“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Happy Holidays from Kinetrol USA
“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”
Product Update: Kinetrol VLS Limit Switch Box
With the continued pressure for modularization and commonality a new precision die cast switch box will offer some positive improvements over the current model, including more internal space for future developments. The new design is known as the VLS Limit Switch Box.
Reduction in Weight. The unit will offer a reduction in weight of the standard 07 version from 2.32 lbs (1.05 kg) to 1.50 lbs (0.68 kg).
All New Plastic Coupling. Improved access to mounting screws for all electronic options for easy actuator mounting. Coupling is permanently retained in the box and does not need removing.
New coupling has a lower Oring which makes all shafts discretely sealed when not mounted. Coupling retainer is replaced with an integral shoulder on the coupling.
All new switch strikers. Common standard strikers for both mechanical switches and proximity sensor activation.
New Standard V3 Switch (004). New V3 switches offers a more defined switch point.
New Mounting for Model 03 and 05. The VLS Limit Switch Box will be supplied as a Model 07 Female Square as standard, (only one size box) which can then be converted with the use of two adaptor options to suit Model 03 and Models 05 Actuators reducing the number of switch box variations distributors stock. SP1620 - Model 03 mounting kit (includes removable plate coupling and fixings) SP1621 - Model 05 mounting kit (includes removable plate and coupling and fixings)
New Standard Conduit Entries. The conduit entries will remain M20 for ISO and 1/2” NPS for ANSI however the land profile has been changed. The additional entries on the four-entry version remain unchanged.
Switch Options. All switch options will be available including the pneumatic switch option (002) except for ATEX approved versions. ATEX Approved switch options (001, 002, 003 and 009) are currently undergoing ATEX testing and will be available later. As a result, these will continue to use the older design ULS.
Please refer to the Kinetrol coding on the VLS Tech Bulletin located on this Kinetrol USA web page.
Modular Concept. These changes will affect the modular approach when fitting the VLS box to Model 03 and 05 actuators. On actuator Models 07 to 15 there is no change. The discrete option for Models 16 to 30 will now utilize SP1602 07/05 reducer and SP1601 Discrete 05 Drive Adaptor offering a price saving over the old design.
VLS Coding. The coding has been changed to reflect the new design by adding a “V” after the U for non ATEX standard options. ATEX switch options (switch type 001, 002, 003, 009) will remain as “0” after the U in the code.
Examples of code change:
- 097-104U005004M (DA+ULS) becomes 097-104UV05004M (DA+VLS)
- 077-004U005004M (ULS) becomes 077-004UV05004M (VLS)
- 077-001U001000 (ULS ATEX) is unchanged
Angle Retransmit and Pot Assembly – The new Angle Retransmit and Potentiometer uses a geared coupling which replaces the standard coupling when fitted. This new design will also offer an additional price savings. The old ULS Angle Retransmit assembly is not compatible to retrofit with the new VLS unit. All other options are unchanged including AS-interface, Terminal Blocks, Multi-Terminal PCB.
New Product: Kinetrol Model 60 Rotary Vane Actuator
Kinetrol is pleased to announce the introduction of the new Model 60 Actuator which will now increase the torque capability of the Kinetrol range to 356,977 inch pounds.
Kinetrol Model 60 Feature and Options
- Double-Acting and Spring-Return options
- 2” Air ports as standard
- Standard working temperature range: -40°F
- to +176°F
- Angle of travel adjustable 80 to 100 degrees
- Displaced volume: 6284 in³
- Weight (less coupling): 998.7 pounds
- Coupling weight: 48.5 pounds
- VLS / ULS / XLS Limit Switch Box options
- AP Positioner options
- ATEX Category 2 approved
Kinetrol Model 60 Materials of Construction
- Casing: Sand cast aluminum alloy
- Vane & Output shaft: SG Iron, zinc plated
- Shaft bushes: PTFE coated bronze
- Seals: Molded polyurethane
- Seal expenders: Stainless spring steel
- Coupling: Weldable mild steel, zinc plated
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA by calling 972-447-9443 or visit their web site at https://kinetrolusa.com.
Kinetrol USA Celebrates Our Veterans
Veterans Day is a day of observance and celebration for those who have served. It is not just another holiday. It honors those Americans who fought for our freedom. By celebrating our Veterans, we continue to tell the story of how this country became the most powerful on Earth - through bravery, honor, truth, and determination.
Our Veterans are our neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers. They took an oath to defend the United States and our Constitution, from all enemies, foreign and domestic. We must never forget their bravery, service, and sacrifice.
Kinetrol USA thanks our Veterans, past and present, for serving our country and protecting our freedom.
