TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

CHECK VALVES
(AMENDMENTS/SUPPLEMENTS TO BS 1868)

MESC SPE 77/104

February 2016

MESC SPECIFICATION DOCUMENT

This document is restricted. Neither the whole nor any part of this document may be disclosed to any third party without the prior written consent of Shell Global
Solutions International B.V., The
he Netherlands. The copyright of this document is vested in this company. All rights reserved. Neither the whole nor any part of this
document may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
mechanical, reprographic, recording or otherwise)
without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.

MESC SPE 77/104

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PREFACE
MESC (Materials and Equipment Standards and Code) SPE documents reflect the views, at the time of publication, of:
Shell Global Solutions International B.V. (Shell GSI)
and/or
Shell International Exploration and Production B.V. (SIEP)
and/or
other Shell Service Companies.
They are based on the experience acquired during their involvement with the design, construction, operation and
maintenance of processing units and facilities, and they are supplemented with the experience of Shell Operating Units.
Where appropriate they are based on, or reference is made to, international, regional, national and industry standards.
The objective is to set the recommended standard for good design and engineering practice applied by Shell companies
operating an oil refinery, gas handling installation, chemical plant, oil and gas production facility, or any other such
facility, and thereby to achieve maximum technical and economic benefit from standardization.
The information set forth in these publications is provided to Shell companies for their consideration and decision to
implement. This is of particular importance where MESC SPEs may not cover every requirement or diversity of condition
at each locality. The system of MESC SPEs is expected to be sufficiently flexible to allow individual Operating Units to
adapt the information set forth in MESC SPEs to their own environment and requirements.
When Contractors or Manufacturers/Suppliers use MESC SPEs they shall be solely responsible for the quality of work
and the attainment of the required design and engineering standards. In particular, for those requirements not
specifically covered, the Principal will expect them to follow those practices, which will achieve the same level of
integrity as reflected in the MESC SPEs. If in doubt, the Contractor or Manufacturer/Supplier shall, without detracting
from his own responsibility, consult the Principal or its technical advisor.
The right to use MESC SPEs is granted by Shell GSI, in most cases under Service Agreements primarily with Shell
companies and other companies receiving technical advice and services from Shell GSI or another Shell Service
Company. Consequently, three categories of users of MESC SPEs can be distinguished:
1)

Operating Units having a Service Agreement with Shell GSI or other Shell Service Company. The use of MESC
SPEs by these Operating Units is subject in all respects to the terms and conditions of the relevant Service
Agreement.

2)

Other parties who are authorized to use MESC SPEs subject to appropriate contractual arrangements (whether
as part of a Service Agreement or otherwise).

3)

Contractors/subcontractors and Manufacturers/Suppliers under a contract with users referred to under 1) or 2)

which requires that tenders for projects, materials supplied or - generally - work performed on behalf of the said
users comply with the relevant standards.

Subject to any particular terms and conditions as may be set forth in specific agreements with users, Shell GSI
disclaims any liability of whatsoever nature for any damage (including injury or death) suffered by any company or
person whomsoever as a result of or in connection with the use, application or implementation of any MESC SPE,
combination of MESC SPEs or any part thereof, even if it is wholly or partly caused by negligence on the part of Shell
GSI or other Shell Service Company. The benefit of this disclaimer shall inure in all respects to Shell GSI and/or any
Shell Service Company, or companies affiliated to these companies, that may issue MESC SPEs or require the use of
MESC SPEs.
Without prejudice to any specific terms in respect of confidentiality under relevant contractual arrangements, MESC
SPEs shall not, without the prior written consent of Shell GSI, be disclosed by users to any company or person
whomsoever and the MESC SPEs shall be used exclusively for the purpose for which they have been provided to the
user. They shall be returned after use, including any copies, which shall only be made by users with the express prior
written consent of Shell GSI. The copyright of MESC SPEs vests in Shell GSI. Users shall arrange for MESC SPEs to
be held in safe custody and Shell GSI may at any time require information satisfactory to them in order to ascertain how
users implement this requirement.
All administrative queries should be directed to the MESC SPE Administrator in Shell GSI.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 4
SCOPE........................................................................................................................ 4
DISTRIBUTION, INTENDED USE AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS ......... 4
DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................................. 4
ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................... 4
CHANGES SINCE PREVIOUS EDITION ................................................................... 4
COMMENTS ON THIS MESC SPE ............................................................................ 4

PART II

AMENDMENTS/SUPPLEMENTS TO BS 1868:1975 ................................................ 6

PART III

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 10

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PART I INTRODUCTION
1.1

SCOPE
This MESC SPE specifies requirements for check valves.
This specification shall apply in addition to the applicable MESC Buying Description,
purchase order or requisition sheet.
The requirements for operation and maintenance of check valves are outside the scope of
this MESC SPE.
This specification is written as amendments and supplements to BS 1868:1975, which are
covered in Part II of this MESC SPE. The clause numbering of BS 1868:1975 has been
retained and any amendments are identified as Add, Modify to read or Delete. Any
clauses of BS 1868:1975 that are not amended or supplemented by this MESC SPE, shall
apply as written.

