Actuators Blog (no longer active)
2
posts
Get better quality data from your wells and increase well production with a smaller package footprint? Possible!
over 12 years ago
Regulators - Blog (no longer active)
52
posts
Wirelessly Monitoring Tank Thief Hatches to Avoid Regulatory Fines
over 6 years ago
Valves Blog (no longer active)
186
posts
Fail-Safe Electric Actuators for Quarter-Turn Valves
over 6 years ago
Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog
457
posts
Valve Strategies to De-risk Modular LNG and Floating LNG Execution
4 days ago
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Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog:
Safety Instrumented System Solenoid-Operated Valve Approaches
Jim Cahill
Last week at the Emerson Exchange conference, I caught up with Emerson’s Riyaz Ali . You may recall Riyaz from many safety instrumented system-related posts . We discussed some of the trends in integrated positioners + solenoid valves + limit switches + valve position transmitters. Riyaz Ali Senior Business Development Manager Riyaz felt that this approach not in line with the safety instrumented system (SIS) general…
16 Oct 2014
Regulators - Blog (no longer active):
Regulators versus Control Valves: What’s the Best Fit?
Jim Cahill
Keith Erskine with Emerson local business partner Puffer-Sweiven and Vince Mezzano with Fluor co-presented a look at considerations in selecting control valves versus regulators. Their abstract: This session will review the selection criteria for consideration of pressure regulators vs. control valves for uses on various applications to ensure the best technical and cost-effective solutions. Understanding unique application…
9 Oct 2014
Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog:
Using Wireless Throttling Valves in Column Control
Jim Cahill
Emerson's Kurtis Jensen and Terry Blevins teamed up with the University of Texas at Austin's Stephen Briggs to control a column with wireless valves. Their abstract: The control performance that may be achieved using wireless throttling valves has been evaluated through tests conducted at the UT Pickle Research Center on an 6" distillation column. The test results indicate that the control achieved using a wireless…
8 Oct 2014
Regulators - Blog (no longer active):
Regulated Pressure Control Solutions on FPSOs, FLNGs and Platforms
Jim Cahill
Emerson's Wendell Love , Alexandre Minto, and Joe Ugarte described applications on floating production storage and offloading vessels (FPSOs), floating liquefied natural gas vessels, and offshore oil and gas production platforms. Their abstract: Demonstrate pressure solutions in firewater, HPU's, Chem. Injection, Separator, Water control and Compressor Skids for instrumentation: High Pressure & subsea control…
7 Oct 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Solving a Pipe-Rattling Control Valve
Jim Cahill
As we close in on the Emerson Exchange conference October 6-10 in Orlando , I wanted to share a problem solving story. This story is typical of what you’ll find throughout the weeklong conference. Jeff Wilson Control Valve Reliability Specialist Jeff...
24 Sep 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Valve Actuators for Corrosive and Hazardous Environments
Jim Cahill
For those non-mechanical engineers who have heard the phrase “rack and pinion” but are unfamiliar with the term, Wikipedia defines it : “Rack and pinion animation”. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons A rack and pinion is a type...
31 Jul 2014
Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog:
Proactive Maintenance and Award-Winning Performance
Jim Cahill
You may have seen the news of the 2013 HART Plant of the Year noting: HART technology has helped reduce production downtime related to control valve failures… We use the HART signal to monitor real time valve conditions which has helped with identifying problems before they could cause unplanned events. This reliability effort combined with several improvement initiatives has yielded significant financial savings…
18 Jul 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Improving HRSG Availability by Better Steam Temperature Control
Jim Cahill
Author: Douglas Morris A while back, I wrote about using advanced control techniques to reduce steam temperature swings which can lead to boiler unavailability. Control improvements are one method to address this problem, but so is evaluating the mechanicals...
30 May 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Reducing Pressure across Valves in Stages
Jim Cahill
In the third video in cavitation reduction series, Cavitation Mitigation Part 3 (2:52), Emerson’s Melissa Niesen describes how pressure reductions can be done in stages to avoid cavitating conditions in the liquid flow through a pipe. Melissa explains...
23 May 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Preventing Cavitation in Liquid Applications
Jim Cahill
In the Fisher Valve & Instruments YouTube series on reducing cavitation in your process flows, the 3-minute second video, Cavitation Mitigation Part 2 shows a split line demonstration of cavitation. I highlighted Part 1 in yesterday’s post, Reducing Cavitation...
21 May 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Reducing Cavitation in Piping
Jim Cahill
Emerson’s team responsible for Fisher Valves & Instruments products has a great series of YouTube videos on piping cavitation and ways to mitigate the damage that it can cause. Melissa Niesen, a research engineer, uses the Marshalltown Innovation Center...
