The Proper Method of Setting Position Limits on the Limitorque L120 Electric Actuator in a Safe Manner

This instructional video shows you how to set position limits on the Limitorque L120 electric actuator safely. Explore the video to learn proper equipment terminology, comprehend the wiring diagram concerning the limit switch contact status, and learn how to read the limit switch position.

Flowserve Limitorque L120 electric actuators solve many flow control problems in various power, oil and gas, and water industry applications. 

L120 actuators are proven performers in demanding applications due to their ruggedness, dependability, and versatility. Thousands of L120 actuators are in use in some of the world's most challenging environments, where anything less than everyday dependability is not acceptable. 

Refineries, pipelines, terminals, tank farms, cokers, and offshore platforms rely on the L120's safety, endurance, and operational efficiencies. The L120 is network-compatible, has explosion-proof certification, and is lightning and EMI resistant. 

The L120's availability, control versatility, and dependable performance are of particular value in power generation plants. The L120's rugged design and construction quality withstand vibration, high-pressure steam, and extreme temperatures. 

The L120's low-maintenance requirements and modulating control capabilities benefit water and waste treatment facilities. L120 actuators comply with AWWA standards and integrate simply into the industry's trend toward modern control networks. The L120 Series' diverse range of options enables easy, cost-effective adherence specification requirements.

For more information about Limitorque actuators, contact Swanson Flo. Call them at 800-288-7926 or visit their web site at https://swansonflo.com.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Electric Valve Actuators in Process Control

Electric actuators use electricity to operate a valve. While most of the basic principles utilized in electric actuators have been present since the 1930s, decades of incremental progress have considerably enhanced their capability while lowering their cost. These advancements have reached a tipping point in recent years, making electric actuators the preferred choice for many applications. 

There are many advantages to electric valve actuation. Electricity is relatively cheap, simple to control, and usually available at most industrial sites. Electric actuators often have a lower capital cost per equivalent unit of torque/thrust production. They are also more environmentally friendly and safer to use. Electric actuators can provide higher positioning accuracy for control or modulating valve tasks and options for extensive process monitoring, data logging, and information feedback. Electric actuators include all necessary control functions, lowering capital expenditures. By enabling distributed control, the electric actuator's considerable cost in wiring is cut—through efficient and straightforward control logic through integrating control commands and feedback into customer SCADA or DCS systems. (Traditional electromechanical control systems require a distinct wire for each command and feedback signal, resulting in cable bundles with at least seven cores for each actuator.

On the other hand, a standard bus system can use one twisted pair wire in a daisy chain configuration to transport all required input and output signals.) Electric actuators weigh less and have smaller footprints than pneumatic actuators as torque and thrust requirements increase. Finally, electric actuators can generate exceptionally high output thrust and torque values in conjunction with external gears. 

There are also some disadvantages to electric valve actuation to note. Except for a few specific combinations, electric actuators cannot ensure a fail-safe stroke. Still, they will "fail in the last position"  - the ability of an actuator to move a valve to a specified safe position when power ceases is known as fail-safe stroke. Electric actuators contain more sophisticated and delicate components than other forms of actuators. Electronic technology likewise necessitates regular updating to stay up with component changes and advances. Compared to pneumatic and hydraulic actuators, electric actuators are less cost-effective and have operating speed restrictions beyond a specific size/torque range. Electric actuators require more rigorous certifications and construction features to be regarded safe for usage in hazardous regions with potential exposure to explosive process material. 

For more information about electric valve actuation, contact Swanson Flo. Call them at 800-288-7926 or visit their web site at https://swansonflo.com.

The Limitorque MX Series B Electric Valve Actuator

Where reliability is critical, the Limitorque MX B Series electric valve actuator performs across a broad range of challenging applications. These include the toughest environments in oil and gas production, commercial power generation, chemical manufacturing, water and wastewater, as well as across general industry.

MXb  Enhanced User Experience

An updated user interface coupled with a simplified, intuitive menu structure and larger, high-resolution LCD screen makes navigation easy and enables 50% faster commissioning, set-up, and operation. Users of any skill level can configure the actuator through various pre-configured or customization options for quick and error-free set-up and operation. A larger, higher-resolution LCD with a built-in ambient light sensor offers eight times the previous display's resolution to extend viewing distances up to 30 feet. Real-time torque graphs, alarm and event logs, and other data are accessible in higher-quality resolution.

MXb Advanced Diagnostics and Analytics

The MXb electric actuator's next-generation diagnostics and analytics capabilities help operators monitor and track its performance and quickly respond to upset conditions. The MXb actuator has 500 times the previous MX model's memory capacity, allowing increased data capture and storage for higher degrees of process monitoring, data logging, and information feedback. Additionally, a real-time clock enables data log time stamping to support asset management functions and lifecycle analysis.

MXb Improved Reliability

The actuator's design isolates critical components, protecting them from electrical shock and interference, typical in extreme environments. High-quality materials extend actuator service life, operating ranges, and mean time between failure.

MXb Simplified Maintenance

A new electric connector design removes the need for brackets and hold-downs, making maintenance more straightforward and faster. And the enhanced connector design ensures robust connectivity throughout the rated seismic and vibration envelope.

For more information about the Limitorque MXb contact Swanson Flo by calling 800-288-7926 or visiting their website at https://swansonflo.com.

Valve Automation Basics: Electric Actuators

Electric Actuator Assembly (Limitorque)

Electric actuators bring automation to industrial valve operation, allowing complex processes to be managed and controlled by remotely located control systems.