1.2

DISTRIBUTION, INTENDED USE AND REGULATORY CONSIDERATIONS

Unless otherwise authorised by Shell GSI, the distribution of this MESC SPE is confined to
Shell companies and, where necessary, to Contractors and Manufacturers/Suppliers
nominated by them.
This MESC SPE is intended for use in oil refineries, chemical plants, gas plants, exploration
and production facilities and, where applicable, supply/distribution installations.
If national and/or local regulations exist in which some of the requirements may be more
stringent than in this MESC SPE the Contractor shall determine by careful scrutiny which of
the requirements are the more stringent and which combination of requirements will be
acceptable with regards to safety, environmental, economic and legal aspects. In all cases
the Contractor shall inform the Principal of any deviation from the requirements of this
MESC SPE which is considered to be necessary in order to comply with national and/or
local regulations. The Principal may then negotiate with the Authorities concerned, the
objective being to obtain agreement to follow this MESC SPE as closely as possible.

1.3

DEFINITIONS
The Contractor is the party that carries out all or part of the design, engineering,
procurement, construction, commissioning or management of a project, or operation or
maintenance of a facility. The Principal may undertake all or part of the duties of the
Contractor.
The Manufacturer/Supplier is the party that manufactures or supplies equipment and
services to perform the duties specified by the Contractor.
The Principal is the party that initiates the project and ultimately pays for its design and
construction. The Principal will generally specify the technical requirements. The Principal
may also include an agent or consultant authorised to act for, and on behalf of, the
Principal.
The word shall indicates a requirement.
The word should indicates a recommendation.

1.4

ABBREVIATIONS
MMMF

1.5

Man Made Mineral Fibre

CHANGES SINCE PREVIOUS EDITION

The previous edition of this MESC SPE was dated January 2015. The change is to add
requirements for hard facing of closure member and seat and the requirement to
secure the hinge pin plug.

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1.6

COMMENTS ON THIS MESC SPE

Comments on this MESC SPE may be sent to the MESC SPE Administrator at
MESC@shell.com. Shell staff may also post comments on this MESC SPE on the Surface
Global Network (SGN) under the Standards folder.

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PART II AMENDMENTS/SUPPLEMENTS TO BS 1868:1975
2

Add:
Wherever referred to in BS 1868:1975, the following replacements shall apply:

BS 1560-2 has been withdrawn and is superseded by BS 1560-3.2.

BS 2080 has been withdrawn and is superseded by EN 12672 and EN 558-1

and EN 558-2.

BS 3351 has been withdrawn and is superseded by ISO 9606-1, ISO 15607,
ISO 15609-1, ISO 15610, ISO 15614-1 and ISO 15614-2.

BS 6755-1 has been withdrawn and is superseded by EN 12266-1 and

EN 12266-2.

Add:
For non-metallic materials other than graphite, the rated pressure at the upper and
lower design temperatures shall be specified on the general arrangement drawing.

8.6

Add:
The following tolerances shall apply:

8.7

The maximum allowed lateral misalignment for valves is 2 mm (0.08 in).

For the angular flange misalignment (parallelism of aligned flange faces), the
maximum measured difference between flange faces shall be not greater than
2.5 mm/m (0.03 in/ft).

Add:
The end flanges of steam jacketed valves shall be oversized in order to achieve a
full jacket. Flange sizes shall be :Valve Size DN

Flange Size DN

25

50

50

80

80

100

100

150

150

200

200

250

250

300

300

400

Jacket connections for the inlet, outlet and drain shall be DN 15 up to valve size
DN 80 and DN 25 for larger valves.
Pipe schedule shall be Sch 80.
Belongs in SPE
Modify to read:
-

End flanges shall comply with ASME B16.5.

The surface plane of the nut bearing area at the backside of flanged valves
shall be parallel to the machined flange face within 1.

