Kansas City, MO -- Recently we have been developing our website to be even more user friendly and informative. The most logical first post from me should be the question I answer the most. “Why would I automate a valve?” The truth is sometimes the project specifies automated control valves and other times it just makes a process easier and safer for the human element.
One of the main reasons to automate a system is for fail-safe emergency systems, which are of obvious importance. These can be shutoffs, bypasses, or fire suppression components.
Increasing labor rates have made valve automation a more and more viable option for many processes. A few contributing factors include the need for reliability, speed, increased productivity, and added safety.
To date, MKS has saved our customers time, money, and improved efficiencies in processes that include tank farms, pipe fields, sub-stations, ethanol plants, chemical manufacturing, and even food grade applications. We have worked with refineries, power plants, and dry bulk media packaging. Paper pulp facilities, water parks, auto manufacturing, and industrial refrigeration are among a few of the processes and industries we work in every day. We are constantly looking for additional applications for our services and problem solving abilities.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common reasons we automate a valve.
· LARGE AMOUNT OF FORCE OR TORQUE REQUIRED TO OPERATE
1. Many larger valves require extreme torques to open and close. Stem configuration, valve type and size, line pressure, and media all play a role in determining a valve’s torque.
2. Body, disc, and seat material of the valve also add to the torque.
· UNCOMFORTABLE OR DIFFICULT ACCESS TO THE VALVE FOR MANUAL OPERATION
1. We all know that BLOWDOWNS and system SHUT-OFFS can sometimes be in the most inconvenient places. This can cause you to be in an uncomfortable position.
· HAZARDOUS LOCATIONS
1. Some days the job is on a 30 FOOT TOWER over-looking the river and that WINTER STORM system everyone has been tracking is blowing in, and you get the call.
2. Ever been in a 12 foot deep hold and had to check on a supply valve?... In the rain? If you have, then there should be nothing left to say.
· REMOTE OPERATION REQURED
1. Many plants have a centralized control room, where the process will be controlled from. The actuators powering the valve will be patched into a PLC system that receives its commands from the control room.
2. Solenoid valves can also be used to control air flow to an actuator.
· UNIQUE THROTTLING OR POSITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
1. Whether you are controlling the temperature of your process media, or controlling the speed and velocity of influent and effluent flow; you will need to be able to control the position of your valve disc, v-ball, or gate. This can be accomplished electrically, pneumatically, hydraulically, or electro-pneumatically to provide PRECISE control.
· INTEGRATION INTO ADVANCED OPERATING SYSTEMS EMERGENCY OPERATION RESPONSE
1. Depending on who you ask, fail safe units account for roughly 80% of all pneumatic valve actuation. Compare that to just 9% of all electric valve actuation. This is usually because of the inherent high cost of spring return options and battery backup systems required for the electric actuators to fail in a specified position.
2. Failures of emergency shut-offs could result in the spilling of a toxic material such as crude oil into the environment. In more severe services, caustic and corrosive gases and fluids could be more expelled or in other cases even radioactive material.
3. Safety should always be one of the biggest considerations when deciding to automate a valve assembly. Looking past environmental damage, there is also the cost of repair to equipment or facilities. The worst case scenario and not farfetched is the loss of human life.
· OPERATIONAL COST EFFICIENCY
1. Streamlining a process can lower manufacturing costs, eliminate human error due to fatigue, and prevent damage to machinery. This alleviates the headaches that come with shut-downs and costly repairs.
2. An automated valve can protect machinery and equipment in times of crisis.
3. Makes shut down and start up a much easier process.
4. Allows personnel to focus on other more important tasks.
MKS Valve Automation is experienced in helping customers choose the appropriate automated valve components to meet your specific application. Valves, actuators, and controls are selected and sized based on the process conditions provided. We also take into consideration customer standardization preferences, application requirements, and economics of the project. Instruments such as positioner's, limit switches, position beacons, and manual overrides can be easily included in the assembled package. MKS also handles the sourcing and installation of all mountings, couplings, and brackets to complete the assembly.
No automation job is complete at MKS until every valve package is tested and approved. Our assemblies are cycle tested to confirm that the full open and close positions are achieved and that the valve strokes smoothly in both directions. In most cases, stroke speeds are verified and limit switch settings are confirmed. Our standard is to provide an assembly that is installation ready when it reaches your job. Due to the fact top works controls and instruments are some of the most fragile components on a valve assembly; we take great pride and care in packaging units for shipment with these concerns in mind.
Whether you need one or a hundred valves, controls, or instrumentation devices, let MKS Pipe & Valve Co. take care of all your automation needs!
Authored by: Matt Kennison