Intelligent process valve.

Bürkert has advanced the intelligent control of process valves with the introduction of the Type 8694, the first valve positioner on the market that offers an IO-Link digital communication interface. To meet the latest Industry 4.0 requirements, the Type 8694 has been designed to allow for easy integration into intelligent machines operating in the hygienic sectors.

While offering the accurate control of process valves expected of a positioner, where the Type 8694 really differentiates itself is its interconnectivity options to equipment across a facility. IO-Link is an open communication standard that can interface with all common fieldbus and automation systems with minimal implementation work. This allows the Type 8694 to digitally store operating parameters and easily share diagnostics to a PLC, enabling control of the device. The result is a smart positioner that can be quickly implemented to provide reliability benefits.

The primary advantage of the Type 8694's intelligence is its ability to generate detailed valve data. This can be utilised to proactively schedule plant maintenance and inform asset management. With access to these metrics, operators can predict potential issues and react quickly – securing continued process uptime.

Naturally, the Type 8694 offers seamless integration with Bürkert valves, especially the high-quality ELEMENT series. Designed to combine controllers, valves and sensors within a stainless-steel package, suitable valves include the Type 2300 angle seat valve, the Type 2301 globe valve and the Type 2103 diaphragm valve. For further simplification, Bürkert offers free communicator software to minimise set up time. All Bürkert intelligent devices can also communicate seamlessly on Bürkert System Bus (bÜS).

A myriad of engrained features ensures increased flexibility in application. Internal data storage that defines operating parameters ensures that no additional auxiliary equipment is needed. By transmitting process data digitally, the Type 8694 removes the need for terminals, reduces required cabling and saves on PLC I/O boards for analogue inputs and outputs. Error diagnosis of cable breaks or short circuits can also be detected, reducing the emphasis on installing short circuit fuses.

Installation of the device is straightforward. The Type 8694 can be easily connected via simple wiring and M12 connectors, with its fast set up further expediting installation and maintenance. Furthermore, the positioner has been designed with retrofitting in mind, allowing the Type 8694 to be integrated into existing processes and machines with the simple connections allowing quick interchange and replacement.
Suitable applications include processes in the dairy, brewery, pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors – where the Type 8694 can easily integrate into the control loop of intelligent machines. Ultimately, the Type 8694 can suit almost all types of process control valves in a broad spectrum of applications. In all cases, the device can help increase process reliability and widen data communication.

#PAuto @BrkertUKIreland @buerkertfluid

The Top 10 things you need to know about steam!

Steam is used in a wide range of industries for a variety of processes, from a basic small heating circuit to large scale hygienic steam production. Greg Sutcliffe, Global Segment Manager at Bürkert looks at some of the basic principles that should be understood by maintenance engineers and facilities managers in order to achieve a safe and efficient process.

Modern production environments require the maintenance team to be experts in a vast range of fields and while many areas may be adequately covered, steam equipment can sometimes be overlooked. This can lead to costly breakdowns or repairs which could have been avoided if some basic principles were better understood.

1. Velocity – Steam should be dry, and only minimal water content should be the target, but it is often present as entrained water and condensate. These phenomena can be damaging and wearing to the steam system – particularly at high velocities. As a general rule of thumb, pipe sizes are typically calculated using 25m/sec as the reference speed. This forms a crucial part of the design, to reduce the impact of water hammer, pitting and wear.

2. Water Hammer – Poor condensate management can lead to water hammer; a condition that should never be tolerated. As the steam travels over condensate in a steam line, it drags a 'slug' of condensate along with it. Due to the mass and velocity of the 'slug' it can contain large amounts of kinetic energy, which is dissipated when it hits an obstacle such as a valve or pipe elbow. The results can be mechanically destructive to plan and extremely dangerous to personnel, so every effort should be made to design and maintain an excellent condensate management regime and eliminate water hammer.

3. Installation of Strainers – Y-type strainers are needed to protect expensive and process-essential equipment from damage and faults due to debris in the steam. However, installed incorrectly they are a potential source of condensate pooling and water hammer. When installed in the steam line, y-type strainers should be installed NOT in the 'belly-down' position, but with the “belly” of the strainer in the horizontal plane – an issue Bürkert has seen on several occasions while fault finding on systems it has been called in to assess.

4. Pipe reducers – It may be necessary to reduce the pipe diameter as part of the steam system design. On steam systems, it is essential that eccentric reducers are used, rather than concentric parts, with the flat side at the bottom. Concentric reducers have a funnel-like profile and are sometimes installed by less informed Engineers or when costs are being cut; however this will lead to pooling of condensate and can be a prime source of water hammer.

