Training safety valve technicians on inline testing equipment
Inline safety valve testing equipment is a great investment for your valve testing, installation, and repair company. Whether you’re considering making the switch to new, updated inline testing equipment, or you’re investing in inline testing technology for the first time, you’re probably wondering how much time it will take to train your safety valve technicians on that new equipment.
When it comes to training valve technicians on how to use inline testing equipment, it’s good to know that there’s really not too much of a learning curve. Most experienced valve techs will already have most of the knowledge they need to run an inline safety relief valve test, it’s just a matter of learning how the equipment works. Here are a few of the basics your safety valve technicians will have to be trained on before they can take your inline testing equipment out into the field.
Securing Load Rig on Valve
The most labor-intensive step of inline safety valve testing equipment is hooking the load rig up to the valve stem. Compared to other methods of testing, this isn’t all that much work and can be done quickly, especially when you invest in inline testing equipment like AccuTEST’s which is easily managed by just one technician.
To secure the load rig, which consists of the drive motor, load cell, stem adapter, connection adapter, and a clamp base, technicians will have to lift the assembled load rig onto the valve stem, and then secure the load rig with the clamp base. From there, it’s just a matter of connecting the load right to the electronics case and the system computer which will run and control the valve test.
Manual Pump vs. Electric Motor
Once the load rig is secure, it’s time to run the actual test. Here, the training your safety valve technicians need will really depend on what type of inline safety valve testing equipment you invest in. Many systems use a manual pump and a hydraulic lift to test valves, while others, like AccuTEST’s, utilize an electric motor to run a fully automated test. In systems like these, technicians need only push a button and wait for the system to relay the results of the test.
Reading Results
After securing the load rig and running the actual test, it’s important that safety valve technicians understand how to read and report the test results. Every inline safety valve testing system is a little different, so what your technicians need to know will again depend on the system you invest in.
One feature that many safety valve technicians appreciate about the AccuTEST inline system is that the system reports the results of the test directly to the system’s laptop. This makes it easy for your technicians to do what they’re great at — analyze the results and perform any necessary maintenance or upgrades. The AccuTEST system is designed with technicians in mind; with quick, clear results that are accurate within 0.5 percent, AccuTEST delivers the information your technicians need to do their job quickly and efficiently.
AccuTEST Training Resources
While we can’t speak to the training resources of other inline safety valve testing systems out there, we can tell you what training resources AccuTEST makes available with our equipment. Every new AccuTEST system comes with a year of our renewable Annual Support Service, which includes first, and foremost, live web-based training sessions for your valve technicians.
Each of these sessions walks your technicians step-by-step through using the AccuTEST system, and it teaches them how to access our live troubleshooting and on-demand support services should they run into any trouble while out in the field. It’s good to know that our Annual Support Service also includes refresher web training courses for techs who just want to make sure they’re doing everything right. Onsite training sessions either at the AccuTEST facility or customer shop are available to be quoted.
If you’re considering investing in inline safety valve equipment, talk to the professionals at AccuTEST Systems. We offer some of the best testing equipment on the market, and we’d be happy to help you discover the ideal resources for training your technicians on new equipment.
