Especially under demanding conditions and in the high-performance sector, products are required that are characterized by reliability, low maintenance, and a long service life. Thanks to their above-average durability, Hartmann ball valves and wellheads pay for themselves sooner than fast-wearing products that entail high maintenance costs, expensive downtime, and early replacement investments. This allows the life cycle costs of a plant to be significantly reduced. To ensure this high product quality, we select our suppliers carefully and source only high-quality materials. We develop, assemble, and test exclusively in Germany. At our Celle and Burgdorf-Ehlershausen locations, state-of-the-art production technology is used. Crucial to the success of our solutions and innovations are the know-how and expertise of our employees, some of whom have been employed at Hartmann Valves for decades.
The high testing requirements that we meet for our special and high-performance products are applied to all components.
To guarantee the required gas-tightness even at extreme pressures, temperatures, or high cycle operations, every single valve and wellhead component is tested at Hartmann Valves. This is done in accordance with the highest quality and testing requirements, applicable standards, and customer specifications. In addition to product testing, prototype tests and qualifications such as fire-safe, TA Luft, or SIL are also carried out. Our quality assurance system not only includes proven procedures and processes but also ensures complete material traceability. The respective quality and testing plans are coordinated with our customers. Customers may witness acceptance inspections at any time.
Part of the Hartmann philosophy is to provide our customers with expert support in all project phases and to deliver services seamlessly from a single source. Therefore, we keep our core competencies in-house at both German locations and maintain close cooperation between all departments. This begins with advice from experienced sales engineers and product development coordinated with the customer. At our production sites, various manufacturing steps are carried out internally, from the machining of raw materials to final assembly. As a certified welding fabricator in accordance with DIN EN ISO 3834-2, we perform joining and overlay welding for new fabrications and repairs on ball valves and wellhead components.
Here, too, state-of-the-art technology is used, and complete welding documentation is ensured. The scope, completeness, and clarity of our product-related documentation for all components are highly valued by our customers. Furthermore, our documentation department also assists in the preparation of documents for approval authorities. Our service team is available around the clock for installation, maintenance, and repair work.
Based on extensive industry and application-related experience, our engineering team develops the optimally suited solution for our customers.
Hartmann Valves & Wellheads sees itself as an innovative system supplier for all its customers and business partners. Our goal is to constantly improve the safety, cost-effectiveness, and service life of our products. If this goal cannot be achieved using conventional methods and approaches, we are prepared to take new avenues. We are constantly working on several development projects, some of which we would like to briefly present here.
Hartmann ball valves are designed to close safely and reliably even in extreme ranges. To confirm this, we carry out actuation and leakage tests at high and low temperatures as well as very high pressure. A well-known example of these endurance tests is the “Performance Test” according to API 6A. Alternating between the highest and lowest design temperatures, the valves are cycled hundreds of times for “Performance Requirements Level 2” (PR2) to prove their long-term resistance to these loads. Supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF funding for the Lower Saxony regions), we test and certify innovative sealing systems.
Steels used in valve construction often have to withstand highly corrosive media. Nickel and nickel-based alloys are very resistant materials. Today, these layers are applied using welding processes or by chemical or electrolytic deposition. Both processes are complex and expensive. For example, two layers are required for cladding to keep the dilution with carbon from the base material low; the material usage is therefore very high. Chemical application is very slow and limited in layer thickness. In electrolytic deposition, complex geometries cause difficulties.
In our ZIM (Central Innovation Program for SMEs) funded project, we are researching how to apply these corrosion protection layers safely, quickly, and economically using a spraying process.
The sealing of Hartmann ball valves is achieved through various seals and sealing concepts. In most valves, the ball and seat ring form a true metal-to-metal seal to withstand impurities and high flow velocities of the medium. Other sealing materials include PTFE, graphite, metallic rings, and elastomers in various compositions to ensure an optimal match with the medium. At high temperatures, graphite and metallic rings are currently used due to their resistance. In combination with very high pressures, corrosive media, and the different expansion of the individual components, both sealing solutions reach their technical limits. In the project, which is also ZIM-funded, we are developing an innovative high-temperature sealing system that combines the advantages of the different concepts and eliminates their disadvantages.
Hartmann ball valves guarantee maximum safety and reliability. To ensure that the ball valve can shut off particularly safely, the Double Piston sealing system is used. This sealing system offers a decisive advantage: increased safety through two barriers per pressure direction. In the Double Piston system, both seals provide sealing in both pressure directions. This means that even in the event of a leak at the first barrier, the second barrier can continue to safely shut off the medium.
Extreme temperatures are a major challenge for valves. The established Double Piston system does not yet cover this range. To ensure that the ball valve can further increase plant safety even at high and low temperatures such as -200 °C or +550 °C, we are developing a Double Piston sealing system for high- and low-temperature ball valves. This development project is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the State of Lower Saxony.
Supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ESF funding for the Lower Saxony regions), we qualify and support our employees and managers.
The qualification of the employee serves to support internal processes and participate in optimization. The knowledge acquired can contribute to increasing cost-effectiveness in the area of quality assurance. The employee can also gain further skills for professional development.
Within the framework of the funding project, further education to become a qualified manager in SMEs is taking place.
Within the framework of the funding project, further education to become a certified specialist in purchasing (IHK) is taking place.
Here you will find our national and international certificates and approvals.
