Activity
  • Jim Cahill
    • 2 Apr 2018

    Isolation Knife Gate Valve for Medium-Slurry Mining and Minerals Applications

    Many manufacturing processes have challenging fluids flowing through their pipes and vessels. Mining and minerals have some of the most challenging with abrasive and corrosive solids in the flowing fluids. In a Valve magazine article, Challenges of Medium Density Slurry Service in Mining and Mineral Processing , Emerson’s Mike Gordon describes innovations in knife gate valve technology to address these slurries. ...
  • mark.nymeyer
    • 16 Mar 2018

    Valve World Feb 2018, Dangers of Non-OEM Valve Parts, by Karl Lanes

    Although an inexpensive, replicated part may look the same as an original part and may fit into the valve being repaired, it does not meet the original valve manufacturer’s design specifications. This article describes the problems with non-OEM parts, and explains why parts from the original valve manufacturer are far superior. Non-OEMs supply valve parts to the process industry at prices up to 30 to 40 percent less...
  • mark.nymeyer
    • 14 Mar 2018

    Eliminating Troublesome Tubing

    This article describes how valve actuator instrument tubing can be subject to abuse and damage from vibration and environmental extremes, and shows how Fisher actuators solve these types of problems. Valve actuator instrument tubing is often subject to abuse. It can be damaged by rough handling during shipping or transport. Workers tend to lean ladders against it, stand on it, pick up valves by grabbing onto the tubing...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 14 Feb 2018

    Control Valves and IIoT

    At the 2018 ARC Industry Forum, ARC Advisory Group’s Ralph Rio led a session, How OEMs improve Customer Satisfaction and Revenue with IIoT. The description for the session was: Using IIoT to monitor the equipment allows the OEM to identify an issue at their customer’s site before it affects the end user. Condition monitoring helps prevent unplanned downtime and improve asset performance. Mitigating the problem before...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 14 Feb 2018

    Control Valves and IIoT

    At the 2018 ARC Industry Forum, ARC Advisory Group’s Ralph Rio led a session, How OEMs improve Customer Satisfaction and Revenue with IIoT. The description for the session was: Using IIoT to monitor the equipment allows the OEM to identify an issue at their customer’s site before it affects the end user. Condition monitoring helps prevent unplanned downtime and improve asset performance. Mitigating the problem before...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 6 Feb 2018

    Saving Project Timelines and Costs by Avoiding Control Valve Over-specification

    Control valves are a critical part of process manufacturing processes and require great care in selection and specification. But what if the specifications are too stringent impacting both cost and lead times? The costs and delays can have an impact on the overall performance of a capital project. In a Processing magazine article, How To Avoid Over-Specifying Control Valves , Emerson’s Janelle Prusha shares valuable...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 1 Feb 2018

    Planning and Tools for Successful Shutdowns, Turnarounds and Outages

    No matter what you call them—shutdowns, turnarounds & outages (STO)—they are a time that manufacturers and producers must race the clock to repair and restore their production equipment to minimize financial losses from lost production. Valves are some of the critical assets that need to be checked and serviced. They touch the process directly and face the wear and tear caused by the fluids flowing through them over...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 16 Jan 2018

    IIoT in Steps for Monitoring Valve Health

    Manufacturers and producers can improve safety, reliability and efficiency by applying additional sensors, analytics and experts. Difficulties in installation have held back these improvements, but the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies have significantly reduced these barriers. One example of IIoT in action is featured in a Valve magazine article, Monitoring Valve Health via the Internet . Emerson...
  • mark.nymeyer
    • 10 Jan 2018

    Are your Control Valves Gold Plated? How to Avoid Over-Specifying Control Valves

    This article describes issues often seen when reviewing end user technical specifications, and shows how process engineers can specify just what they need – and no more – when ordering valves, actuators, positioners and related accessories.
  • Jim Cahill
    • 5 Jan 2018

    Tank Blanketing Pressure Regulation Calculations

    In an earlier post, Sizing Tank Blanketing Regulators , we described changes in the API Standard 2000 – Venting Atmosphere and Low-Pressure Storage Tanks with the release of the 7 th edition. Emerson’s Steve Attri highlighted the changes from the prior versions of the standard and how these changes affected the sizing requirements of tank blanketing pressure regulators. I received an email with some questions about...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 2 Jan 2018

    Low-Bleed or Standard Relays for Control Valves?

    Happy New Year everyone! I hope your holidays helped to recharge your batteries and get you off to a great start for 2018. I saw this exchange in my email over the holidays about the effects of using low-bleed relays with Fisher DVC6200 digital valve controllers for control applications as compared to standard relays. This question was in response to a blog post from many years ago, Positioner Pneumatic Pressure Bleed...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 18 Dec 2017

    Control Valve Noise-Induced Vibration Solution

    A presentation from this past October’s Emerson Exchange conference on control valve vibration problems was recently published by ControlGlobal.com. The article, Ethanol plant learns why pipe cracks , describes the problem-solving path to address this situation. Emerson’s Shawn Anderson and Adin Mann joined in an ethanol energy producer’s presentation to share the story of how the teamed with the plant staff to determine...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 12 Dec 2017