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Add:

8.11

c)

Body seats shall not be rolled-in.

d) Separate removable body seats shall be positively secured against loosening.

Separate seat ring material shall be the same material composition as either the
trim or the body.
8.12

Add

If specified, the valve shall be equipped with oversized flanges and a full jacket.

9.3

Add

Ring-joint gaskets shall have a hardness equal to or less than that shown ASME
B16.20, Table 1. In addition, the difference in hardness between the ring-joint
gasket and the body/bonnet groove shall be at least 30 Brinell (HBW).
Modify final sentence to read:

9.4

Flanges shall be spot-faced or back-faced in accordance with ASME B16.5.

Add:
The surface plane of the nut bearing area at the backside of flanged valves shall be
parallel to the machined flange face within 1.
Add:
Flange sealing faces shall have a circular shape and shall have a Flange Facing
Finish in accordance with ASME B16.5.
st

Delete from 1 sentence:

10.1.2

rolled in
Add:
The disk shall be positively secured against loosening. Acceptable methods are by
applying a retaining tab or by tack welding. Unacceptable methods are the
application of spring tension, split or cotter pins, without additional tack welding of
the retaining nut to the disc thread.
10.2.1

12.3

Add

The obturator of a piston type check valve shall be designed such that in all
positions, there is free communication between the downstream side of the body
and the bonnet cavity.
Add:
If a hinge pin retaining plug is installed, the thread of the plug shall be protected
against exposure to the medium. The graphite gasket shall have a stainless steel
316L back-up ring.
Add:
If a hinge pin retaining plug is installed, a locking ring is required for the
hinge pin plug.

12.4

Add:
Emission class A(HS) valves shall be of the retainerless design where :

13.1

The hinge bracket is internally assembled or

The hinge is hung from the cover.

Add:
Non-return valves with external shafts, outside lever and counter weights shall be
designed with a blowout-resistant shaft.

14.1

Modify to read:
The bolt sizing shall be in accordance with ASME B16.34 and ASME VIII Division 1,
Appendix 2.

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Delete:

15.2

, and the valve shall meet the hydrostatic and air tests specified in BS 5146.
15.4

Add

Valves containing polymeric or elastomeric materials shall be of a fire-tested design

and certified in accordance with ISO 10497, BS 6755-2, or API 6FA.
Add:

Section 3

The Manufacturer shall list the material designation of all valve parts on the
valve general arrangement drawing, or bill of materials.

If retaining tabs are applied for securing of valve parts, they shall be compatible with
the body material.
Modify to read:

16

The materials shall be in accordance with the MESC Buying Description.

Add:

18

Gaskets shall be in accordance with the MESC Buying Description.

Spiral wound gaskets shall be fully confined or provided with outer and inner
rings.

Gaskets made of compressed asbestos fibre or MMMF gaskets shall not be used.
Modify to read:

20.2

The materials shall be in accordance with the MESC Buying Description.

20.3

Modify to read:
Where multiple options for hardfacing of closure member and seat are
allowed in the MESC buying description, only the following combinations are
allowed:
Stellite 6 against Stellite 6
Stellite 21 against Stellite 21
Stellite 6 against Stellite 12
Stellite 12 against Stellite 21
Add:

21.1

Separate hinge bracket materials shall be either the same material composition as
either the trim or the body.
Internal fastener materials shall be the same material composition as the trim.
21.3
23

Add

The lock nuts and studs for the bracket shall be positively secured against
loosening.
Add:
Bolting and other valve components shall not be galvanised or cadmium plated.

26.1.2

Modify to read:
The packing shall be in accordance with the MESC Buying Description.

28

Add:
Body marking shall either be integral or be made by stamping with a low-stress die
stamp on a flange rim for flanged valves and on the valve body for butt-weld or
threaded-end valves.

29

Add:
Year of manufacture.

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Both metric and USC units.
31.1

Modify to read:
The heat number is required on all body and cover forgings and castings.

35.1

Add:
d) Year of manufacture.
These markings shall then be shown on the identification plate or on a durable
metal tag securely attached to the valve.

36

Modify to read:
Each valve shall be given a shell pressure test and a seat tightness test in
accordance with ISO 5208.
Soft seated valves shall be subjected to a low pressure air test seat test, seat
leakage shall be rate A.
When specified that metal seated valves shall be subjected to a low pressure air
test seat test, seat leakage shall not exceed rate EE.
Test fluid shall be fresh water containing a corrosion inhibitor.
The chloride content of test water in contact with austenitic and duplex stainless
steel wetted components of valves shall not exceed 30 g/g (30 ppm by mass).
The minimum test duration shall be 60 s, which shall commence after the test
pressure has stabilised.

