The phrase digital transformation can conjure up an image of massive changes over a short timeframe. But the reality is that we’ve been undergoing a digital transformation in our personal lives for decades. Things like remote control devices, wireless communications, access to information, etc. have all grown in scope and ease of access. Little changes and improvements spread out over time have brought we are to where...

A safety instrumented function (SIF) within a safety instrumented system (SIS) consists of a sensor, logic solver, and final element. As part of the IEC 61511 global safety standard, these elements within the SIF must be tested during the operational phase of the safety lifecycle. Of the 3 elements, the final control element, typically a safety valve, has mechanical movement which must be tested. In a Processing magazine...

Author: Riyaz Ali Partial stroke test is one of the viable means to check mechanical integrity of Final Element of Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) loop. Generally, end users struggle on question of credit of PST for improvement in SIL (Safety Integrity Level). IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 define diagnostic coverage factors (DCF), but do not provide a prescriptive way to estimate the number applied in real process...

Author: Riyaz Ali Partial stroke test is one of the viable means to check mechanical integrity of Final Element of Safety Instrumented Function (SIF) loop. Generally, end users struggle on question of credit of PST for improvement in SIL (Safety Integrity Level). IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 define diagnostic coverage factors (DCF), but do not provide a prescriptive way to estimate the number applied in real process...

Author: Vincenzo Sipala How Plant Downtime Effects Your Bottom Line Due to improper control valve selection, the valve trim pictured above was damaged by solids from the fluid, which was originally specified as clean. Keeping an intricate process plant at maximum productivity for multiple decades is no easy feat. Operations downtime caused by unscheduled maintenance issues continues to be a major cause of concern...

Author: Stefano Belletti Process plants, not only in the oil and gas sector, are becoming increasingly complex in a competitive environment. Therefore, the performance of regulating and modulating valves is also an area where we need to focus our attention to improve the process and optimize costs. Precision, reliability, speed of operation, and fail-safe capabilities are among the most critical aspects of the...

Temperature control is a critical factor for many food & beverage processes. In a Flow Control magazine article, Selecting Valves for Food and Beverage Applications , Emerson’s Blake Coleman highlights the importance of the right valves and proper tuning to get optimum performance. Blake opens with what poor control may mean: …the best-case result would be lost efficiency, with worst case a completely unusable...

Author: Paolo Tomaini Conventional power plants are being disrupted by an increasing demand for renewable energy. The priority in providing energy to the grid associated with the intermittent intrinsic nature of the renewable energy output is creating a shift from base-load power down to cycling in traditional plants and causing failures. The demand for renewables is only expected to grow over the next few decades...

In many areas of the industrialized world, natural gas transmission and distribution companies provide gas to commercial and industrial users, as well as many of us in our residences. For commercial users, such as apartment complexes, and industrial users, stable pressure is critical for operations. A 6-page whitepaper, Solving Instability Issues in Commercial and Industrial Natural Gas System Applications, explores...

In many areas of the industrialized world, natural gas transmission and distribution companies provide gas to commercial and industrial users, as well as many of us in our residences. For commercial users, such as apartment complexes, and industrial users, stable pressure is critical for operations. A 6-page whitepaper, Solving Instability Issues in Commercial and Industrial Natural Gas System Applications, explores...

At the 2018 Emerson Exchange conference, Emerson’s David Tuttle presented Preventing Overpressure Disasters in Supercritical Steam Generation. David comes to Emerson from the Crosby brand of valves that joined Emerson as part of the Pentair Valves & Controls acquisition. Boiler safety valves are the last line of defense against a catastrophic overpressure event. A safety valve opens at a preset pressure and discharges...

Pressure relief valves (PRVs) are critical safety and equipment protection devices to prevent overpressure conditions. They need ongoing maintenance to assure that they operate as designed for their intended applications. In a Valve magazine article, Lifecycle Management of Pressure Relief Valves , Emerson’s Kevin Simmons and Marcelo Dultra describe considerations for effective and efficient PRV sizing, selection...

