Stand-alone valve actuators

About the Client

The client is a major valve manufacturer located in Germany.

Business problem

Client was looking for an innovative solution for the actuation of their DN800 butterfly valves. Because of the size of the valves the client required a compact design, to reduce space. There was no pneumatic or hydraulic power available, necessary to actuate the valve.

The Challenge

To design a compact valve actuating system with its own power supply and control system, requires knowledge out of different fields of the technique; such as hydraulics, mechanics, electronics and programming. The actuator size of 5 by 1.3 m, makes production and handling a challenge.

Our solution

We designed a hydraulic actuator solution with a closed loop hydraulic power supply, mounted on the actuator. The stand-alone actuator is controlled with its own control cabinet. The stand-alone unit only requires a 400VAC power supply and a position signal (open or close) from the DCS. It provides feedback about the position of the valve and has a safety function, to close the valve in dangerous situations.

Results & Benefits

The closed loop hydraulic power supply makes an external hydraulic (or pneumatic) power supply obsolete. No initial investment for piping, such as engineering, mounting and flushing is required. A hydraulic actuator is more compact then a pneumatic one. Furthermore, pneumatic actuators require a continuous supply. Because of the closed loop system, our compact unit requires only power when the actuator is moving, which makes it a cost reducing and environmental friendly solution.