37

Modify first sentence to read :

Prior to dispatch the valve internals shall be thoroughly cleaned and dried and the
surfaces shall be free from test fluids, cleaning agents, loose particles and organic
substances..

38.1

Add:
Unless otherwise specified, corrosion-resistant alloy steel valves shall not be
painted or coated.

38.2

Add:
These protectors shall be properly preserved, fitted with end caps or flange
protectors, placed on an adequate surface and packaged to ensure protection
against damage, ingress of moisture, rainfall and dirt during outdoor storage for at
least one year. Flange protectors in direct contact with flange faces shall not be of a
porous (e.g., wood) material

40

Add new clause: CERTIFICATION

In addition to the certification requirements specified in MESC SPE 77/302, the
finished valve shall have a certificate in accordance with ISO 10474, type 2.1 or EN
10204 type 2.1, demonstrating that it complies with all requirements of API 594.

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PART III REFERENCES
In this MESC SPE, reference is made to the following publications:
NOTES:
1. Unless specifically designated by date, the latest edition of each publication shall be used, together with any
amendments/supplements/revisions thereto.
2. Most of the referenced external standards are available to Shell staff on the SWW (Shell Wide Web) at
http://sww05.europe.shell.com/standards.

SHELL STANDARDS
Graphite to ASTM F 2168

MESC SPE 85/203

AMERICAN STANDARDS
Specification for fire test for valves

API 6FA

Check Valves: Flanged, Lug, Wafer, and Butt-welding

API 594

Issued by:
American Petroleum Institute
Publications and Distribution Section
1220 L Street Northwest
Washington DC 20005
USA

Valves Flanged, threaded, and welding end

ASME B16.34

Pipe flanges and flanged fittings NPS through NPS 24

ASME B16.5

ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Rules for

construction of pressure vessels

ASME VIII

Issued by:
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASME International
Three Park Avenue, M/S 10E
New York, NY 10016,
USA

BRITISH STANDARDS
Steel pipe flanges and flanged fittings (nominal sizes half
an inch to 24 inch) for the petroleum industry Part 3:
Steel, cast iron and copper alloy flanges Section 3.2:
Cast iron flanges

BS 1560-3.2

Steel check valves (flanged and butt-welding ends) for the

petroleum, petrochemical and allied industries

BS 1868:1975

Testing of valves Part 2: Specification for fire type

testing requirements

BS 6755-2

Issued by:
British Standards Institution
389 Chiswick High Road
London W4 4AL
UK

EUROPEAN STANDARDS
Industrial Valves Face-to-face and centre-to-face
dimensions of metal valves for use in flanged pipe
systems Part 1: PN-designated valves

EN 558-1

Industrial Valves Face-to-face and centre-to-face

dimensions of metal valves for use in flanged piping
systems Part 2: Class-designated valves

EN 558-2

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Industrial valves Testing of valves Part 1: Pressure
tests, test procedures and acceptance criteria (mandatory
requirements)

EN 12266-1

Industrial valves - Testing of valves Part 2: Tests, test

procedures and acceptance criteria (supplementary
requirements)

EN 12266-2

Chemicals used for treatment of water intended for

human consumption Potassium permanganate

EN 12672

Issued by:
Commit Europen de Normalisation
Secrtariat Central
Rue de Stassart 36
B-1050 Brussels
Belgium
Copies can also be obtained from national standards
organizations.

INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
Industrial valves Pressure testing of valves

ISO 5208

Approval testing of welders Fusion welding Part 1:

Steels

ISO 9606-1

Testing of valves Fire type testing requirements

ISO 10497

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for

metallic materials General rules

ISO 15607

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for

metallic materials Welding procedure specification
Part 1: Arc welding

ISO 15609-1

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for

metallic materials Qualification based on tested welding
consumables

ISO 15610

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for

metallic materials - Welding procedure test Part 1: Arc
and gas welding of steels and arc welding of nickel and
nickel alloys

ISO 15614-1

Specification and qualification of welding procedures for

metallic materials Welding procedure test Part 2: Arc
welding of aluminium and its alloys

ISO 15614-2

Issued by:
ISO Central Secretariat
1, ch. de la Voie-Creuse
Case postale 56
CH-1211 Genve 20
Switzerland
Copies can also be obtained from national standards
organizations.