Electropneumatic Valve Positioner Offering Precise Control, Smooth Operation, and Fast Response
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| Features of the Kinetrol EL positioner (click on image for larger view). |
The Kinetrol EL is one of the valve automation industries best performing electro-pneumatic positioners available. It combines the precision and adaptability of a digital electronic control circuit with the smoothness and efficiency of Kinetrol's proven proportional servo valve, to give the best available 4-20mA positioning performance from rotary pneumatic actuators.
To compliment this unbeatable performance, the EL combines the easiest available setup procedure, easiest access to all functions and options, easy connectivity, and a compact all-metal housing, unique easy-set isolated angle retransmit, and limit switch options inside the same enclosure.
The EL positioner is designed to smoothly and precisely drive a rotary or linear actuator to a position set by the 4-20 mA input signal, and then accurately hold it there until the signal changes.
Inside the EL, a microprocessor in the loop powered 4-20 mA positioner circuit reads signal via one channel of a 12-bit A-D convertor, reads the position voltage from tie pot via the second channel of the A-D convertor, and compares the two. If an error between desired position and actual position exists, the EL changes it's output to the servo valve in order to drive the actuator in the direction required to eliminate the error.
In sync with the movement of the actuator, the feedback pot voltage changes, and the microprocessor continually calculates how to adjust the servo valve in order to guide the actuator accurately into position. Because the servo valve is a fully proportional device, it can be adjusted precisely and smoothly to slow the actuator to a stop exactly at the required position. Programmed in the microprocessor is an advanced algorithm that allows this critical dynamic valve adjustment to be made correctly, giving optimal results with any actuator/load combination. Slow or fast responding, high friction or low friction, high inertia or low inertia, all can be optimized by PGAIN and DAMP parameters via the positioner circuit pushbuttons. The 12-bit A-D conversion gives the amazing resolution of approximately 1/40 of a degree angular.
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA by calling 972-447-9443 or visit their web site at https://kinetrolusa.com.
Oil Refinery Chooses Kinetrol for Fast Closing 6" Ball Valve
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| 6" ball valve with failing actuator. |
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| The specified Kinetrol actuator and high Cv solenoid valve. |
After calculating the air flow characteristics of the actuator and the response time of the spring, they knew the critical element was finding a high flow capacity solenoid valve. It needed to be capable of dumping the actuator air quickly enough to close the actuator in under 1 second.
The result was a recommendation to use a Kinetrol model 147-120-4900L spring return actuator with a third party, high Cv (9.7), solenoid valve.
Once installed the 6" ball valve and Kinetrol assembly worked perfectly and, at the time of this writing, has been in service for 3.5 years, operating with no downtime and maintaining the under 1 second closing requirement.
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA. Call 972-447-9443 or visit https://kinetrolusa.com.
The Top Five Reasons Why Kinetrol is a Better Choice Than Rack and Pinion Actuators
1. Rotary vane actuators do not convert linear motion to rotary motion, unlike rack and pinion actuators.
No additional gearing is required and no side loading is transferred to the actuator housing.
2. Vane actuator lip seals are the key for long life.
The double opposing lip seal design, with stainless steel expanders, provides unmatched service life by using air pressure to improve the actuators seal-to-enclosure contact, and provide a “self cleaning” effect on the epoxy or PTFE internal finish.3. The elimination of pressure bearing o-ring shaft seals.
Rack and pinion actuators require shaft sealing o-rings that are exposed to the full supply air pressure used to operate the actuator. These o-rings wear, causing leaks, a drop in efficiency, and wasted energy through air consumption. Vane actuators' double opposing lip seals isolate the supply air pressure from the actuator shaft, requiring only a low friction bearing on the shaft.4. Rotary vane actuators provide superior modulating accuracy.
Because of the integral vane and shaft (machine from a single casting), lost motion or hysteresis is reduced dramatically which intern provides much tighter modulation and control. The vane actuators inherent low friction also reduces hunting and sticking.5. Rotary vane actuator spring return units are designed to be virtually indestructible.
Using low stress, clock springs reduces spring tension loss and metal fatigue. The housing for vane a actuator springs are sealed from the atmosphere, preventing corrosion of internal parts. Most importantly, these type of spring units provide the lowest torque loss which enables the section of smaller (less expensive) actuators.Kinetrol USA
https://kinetrolusa.com
972-447-9443
Kinetrol Blueline Pneumatic Actuators for Foodservice Applications
"Blueline" series of pneumatic vane actuators from Kinetrol are designed for use in food service and beverage processing. The actuators are intended to be installed in areas requiring harsh chemical washing-down. These areas are very tough on most pneumatic actuator types because the actuator is very often adversely affected by the caustic or acidic chemicals used in cleaning.
