FM approval means that BI-TORQ® Valve Automation fire safe fusible link valve assemblies can help reduce insurance costs and allow factories to meet facility-wide safety certifications. With torque outputs ranging from 55 to 21,000, FM-approved fusible link assemblies can be used with fire safe ball or butterfly valves from ½” through 24″ line sizes. BI-TORQ® Valve Automation’s unique design allows for manual operation of most units even when the unit is armed, reducing the need for secondary valves.

API 607 fire safe approved valves can be customer-specified or provided by BI-TORQ® Valve Automation in carbon or stainless steel construction with NPT, socket weld or 150# ANSI flanged end connections. With valve seat choices in TFE®, RTFE®, TFM, PEEK and Delrin, BI-TORQ® Valve Automation’s fire safe valves are suitable for a wide variety of industries. Applications for these automatic shut-off assemblies include tank farms, petrochem, airport and truck refueling stations, paint and toxic chemicals, and biofuel operations.

www.bitorq.com

The plant had been in the process of replacing the electrical actuators on its butterfly valves with Rexa electrohydraulic (Electraulic) actuators from Koso America. Carrying out a similar replacement on the ball valves resolved the leakage issues as well as improved reliability.

The city of Cocoa on Florida’s Atlantic coast provides potable water to all of central Brevard County, including its own 16,000 residents as well as those in nine other cities, the Kennedy Space Center and all the cruise ships sailing out of Port Canaveral. The water comes from a mix of surface and ground sources.

The butterfly valves at the Dyal plant had been designed to use electromechanical actuators, but over time these had turned into a maintenance nightmare.

Looking for a long-term solution to these maintenance issues, the plant installed an Electraulic actuator on one valve as a trial in 2005. These self-contained actuators incorporate hydraulic, electronic and mechanical technologies. There are two main components – the Electraulic power module and a control enclosure. They do not require an external hydraulic pump or tubing, but operate by moving hydraulic fluid from one side of a double-acting cylinder to another.

The self-contained actuators incorporate hydraulic, electronic and mechanical technologies. There are two main components – the Electraulic power module and a control enclosure.

The power module contains a brushless DC motor, gear pump, flow match valve, and thermal expansion reservoir. Upon receipt of a control signal, the pump delivers oil at a nominal 2000 psi to one side or the other of a hydraulic cylinder, causing motion in the desired direction. Buyers can pick from four different sizes of motors depending on the pumping volume and maximum stroking speed desired. The two smaller units come with stepper motors, while the larger units use servo motors with faster frequency response. The hydraulic cylinders come in either linear or a rack and pinion rotary design. A position sensor is mounted within or adjacent to the cylinders and provides position feedback to the control electronics.

Within the control sub-assembly enclosure are the Central Processing Unit (CPU), power supply, and motor drivers. On the outside of the box (or inside it when conditions require) is a two-line display giving actuator status and a five button keypad used for set up and calibration of the actuator. The motor driver receives commands from the CPU and sends control signals to the motor – DC step pulses for a stepper motor or Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) DC voltage for a servo motor.

In operation, the CPU converts an incoming control signal to a target position and compares this with the current position as reported by the feedback assembly on the actuator. If the difference is outside the range preprogrammed by the user, the CPU will send a signal to start the motor. The motor then drives the reversible hydraulic pump to pressurize one side of the cylinder or the other, moving the piston in the desired direction. Once the desired position is reached, the pump shuts down and check valves close, locking the hydraulic fluid in the cylinder and maintaining the actuator position without having to keep the motor running.

Koso America makes a wide range of Electraulic actuators. The linear actuators come in sizes from 2000 lb thrust (8,896 N) to 600,000 lbs (2,668,933 N) with stroke lengths of .75″ to 120″ (2 to 305 cm). Rotary and drive actuators range from 600 lb/in torque (68 Nm) up to 800,000 lb/in (90,387 Nm).

Moving to a Standard Design

The City of Cocoa’s maintenance team installed the actuator, provided power and hooked it into the plant’s Intellution iFIX SCADA system. Bill Grabe, a sales engineer for Pro-Co, Inc. of Winter Springs, Florida, then came out to do the startup and calibration.

The Electraulic actuator passed its initial tests for performance and reliability, so the city decided to standardize on this design, installing new actuators on the rest of its butterfly valves, about 40 total, ranging in size from 16 inches to 36 inches.

Staff started replacing the actuators in 2008 and are now down to the last few small units. Some are two-position actuators while others are modulating. In most cases they were just installed on the existing valves. But, as can be expected at a 30-year-old plant, some valves needed replacement.

Rexa electrohydraulic (Electraulic) actuators from Koso America were installed at the City of Cocoa starting with a trial installation in 2005.

Eliminating Oil Leaks

With the butterfly valves under control, Childers next started looking at the ball valves on the high-service pumps. The city has four of the master pumps and normally only one operates at a time. The four pumps, however, shared a single hydraulic pump and accumulator system (HPU) operating four shut-off ball valves (one for at the outlet of each pump), so a failure would shut them all down. In addition, it would create a reportable environmental incident, such as in early 2009 when gallons of hydraulic fluid leaked into the room and into the plant’s drain system.

