Rotary Vane Actuators for Corrosive Marine Environments: The Right Choice

Corrosive marine environments present problems for
valve actuators.

Corrosive marine environments such as offshore oil rigs, shipyards, and maritime facilities present special challenges for pneumatic actuators. Proper selection of actuator design is important for long, trouble-free life. Salt-laden dust and high humidity take a harsh toll on the internal and external parts of any industrial equipment if not properly designed and protected. For example, rack & pinion and scotch-yoke actuators are particularly susceptible because of the relative ease of penetrating the actuator and affecting their critical components, such as metallic gears and coil springs. Spring-return rack & pinion and scotch-yoke actuators further complicate the issue because they require the intake and venting of ambient air, along with any contaminants in the air.

Rotary vane actuators, (such as Kinetrol) provide strong immunity to internal corrosion. First, they have no internal gears or springs to corrode. Second, the internal surfaces are coated with a very durable, epoxy enamel finish and all internal hardware is made from stainless steel. Additionally, the “wiping” action of the vane and lip-seals provide a self-cleaning effect that prevents corrosion in the working areas. Finally, unlike rack & pinion and scotch-yoke actuators whose coil springs are bathed in ambient air, (Kinetrol) vane actuators use externally mounted clock type springs that are 100% sealed from ambient air/gasses and are unaffected by corrosive atmospheres.

For any application where corrosion is a problem, such as those in offshore platforms or other marine facilities, engineers should strongly consider rotary vane actuators as the preferred choice for any quarter-turn valve application.

The video below illustrates the difference in construction in actuator types and illustrates the inherent advantages of vane style actuators:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Kinetrol USA

In warm appreciation of our association during the past year, we extend our very best wishes for a happy holiday season.

Wishing you and yours the happiest of holidays and a bright and successful New Year!

The Toughest Pneumatic Actuators on Earth

Kinetrol's reputation for performing flawlessly in the harshest conditions is known around the world.

The Kinetrol vane actuators' outstanding cycle life, smooth and precise movement, and environmentally rugged design makes it the best choice for all of your valve actuation and damper drive requirements.

For more information visit http://www.kinetrolusa.com or call 972-447-9443.

New Product: Kinetrol Model 15 Spring Unit in Male and Female Drive

Kinetrol has just released the new Model 15 Spring Unit which consists of a new single spring in a sealed, non-breathing housing, rather than the Model 15*-0*0-5900 which consists of two model 14 springs.

The new spring design has significant benefits including over a 30% reduction in weight, over 25% reduction in the axial dimension and an increase in the pressure range from 3.5 Bar to 5.5 Bar.

The spring unit is available in both male and female drive (F14 with a 36mm A/F female square) and will retrofit to all Model 15 Actuators.

Visit this link to download dimensional drawings.

A Basic Description of Valve Actuators

Automated plug valve with
actuator, limit switch, and indicator.

Valves are used to control the flow of fluids in process systems. In order to meet the needs of a process system some method of changing the positions of the valve is needed. 

Some valves can be operated with hand wheels or levers, but some valves have to be open and closed or throttled frequently. Manually positioning valves in these types of situations is not always practical. So instead of hand wheels or levers, actuators are used to position the valves. 

An actuator is a mechanism that moves or controls a device such as a valve. Actuators reduce the need for operators to go to every valve that needs repositioning and operate the valve by hand. When actuators are used, valves can be repositioned from a central remote location, such as a control room. This is very important in processes where a number of valves have to be repositioned accurately and quickly.

There are three basic types of actuators pneumatic actuators, hydraulic actuators, and electric actuators. Pneumatic actuators use air pressure to produce motion to position the valve. They're probably the most common type of actuator used in process systems. Actuators that are powered by a pressurized liquid, such as hydraulic fluid, are called hydraulic actuators. Compared to pneumatic actuators, hydraulic actuators of the same size are usually more powerful. Electric actuators use electricity to produce motion. They usually fall into one of two general classifications: solenoid actuators or motor-driven actuators. 

Regardless of the type of actuator used with valves, actuators are normally part of process control systems. From a control room, valves with actuators can be quickly and accurately positioned to deal with frequent flow changes. 