The Kinetrol Blueline actuator has an applied coating that meets the FDA allowance whereby "Resinous and polymeric coatings may be safely used as the food-contact surface of articles intended for use in producing, manufacturing, packing, processing, preparing, treating, packaging, transporting, or holding food ...".
Kinetrol's rotary design is based upon a single moving part which eliminates additional parts required to convert linear motion to rotary motion. This simple and innovative design provides a highly accurate and extremely reliable actuator for operating foodservice and beverage industry valves, providing outstanding cycle life, smooth and precise movement.
Kinetrol's Blueline Series offers a very economical option for use in foodservice wash-down environments and are in compliance with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDA) regulations, including 21 CR 175.300 (Code of Federal Regulations). The combination of Kinetrol's superior actuator design, coupled with the wash-down approved coating, makes a very compelling case to specify the Blueline actuator for your next food and beverage industry actuation requirement.
For more information, contact:
Kinetrol USA
https://kinetrolusa.com
972-447-9443
How To Install and Remove a Kinetrol Actuator Spring Unit
This video demonstrates how to install and removed a spring unit for a Kinetrol vane actuator. Spring units are available for either clockwise or counter clockwise spring action. They are mounted, as standard, between the actuator and what it drives. With spring units alone, direction is determined by looking at the unit from the end which interfaces with the actuator.
Kinetrol Actuator in 60 Deg. Rotation, Continuous Cycling Application on Permanent Mold Casting Machine
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| Hydraulic cylinder (shaded in yellow) and it's associated rods and yokes. Note the difficult access and adjustability. |
- No waste from the mold
- Reusable mold
- Good surface finish
- Good dimensional accuracy
- High production rates
- Higher conductivity levels
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| Kinetrol actuator replacement. The actuator mounts directly to equipment, connected directly to the shaft eliminating the need for rods and yokes. |
The local Kinetrol Distributor was called in and immediately saw the opportunity to replace the hydraulic cylinder, rods, and scotch-yokes with a Kinetrol actuator and simple mounting.
The Kinetrol actuators have been working for several years now, moving continuously without problem and eliminating the need for frequent adjustments.
For more information, contact:
Kinetrol USA
https://kinetrolusa.com
972-447-9443
New Hacking Risk for US Power Grids and Oil & Gas Industries
A report released in June, from the security firm Dragos, describes a worrisome development by a hacker group named, “Xenotime” and at least two dangerous oil and gas intrusions and ongoing reconnaissance on United States power grids.
Multiple ICS (Industrial Control Sectors) sectors now face the XENOTIME threat; this means individual verticals – such as oil and gas, manufacturing, or electric – cannot ignore threats to other ICS entities because they are not specifically targeted.
The Dragos researchers have termed this threat proliferation as the world’s most dangerous cyberthreat since an event in 2017 where Xenotime had caused a serious operational outage at a crucial site in the Middle East.
The fact that concerns cybersecurity experts the most is that this hacking attack was a malware that chose to target the facility safety processes (SIS – safety instrumentation system).
For example, when temperatures in a reactor increase to an unsafe level, an SIS will automatically start a cooling process or immediately close a valve to prevent a safety accident. The SIS safety stems are both hardware and software that combine to protect facilities from life threatening accidents.
At this point, no one is sure who is behind Xenotime. Russia has been connected to one of the critical infrastructure attacks in the Ukraine. That attack was viewed to be the first hacker related power grid outage.
This is a “Cause for Concern” post that was published by Dragos on June 14, 2019.
“While none of the electric utility targeting events has resulted in a known, successful intrusion into victim organizations to date, the persistent attempts, and expansion in scope is cause for definite concern. XENOTIME has successfully compromised several oil and gas environments which demonstrates its ability to do so in other verticals. Specifically, XENOTIME remains one of only four threats (along with ELECTRUM, Sandworm, and the entities responsible for Stuxnet) to execute a deliberate disruptive or destructive attack.
XENOTIME is the only known entity to specifically target safety instrumented systems (SIS) for disruptive or destructive purposes. Electric utility environments are significantly different from oil and gas operations in several aspects, but electric operations still have safety and protection equipment that could be targeted with similar tradecraft. XENOTIME expressing consistent, direct interest in electric utility operations is a cause for deep concern given this adversary’s willingness to compromise process safety – and thus integrity – to fulfill its mission.
