Activity

  • Advanced Diagnostics for Electric Actuators

    Jim Cahill
    Due to stringent greenhouse gas emissions regulations, as well as ongoing technical advances, electric valve actuators are proliferating across process industries, but until recently, these actuators have lacked comprehensive diagnostic and monitoring features. This situation is changing for the better, as we explain in Hydrocarbon Processing November 2023 article, titled “ Maximizing the Advantages of Electric Actuator…

  • Easy and Effective Oil Separator Retrofit Improves Operation

    Jim Cahill
    Due to more stringent methane emission regulations, natural gas-powered level control systems in oilfield separators are no longer practical. Thankfully, many of these separators can be retrofitted easily with new electric level control technologies, as discussed in my article, titled “ Improved oil separator control strategies ,” in the October 2023 edition of Process Instrumentation . Please find a summary of the article…

  • Advice at the Device™︎ for Your Valves

    Jim Cahill
    I wanted to ensure you saw the news:  Emerson’s New Digital Valve Controller First to Offer Embedded Edge Computing to Streamline Workflows, Optimize Performance . With the ongoing exodus of expertise due to retirements across the globe, having Advice at the Device can help. The Fisher FIELDVUE DVC7K is the industry’s highest performing, most reliable valve controller and the first to include embedded prognostics …

  • How Reliability Improves Sustainability

    Jim Cahill
    While high reliability clearly entails high availability, what is less obvious is that reliability also enhances sustainability. My column from the October 2023 issue of InTech , titled “ Executive Corner: Reliability Through the Lens of Sustainability ,” explains why. When devices such as relief or isolation valves do not operate reliably, undesirable emissions can escape to atmosphere, wasting materials and potentially…

  • Advantages of Digitized On-Off Valves

    Jim Cahill
    Automated on-off valves play important roles in many systems, including starting and stopping batch processes, routing process fluids, filling and emptying tanks, backwashing filters, performing safety shutdown functions, and more. These valves are often required to operate reliably for years of continuous service. In both new and existing plants, smart valves featuring microprocessors and digital communication capabilities…

  • Improving Performance with Digital On-Off Valves

    Jim Cahill
    I’ve often written about how digital valve controllers improve control valve performance and ongoing maintenance. But how about on-off valves? In this Valve World Americas featured story, How Digitized On-Off Valves Improve Operations , Emerson’s Riyaz Ali explains how the: …data provided by smart on-off valves can be used to increase uptime, reduce maintenance costs, and improve safety. Riyaz opens the article…

  • Reducing Valve Fugitive Emissions

    Jim Cahill
    Driving more sustainable operations requires a look at many areas to find ways to optimize and reduce emissions. One place to focus is the valves and the actuators that drive their movement. In a CHEManager International article, Innovative and Disruptive Automated Valve Package offers Decarbonization Solution , Emerson’s Knut Riegel shares how advancements in valve actuation technology fitted on isolation and shutoff…

  • Pressure Regulating Technologies Suitable for Hydrogen Applications

    Jim Cahill
    Leaders worldwide continue to pursue hydrogen as a dependable energy carrier in the global energy mix. But hydrogen, as a light gas, has challenges in the supply chain from production through ultimate use as an energy carrier. Challenges that Emerson has addressed include hydrogen embrittlement, permeation, and leak detection to make the transportation and consumption of hydrogen blended gases a safe and eco-friendly…

  • Careful Valve Material Selection Prevents Premature Failures

    Jim Cahill
    In refineries and petrochemical plants, frequent contact with process media can result in premature corrosion of valves and related components. To help prevent this, vendors can provide expert advice and, in some cases, lab testing to verify compatibility between wetted parts and process media. Below is a summary of our article in the August 2023 issue of Hydrocarbon Processing, titled “Select the Appropriate Construction…

  • Advice for Choosing a Valve Repair Company for Your Next Outage

    Jim Cahill
    Choosing a valve maintenance company that you can trust is difficult. During a shutdown or outage, you want your plant back up and running as quickly and safely as possible , while staying within budget and completing reliable repairs. Here are some tips from an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) on what kind of provider you should choose to protect your assets. Tip 1 – Investigate their “valve service expertise…

  • Next-Generation Knife Gate Valves for Dewatered Tailings Applications

    Jim Cahill
    Efficient tailings disposal is an important financial and technical concern in many mining operations. As mines strive to recycle more water in their processes, transporting tailings has become much more difficult. My article in the July/August 2023 edition of North American Mining , titled “ Selecting Knife Gate Valves for Severe Tailings Service ,” addresses this issue. It discusses the impact of water recovery operations…

  • Continuing Innovations in Control Valve Noise Reduction

    Jim Cahill
    Those that work in and around processing plants and production facilities know how loud these processes can be. As fluid flows through piping, changes in flow rates and pressures can create noise. In an Automation.com article, How Additive Manufacturing Leads to Quieter Control Valves , Emerson’s Grady Emswiler and Mike Hoyme explain how this: …sound is created by very high pressure drops across a valve, which generates…

  • Unique Challenges for SAF Control Valves

    Jim Cahill
    Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a renewable alternative to the fossil fuels that have historically powered most aircraft. Compared to conventional fuel production, SAF production poses particular challenges for control valves. Below is a summary of our article in the August 2023 issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering, titled “ Control Valve Selection for SAF Production ,” which discusses these challenges and offers suggestions…