5. Equal T's – As a general rule, when installing a drain pocket, it should be of the same pipe diameter as the steam main – forming “equal T’s”, up to a size of DN100. If a smaller bore drain pipe is fitted then the velocity of the condensate will allow it to skip over the drain pipe connection. In addition, the reduced volume of the drain pipe may cause it to overflow, thereby becoming another source of water hammer.

6. Steam system materials – Particularly in legacy installations, cast iron (gg25) pipework and equipment was used as the standard material, which has been shown to offer certain weaknesses to impact (including water hammer) when compared to other affordable materials;– which could result in catastrophic failure. We recommend as a best practice, to use spherical graphite iron (SG Iron) or stainless steel (eg 316L), that can be up to 20-25 times more resistant to impact than standard cast iron.

7. Isolation valves – A crucial part of the safety of the steam installation is the isolation valve, which should be installed both sides of steam trap sets to allow maintenance to be carried out safely. More recently, industry has migrated to the use of double isolation valves either side of the various pieces of equipment to account for possible leakage past one of the valves and to ensure the absolute safety of maintenance engineers.

8. Pressure gauges – These are crucial for providing information required to understand the conditions inside the steam system and they should be installed before and after a control valve to ensure that the valve is performing as required. In addition, fitting them periodically throughout the steam system will give early indications of process change. This is crucial as variations in pressure, and hence temperature, can lead to reduced plant productivity and product quality.

9. Energy efficiency – Producing steam requires large amounts of energy so reducing losses wherever possible helps to improve the overall efficiency and reduce the operating costs of the system. In poor examples up to 40 percent of the energy used to produce the steam is lost, with failed steam traps accounting for 18 percent of these losses. Regular testing and maintenance is crucial to ensure that the steam traps function correctly. Further losses can come from the pipework itself and this should be lagged properly, including pipe flanges and all unused pipe-sections need to be isolated and lagged or better still removed.

10. Above all else – RESPECT steam. As an odourless, invisible, high temperature gas, steam can be extremely dangerous and as such should be treated with great respect.

As part of its product offering, Bürkert has developed a range of process control valves which can be equipped with the ELEMENT control head as part of an intelligent, decentralised control system. In addition, the experts at Bürkert can offer specific advice on selecting the correct components for most steam process designs.

• Buerkert products are marketed in Ireland by Petrochem!

Batch control system support! #PAuto

Burkert  has launched a new system service for designing, manufacturing and commissioning packaged batch control solutions for use in markets such as hygienic processing, water treatment, brewing, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, medical/biomedical, chemicals - and many more.
Burkert’s batch control solutions offer the advantages of integrating a world class range of fluid control products, with third-party products - where required - in systems that are bespoke to customer requirements, fully optimised for maximum performance and designed to meet specific sector requirements regarding hygiene.

The batch control solutions are the result of Burkert’s unique ability to combine process and laboratory automation, valve elements, sensors, flowmeters, water treatment systems and networked communications into single source customised systems that deliver higher process efficiency and also higher yields with reduced waste.

The scope of Burkert’s service involves complete project responsibility, from conception through design, manufacture, assembly and testing. It covers both small and large production runs, extends to integration of third-party equipment, and offers the key benefit of simplifying equipment designs; making them more compact and easier to use.

The batch control solutions can be housed in control enclosures of almost any material, including GRP and stainless steel, and integrate comprehensive levels of instrumentation: level, pH, conductivity, ORP, combined flow rate, pH, ORP, temperature and conductivity, as well as visual displays and controllers.

“What is increasingly evident, today, is that the complexity of modern processes cannot always be satisfied with standard batch control,” said Tom Carnell, Manager of Burkert UK’s System Division.

"The requirements for process systems used in medical, biomedical and analytical applications are becoming ever more demanding. To meet these demands, specialised systems are often required. This could involve Burkert in producing a totally individual design, or, more simply, modifying an existing batch process product. Whatever the requirement, a team of engineers and technicians is always on hand to provide the most cost effective solution, and the closest correlation between market demands and equipment performance.”

The batch control solutions are a further development in Burkert’s overall systems capability. At its Stroud facility, Burkert already provides products ranging from ATEX certified control cabinets, to MicroFluidic multi-station dosing and mixing units for DNA synthesis, to systems based on its mxControl, multi- parameter controller that fully automate and optimise water treatment and purification processes.

• Burkert are marketed in Ireland by Petrochem Pipeline Supply.

Valve range extended!

Bürkert has announced an extension to its range of ELEMENT valves in response to continued customer feedback for larger sizes and higher flow rates.

The angle seat and globe valves specified with the ELEMENT actuator are now available with increased diameter orifices. The angle seat valve, types 2100 & 2300 are now also offered with an orifice up to DN 65mm and the globe valves, types 2101 & 2301, up to DN 100mm.