XENOTIME’s expansion to another industry vertical is emblematic of an increasingly hostile industrial threat landscape. Most observed XENOTIME activity focuses on initial information gathering and access operations necessary for follow-on ICS intrusion operations. As seen in long-running state-sponsored intrusions into US, UK, and other electric infrastructure, entities are increasingly interested in the fundamentals of ICS operations and displaying all the hallmarks associated with information and access acquisition necessary to conduct future attacks. While Dragos sees no evidence at this time indicating that XENOTIME (or any other activity group, such as ELECTRUM or ALLANITE) is capable of executing a prolonged disruptive or destructive event on electric utility operations, observed activity strongly signals adversary interest in meeting the prerequisites for doing so.”
Multiple ICS (Industrial Control Sectors) sectors now face the XENOTIME threat; this means individual verticals – such as oil and gas, manufacturing, or electric – cannot ignore threats to other ICS entities because they are not specifically targeted.
The Dragos researchers have termed this threat proliferation as the world’s most dangerous cyberthreat since an event in 2017 where Xenotime had caused a serious operational outage at a crucial site in the Middle East.
The fact that concerns cybersecurity experts the most is that this hacking attack was a malware that chose to target the facility safety processes (SIS – safety instrumentation system).
For example, when temperatures in a reactor increase to an unsafe level, an SIS will automatically start a cooling process or immediately close a valve to prevent a safety accident. The SIS safety stems are both hardware and software that combine to protect facilities from life threatening accidents.
At this point, no one is sure who is behind Xenotime. Russia has been connected to one of the critical infrastructure attacks in the Ukraine. That attack was viewed to be the first hacker related power grid outage.
This is a “Cause for Concern” post that was published by Dragos on June 14, 2019.
“While none of the electric utility targeting events has resulted in a known, successful intrusion into victim organizations to date, the persistent attempts, and expansion in scope is cause for definite concern. XENOTIME has successfully compromised several oil and gas environments which demonstrates its ability to do so in other verticals. Specifically, XENOTIME remains one of only four threats (along with ELECTRUM, Sandworm, and the entities responsible for Stuxnet) to execute a deliberate disruptive or destructive attack.
XENOTIME is the only known entity to specifically target safety instrumented systems (SIS) for disruptive or destructive purposes. Electric utility environments are significantly different from oil and gas operations in several aspects, but electric operations still have safety and protection equipment that could be targeted with similar tradecraft. XENOTIME expressing consistent, direct interest in electric utility operations is a cause for deep concern given this adversary’s willingness to compromise process safety – and thus integrity – to fulfill its mission.
XENOTIME’s expansion to another industry vertical is emblematic of an increasingly hostile industrial threat landscape. Most observed XENOTIME activity focuses on initial information gathering and access operations necessary for follow-on ICS intrusion operations. As seen in long-running state-sponsored intrusions into US, UK, and other electric infrastructure, entities are increasingly interested in the fundamentals of ICS operations and displaying all the hallmarks associated with information and access acquisition necessary to conduct future attacks. While Dragos sees no evidence at this time indicating that XENOTIME (or any other activity group, such as ELECTRUM or ALLANITE) is capable of executing a prolonged disruptive or destructive event on electric utility operations, observed activity strongly signals adversary interest in meeting the prerequisites for doing so.”
Kinetrol Vane Actuators in Sugar Production: Suger Cane Processing
First in a 2-part series on the use of Kinetrol pneumatic vane actuators in the production of sugar. The first part focusses on sugar cane processing. The second focusses on sugar beet processing.
Sugar is produced in over 130 countries worldwide. Around 80 percent of sugar is produced from cane, which is grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The remaining 20 percent is manufactured from beet grown in more temperate climates. Refined sugar is both chemically and functionally identical whether it is produced from cane or beet.
Transportation – Cane is loaded into lorries or rail trucks and taken to the mills for processing. On arrival the cane is washed to remove rocks and leaves.
Shredder – The shredder shreds the cane and reduces it into fibrous material to expose the sucrose bearing cells. This allows for the extraction (milling) process to maximize the removal of the sugar juice from the cane.
Milling – This is the extraction process whereby the sugar is removed from the cane. The shredded cane is crushed between heavy, grooved metal rollers to separate the juice from the fibre. The milling process involves a number of mills which are made up of three rollers arranged in a triangular formation. As the cane is crushed in the mills hot water (or recovered impure juice) is sprayed onto the crushed cane. The resultant dark green juice (sometimes called vesou) is then sent to a mixed juice tank for storage before clarification.
The cane fiber (called bagasse) is recycled as a fuel for the mill’s boiler furnaces. Importantly, milling must take place within 36 hours of the cane being cut.
Kinetrol units are used to control the flow of water to the spray system. It is necessary to ensure that sufficient water is used to remove the sugar content without flooding the cane.