  • Specialized Control Valves for Semiconductor Ultrapure Water Applications

    Jim Cahill
    Effective production of minuscule silicon chips requires water with close to zero impurities. This ultrapure water must be produced in a system made up of special components, including control valves with very specific features. The latter issue is the subject of my article in the June 2023 issue of Processing, titled “ Control Valve Selection for Semiconductor Ultrapure Water Applications ,” please find a summary below…

  • Valve Actuator Automated Connectivity

    Jim Cahill
    Andy Le and Tom Mullins presented Optimizing Automated Valve Connectivity – Go Intelligent Electric Actuators at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. Andy opened by showing the broad portfolio of valve actuators. The electric-powered actuators include electric quarter-turn- and multi-turn, electric spring return, and small electric quarter-turn. There are two main variations of the Bettis RTS design:  a CM or…

  • Using Sustainable Initiatives to Achieve Decarbonization Goal

    Jim Cahill
    “Emerson is committed to supporting customers during this transition to sustainable energy,” — Scot Bauder, Sales Director Sustainable Industries for Flow Control products at Emerson. As the globe grapples with the critical need to combat climate change, meeting decarbonization targets has become critical. Environmental sustainability programs have gained popularity in response to growing greenhouse gas emissions. …

  • An Alternative to Balanced Bellows in Pressure Relief Valves

    Jim Cahill
    Pressure relief valves (PRVs) protect pipes, manifolds, and vessels by relieving overpressure conditions. For applications that do not vent directly to atmosphere, PRV designs with metal bellows can eliminate the effects of backpressure, but these devices are prone to failures. Below is a summary of my article in the July 2023 issue of Processing, titled “ Addressing bellows failures in relief valve applications ,”…

  • Control Valve Selection for Turbine Bypass Applications

    Jim Cahill
    Turbine bypass valves are subject to frequent thermal cycles, high pressure drops, and the need for tight shut off. My article in the May 2023 issue of Power , titled “ Turbine Bypass Valve Challenges ,” provides methods of inspection to prevent their failure. Surviving severe service Turbine bypass valves are used to bypass steam turbines during plant startup and shutdown, as well as when a turbine trips off-line…

  • Designing & Specifying Process Automation Parameters to Drive Performance

    Jim Cahill
    A plant’s performance can be optimized at the intersection of capital equipment, production processes, and people.  Done correctly from the start through the selection of technologies and how they are deployed can lead to higher levels of productivity, reliability, safety, and sustainability. The Industrial Impact of Process Automation Process automation has become more and more important as the bar is getting progressively…

  • Control Valve Environmental Packing Improves Performance

    Jim Cahill
    Packing selection used to be relatively simple, but more stringent environmental regulations have made it much more challenging. Low-emissions packing solutions provide compliance, along with other benefits, as shown in my article in the June issue of Hydrocarbon Processing , titled Added Benefits of Control-Valve Environmental Packing . Packing basics In all control valve applications, the valve stem must move…

  • Three Steps to Maximize Your Next Outage with a Data-Driven Valve Maintenance Strategy

    Jim Cahill
    Are you asking yourself why we prioritize the same valve list over and over again for every outage? When you started as a reliability or maintenance engineer, your manager handed you a list of valves to service during each outage. You’ve been using that list repeatedly at this point and you may occasionally discover that certain valves don’t require maintenance during the outage. If you are creating your own valve list…

  • Improve LNG Operations with Optimized Joule-Thomson Control Valves

    Jim Cahill
    Control valves in liquified natural gas applications must operate reliably under high pressure and cryogenic temperatures to achieve gas separation and liquefaction. This is especially true for the main cryogenic heat exchanger (MCHE), where the closely-coupled Joule-Thomson (J-T) control valves feeding the MCHE help optimize the operation of the most critical area in the entire process. My article in the Apr 2023 issue…

  • Accelerating Hydrogen Infrastructure: Key Insights in Our Whitepaper

    Jim Cahill
    Hydrogen-fueled vehicles are becoming increasingly common, highlighting the need for reliable and efficient hydrogen fueling stations . However, building on such a large scale poses unique challenges that demand innovative solutions. Our new white paper How to Effectively Control Flow of Hydrogen Fuel to Improve Safety, Reliability, and Fueling Rates at Dispensing Stations explores the challenges and solutions to scaling…

  • Accelerating Hydrogen Infrastructure: Key Insights in Our Whitepaper

    Jim Cahill
    Hydrogen-fueled vehicles are becoming increasingly common, highlighting the need for reliable and efficient hydrogen fueling stations . However, building on such a large scale poses unique challenges that demand innovative solutions. Our new white paper How to Effectively Control Flow of Hydrogen Fuel to Improve Safety, Reliability, and Fueling Rates at Dispensing Stations explores the challenges and solutions to scaling…

  • The Top 4 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to Improve Your Next Outage

    Jim Cahill
    You just completed your outage. You are ordering pizza for the team and starting to get back to a normal shift schedule. As you’re getting back to business-as-usual, you are finishing up open items and making sure there are no issues with any of the units that were brought down for maintenance. Now, it’s been a few weeks, a month after the units are all up and running and it’s time for the post-outage review. Capturing…

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