Pressure relief valves (PRVs) are critical safety and equipment protection devices to prevent overpressure conditions. They need ongoing maintenance to assure that they operate as designed for their intended applications. In a Valve magazine article, Lifecycle Management of Pressure Relief Valves , Emerson’s Kevin Simmons and Marcelo Dultra describe considerations for effective and efficient PRV sizing, selection...

Control of fluid flows and temperatures in food & beverage plants presents a number of challenges, most of which can be addressed with correct selection and application of control valves. Blake Coleman, the Global Chemical Industry Manger for Emerson’s Fisher product line, says temperature control is a very important variable in the food and beverage industry. His article, Selecting Valves for Food & Beverage...

Control of fluid flows and temperatures in food & beverage plants presents a number of challenges, most of which can be addressed with correct selection and application of control valves. Blake Coleman, Key Account Manager for Emer...

Author: Steve Poling As we approach the 6 th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy and just passing the 1 st anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, the anxieties of facing another superstorm weighs on the minds of every coastal wastewater treatment operator. And with Hurricane Florence approaching the U.S. Carolinas , this string of major storms continues. Are we prepared? By design, most wastewater facilities are in low...

As we continue to see a generational shift in the manufacturing industries, I like to highlight educational videos developed across the Emerson business groups. Our group managing Fisher Valves & Instruments products has recently posted a 2:51 YouTube video, What are I/P Transducers? This video, developed by the Valves, Actuators & Regulators educational services team, opens by defining the “I” and the “P”. The...

As often as four times a year during winter months, a power plant in Wisconsin would miss a scheduled start of its combined cycle power plant due to malfunctions of the turbine bypass valves. When there is an issue with the bypass system, the plant can’t start up, and it can’t shut down properly. Mary Barker, Senior Sales Engineer at Emerson and the Global Midstream Oil & Gas/LNG Industry Manager for Emerson, says...

The efficiency and availability of a plant’s compressors have a direct impact on the profitability of a liquified natural gas (LNG) facility. Downtime can affect the plant’s mixed refrigerant loops and lead to reduced LNG production, along with substantial contractual penalties. One cause of unexpected downtime is often poorly performing anti-surge valves. Joe DeMonte, Global Midstream Oil & Gas/LNG Industry...

Subject: Butterfly valves are lighter, smaller and weigh less than other kinds of control valves—making them the best choice for regulating flow in many applications. This article looks at the advantages and limitations of high performance butterfly valves, and then describes developments making them more suitable for flow control. Standard butterfly valves have traditionally been used for automated on/off applications...

The team managing education services for the Fisher brand of valves and instrumentation has a lot of really good videos on valve basics. You’ll find these on Emerson’s Fisher Valves & Instruments YouTube channel. For example, a recently posted video, What are the Components of a Butterfly Valve? , provides an under 2-minute look at what makes up a butterfly valve and differences in types of valve. It opens describing...

As part of Emerson’s acquisition of the Pentair Valves and Controls business , the Keystone brand of valves and actuators joined the final control area of Emerson Automation Solutions. Over on the Bettis YouTube channel, is a great series of videos in setting up Keystone EPI2 electric actuators . I’ll recap a few points made in the first video, Keystone EPI2 Setup & Commissioning Video 1 Setting Mechanical Limits...

In an earlier post, Creating Pressure Relief Valve Fugitive Emissions Testing , we described the advancement of this effect to create standards in this area. I joined Emerson’s Dr. Amr Gado and Calvin Deng as they presented this work in an Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) technical track, Striving Toward Safety Excellence in Offshore and Subsea Environments . Manufacturers and producers are seeking ways to...

A safety instrumented function (SIF)’s purpose is to reduce the risk of a specific hazard. For example, an upset condition in an oil and gas production separator may cause a series of SIFs within a safety instrumented system (SIS) to shut in the wells feeding the separator. A SIF contains a sensor, logic solver and final control element—often an emergency shutdown valve. As a mechanical component of this safety loop...

David Leavitt described an application of high-cycling valves in a dehydration process at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas. I recapped his presentation last week in a post, Triple Offset Valves and Molecular Sieve Adsorption Applications . He compared rising stem ball valves and triple offset valves (TOVs) used in these applications. David describe a concentric butterfly valve design, a dual...