Valve actuators operate to position valves in response to signals from controllers. Controllers are part of the instrumentation systems that monitor plant processes and response to variations in the processes. Basically a controller is a device that receives an input from another part of the instrumentation system, compares that input to a set point, and sends out a corrective signal to regulate the value of a process variable such as temperature, pressure, level, or flow. 

Generally, actuators are used with valves that are designed for throttling or regulating flow. Valves that are used to automatically throttle flow are generally referred to as control valves. However some on-off or isolation valves may also require actuators. Although these isolation valves may require actuators, they're not commonly referred to as control valves. Control valves can be either linear that is the stem moves the valve disc up and down as in globe and gate valves, or they can be rotary which means that they're positioned by rotation. Butterfly valves and ball valves, which open or closed with a 90-degree turn, are examples of rotary control valves.

Kinetrol Spring Return Units: Spiral Torsion Springs Are Key

Simple view of spiral
torsion spring (protruding
tab and hex center
are loading points.)

Spiral torsion springs are found in many places - clocks, watches, timers ... and Kinetrol spring return units!

Capable of storing much more energy than a typical compression spring, and working in smaller, more compact packages, spiral torsion springs for valve and damper actuation are a proven step-up over helical compression springs.

When a torque is applied to a spiral torsion spring, an angular displacement is created between the first and second loading points, the coil deflects (tightens), and the spring material is placed under stress, exerting a linear (to the degree of rotation) rotational "output" torque,  which drives the spring's rotation. Practically speaking, spiral torsion springs allow for lower torque loss, lower torque stress, and much greater reliability for use in valve and damper actuation.

Kinetrol Spring Return Unit
(note cutaway revealing
spiral torsion spring.)

Along with the inherent advantages of spiral torsion springs, additional benefits of the Kinetrol spring return unit are:

• Separate housing for modular assembly, easily retrofitted
• Sealed, non-breathing housing: Protects spring in corrosive environments
• Adjustable pretension for 'balanced' air and spring stroke torques: Various combinations available for balanced / optimized torques at various air pressures
• Keeper plates available to ensure safe handling of pretensioned springs
• Available with ISO/DIN female drive and mounting

The combination of the spiral torsion spring reliability plus the advanced engineering design allow Kinetrol to offer a guarantee against failure of the spring unit for the lifetime of the mating actuator!

For more information, contact Kinetrol USA by visiting www.kinetrolusa.com or calling 972-447-9443.

Review: Vane Actuators

An internal view of a vane actuator allowing you
to see the one piece vane and shaft, lip seals,
travel stops, and the clam shell  design.

The vane actuator is a simple and elegant mechanism for quarter-turn valves, dampers, and other rotary motion applications. The vane actuator produces rotary motion through the application of air pressure to a "vane' attached directly to an output shaft. In higher quality vane actuators, the vane and shaft are machined from a single piece of steel. Because of this, any motion from the vane is transferred directly to the shaft, without backlash or lost motion.

The vane includes “lip seals” that isolate the vane and shaft from the air supply. The lip seal design provides several advantages, namely eliminating the need for shaft seals and an inherent cleaning action internally. A split, or “clam-shell” housing is assembled around the vane, totally enclosing it. When supply air is applied to one side of the vane, torque is produced moving the vane in one direction. Accordingly, there is direct rotary motion transfer to the shaft, with 100% efficiency. Torque is controlled by surface area of the vane and the differential pressure on either side of the vane. Bi-directional over-travel is limited by the use of travel stops mounted in both sides of the housing.

The Kinetrol Vane Actuator

Single acting vane actuators use a spring to return the actuator to its resting position. By adding a spring, vane actuators can fail-open or fail-closed in the event of power failure. Double acting actuators use supply air on either side of the actuator to dictate clockwise or counter-clockwise movement. Other types of pneumatic actuators generally require high quality air as their power source, but vane actuators can accept poorer quality supply air, as the vane design uses the vane’s “wiping action” to push dirt and grime out of the way. Vane actuators are generally more compact that other types of actuators and come in many sizes, producing a wide range of torques.

For more information about vane actuators visit http://www.kinetrolusa.com or call 972-447-9443.