The ELEMENT actuator has been designed to combine the proven reliability of the CLASSIC range with a number of additional benefits. The outer casing, made from hygienic stainless steel, combined with the internal control air routing, ensures there is no corrosion of the actuator springs and no biological contamination inside the actuator. All these design characteristics have produced a valve actuator with excellent performance and reliability features for use in a range of food, beverage, medical and other wash down process environments.

The ELEMENT range is just one of six different designs of valve actuators available to be configured with a host of valve designs and control options. Such a wide range of product options allows nearly every control situation, even in the most demanding of environments, to be accommodated. With decades of experience, Burkert continues to deliver innovation and design excellence in the world of process valve technology.

Process valves and actuators from Buerkert #PAuto

Bürkert’s modular ELEMENT system, which is setting new benchmarks for cleanline operation and cost reduction in hygienic process measurement and control, has been expanded to include process valves with orifice diameters up to 50mm (DN 50) and process actuators in sizes up to 130mm.

“The outstanding success of our modular, stainless steel ELEMENT system across all hygienic processing markets – pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and beverage and bio-medicals – has resulted in demands from users for a wider range of equipment types and sizes,” said Neil Saunders, Sales Manager of Bürkert UK & Ireland. “The new 50mm orifice sizes for the ELEMENT series valve range and larger actuator sizes are part of a wider programme to meet this demand, with other additions to the ELEMENT range coming on stream in the first quarter of 2013.”

The expansion of the ELEMENT valve range significantly expands the area of application for these valve types, enabling their use at higher medium pressures on pipelines with orifices up to DN 50. Included in the expanded range are the type 2100 angle seat on/off valve, the 2101 on/off globe valve, the 2103 diaphragm valve family, the type 2300 modulating angle seat valve and 2301 series modulating globe valve.

The major advantage for users of the expanded ELEMENT is that it is now possible to achieve greater plant standardisation by equipping many process systems with equipment entirely from the modular ELEMENT platform. The benefits of this approach are many. First, the ELEMENT valves and sensors reliably control fluids, steam, caustic solutions and chemicals, as well as abrasive or high-purity substances in the widest range of applications and process environments. Second, the stainless steel valves (IP65/67) are rugged, hygienic, and easy to clean and use.

Third, the special ELEMENT actuator design facilitates integration of automation units at all levels of the modular valve system, from the position transmitter to the electro-pneumatic positioner or process controller. This allows complete decentralised automation of even complex systems, with minimal expense for cables and hoses.

Bus equipped element diaphragm valves for pharma application in France!

The AS-i communication bus facilities, remote visualisation capability and easy clean, stainless steel construction of Bürkert’s Element range of diaphragm valves has resulted in their specification by Unither, a world leader in the manufacture of formulations for the pharmaceutical industry, as part of a major modernisation of the company’s plant at Gannat, (F)

With five production sites, a research and development centre, and commercial offices in Paris, UNITHER is currently the world leader in the manufacture of pharmaceutical formulations used by European pharmaceutical laboratories and producers of generic drugs (in particular, eye drops, physiological saline solutions and anti-asthma drugs in sterile soluble unit doses). It has a turnover of 151 million euros with a workforce of 850 people.

The Gannat site, employs around 150 people. It is a specialised production site for the manufacture of soluble tablets, dry formulations and anal suppositories. Recently, Unither decided to modernise its production equipment at the plant, with the aims of increasing production efficiency, improving safety and meeting the strictest pharmaceutical standards. In addition, Unither also wanted to develop and install an AS-i communication bus, to make its production as flexible as possible.

With all these objectives in mind, the operators of the Gannat site approached Bürkert, specifically because of the company’s know-how and experience of pharmaceutical processes. In addition, Bürkert was the only manufacturer of components and solutions capable of responding to all of Unither's needs in terms of valves and instrumentation, as well as BBS pipework accessories such as viewing windows and filters. This was evidenced by Bürkert’s design and manufacture of special valve blocks for the ELEMENT diaphragm valves, which reduced, as far as possible, the retention volumes where bacteriological growth could occur.

The new installation is equipped with a number of intelligent ELEMENT diaphragm valves. These offer a high degree of modularity with embedded diagnostic tools, guaranteeing maximum reliability and safety. Limit switch devices with AS-i communication are installed on each pneumatic valve.

The installation consists of a tank bottom drain valve type 2105, a draw-off valve type 2014, 2-way manual and automatic valve types 3233 and 2103, as well as the multi-port ELEMENT valve block, type 2034. The tank bottom drain valve is designed for regulation of ultra-pure, sterile, aggressive or abrasive fluids. It guarantees total draining of the tank and offers optimum possibilities for refilling.

