Kinetrol Actuator "Insures" Rapid Valve Closing to Protect Equipment, Infrastructure, and Personnel

20" high performance
butterfly valve with
Kinetrol actuator

An insurance mandate required a major chemical company who produces PTA (Purified Terephthalic Acid) to install a 20" automatic high performance butterfly valve with the capability to stroke from fully opened to fully closed in less than one second.

Requirement:

It's necessary to prevent a $30M USD axial process air compressor from rapidly going into an overspeed condition that could harm equipment, infrastructure, and personnel. 

Challenge:

The biggest challenges: stroking the valve in under one second, but without slamming the butterfly disc into the stops which can damage the valve and nearby equipment. 

Solution:

Kinetrol's expertise in rapid cycling enabled us to size, select, and perform certified cycle time tests on the final assembly. This shut out any competition. 

Assembly: 

20" class 300 high performance butterfly valve, Kinetrol 207-120 with a 2" automatic L-Port, 3-way, compressed air supply ball valve with 097-F120, X-proof solenoid, and two exhaust silencers coupled to the size 20 supply port. Open / closed limit switch assembly. Robust SST mounting bracket and coupling. The closure time once actuator air is exhausted: 0.13 seconds.

 

Kinetrol Blueline Actuator for Use in Foodservice and Beverage Processing

Kinetrol's "Blueline" Series of pneumatic vane actuators for use in foodservice and beverage processing. The actuators are intended to be installed in areas where harsh chemical wash-down is required. These areas are very tough on most types of pneumatic actuators because the caustic or acidic chemicals used in cleaning adversely effect the actuator. Kinetrol's Blueline Series provides a very economical option these areas.

KinetrolUSA.com/Blueline

972-447-9443

Challenging Steam Balancing Valve Application at Southwest Power Plant

Steam balance valve
with Kinetrol model 30.

In combined-cycle power generation plants, the most common design for managing high-pressure steam is with cascading bypass systems. Balancing valves are used on the hot reheat line to respond to control loop demands. The application is difficult because of high pressures, high temperatures, and large valve sizes (high torque). The valves must shut off tightly and also be capable of precise throttling.

Outfitting these valves with pneumatic actuators is also difficult. Because of the valve size and valve design, actuators must have high torque output, without taking up vast amounts of space. The actuators must also act quickly and eliminate hysteresis.

Most pneumatic actuator designs simply cannot meet the operating and size restrictions, and hydraulic actuators, with all of their associated maintenance problems, are used instead.

A Kinetrol Distributor in the Southwest USA was asked to recommend a better alternative to a line where very large scotch-yoke actuators controlling two (2) 18" valves were controlling poorly and were taking up too much space.

The Distributor's challenge was to:

• Deliver very high torque output.
• Provide as small a package as possible.
• Improve the actuators stability and reliability.

The solution was to apply Kinetrol model 30 vane actuators. The model 30's deliver 168,000 lbf (at 100 psi) of torque in a compact envelope (comparatively). Additionally, the Kinetrol Model 30's, combined with third-party digital valve positioners, provided the precision and response the application required to eliminate oscillations and instability.  The actuators cycle about 20 times per day and have been performing without problem for years. Huge annual fuel savings can be directly attributed to the actuators reliability and precision due to fewer turbine restarts.

Power plant steam balancing valves in service.

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

New EL Positioner Installation Video from Kinetrol USA

The video below is new from Kinetrol USA and provides detailed instructions on how to install a Kinetrol model EL electro-pneumatic positioner.

The EL positioner controls airflow to an actuator and moves it to a position determined by a 4-20mA signal and using a unique low power proportional servo valve. The combination of EL positioner and Kinetrol vane actuator provide fast, smooth and precise control for industrial valves and dampers.

https://kinetrolusa.com
972-447-9443

A Review: Why Kinetrol Actuators Are the Most Reliable 1/4 Turn Pneumatic Actuator on the Market Today

With millions of actuators performing reliably around the world, the Kinetrol vane actuator's are the best choice for valve and damper actuation applications that require long life and ultra-dependable performance. Here's a review as to why:

Click on image for larger view.

• Durable epoxy stove enamel exterior finish.
• Long life epoxy or PTFE internal finish.
• Integral vane/shaft casting - only one moving part: Simplest and most reliable mechanism for quarter-turn rotary actuation.
• Manual override square and position indicator.
• Stainless steel expanders ensure long term lipseal / case contact.
• Double opposed, Polyurethane, lip seals for effective sealing and long maintenance free life.
• Space filling/energy absorbent sideplates (polymer or metal).
• Corrosion resistant zinc (non-incendive) or aluminum alloy case.
• Easy stop adjustment at each end of stroke for accurate seating.
• Close couple control modules. Fail-safe spring returns, limit switches, positioners and solenoid valves all close couple to the actuators.
• No cranks or gearing. No power loss or backlash - allows accurate positioning.
• Long maintenance-free life. Up to 4 million operations guaranteed.
• Compact - space saving - efficient. Best torque/size package available, fast operating speeds, best air consumption, proven design.
• Unique serial number for identification and traceability.

For more information, visit https://kinetrolusa.com of call 972-447-9443.

Innovative Gate Opening System Driven by Kinetrol Actuators

The customer is a foundry located in the mid-West. Safe access over a conveyor is required over a ramp to allow personnel to come and go as needed. A pneumatic gate and ramp system needed to be designed that would simultaneously open and close two (2) steel gates. The opening and closing would be controlled by a simple hand-switch on the ramp railing.

View of ramp and gates.

Side view of Kinetrol actuator and drive shaft.

Actuator, solenoid and driveshaft.

Two Kinetrol vane actuators are mounted under and on each side of the ramp. Driveshafts connected to the Kinetrol actuators open and close the steel gates. Solenoid valves respond to the hand-switch to pilot the actuators. 

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

Kinetrol Vane Actuators: Performance Under Pressure

Here is a short video of Kinetrol valve actuators installed in power plant, chemical plant, cement plant, water treatment, and primary metal plant applications.

https://kinetrolusa.com 

972-447-9443