Clarification and Filtering – Clarification is where soluble and insoluble impurities (sand, soil, etc.) are removed. The vesou is heated and then lime is added to the juice. Clear sugar juice is run off from the top of the clarifier. The muddy juice, extracted from the bottom of the clarifier, is mixed with fine bagasse and filtered to recover more sugar. This process can be repeated to ensure maximum recovery of sugar. The final recovered mud & bagasse mix is used as a soil treatment on the cane farms.
Kinetrol units are used to control the flow of the vesou to the clarifier. Controlled flow reduces turbulence which allows for quicker settling times. Kinetrol's are also be used to control the recirculation flow of the sugar juice to the clarifier.
Evaporation – The clear juice from the clarifier is concentrated into a syrup by boiling it under vacuum in evaporators. Around two-thirds of water in the juice is removed in the evaporation process leaving an end syrup with approximately 65-70 percent sugar content.
Kinetrol actuators are used to control the flow of steam to the evaporation tanks. In addition they control the flow of the juice through the evaporators. This is because of their reliability in the higher ambient temperatures in the process area.
Vacuum Pans – The syrup is concentrated further by boiling it in vacuum pans. Here it is ‘seeded’ with small sugar crystals to allow crystallization to take place. When the the sucrose concentration reaches the desired level the mixture of crystals and syrup, called massecuite, is sent to the centrifuges.
Kinetrol actuators control the input of heating steam into the pans as well as the flow of the massecuite through the process.
Centrifuges – High speed centrifuges separate the massecuite into sugar crystals and by-products (molasses).
Kinetrol actuators control the massecuite feeding system into the centrifuges. Accurate control of the valves feeding the centrifuges is necessary to prevent overloading and leakage of the centrifuges.
Kinetrol actuators also control the water inlets of the automated wash system for the centrifuges.
Dryers – Damp sugar crystals are dried in heated dryers before being sorted in sizes and either packed or stored.
Kinetrol's reliability, especially under hot, humid conditions, are crucial factors for our units being used within the sugar industry. Depending on the plant and location the actual ‘processing’ season varies from around four months for sugar beet to six months for sugar cane. During this short time it is essential that plants have no production issues as this will have a dramatic effect on the productivity and therefore competitiveness of the plant. The reliability and robustness of the Kinetrol units means they continue to function through each production season year after year.
Kinetrol’s ability to maintain an unchanged torque rating even with wear of the lip seals, means critical valves continue to function correctly over time. This is especially true with a product that is highly viscous in the later stage of production (e.g. thick juice, molasses).
With some plants being non-operational for many months of the year there does exist time for service & maintenance or replacement of rack & pinion actuators. However as margins within the sugar industry are low, the total cost of ownership for Kinetrol units over a number of production seasons makes them a more cost effective solution.
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA by calling 972-447-9443 or by visiting https://kinetrolusa.com.
Sugar is produced in over 130 countries worldwide. Around 80 percent of sugar is produced from cane, which is grown in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The remaining 20 percent is manufactured from beet grown in more temperate climates. Refined sugar is both chemically and functionally identical whether it is produced from cane or beet.Transportation – Cane is loaded into lorries or rail trucks and taken to the mills for processing. On arrival the cane is washed to remove rocks and leaves.
Shredder – The shredder shreds the cane and reduces it into fibrous material to expose the sucrose bearing cells. This allows for the extraction (milling) process to maximize the removal of the sugar juice from the cane.Milling – This is the extraction process whereby the sugar is removed from the cane. The shredded cane is crushed between heavy, grooved metal rollers to separate the juice from the fibre. The milling process involves a number of mills which are made up of three rollers arranged in a triangular formation. As the cane is crushed in the mills hot water (or recovered impure juice) is sprayed onto the crushed cane. The resultant dark green juice (sometimes called vesou) is then sent to a mixed juice tank for storage before clarification.
The cane fiber (called bagasse) is recycled as a fuel for the mill’s boiler furnaces. Importantly, milling must take place within 36 hours of the cane being cut.
Kinetrol units are used to control the flow of water to the spray system. It is necessary to ensure that sufficient water is used to remove the sugar content without flooding the cane.
Clarification and Filtering – Clarification is where soluble and insoluble impurities (sand, soil, etc.) are removed. The vesou is heated and then lime is added to the juice. Clear sugar juice is run off from the top of the clarifier. The muddy juice, extracted from the bottom of the clarifier, is mixed with fine bagasse and filtered to recover more sugar. This process can be repeated to ensure maximum recovery of sugar. The final recovered mud & bagasse mix is used as a soil treatment on the cane farms.Kinetrol units are used to control the flow of the vesou to the clarifier. Controlled flow reduces turbulence which allows for quicker settling times. Kinetrol's are also be used to control the recirculation flow of the sugar juice to the clarifier.
