Blog - Post List

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Improving Control Valve Response Specifications

    Jim Cahill
    Control valve response is a critical factor in successful control strategies and process variability. In a ControlGlobal.com article, Responsible control valve response , Emerson’s Greg McMillan and James Beall discussed the efforts underway to include valve responsiveness into the ISA 75.25 Control Valve Dynamic Testing standard . With Greg’s many decades of experience working with pH control, and shared in his ISA…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Anti-Cavitation Trim Innovation for V-Notch Ball Valves

    Jim Cahill
    Many times, we discuss how advancing technology enables breakthrough innovations in Industrial Automation. A recent Oil & Gas Engineering article, Next-gen trim cuts rotary valve cavitation , highlights a great example of this with rotary valve technology. In this article, Emerson’s Brandon Bell describes how additive manufacturing, based on 3D printing technology advancements, enabled the development and manufacturing…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Electric Valve Actuator Diagnostics, Configuration and Monitoring

    Jim Cahill
    Valve actuators are the power behind valve movement. Many technologies such as hydraulics, pneumatics, and electrical energy are used to drive changes in valve position. For electric actuators, diagnostics help to assure reliable and consistent operation. They also can provide data for monitoring issues that may be developing. Emerson’s Roman Kudinov alerted me to a YouTube playlist of quick, less than 2-minute videos…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Extending Final Element Proof Testing Intervals

    Jim Cahill
    I received a question from a very old post here on the blog, Credit for Partial Stroke Tests in Verification Process . The person was trying to get a better understanding about this chart showing how partial stroke tests (PSTs) can extend the intervals between full stroke tests for final elements in a safety instrumented function (SIF). I turned to Emerson’s Riyaz Ali for help with this question. Riyaz explained that…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Following NACE Standards for Corrosion Mitigation

    Jim Cahill
    Excessive corrosion in process piping and vessels can lead to serious safety, environmental, and economic damage for manufacturers and producers. Global bodies such as NACE International and the American Petroleum Institute provide standards and best practices to help mitigate the effects of corrosion. In an Oil & Gas article, Using NACE standards to protect against corrosion , Emerson’s Ali Babakr and David Macedonia…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: IIoT for Reliability and Safety-Limited Only by the Imagination

    Jim Cahill
    One of the changes to daily life that has emerged from the pandemic is the practice of telemedicine so there are fewer visits to see a doctor in an office or clinic. These are replaced by video chats wherever possible, which are practical because of the communication technology and the ability of the doctor to access your medical records from a central database. Your history is available during the call and can enter…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Diagnostics for Final Elements in Safety Applications

    Jim Cahill
    At the Emerson Exchange Americas virtual series, Emerson’s Mike Hoyme and Stanley Af demonstrated diagnostics in the final elements within a safety instrumented function. Here is their presentation abstract: In this demonstration we will show how to use the FIELDVUE DVC6200 SIS to perform diagnostics on SIS final elements. This device can run full stroke testing, partial stroke testing (PST), solenoid valve (SOV) health…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Visualizing and Mitigating Control Valve Noise

    Jim Cahill
    At the Emerson Exchange Americas virtual series, Emerson’s Reid Youngdahl , Trevor Stoakes and Michael Wyatt show ways to visualize control valve noise and ways to reduce it. Here is their presentation abstract: Control Valve Noise Reduction: ‘See the Noise Around You’ session will give you a look inside the Emerson Innovation Center at our laser shadowgraph flow visualization technique, which demonstrates the principles…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Protecting Final Control Elements in Corrosive Applications

    Jim Cahill
    At the Emerson Exchange Americas virtual series, Emerson’s David Macedonia and Ali Babakr describes methods of protecting final control elements in corrosive applications. Here is their presentation abstract: Corrosion is the scourge of the oil & gas industry worldwide, eating up maintenance budgets and often causing incidents. The term corrosion comes from the Latin word “corrodere” which means “to gnaw to pieces”…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Safer Isolation Valves in Cryogenic Applications

    Jim Cahill
    At the Emerson Exchange Americas virtual series, Emerson’s Bryan Hodges , Jeff Gremillion and Luigi Bellan shared their expertise with ways to ensure safety in isolation valves used in cryogenic applications. Here is their presentation abstract: Join our isolation valve experts in this Meet The Experts session for a live discussion on the latest cryogenic isolation valve technology and how these modern designs can improve…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Balance of Plant Valve Optimization

    Jim Cahill
    At the Emerson Exchange Americas virtual sessions, Emerson’s David van Veen shared ways to improve operational performance with balance of plant valve optimization. Here is his presentation abstract: This session offers an overview of the utility systems that are critical for best plant performance. We will review the source and effects of abrasion and corrosion issues related to your Isolation Valves and what can be…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Improving Test Bench Performance

    Jim Cahill
    At the Emerson Exchange Americas Virtual Series, Emerson’s Erica Brackman shared ways to improve test bench performance using TESCOM ER5000 series electropneumatic actuator . Here is her presentation’s abstract: Burst and proof testing are integral methodologies for ensuring the long-term performance of equipment used in pressurized conditions. If a supplier’s radiator hose, pressure vessel, or gauge were to burst prematurely…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Safely Test Solenoid Valves without Process Disturbances

