesDirector Darren Sheppard pointsout: “After a span of over fiftyyears, there are Maxseal prod-ucts currently in use on nearlyevery offshore oil and gas pro-duction platform

in the North Sea. However, inorder to remain a market leader,development of new productsand a consideration for newtechnologies are crucial”. Maxseal,with an enviable reputation forreliability, remains synonymouswith onshore, offshore andpetrochemical plants in everycorner of the globe.

neers, to manufacture reliable solenoid-operated valves for the automationof an ongoing series of developments that were to continue throughout thethe Calder Hall experimental nuclear reactor.

olved from an original concept

Outstandingtrack record

Thompson Valves hasconsistently set rigorousstandards worldwide, inexacting process-manage-ment duties such as in the oil and gas and petrochemical industries.

• ATEX-certified, lowpower consumption,fast-acting, 5-millioncycle life, instrumentchangeover valves.

• Industry standardevolved from a provendirect-acting concept.

• Suitable for use in SIL 3and 4 systems.

• Half a century of reliableperformance in safety-critical environments.

• Certification andapprovals for use in haz-ardous areas.

• Choice of materials tosuit process require-ments.

• Resilient, compact andlightweight design.

• Market leader specifiedworldwide.

Local all over the worldMajor installations in the worldfeaturing Maxseal technology

Maxseal

axsealMaxseal

Maxseal

MaxsealMaxseal

Maxseal

TengizRag and FlareIndorama PTA

ACG III BuhasaSoha RefineryGoodwin A Plutonia

Bonny Island

Terminal LNG de Altamira Arthit Field

Sakahlin Island

Zakum Field

Karachaganak

Crazy HorseBritannia SatellitesDe Ruyter

The Truflo International Group (formerly FCX)

comprises specialist manufacturers of valves

and related flow control products designed

for use in severe service applications where

integrity and performance are critical. Served

markets include petrochemicals, LNG, oil and

gas, nuclear power generation, PET, naval

marine and shipbuilding.

Group companies

Orton - Italy

Truflo Marine - UK

Truflo Rona - Belgium

IMF - France

Thompson Valves - UK

Newman Hattersley - Canada

GHR - Germany

www.truflointernational.com

True excellence in flow control