Evaporation – The clear juice from the clarifier is concentrated into a syrup by boiling it under vacuum in evaporators. Around two-thirds of water in the juice is removed in the evaporation process leaving an end syrup with approximately 65-70 percent sugar content.Kinetrol actuators are used to control the flow of steam to the evaporation tanks. In addition they control the flow of the juice through the evaporators. This is because of their reliability in the higher ambient temperatures in the process area.
Vacuum Pans – The syrup is concentrated further by boiling it in vacuum pans. Here it is ‘seeded’ with small sugar crystals to allow crystallization to take place. When the the sucrose concentration reaches the desired level the mixture of crystals and syrup, called massecuite, is sent to the centrifuges.
Kinetrol actuators control the input of heating steam into the pans as well as the flow of the massecuite through the process.
Centrifuges – High speed centrifuges separate the massecuite into sugar crystals and by-products (molasses).
Kinetrol actuators control the massecuite feeding system into the centrifuges. Accurate control of the valves feeding the centrifuges is necessary to prevent overloading and leakage of the centrifuges.
Kinetrol actuators also control the water inlets of the automated wash system for the centrifuges.Dryers – Damp sugar crystals are dried in heated dryers before being sorted in sizes and either packed or stored.
Kinetrol's reliability, especially under hot, humid conditions, are crucial factors for our units being used within the sugar industry. Depending on the plant and location the actual ‘processing’ season varies from around four months for sugar beet to six months for sugar cane. During this short time it is essential that plants have no production issues as this will have a dramatic effect on the productivity and therefore competitiveness of the plant. The reliability and robustness of the Kinetrol units means they continue to function through each production season year after year.
Kinetrol’s ability to maintain an unchanged torque rating even with wear of the lip seals, means critical valves continue to function correctly over time. This is especially true with a product that is highly viscous in the later stage of production (e.g. thick juice, molasses).
With some plants being non-operational for many months of the year there does exist time for service & maintenance or replacement of rack & pinion actuators. However as margins within the sugar industry are low, the total cost of ownership for Kinetrol units over a number of production seasons makes them a more cost effective solution.
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA by calling 972-447-9443 or by visiting https://kinetrolusa.com.
Changes to the Kinetrol VLS Limit Switch Box: KUSA-TSB123
With the continued pressure for modularization and commonality the new precision die cast switch box will offer some positive improvements over the current model, more internal space for future developments and will be known as the VLS Limit Switch Box.
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA by calling 972-447-9443 or visit https://kinetrolusa.com.
Kinetrol Vane Actuators
In addition, Kinetrol also manufactures a full range of positioners, limit switch boxes, fail-safe and fire fail-safe spring units, I to P transducers, spring-to-center 90° and 180° actuators, gearboxes and other engineered products from foundry to finished goods in our own ISO 9001-2008 certified factories.
Kinetrol is the inventor of the quarter turn pneumatic vane actuator and manufactures 16 sizes with torque outputs ranging from 8 lb inches to 168,000 lb inches when supplied with 100 psig.
Kinetrol’s exclusive direct-mount modular concept eliminates expensive and unnecessary tubing, fittings, brackets and couplings, which provides virtually hysteresis-free and extremely compact, automated assemblies. Unlike cylinder actuators, Kinetrol’s one piece vane and shaft design move as one resulting in extremely precise modulating and on/off control. Kinetrol actuators use double opposed polyurethane lip seals instead of O-ring seals typically used in quarter turn actuators. Kinetrol’s lip seal design isolates the shaft seal from plant air pressure and also acts as wiper for any foreign material which dramatically extends the service life of these actuators in all applications.
Knock off and copy attempts have come and gone over Kinetrol’s 60 plus year history, but none have come close to Kinetrol’s stellar track record of quality and reliability. Truth is in the performance and Kinetrol actuators have developed the reputation as the most reliable severe service, high cycle actuators the world over since 1958.
Kinetrol is the inventor of the quarter turn pneumatic vane actuator and manufactures 16 sizes with torque outputs ranging from 8 lb inches to 168,000 lb inches when supplied with 100 psig.
