Project overview
Customer:
Geothermal energy plant
Location:
Gulf Coast (OK)
Products used:
- Automated Valve Configurator
- 1" FNW® X440 threaded ball valve
- FNW AC52SR11V pneumatic actuator
Challenge:
A failed valve cut crucial access to dried air and chilled water for a busy section of Oklahoma City’s business district.
Solution:
We provided a ready-in-minutes valve configuration, paired with in-stock products from an approved manufacturer.
Key result:
Our customer avoided a full plant outage that would have affected 30+ end users.
Ferguson advantages:
- Expert associates with deep knowledge of product specifications and industry requirements
- Extensive inventory of automated valve products from trusted vendors
- Robust valve automation capabilities supported by a national footprint
Project background
Beneath the streets of Oklahoma City, an extensive piping network distributes 99.9% reliable steam, hot water and chilled water to customers in the Central Business District. More than 30 premier institutions and businesses—including the new Oklahoma City Convention Center—rely on this network for space heating and cooling, domestic hot and chilled water, humidification and sterilization.
This system, known as district energy, is an innovative and resilient energy solution that involves the production of thermal energy at a central plant, eliminating the need to install or manage on-site boilers and chillers.
Challenge
At the central plant, automated valves allow the system to switch back and forth between water and dried air. In one of these valves, regular wear and tear resulted in a failed actuator.
Without a bypass for a quick workaround, the whole plant could have suffered an outage, disrupting service for all 30+ end users.
Solution
The customer contacted the Oklahoma City Ferguson Industrial location to source a replacement, but the valve’s specifications required a customized solution. Our associates identified an opportunity to use our online Automated Valve Configurator to build out exactly what the customer needed.
In less than 15 minutes, our flow control experts were able to walk the customer through the process of configuring an FNW automated ball valve package. The configurator generated specification documents and drawings for immediate customer review and approval.
Since FNW is an approved manufacturer and a national leader in valve actuation and modification, our locations keep FNW products on hand to reduce lead time on automated valve packages like this one.
Our team of experienced technicians used the drawings and specifications from the Automated Valve Configurator to automate the customized package from in-stock products and ship the final results on a condensed timeline to get the plant back to optimal operation.
The Ferguson Industrial difference
Due to our existing vendor managed inventory relationship, the customer knew they could trust us to provide an expedited replacement with expert service at this crucial moment. Associates from the Oklahoma City location visit this plant weekly to coordinate inventory and provide replenishment services.
Our accessibility and our familiarity with the industry, the plant’s operations and the urgency of the application made us the first choice for partnership on this project.
To learn more about how our expertise, capabilities and national footprint can help keep your plant operating smoothly, visit ferguson.com/industrial.