Operation & Maintenance of Power Plants
Meanwhile, new from Smith Flow Control is the EasiDrive portable valve actuator. It can be carried in a rucksack and is specially designed for use with valves requiring a large number of turns or which are otherwise difficult to operate because of high torque or harsh climate conditions. With the EasiDrive, the operator has absolute control when opening and closing different sized valves with varying torque requirements. One person can efficiently drive banks of valves with a single tool, reducing fatigue and risk of injury and resulting in major cost and time savings. It can be used in virtually any industry, from oil refineries and petrochemical plants to power stations and paper mills.
Among EasiDrive’s features are: no permanent power supply required; suitable for all climatic conditions; ideal for moving tight or partially-seized valves; eliminates operator fatigue and reduces risk of injury; and none of the ‘kickback’ often associated with torque devices. Te ‘reaction kit’, which prevents a
torque kickback, is especially useful as valve movement is always fully controlled, preventing operator injury and fatigue. In addition, the variable torque output feature, which prevents excessive torque being applied, ensures proper and safe valve operation at all times. EasiDrive can be powered by air, electricity or battery. It can also be custom designed to suit specific site requirements. l
By providing intelligent actuators, external process control is not required thus simplifying the system and saving capital and installation costs at the Callide B power station located in Central Queensland, Australia.
With the EasiDrive portable valve actuator the operator has absolute control when opening and closing different sized valves with varying torque requirements. One person can now drive banks of valves with a single tool. This results in major cost and time savings.
Fig. 1. With a thermal efficiency rating of 60%, the Stalowa Wola power plant will be one of the most efficient in Europe. Controlling excessive torque T
he new TorkDrive from Smith Flow Control is a device that prevents manual valves from being damaged due to excessive torque application
during valve operation. It can be customised to suit most manufacturers’ handwheel-operated valves (ball, gear, gate and globe) where valves require a torque monitoring of over 80Nm. The device is set to a predetermined maximum torque
and if, during the operation of the valve, the operating torque increases above the pre-set limit, the TorkDrive will slip, indicating an irregular valve condition. Following over- torque, the TorkDrive unit will automatically reset to the predetermined torque. TorkDrive is a customisable add-on tool that minimises
the risk associated with unavoidable plant/process shutdown and unnecessary repair costs through valve
over-torque. It can be specified as a simple, standalone unit mounted on either the valve input handwheel or directly to the valve input shaft; or it can be used in conjunction with SFC’s EasiDrive portable valve actuator, a non-impacting, air-driven power tool designed to simplify valve operations. In most circumstances, manual adjustment of the
power source (air or electric) restricts or limits the output torque and speed (RPM) of the EasiDrive. However, if the use of the portable actuator is not restricted to larger valves and is used on a wide range of valves with differing sizes and operating torques, the TorkDrive would be the ideal solution. TorkDrive limits or restricts the operator from applying excessive force and protects the valve and valve seat from the over-torque that could be generated via the tool. l
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