Kinetrol’s exclusive direct-mount modular concept eliminates expensive and unnecessary tubing, fittings, brackets and couplings, which provides virtually hysteresis-free and extremely compact, automated assemblies. Unlike cylinder actuators, Kinetrol’s one piece vane and shaft design move as one resulting in extremely precise modulating and on/off control. Kinetrol actuators use double opposed polyurethane lip seals instead of O-ring seals typically used in quarter turn actuators. Kinetrol’s lip seal design isolates the shaft seal from plant air pressure and also acts as wiper for any foreign material which dramatically extends the service life of these actuators in all applications.
Knock off and copy attempts have come and gone over Kinetrol’s 60 plus year history, but none have come close to Kinetrol’s stellar track record of quality and reliability. Truth is in the performance and Kinetrol actuators have developed the reputation as the most reliable severe service, high cycle actuators the world over since 1958.
Kinetrol USA
972-447-9443
Kinetrol Vane Actuators Lower Cost of Filter Operation at Power Plant
A Monoscour® filter is a heavy duty, high-rate, gravity filter. It is designed for filtering high turbidity media and sticky particulates, and is commonly used in polymer chemical treatment, cooling tower side-stream filtration, and industrial wastewater filtering. This kind of filter is designed to be fully automatic and includes all piping and valves needed to change from filter mode to cleaning mode. Inexpensive rack and pinion actuators are installed as OEM components to divert flow between cycles. The actuators are mounted on 4" lug style butterfly valves.A Midwestern power plant was experiencing failures with their filter's OEM rack and pinion actuators. The actuator cycle rate was moderate-to-high, approximately (1) cycle per hour, continuous.
While the cost of rack and pinion actuator replacement was relatively low, the cost of filter downtime and labor was very high for the utility. As part of an ongoing, long term cost savings effort, a more reliable and robust solution was required.
The local Kinetrol Distributor Salesperson was called in and immediately saw that replacing the rack and pinion actuators with Kinetrol vane actuators was the answer. Based on the countless applications around the world, where Kinetrol actuators perform reliably in the most challenging circumstances, this particular application was comparatively easy and straightforward.
The new Kinetrol actuators were retro-fitted to the existing valves with new mounting hardware and have been operating flawlessly for over a year now. Its expected the valves will wear out long before the actuators ever need service.
For more information about using Kinetrol vane actuators on filtration towers, contact Kinetrol USA by visiting https://kinetrolusa.com or by calling 972-447-9443.
Monoscour® is a registered trademark of Graver Water Systems.
Even In the Hot Seat, Kinetrol Actuators Perform
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| This picture is of what used to be a Kinetrol 097-120 and the valve it secured. |
A chemical manufacturer in the southeastern USA experienced a catastrophic fire in their compressor house 2014. The fire caused extensive damage to the facility and equipment, and shut down production for months. The compressor alone cost $30 million.
As part of the compressor safety shutdown system, two 6" Class 150 high performance butterfly valves with Kinetrol 097-120 actuators were installed on the process air lines. In the the event of an emergency, these valves needed to quickly close, and then stay closed, under any - and all - conditions.
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| Close-up view of the Kinetrol Actuator. A melted ball of metal. |
Immediately upon activation of the emergency alarm, the two Kinetrol actuated assemblies received their signal and closed the valves quickly and tightly. As the fire raged, the actuators kept the valves secure, even after the extreme heat from the fire completely melted the actuator housings and internals.
As you can see from the pictures, the actuators were completely destroyed, but the valves stayed closed and and escalation of the emergency was prevented.
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA by calling 972-447-9443 or visit https://kinetrolusa.com.
Kinetrol Solves Scotch Yoke Actuator Reliability Issues on Top Entry Ball Valves
A southeastern chemical company had reliability issues with the leading brand of scotch yoke actuators. The actuators were mounted on 12" top entry ball valves that sent process reactor off-gas to a dryer for processing. The actuators cycle the valves every two minutes.
Top entry ball valve automation is challenging because the adjustable ball stops on top entry ball valves can increase torque values, and undersized actuators are common. In this application, the scotch yoke actuators were also unreliable due to seal leaks, sticking, and lock up, which dramatically affected the plants production of PTA (purified terephthalic acid).
The first Kinetrol actuator installation for this application, a 187-100, was installed at the chemical plant 1997, and it is still in service today. By our calculations, that actuator has cycled 5,148,000 since then, considering it strokes every two minutes, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 325 days a year.
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA.
https://kinetrolusa.com
972-447-9443
Upgrade in Steam Balancing Valve Actuators at Combined-cycle Power Plant Lead to Kinetrol
The customer for this application note is an electrical power station with a combined-cycle, natural gas-fired generating unit with two combustion turbines, two heat recovery steam generators and one steam turbine. The output of combustion turbines can vary at different times throughout the year. The nominal output for this facility is 577 megawatts. The station burns natural gas.A combined-cycle power plant uses a gas and a steam turbine together to produce up to 50% more generated electricity, using the same fuel, when compared to a traditional simple-cycle plant. The gas turbine waste heat is routed to the nearby steam turbine which, in turn, generates the extra power.