    Jim Cahill
    At the Emerson Exchange Virtual Series, Emerson’s Joe McHugh and SIS-TECH Solutions ‘ Angela Summers presented on achieving increased safety and reliability through a redundant architecture. Here is their presentation’s abstract: In the context of production costs, something as small as a solenoid valve might not be at the top of your priority list. But the reality is that there are 100s, if not 1000s, of solenoid valves…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Discrete Valve Controller for Emergency Shutdown Applications

    Jim Cahill
    Emerson’s Austin Craft demonstrated the TopWorx for Emergency Shutdown valves which incorporates the HART 7 communications protocol during the Emerson Exchange Americas Virtual Series. The TopWorx DXP, a part of the D-Series discrete valve controllers , enable automated on/off valves to communicate via HART 7 and other digital communications protocols. It attaches to all rotary and linear valves and actuators, operates…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Natural Gas Pipeline Distribution Overpressure Protection

    Jim Cahill
    Transporting natural gas through pipeline networks requires reliable overpressure protection solutions. A series of five overpressure protection for natural gas distribution systems webcasts are now available on demand to explore the use of these solutions for safe, reliable and efficient pipeline operations. These webcasts include: Introduction to Overpressure Protection (OPP) Worker Monitor Systems Pressure…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Airset Regulators: Understanding a Critical but Often Overlooked Link in Safety Systems

    Jim Cahill
    Engineers who design safety systems are always mindful of a few basic truths: Anything can fail, so there should always be a backup. And sometimes, backups need backups. Looking at how this concept applies to pneumatically operated emergency shutdown (ESD) valves, and other similar on/off valves, is the main topic of my article in the November issue of Chemical Engineering . It’s important to pay attention to all the…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: End of Life Expectancy for Final Control Elements in Safety and Control Systems

    Jim Cahill
    Mechanical items, such as shut down valves, isolation valves, control valves, actuators and other pneumatic accessories, if selected and sized properly during the design stage to meet process parameters/conditions, fluid comparability, environmental conditions, etc., will typically follow a bathtub curve aging lifecycle. The bathtub curve consists of three periods: an infant mortality period with a decreasing failure…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Valve Monitoring: One Way to Realize Real Value from Digital Transformation

    Jim Cahill
    New technologies that are truly different often depend on a “killer app” to convince users to take the leap. For the Internet early on, it was email. Suddenly being able to communicate near instantaneously in writing provided visible value people could latch on to, and the rest is history. For industrial users, digital transformation has been similar. How and why it has been adopted in many locations is the topic of my…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Avoiding Cavitation with Two-Stage Backpressure Regulator

    Jim Cahill
    I had an email exchange with the inventor of the multistage-stage back pressure regulator, Emerson’s Ruediger Niebel . Here’s the patent abstract: Multi-stage fluid regulators are described. An example fluid regulator includes a regulator body having an inlet in fluid communication with a source of pressurized fluid. A first fluid valve is disposed within the regulator body and coupled to the inlet to regulate a pressure…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Reducing Manual Valve Lineup Mistakes Podcast

    Jim Cahill
    For safer and more reliable terminal operations, it is important to know location of all products and their needed movements. Without clear visibility into the real-time health and operational status of the assets required for movements through the facility, problems can occur. One operational risk is in the lineup of the manual and automatic valves. Improper positions can result in unsafe conditions, unintended movements…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Electric Valve Actuator Educational Video Series

    Jim Cahill
    Valve actuators drive the movement of valves either in on/off, modulating or control service. These actuators can be powered manually, pneumatically, hydraulically or electrically. For electric actuators, there is a great, educational YouTube series, Introduction to Valve Actuation and Electric Actuators . The 10 videos range from 2 minutes to 8 ½ minutes and feature these topics: Introduction to Valve Actuation…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Turbine Bypass Valves in Steam Applications

    Jim Cahill
    Steam is widely used across many industrial processes to perform mechanical work and serve as a heat transfer fluid. Based on the application steam can range from dry, superheated steam to desuperheated steam near its saturation point. Steam conditioning valves help to control the temperature, pressure and quality of the steam. A 4-minute YouTube video, Sempell Turbine Bypass Valves explains how these steam conditioning…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Dealing with Valve Cavitation

    Jim Cahill
    Control valves can be subjected to quite a bit of punishment by the flowing process in some applications. One of these destructive actions is cavitation. In a Flow Control article, Understanding and solving control valve cavitation problems , Emerson’s Thirumalai Karthik (TK) Arasu opens highlighting the potential severity of cavitation. Unanticipated cavitation can destroy a control valve’s internals and even result…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Looking Beyond Immediate VOC Emission Compliance to Process Optimization

    Jim Cahill
    When dealing with issues related to environmental compliance, many engineers tend to stop thinking about the situation as soon as they reach the goal line. Compliance costs money, so they stop working on improving performance the instant they achieve the needed result. This is unfortunate because an environmental compliance effort is also an excellent opportunity to examine interrelated equipment and process practices…

  • Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog: Advances in Butterfly Valve Technology

    Jim Cahill
    Butterfly valves have been used going all the way back to the late 18 th century . In a Flow Control article, The evolution of the butterfly valve , Emerson’s Joanne Lunsford describes some of the advances to for this important technology in manufacturing and production processes. One key advantage of butterfly valve technology is that they: …offer an effective shutoff method for the isolation and regulation of fluid…

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