Industry Focus Oil & Gas
Intelligent valve actuators supplied to gas pipeline
During the past decade thousands of Rotork IQ intelligent electric valve actuators have been installed on stages one and two of the 4,000km long West-East Gas Pipeline (WEPP) network that runs through China
O
pened in 2004, the first stage in the WEPP network was to bring natural gas from the Tarim Basin gas fields in Xinjiang to
the Yangtze River Delta area for the production of electricity.
In 2008 construction began on a second pipeline, in part running parallel to and interconnected with the first. The second pipeline runs from Xinjiang to Guangzhou and is being followed by two further pipeline developments, all designed to supply billions of cubic metres of gas to satisfy the burgeoning demand for energy in China’s industrial and population centres. With construction of the third stage now underway, Rotork is beginning to fulfil orders with IQ3 intelligent electric actuators. The IQ3 is designed to dovetail seamlessly into existing IQ actuator installations and control protocols, whilst introducing new levels of func- tionality and asset management abilities, combined with further refinements to a rugged mechanical design.
The large toughened glass wide angle indication window is the focus of atten- tion for non-intrusive two-way wireless communication and multi-functional indication. An LCD segment display provides positional and warning icon information, whilst actuator set-up and
Above: Rotork IQ3 intelligent electric actuators introduce new levels of functionality and asset management abilities
operating menus along with detailed diagnostic and operational data screens are clearly displayed in dot matrix format. Diagnostic graphics present a window into the process, showing the valve torque and usage profiles along with service logs, facilitating real time analysis directly at the actuator. A handheld setting tool with Bluetooth wireless technology also
enables the data from the actuators to be transferred to a PC for analysis using Rotork Insight2 diagnostic software. Valve maintenance requirements can be identified and anticipated, eliminating unplanned interruptions or over cau- tious planned maintenance outages. A patented absolute encoder with only four moving parts, built-in redundancy and self checking, mechanically tracks valve positions if the actuator is manually operated when the power is off. No power is required for the actuator to reliably and accurately measure position. Mechanical improvements include new handwheel assemblies, new non- intrusive local control switches and optimised corrosion protection by mate- rial and coating selection. Thrust bases have been re-engineered as separate components on all models in the IQ range, enabling actuators to be removed from the valve without altering the valve position. The IP68 watertight and tem- porarily submersible double sealed enclosure is universal to all actuators ensuring long term reliable performance in the most challenging environments.
Rotork
www.rotork.com T: 01225 733 200
Powering the industrial valves and actuators market
the corresponding increase in investments in refineries and pipelines in key growth regions, is likely to have a high impact on market prospects. The market will also ben- efit from the rising demand for automation and infrastructure modernisation. New analysis from Frost & Sullivan, ‘Strategic Analysis of the Global Industrial
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Valves and Actuators Market’, finds that the market earned revenues of $18.37bn in 2012 and estimates this to reach $22.10bn in 2016. “Currently, significant oil exploration activity is taking place in Africa, South America, the Middle East and Russia,” noted Frost & Sullivan’s Niranjan Paul. “These regions will, therefore, be the focus of industrial valve and actuator manufacturers.” In the Middle East, Iraq is emerging as a prime market for major oil compa- nies. The country is also projected to spend nearly $27bn on new power genera- tion, distribution and transmission projects between 2012 and 2017. These trends mark out Iraq as a significant market for industrial valves and actuators. However, political uncertainty in North Africa and the Middle East is affecting the oil and gas industry. This, together with sanctions imposed on Iran and Syria has the
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he oil and gas industry is the largest revenue generator for the industrial valves and actuators market, globally. As a result, the exploration of new oil and gas fields, with
potential to dampen revenues of industrial valve and actuator manufacturers. In the more developed regions of North America and Europe, environmental legis-
lations are playing an important role in shaping the course of the market. Here, strin- gent regulations are likely to have an impact across end user industries. “In the oil and gas industry, regulations are in place to reduce air pollution by tar-
geting a reduction of smog forming volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions,” explained Paul. “The design of process equipment such as valves and actuators will be instrumental in achieving lowered plant emissions.” Even as major industrial valve and actuator manufacturers look to leverage growth
opportunities, their profit margins are being squeezed by high price sensitivity across end user industries. As a result, companies are being forced to adopt aggressive pric- ing strategies. Paul concluded, “The market is likely to experience increased demand for custom solutions that suit particular end user industry applications. Market participants need to meet such needs and also address other key customer requirements such as high quality after sales service and shorter delivery time.” Frost & Sullivan
www.frost.com T: 0207 343 8383
Enter 205
Enter 206 JULY/AUGUST 2013 Automation
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