20 May 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Avoiding Mistakes with Wireless Valve Feedback
Jim Cahill
Many plants have manual valves because it is too cost prohibitive or difficult to automate from an installation and wiring perspective. In a Valve World April edition article, Wireless valves for control, Emerson’s Kurtis Jensen highlights the advancement...
13 May 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Anti-Surge Compressor Control in Action
Jim Cahill
Compressor surge control, or better stated, anti-surge control, is always a popular subject here on the blog. Posts written years ago still remain highly viewed. Preventing surge is critical for centrifugal and axial compressors. Wikipedia defines it...
9 May 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Improve Ethylene Conversion
Kyley Leger
Chemical industry sales engineer, Blake Coleman, is writing a three part series for valvemagazine.com . Part one : critical control valve applications in the furnace section of ethylene conversion are discussed. Feedstocks into the pyrolysis furnace can be ethane, propane, butane, gas oil, or naphtha , but no matter the source, the feed rate must be balanced with dilution steam to lower hydrocarbon partial pressure…
21 Mar 2014
Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog:
Safety Valve Positioners and Common Cause Failure Questions
Jim Cahill
If you work with pumps in your facility, you may be familiar with the Empowering Pumps site, a wealth of information to help you with these important assets in your plant. Founder Charli K. Matthews has launched something similar for valves, Empowering Valves . I had the opportunity to contribute a guest post, Common Cause Failures in Safety Valve Positioners? It was based on a question I recently received. The question…
27 Feb 2014
Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog:
Safety Valve Positioners and Common Cause Failure Questions
Jim Cahill
If you work with pumps in your facility, you may be familiar with the Empowering Pumps site, a wealth of information to help you with these important assets in your plant. Founder Charli K. Matthews has launched something similar for valves, Empowering Valves . I had the opportunity to contribute a guest post, Common Cause Failures in Safety Valve Positioners? It was based on a question I recently received. The question…
27 Feb 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Safety Valve Positioners and Common Cause Failure Questions
Jim Cahill
If you work with pumps in your facility, you may be familiar with the Empowering Pumps site, a wealth of information to help you with these important assets in your plant. Founder Charli K. Matthews has launched something similar for valves, Empowering...
27 Feb 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Howto video on on/off electric actuators
Kyley Leger
Be sure to check out the new video with Emerson oil and gas expert, Brad Healey. Topics include setup and calibration of on/off units for the Fisher easy-Drive electric actuators. www.youtube.com/watch Leave a comment and let us know if you found this type of video useful.
26 Feb 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Fisher Valve and Instrument Howto Videos
Jim Cahill
In an earlier post, Howto Video on Pneumatic Valve Positioner Mounting, I shared the first in a series of “how to…” videos that the Emerson Educational Services team was developing. Apart from this initiative, my subscription on the FisherControlValve...
26 Feb 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Howto Video on Pneumatic Valve Positioner Mounting
Jim Cahill
I knew when my son went to YouTube before coming to me when he needed to learn how to tie a tie–that howto videos were valuable, easily discoverable, and broadly used. I’ve share examples such as How To Install Micro Motion 9739 MVD Electronic Modules...
12 Feb 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Critical Safety Shutdown Valve Actuators for United Kingdom
Jim Cahill
Imagine 30% of a country’s energy supply relying on two safety shutdown valves to flow natural gas and liquid condensate safely from offshore oil & gas production platforms to an onshore processing facility. It’s critical that the valve actuators reliably...
7 Feb 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Providing Operators Process Control Valve Position Feedback
Jim Cahill
Control systems provide signals to control valves to regulate their position per the requirements of the control strategy. It is good engineering practice, especially for critical control valves to have valve travel feedback from independent devices such...
10 Jan 2014
Valves, Actuators & Regulators Blog:
Providing Operators Process Control Valve Position Feedback
Jim Cahill
Control systems provide signals to control valves to regulate their position per the requirements of the control strategy. It is good engineering practice, especially for critical control valves to have valve travel feedback from independent devices such as position transmitters, limit switches, or positioner output feedback. Emerson’s Riyaz Ali , whom you may recall from earlier posts , shared ways this position information…
10 Jan 2014
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Differences in Fieldbuses and Ethernet Communications
Jim Cahill
Automation Engineers is one of the dynamic LinkedIn groups for automation professionals. A recent question was posed: Which is most effective ethernet or profinet I wanted to share Emerson’s Jonas Berge‘s response [I've inserted hyperlinks where he has...
20 Nov 2013
Valves Blog (no longer active):
Separate Versus Integral Final Element Accessories in Safety Applications
Jim Cahill
Final elements such as safety shutdown valves, emergency isolation valves, blowdown valves, etc., in safety instrumented functions (SIFs) are equipped with various accessories such as digital valve controllers, solenoid valves (SOV), and volume boosters...
21 Oct 2013
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