Control Valve Diagnostics Equipment

This video explains what control valve diagnostics equipment is, how it works and how it can benefit your application.

Video Transcript:

Valve diagnostics gives us a full footprint of the valve, it’s characteristics, it’s performance. From this information we’re then able to attain how the valve works. Valve diagnostics can be done on any pneumatically operated control valve which uses a positioner.

Our diagnostics equipment uses data acquisitions, so we’re able to take inputs from pressure sensors and linear transducers. The equipment pulls 1000 data points a second during the valve’s cycle time as it strokes up and down. From this information we’re able to interpret the results, look for certain trends in the valve’s operation and see how it moves.

Currently in the oil and gas market there has been a significant step change from run to failure and breakdown reactive maintenance, they are now trying to plan and workout where the weak points in the system are. They are using data and analytics to be able to gather this information.

If you use a tool like our diagnostics equipment we’re able to come in and give you a definitive documented record of how the valve performed. We can then start to analyse trends, we can make recommendations on what other systems they could possibly implement.

From a financial stand point the equipment enables us to help customers out significantly. So if you’re able to attain that a valve is in good enough condition to require slight work in the line or not have to physically be removed you could instantly save a large chunk of money.

One of the key things within the marketplace at the moment is the advances in digital valve positioners. Many of our customers now have these fully integrated smart systems which in principle gives them online valve diagnostics. Unfortunately, often a problem cannot be detected via these built in systems, but if we go in with our system we can go to the next level and we can fault find and pick out various elements which just aren’t visible to the other systems.

The equipment can be used both in the workshop, onsite, offshore and anywhere in the world that we are required to go often at short notice often. The equipment is mobile and the data is backed up to the server and along with the re-trims and the other services we can offer, whether this be upgrades, retrofits, problem solving on site or just generally customer support. We’re an OEM and we have a very in-depth understanding of how the equipment works, how we’d like it to operate and how we’d like to maintain the operation is possible. We also have a large team of support staff in place whether they be service technicians, engineers, designers, we’re able to do the full suite of services within one company. We’ve also learned a lot over the last 50 years which we can now transfer back to our customers to help better support them.