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The Copes RAVEN trim valves supplied to Klamath Cogen during plant construction utilize a multi-stage design that has been deemed a “copycat” of CCI’s original DRAG® technology (patented in 1967). In 2003, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected all 47 claims in two Copes patents for RAVEN trim. Since then, Copes has made several attempts to appeal this decision. Thus far, the PTO has continued to support CCI’s assertion that the RAVEN trim is simply an imitation of CCI’s prior invention.

At the same time that the PTO has supported CCI and its genuine DRAG® technology, customers are doing the same. One such customer is Klamath Cogen, which is already enjoying the many benefits of replacing Copes RAVEN trim with DRAG®. CCI also recently won an order from a major U.S. power plant builder and operator to retrofit two existing Copes high-pressure (HP) feedwater regulators at a Phoenix , Arizona combined cycle power plant. The power station’s existing two-valve arrangement – a startup valve and a main valve – is causing problems as the main valve leaks during startup, making drum level control difficult.

CCI’s solution will retrofit the existing main control valve to combine the startup and main valve into one. This single valve will offer seamless control as one valve manages the drum level from startup to full load. The solution will also reduce installation time, as the new valve will require no cutting or rewelding, thus eliminating the need for corresponding stress relieving.

The PTO has already ruled that DRAG ® technology is original; what is more, customers say DRAG® is better, too.

Published in SOLUTIONS Summer 2005