If a valve doesn’t function, your course of doesn’t run, and that’s money down the drain. Or worse, a spurious trip shuts the method down. Or worst of all, a valve malfunction leads to a dangerous failure. Solenoid valves in oil and gasoline functions control the actuators that move massive process valves, together with in emergency shutdown (ESD) systems. The solenoid needs to exhaust air to allow the ESD valve to return to fail-safe mode each time sensors detect a dangerous process scenario. These valves must be quick-acting, durable and, above all, dependable to forestall downtime and the associated losses that happen when a process isn’t operating.
And that is even more essential for oil and gas operations where there’s limited energy obtainable, similar to distant wellheads or satellite offshore platforms. Here, solenoids face a double reliability challenge. First, a failure to operate correctly can’t solely cause expensive downtime, but a maintenance name to a remote location also takes longer and costs more than a local repair. Second, to scale back the demand for energy, many valve manufacturers resort to compromises that truly reduce reliability. This is bad enough for course of valves, but for emergency shutoff valves and different safety instrumented systems (SIS), it’s unacceptable.
Poppet valves are usually better suited than spool valves for distant areas as a end result of they’re much less complicated. For low-power applications, search for a solenoid valve with an FFR of 10 and a design that isolates the media from the coil. (Courtesy of Norgren Inc.)
Choosing a dependable low-power solenoid
Many components can hinder the reliability and efficiency of a solenoid valve. Friction, media flow, sticking of the spool, magnetic forces, remanence of electrical current and material traits are all forces solenoid valve manufacturers have to beat to build the most dependable valve.
High spring drive is essential to offsetting these forces and the friction they cause. However, in low-power functions, most producers should compromise spring force to allow the valve to shift with minimal energy. The discount in spring drive ends in a force-to-friction ratio (FFR) as low as 6, although the widely accepted safety degree is an FFR of 10.
Several components of valve design play into the quantity of friction generated. Optimizing each of these allows a valve to have higher spring pressure whereas still sustaining a high FFR.
For example, the valve operates by electromagnetism — a present stimulates the valve to open, permitting the media to circulate to the actuator and transfer the method valve. This media may be air, but it could also be pure gas, instrument gas and even liquid. This is especially true in distant operations that should use no matter media is out there. This means there’s a trade-off between magnetism and corrosion. Valves in which the media comes in contact with the coil should be manufactured from anticorrosive materials, which have poor magnetic properties. A valve design that isolates the media from the coil — a dry armature — permits using highly magnetized materials. As a outcome, there isn’t a residual magnetism after the coil is de-energized, which in turn permits quicker response times. This design also protects reliability by preventing contaminants within the media from reaching the inner workings of the valve.
Another issue is the valve housing design. Usually a heavy (high-force) spring requires a high-power coil to beat the spring strength. Integrating the valve and coil into a single housing improves efficiency by stopping vitality loss, permitting for the usage of a low-power coil, leading to less energy consumption with out diminishing FFR. This integrated coil and housing design also reduces warmth, stopping spurious journeys or coil burnouts. A dense, thermally environment friendly (low-heat generating) coil in a housing that acts as a heat sink, designed with no air hole to trap heat around the coil, virtually eliminates coil burnout considerations and protects process availability and security.
Poppet valves are typically higher suited than spool valves for remote operations. The reduced complexity of poppet valves increases reliability by lowering sticking or friction factors, and reduces the number of components that may fail. Spool valves often have giant dynamic seals and lots of require lubricating grease. Over time, especially if the valves aren’t cycled, the seals stick and the grease hardens, leading to greater friction that must be overcome. There have been reviews of valve failure as a outcome of moisture within the instrument media, which thickens the grease.
A direct-acting valve is your finest option wherever attainable in low-power environments. Not only is the design much less complex than an indirect-acting piloted valve, but in addition pilot mechanisms typically have vent ports that may admit moisture and contamination, resulting in corrosion and allowing the valve to stay within the open place even when de-energized. Also, direct-acting solenoids are particularly designed to shift the valves with zero minimal stress requirements.
Note that some larger actuators require excessive circulate charges and so a pilot operation is necessary. In this case, it may be very important verify that every one elements are rated to the same reliability rating as the solenoid.
Finally, since most remote places are by definition harsh environments, a solenoid put in there will have to have sturdy building and be succesful of face up to and function at excessive temperatures whereas still maintaining the identical reliability and security capabilities required in less harsh environments.
When selecting a solenoid management valve for a remote operation, it is potential to discover a valve that doesn’t compromise efficiency and reliability to reduce power calls for. Look for a excessive FFR, simple dry armature design, nice magnetic and warmth conductivity properties and sturdy building.
Andrew Barko is the gross sales engineer for the Energy Sector of IMI Precision Engineering, makers of IMI Norgren, IMI Maxseal and IMI Herion brand components for energy operations. He provides cross-functional experience in application engineering and business development to the oil, gasoline, petrochemical and power industries and is licensed as a pneumatic Specialist by the International Fluid Power Society (IFPS).
เกจวัดแรงดันออกซิเจนราคา is the key account manager for the Energy Sector for IMI Precision Engineering. He offers experience in new business growth and buyer relationship management to the oil, fuel, petrochemical and power industries and is certified as a pneumatic specialist by the International Fluid Power Society (IFPS).
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