    Reliable Control Valve Performance in Ethylene Production

    Olefins, also known as alkenes, are unsaturated hydrocarbons, use to make many petrochemical products such as plastics. Olefin production, including ethylene, propylene and butadiene products, requires tight control for higher throughput, more energy efficient, and more reliable operations. In an article from The Chemical Engineer, Increasing Ethylene Conversion and Plant Reliability , Emerson’s Blake Coleman describes...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 6 Dec 2017

    Fugitive Emissions Compliant Ball Valves

    In 2007, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published Leak Detection and Repair, A Best Practices Guide . Here is how the EPA describes this guide . Leaking equipment, such as valves, pumps, and connectors, are a large source of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and volatile hazardous air pollutants (VHAPs) The Leak Detection and Repair: A Best Practices Guide – is intended for use by...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 17 Nov 2017

    Improving Valve Total Cost of Ownership

    An important metric for driving continuous improvement in the process industries is total cost of ownership (TCO). One of the methods to lower these costs is to standardize and limit variations on the plant equipment across sites and geographic locations. In a Flow Control magazine article, Improve Total Cost of Ownership with Valves , Emerson’s Christof Lindner shares ways that standardizing equipment, suppliers...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 10 Nov 2017

    Reliable Switching Valves for Ethylene Production Molecular Sieve Applications

    For a valve, zero leakage is defined as no visible leakage when tested at high pressure with water and low pressure with air according to existing international standards. Some of these seat leakage standards for control and isolation valves include ANSI/FCI 70-2/IEC 60534-4, API 598, MSS SP-61 and ISO 5208. ANSI/FCI 70-2 and IEC 60534-4. Emerson’s Vanessa triple offset valves (TOVs) were the first to provide bidirectional...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 6 Sep 2017

    Bulk Liquids Storage Pressure Control and Overfill Prevention

    You only have to watch accident investigation videos such as the U.S. Chemical Safety Board’s Filling Blind video to understand the importance of pressure control and overfill prevention strategies for storage tanks in oil & gas liquids production, refining and distribution of petroleum products. This is precisely the subject of the next webinar in the Bulk Liquids Storage Terminals webinar series which will take...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 18 Aug 2017

    Selection Criteria in Compressor Anti-Surge Valves

    Some of the most consistently popular posts here on the blog involve compressor anti-surge control. It’s a condition in centrifugal and axial compressors where a flow reversal condition can occur. Wikipedia defines centrifugal compressor surge as: …the point at which the compressor cannot add enough energy to overcome the system resistance or backpressure. [26] This causes a rapid flow reversal (i.e., surge). As...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 4 Aug 2017

    Top-Entry Triple Offset Valves in LNG Applications

    The global natural gas market continues to develop as additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities come online across the world. These LNG facilities have many challenges including equipment such as valves which come in contact directly with the cryogenic process . Considerations not only include fit for the application, but also how to safely and effectively perform any ongoing maintenance. Alberto Bertamoni...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 7 Jul 2017

    Safety Instrumented Function Valve Selection

    Valves are critical components inside of safety instrumented functions (SIFs) since they do the work of touching the process flows to bring the plant to a safe state in the event of a safety demand. In a Valve magazine article, How Valve Selection Can Impact SIS in Refining Applications , Emerson’s Janine McCormick describes the important criteria in finding the right valve for the required safety performance. ...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 5 Jul 2017

    Managing Natural Gas Distribution Networks Pressure and Flow Rates

    The role of natural gas in the global energy mix continues to expand as it displaces coal and nuclear power as a baseload source of energy for electrical power generation. It is also an energy source for heating and cooking in many homes. Emerson’s Sergio Pasquali describes the role of smart skids in the natural gas distribution network in this 3:32 YouTube video, The Solution for Tomorrow Energy Systems . It is distributed...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 23 Jun 2017

    Pressure Relief Valve Fugitive Emissions Testing

    Earlier this week, the Valve World Americas Expo & Conference convened in Houston, Texas. This gathering provides an opportunity for flow control industry professionals to share experiences, insights and to collaborate to resolve common challenges. Emerson’s Dr. Amr Gado , D. Emile Tezzo , and Calvin Deng prepared a presentation, Pressure Relief Valves Fugitive Emissions Testing which was given by Amr at this conference...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 20 Jun 2017

    Reducing Storage Tank Thief Hatch Emissions

    Regulations on emissions for process manufacturers and producers have continued to grow ever stringent. Storage tanks in oil and gas production sites account for a sizable percentage of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. To address these regulations, you may have seen last week’s news, New ultra-tight thief hatch reduces storage tank emissions, conserves tank contents . I caught up with Emerson’s Steve Attri...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 3 May 2017

    5 Questions for Digital Valve Controller and Safety Expert Riyaz Ali

    Let’s continue our 5 Questions for an Emerson Expert podcast series with our guest, Riyaz Ali . You may recall Riyaz from numerous posts about digital valve controllers and final control elements in safety instrumented system applications. He has almost 40 years’ experience in process control instrumentation and holds numerous patents related to use of digital valve controllers for process industries. Please leave...
  • Jim Cahill
    • 28 Mar 2017

    Educational Video on Control Valve Cavitation

    Wikipedia defines cavitation as: …the formation of vapour cavities in a liquid – i.e. small liquid-free zones (“bubbles” or “voids”) – that are the consequence of forces acting upon the liquid. It usually occurs when a liquid is subjected to rapid changes of pressure that cause the formation of cavities where the pressure is relatively low. When subjected to higher pressure, the voids implode and can generate an...

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