Among the advantages offered by this new installation are the stainless steel design of all valve types and the AS-i type 8691 device with high intensity, multi-colour position indicator for visualisation of valve state from a distance – a facility which particularly impressed the operators of the Gannat site.

The ELEMENT range of diaphragm valves was perfect for the Gannat project as it has been designed by Bürkert to provide maximum reliability and safety for the most exacting users. The valves offer the advantages of being very easy to use, via simplified adjustment, excellent diagnostics and visualisation, ergonomics, safety of use, adaptability, and ease of electrical and pneumatic connections. In addition, start-up times are reduced by simple automatic regulation of the travel limits (auto-tune function); and reliability is also secured by an integrated filter on the pneumatic supply.

Additional major features include a small valve footprint, and a design where the lifespan of the actuator and control heads is increased through use of a self ventilated system (fresh air design). Also, crucially, the ELEMENT valves are easy to clean and also easy to maintain.
The ELEMENT 2-way diaphragm valves, type 2103; the "zero deadleg" draw-off valves and the tank bottom drain valves, type 2105, used at Unither, are supplied in nominal diameters from 8 to 150 mm.

The FDA and USP class VI approved membrane they are supplied with is made from EPDM, PTFE/EPDM or advanced PTFE/EPDM. The valves can withstand a pressure of 10 bar and a fluid temperature between -10° C and +150° C.

Catalogue serves Ireland market

Burkert’s new Select Catalogue is a short form publication covering premier, fast moving products in Burkert’s extensive range of fluid control products. The free publication provides a quick and easy aid for selecting valves and sensors for use in the food processing, pharmaceutical, water, petrochemical, medical, bio-medical, beverage and general process control industries.

Ideal for use by customers, distributors, OEMs, contractors and systems integrators, the Select Catalogue is a single source for fluid control products and a key platform in Burkert’s pledge to provide faster deliveries to the Irish market. Catalogues available through Petrochem PipelineSupply Limited.

The Select Catalogue is a complement to Burkert’s main fluid control products catalogue. Covering what is essentially Ireland’s preferred range, it integrates mainstream products in an easy to read format. To assist product choice, quick selection charts are provided, and product data is listed in a logical format, with tables containing the product function, description and part number.

Burkert’s range of fluid control products is one of the largest and most diverse available, (28,000 types) and this is reflected in the new catalogue. Divided into four main sections: Solenoid Valves, Process Actuation and Networking, Process Valves and Sensors, Transmitters and Controllers, the catalogue includes valve products for use at high pressures, for use with steam and hot media, aggressive chemicals and contaminated fluids, in addition to ATEX rated valves, NAMUR valves, and valves for use with clean water.

Complementing the valve and control products are flow, level, pressure, temperature, conductivity and ph/ORP transmitters. The controllers include batch and PID alongside digital valve positioners from Burkert’s market leading ELEMENT range.

A new concept that sets a higher benchmark in process measurement and control, the ELEMENT system provides a complete systems approach, linking clean line valves, sensors, positioners and valve actuators in a simple architecture to solve total control loop processes.

Catalogue on fluid control products

The new Select Catalogue from Burkert is a short form publication covering premier, fast moving products in their extensive range of fluid control products. The free publication provides a quick and easy aid for selecting valves and sensors for use in the food processing, pharmaceutical, water, petrochemical, medical, bio-medical, beverage and general process control industries.

Ideal for use by customers, distributors, OEMs, contractors and systems integrators, the Select Catalogue is a single source for fluid control products and a key platform in Burkert’s pledge to provide faster deliveries to the British & Irish market.

The Select Catalogue is a complement to Burkert’s main fluid control products catalogue. Covering what is essentially these markets' preferred range, it integrates mainstream products in an easy to read format. To assist product choice, quick selection charts are provided, and product data is listed in a logical format, with tables containing the product function, description and part number.

Burkert’s range of fluid control products is one of the largest and most diverse available, (28,000 types) and this is reflected in the new catalogue. Divided into four main sections: Solenoid Valves, Process Actuation and Networking, Process Valves and Sensors, Transmitters and Controllers, the catalogue includes valve products for use at high pressures, for use with steam and hot media, aggressive chemicals and contaminated fluids, in addition to ATEX rated valves, NAMUR valves, and valves for use with clean water.

Complementing the valve and control products are flow, level, pressure, temperature, conductivity and ph/ORP transmitters. The controllers include batch and PID alongside digital valve positioners from Burkert’s market leading ELEMENT range.

A new concept that sets a higher benchmark in process measurement and control, the ELEMENT system provides a complete systems approach, linking clean line valves, sensors, positioners and valve actuators in a simple architecture to solve total control loop processes.

All of the fluid control products listed in the Select Catalogue are available from Burkert's 14 strong distributor network, covering England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. (In Ireland: Petrochem Pipeline Supply Limited!)