The wireless monitoring of safety valves is ideal for field devices that are difficult to access, or where wiring installation costs are prohibitive. Benefits include:
* Reduced cables and installation cost.
* Easy implementation on existing devices.
* Online testing and predictive maintenance with high transfer data rate.
* Integrated tested and supported solution for the I/A Series system.
Valve & Automation has been providing Total Valve & Control Solutions to the chemical, refining, mining & minerals, pulp & paper, sugar, steel, power generation and other key process industries throughout South Africa. V&A iCon offers a wide range of control valve positioners, from pneumatic and analogue devices to the most advanced smart positioners that work alongside any application in any industry. These positioners provide solutions for HART, FF H1 and Profibus PA communication, and are SIL3 certified for applications with safety valves.
One particular application is partial stroke testing. PST is a method where the ESD valve is typically moved 10-20% and returned to its original position in a short period of time. As the most common dangerous failure mode in a static ESD valve is ‘stuck’, on-line partial stroke testing done by the smart positioner SRD991 (intrinsic safety application) and SRD960 (explosion proof application) is the key to safety. Moreover, the PST positioner offers operators a tool to enable predictive maintenance on the ESD valves with data history and friction analysis. The test can be easily executed via the FDT-DTM based configuration and diagnostic tools VALcare and Valve Monitor.
Technical challenge
Some emergency shutdown valves can be difficult to access or far away from the control room. In that case the cost to install and connect the device can be prohibitive, especially when a partial stroke test positioner requires three independent cables. In some cases, the cabling installation in itself can be complicated, for example when crossing a road is required.
One solution is to start the PST manually and retrieve the test data through a handheld terminal. However, this can be time-consuming and even dangerous when the valve is located difficult to access locations. To solve the problem, design engineers worked together with leading WirelessHART experts in order to provide a secure and easy to install solution.
V&A iCon provides a complete, flexible and tested solution for PST monitoring using WirelessHART. This solution is based on an additional WirelessHART adaptor, which is loop or battery powered. The PST WirelessHART positioner is available both in IS or explosion proof’ types.
When the ‘Fast Pipe’ feature is active the communication is optimum and reading the positioner data is as fast as in a wired application. PST Wireless HART is an integrated, tested and supported solution for the I/A Series system, which enables easy integration of any instrumentation.
Results
PST monitoring and predictive maintenance can be implemented cost effectively on remote ESD valves using the PST WirelessHART solution. Set up of instruments and the wireless network is carried out using the existing configuration tool (PACTware, HART modem). The reading and the analysis of positioned data is safely done from the control room with automatic backup.
For more information contact Fred Venter, Valve & Automation, +27 (0)11 397 2833, [email protected], www.valve.co.za
| Tel: | +27 11 548 9960 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.profiafrica.co.za |
| Articles: | More information and articles about PI SA (PROFIBUS & PROFINET SA) |
| Tel: | +27 31 579 2593 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| www: | www.valve.co.za |
| Articles: | More information and articles about Valve & Automation |
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version