The existing 24″ Pratt ball valves had been in service for the last 25 years and the controls associated with the master pumps were fairly elaborate and outdated. It was crucial, therefore, to replace these actuators without affecting the existing controls. It was decided that, rather than replace the scotch yoke actuators with rotary actuators, a linear unit would be sized to replace the existing linear hydraulic cylinder. This allowed the plant to leave untouched all the existing switches and controls.

An accumulator system with food grade oil (Envirologic 3100) was provided for each Rexa linear unit (Model X2L20000-22-C-A) so that even if there is a leak it does not pose an environmental problem. Each unit only requires 1.5 gallons of oil or a total of 6 gallons for all 4 units, a significant reduction over the older 100 gallon system. Additionally, since the actuators use a sealed closed loop system, the oil does not degrade like it does in conventional systems. This eliminates the need for filters and oil changes, resulting in considerable savings in maintenance expense and oil disposal fees.

In August, the first of the four actuators was installed with the rest completed over the next few months. Like the actuators on the butterfly valves, these are performing as expected, Childers said.

www.waterworld.com

ASCO Numatics introduced a new family of ASCO modular gas safety shut-off valves with a compact double valve footprint and the industry’s highest flow rates. The valves are ideal for boilers, furnaces, ovens, heating equipment, gas generators, and kilns used in commercial and industrial applications.

ASCO’s modular gas safety shut-off valves are available in two product families. The 8214(200) Series two-way normally closed solenoid valves can be used for fuel gases up to 5 psi. The V710(B)/AH(E) Series two-way normally closed electro-hydraulic actuated valves can be used with fuel gases up to 15 psi. This series is available with fast- and slow-opening constructions. Both product families come in 3/4” to 3” pipe sizes and have aluminum body constructions with pressure taps up and downstream.

www.ascovalve.com

The Series 3800 also can be used in 2 way or 3 way manifold assemblies where multiple valves are combined into a single block station for transmission of air, water, or other liquid medium. The simple plate mount operator and the interchangeable orifice baskets easily make small manifolds for regulation of either automated work stations or coolant water in molding presses.

The Series 3800 has a pressure range of vacuum to 200 psi depending on the orifice size and is dust-tight and water resistant to IP 65. The shading ring is standard enabling both AC and DC coils to be used on all armatures.

Spartan Scientific is certified to ISO 9001 with design. The Series 3800, like all Spartan Scientific products, is manufactured in the USA to the highest quality standards.

www.spartanscientific.com

This report titled North American Pneumatic Actuators Market provides the market dynamics of complete pneumatic product segment such as NFPA, non-repairable, mini/compact, rodless, rotary, slide, ISO VDMA type of actuators. In this research, Frost & Sullivan’s expert analysts thoroughly examine end-user analysis and distribution trends.

End-Users Prefer Innovation in Technology and Differentiation in Product Offering in the North American Actuators Market

With end-users cutting back on investments due to the economic slump, and demanding newer technologies and more product differentiation, participants in the North American actuators market are finding the going tough. The economy is expected to look up by the second quarter of 2010; till then, actuator manufacturers are focusing on high demand sectors such as food, packaging, and material handling to sustain growth. “While most end user segments are witnessing negative growth, manufacturers are targeting niche segments where demand is growing,” says the report. “Acceptance of standardized actuators such as National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) and ISO (International Standards Organization) and VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau) by end-user segments such as automotive has also helped in continuous production and revenue generation for the actuators market.”

Nonetheless, the economic crisis has resulted in a decline in pneumatic actuators sales for most manufacturers, and is compelling them to examine other market opportunities globally. Increased revenues are anticipated in the North American pneumatic actuators market as many companies continue to form alliances with overseas market participants to expand their customer base and provide more complete product lines. The unrelenting rise in the prices of raw materials has also facilitated the increase in product prices and hence revenues for the pneumatic actuators market, especially for NFPA products that find application in the food and packaging industries.

The growth of the pneumatic actuators market is aligned with the recovery of the U.S. economy. The development of value-added packages will attract potential clients toward manufacturers who have the capacity to offer complete solutions to end-users,” concludes the analyst. “The incorporation of control valves into sale of actuators is an example of this strategy in action.”

www.researchandmarkets.com

The prize of SEK 100,000 has been awarded to Bo Lundström, Haldex Traction AB, and Lars Severinsson of Severinssons Maskinkonsult AB for their work on the integration of an axial piston pump featuring a centrifugal pressure regulator. This represents a new solution that generates low energy consumption, advanced dynamics and robust function in all-wheel-drive systems.

Commenting on the award, Hans Engström, Development Manager at Haldex’s Traction Systems division, said:

“Haldex’s hydraulic coupling for all-wheel operation of Generation V demonstrates how it is possible to capitalize on the best features of hydraulics. An axial piston pump featuring a centrifugal pressure regulator represents a highly compact solution characterized by low energy consumption, advanced dynamics and robust function.”