One of the most common components for managing high-pressure steam in a combined-cycle plant is the HRH bypass valve (HRH stands for "hot reheat"). Since the valve actuator controls the valve’s ability to reliably and accurately respond to system demands, it can be argued it is one of the most important elements in the steam bypass system, and therefore the entire combined-cycle plant.
In this application, the customer had two 18" steam balancing valves using large, high torque, scotch-yoke actuators that had to cycle 20 times a day. These actuators presented significant performance issues (they were failing), plus they were very large which presented maintenance difficulties.The customer approached the local Kinetrol USA Distributor and inquired if they could suggest a better alternative. The goal was to provide replacement actuators that provide very high torque, be highly reliable, and save space.
The Distributor recommended Kinetrol Model 30 pneumatic rotary actuators. The Model 30 provides 168000 lbf ins (19140 Nm) at 100 psi (7 bar) of torque and were significantly smaller and lighter than the legacy scotch-yoke actuators. Most importantly, they carried the world-renowned Kinetrol reputation for outstanding reliability, long life, and maintenance-free operation.
Kinetrol USA
https://kinetrolusa.com
972-447-9443
Trouble-free Pneumatic Valve and Damper Actuators
A rugged, corrosion-resistant pneumatic vane actuator with only a single moving part, the Kinetrol vane actuator is warranted to operate trouble-free for millions of cycles.
With millions of actuators performing reliably around the world, the Kinetrol vane actuator's outstanding cycle life, smooth and precise movement, and environmentally rugged design makes it the best choice for all of your automated valve requirements.
Kinetrol USA
https://kinetrolusa.com
972-447-9443
Proven Dependability: Kinetrol Vane Actuators
Kinetrol actuators provide years of reliable and dependable performance in the toughest environments and application. When you plan your next valve automation requirement, choose Kinetrol vane actuators.
Kinetrol USA
https://kinetrolusa.com
972-447-9443
Kinetrol USA
https://kinetrolusa.com
972-447-9443
Demonstration of NAMUR Mount Solenoid Valve with Manual Bypass Option on Kinetrol Actuator
This video demonstrates a very helpful solenoid valve option, the manual bypass feature. The technician uses a NAMUR mounted solenoid valve with built-in bypass on a Kinetrol vane actuator to show you exactly how the option works.
How to Install the Optional 4-20 mA Feedback Mechanism on the the Kinetrol AP Pneumatic Positioner
This video describes how to install the optional angle retransmit circuit (4-20 mA feedback mechanism) on the Kinetrol AP pneumatic positioner.
The angle retransmit circuit is an externally powered (8–30v DC) linear 4-20mA feedback module, rangeable down to 30 deg. for full 4-20mA span. The module's retransmit pot is a high quality conductive plastic servo–type with ball bearings, coupled with a zero-backlash feedback pot drive. The combination provides long life and high precision.
The Kinetrol AP positioner moves an actuator to a position set by a 3-15 psi control signal and holds it there. It is designed to drive a rotary or linear actuator to a position set by a 3-15 psi (0.2 to 1.0 bar) signal and hold it there until the signal changes.
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA by calling 972-447-9443 or visiting https://kinetrolusa.com.
How to Install the Kinetrol AP Pneumatic Positioner
This video describes how to install a Kinetrol AP pneumatic positioner on a Kinetrol vane actuator.
The Kinetrol AP positioner moves an actuator to a position set by a 3-15 psi control signal and holds it there. It is designed to drive a rotary or linear actuator to a position set by a 3-15 psi (0.2 to 1.0 bar) signal and hold it there until the signal changes.
When a signal pressure is applied to the diaphragm it moves the force balance lever clockwise against the tension of the feedback spring. This moves the spool valve, supplying air pressure to one side of the actuator while exhausting trapped air from the other side.
The feedback shaft follows the movement of the actuator and turns the cam counter clockwise, pushing the cam follower and increasing the tension on the feedback spring until it balances the forces on the diaphragm and moves the spool valve to its hold position.
The input signal and desired position is determined by the cam profile. A cam giving 0-90° output movement linearly proportional to a 3-15 psi (0.2-1.0 bar) signal is standard, and almost any desired characteristic can be supplied to order; if it cannot be found in the list of existing options contact Kinetrol.
For more information, contact Kinetrol USA by calling 972-447-9443 or visiting https://kinetrolusa.com.
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