The design of the coupling is an example of optimal system construction, whereby the vehicle industry’s demands for high performance, high availability, low weight and low costs have been finely balanced and the strengths of hydraulics have been put to excellent use. The coupling has been designed in accordance with the “Sealed for Life” principle, meaning that no maintenance is needed that would result in the coupling being dismounted during the vehicle’s life. The fact that the product has already resulted in a very large order worth SEK 4.5 billion from VW is a logical consequence of a well-balanced system design.

The Major Hydraulics and Pneumatics Award is awarded annually to a person or persons who have contributed in a unique manner to forwarding development in the hydraulics and pneumatics area.

The winners are appointed by a jury of highly qualified representatives of industry, the academic community and the Association Fluid Scandinavia.

www.haldex.com

The Humphrey Products 310 and 410 solenoid valves are versatile, robust components for any pneumatic application. This balanced poppet design makes them ideal for low power and high flow applications. The 310 and 410 Series valves are compact 1/8-inch ported 3-way and 4-way direct acting solenoid valves. The short-stroke balanced poppet design permits rapid cycling and requires no lubrication. The 310 series can be plumbed normally open, normally closed or as a selector or diverter.

The 310 Series valves have a 0.12 CV; the 410 Series valves have a 0.14 CV. Both valves are rated for air and inert gas from vacuum at 28-inches Hg to 125 psig. The continuous duty coil has a power consumption of 4.5 Watts, comes with flying leads and is available in a range of AC and DC voltages. A push, non-locking manual override is standard. Options include conduit connectors, plug-in DIN-type connectors, locking override, and built-in flow controls on the 410 Series valves to save space, weight and the additional cost of external flow controls.

Humphrey Products
www.humphrey-products.com

The cube-shaped pneumatic pressure sensor easily retrofits traditional pressure switches at a fraction of the price. Measuring only 32mm x 30mm x 42mm, the compact sensor can be installed in areas with limited mounting space.

Application parameters are established using two pushbuttons. The bright, four-digit display indicates system pressure and can be clearly seen from long distances. The sensor features two programmable switching outputs or one switching and one diagnostic output. In addition, the values can be programmed to change color depending on the switching output status (e.g., red if output 1 is switched; green if output 1 is not switched).

The technology is based on a piezo-resistive measuring element. The silicon measuring cell is insensitive to liquids (e.g. condensed water) and deposits that might occur in the system. The cell changes resistance when pressure is applied. The stress induced in the cell is transformed into an electric signal that is proportional to the pressure. The silicon measuring cell guarantees a high overload resistance as well as an accuracy of ± 0.5%.

For mounting purposes, the PQ pressure sensor can be fixed to flat surfaces and profiles using the sensor’s two M4 drill holes located in the front of the sensor. The PQ can be mounted to a DIN rail or connected to plates or manifolds using ifm’s robust DIN rail bracket. The sensor can be connected to air lines through the G-1/8 port using a 6mm or 8mm tubing adapter or a 1/8″ NPT adapter.

Two models are available. PQ7809 has a measuring range of -14.5 to 14.5 psi and the PQ7834 has a measuring range of -14.5 to 145 psi. Electrical connection is made through an M8 Pico DC connector.

www.ifm.com

Designed for use across a range of applications such as hydraulic and pneumatic systems, pumps and compressors and in power generation, the switches provide a stable switching point setting.

The 400 series switch converts pneumatic and hydraulic pressure into switching functions and is designed for applications that require accuracy under high loads.

The switching point is fully adjustable through an adjustment knob with the adjustment range, and includes a locking mechanism.

AMS Calibration’s switch is SPDT, and can be normally open (N.O.) or normally closed (N.C.) depending on the wiring.

The 400 Series Switch is fitted with DIN EN 175301-803 Form A connectors for fast and easy installation.

It is also available with an LED indicator on the plug for visual monitoring of the switch status, or an M12 x 1 (4-pin) electrical connection.

The switch features a repeatability of ±2% of full scale, 360° rotatable male connections, high loadability (shock 30g, vibration 10 g) and Hirschmann (DIN EN 175301-803 Form A) with optional 36″ cable.

www.ams-ic.com.au

The 470T is a versatile microprocessor based instrument which utilizes Setra’s Setraceram (TM) sensor, advanced digital electronic circuitry and sophisticated firmware. All combine to give a system accuracy of better than +0.02% full scale, in pressure ranges from 0 to 10, 20, 50, and 100 psia; 600 to 1100 mbar or 800 to 1100 mbar.

Equipped with a bi-directional RS232C digital communications I/O port for computer access, hi and lo alarm setpoints, zero/tare functions, and min/max value tracking, the 470T has applications in Automatic Weather Observations Systems (AWOS), Barometric Pressure Compensation for Wavelength of Laser Beams, Pressure Transfer Standard, Altimeter Calibration Recertification, Lab or Production Process Monitoring, Altitude chambers, and Weather Data Buoys.

www.setra.com