There are other motive forces used for valve actuators, including hydraulic and pneumatic, but electric actuators carry their own particular set of operating characteristics that make them an advantageous choice for many applications.

Valve actuators are available in uncountable variants to suit every application scenario. There are three basic valve actuation motions.

• Multi-turn, with repeated rotations of the valve shaft needed to move the valve trim from fully open to fully closed. A gate valve is a multi-turn valve. These are also called linear, with respect to the motion of the closure element. The term "linear", in this case, refers only to the movement of the valve trim and not the flow characteristics of the valve.
• Part Turn, where a 90 degree rotation of the valve shaft produces a change from opened to closed. Ball valves are in this category.
• Lever, generally associated with damper control.

Completed Electrically Automated Valve

An electric actuator is a combination of motor and gearbox with sufficient torque to change valve trim position. A local self-contained control commands the motor and provides feedback to the process master controller regarding position, travel, torque, and diagnostics. Several interface options are available to facilitate communication between actuator and master controller.

There are numerous considerations to take into account when selecting an electric actuator.

• Torque needed to effectively operate the subject valve.
• Actuator enclosure type - wash down, hazardous area, dust, etc.
• Service area for the assembly - corrosive environment, temperature extremes, and more
• Valve movement - linear, multi-turn, part turn, lever
• Operation mode - open and close only, positioning, modulating
• Frequency or duty cycle - infrequent, frequent, or almost continuous positioning
• Communication - How will the local controller communicate with the central control system?
• Electrical - What electric power characteristics are available for operation?
• Protections - Motor overload, torque limit, others
• Process Safety - Among other things, what happens if power fails? 

There are certainly other elements to consider when applying an electric actuator for industrial use. Share your valve and actuator requirements and challenges with product specialists, combining your process knowledge with their product application expertise to forge the most effective solutions.

https://swansonflo.com
800-288-7926

Limitorque MX Actuator Users Instructions, Maintenance, and Spare Parts Manual

The Flowserve Limitorque MX actuator controls the opening and closing travel of valves and other actuated devices. OPEN and CLOSED limits are protected by an absolute encoder that provides optical sensing of valve position and measures valve position in both motor and handwheel operation.

No battery or backup power supply is required. Output torque is derived from motor speed, temperature, and voltage. If the preset torque is exceeded, the motor shuts off. As a result of this reliable and advanced protection technology, all valve and other actuated devices are protected from potential damage from overload, improper seating, and foreign obstructions.

A range of control and network options is available and can be easily added to the control capabilities already available on a standard actuator.

You can download the Limitorque MX Electronic Actuator User Instructions, Maintenance, and Spare Parts Manual in PDF version from the Swanson Flo site here (8.5MB), or read the embedded version below.

Limitorque MX Electronic Actuator User Instructions Maintenance Spare Parts from Swanson Flo

A Proven Actuator Ideal for Valves Requiring Rotary or Linear Movement

Limitorque L120 electric actuator.

Whether used with gate valves, globe valves, penstocks or sluice gates, versatile Limitorque L120 Series actuators operate without modification in any rising or non-rising stem application for linear-action valves.

When combined with a Limitorque WG or HBC series quarter-turn gear operator, L120 actuators can also be used to control butterfly, ball and plug valves, as well as damper drives, flop gates or any other device which requires rotary movement.

L120 actuators are specified for use in petrochemical, power generation, and water and waste treatment applications where failure of a single actuator can be extremely costly … even catastrophic.

For more information on Limitorque actuators, visit Swanson Flo's website or call 800-288-7926.

For your convenience, below you will find the Limitorque L120-85 installation and operation manual.

Flowserve Limitorque L120-85 Electric Actuator IOM from Swanson Flo

Understanding Motor Operated Valves (MOV) in Industry

The video below demonstrates the operation a small (Worcester) motor operated ball valve (MOV). Also known as an “electric actuator”, motor operators come in a wide variety of sizes and styles. Some electric actuators are intended for quarter-turn valves (such as ball and butterfly valves), while others are designed to operate linear valves (such as gate and globe valves).

The MOV / electric actuator consists of an electric motor with the gearbox assembly which rotates the shaft of the valve. Most MOVs operate at 120, 240 or 480 volt, single or three phase. Basic features include adjustable limit switches to limit valve travel and to notify valve status, directional settings, analog inputs to allow for precise control, analog outputs to provide a feedback signal and digital communications. MOV enclosures can be either NEMA 4, NEMA 4X and NEMA 7 and are available in a wide range of torque outputs to match the valve it is operating.

Electric Valve Actuators by Limitorque

Electric Actuator (courtesy of Limitorque)

Modern actuators are increasingly equipped with functions that provide information to the process operator, closing the loop with feedback that confirms the valve position, suitability of the energy supply to the actuator, and a range of other specialized data points.

A continuous goal for any plant is is a reduction in whatever level of maintenance that is currently required to keep everything operating. Maintenance is costly and time consuming, a set of many specialized tasks, each with a probability of not being completed properly.

Industrial process control encompasses a broad range of fluid handling operations. A significant part of fluid control is accomplished by valves, many of which are operated automatically through the use of actuators. Actuators are mounted on valves in place of, or in addition to, a hand-wheel, lever, or other manual means of opening and closing the valve. With an actuator installed, a control signal can be transmitted from a remote source to the actuator, commanding a change in valve position, and the actuator will respond by converting some form of connected energy into mechanical motion that positions the valve accordingly.

The Flowserve Limitorque L120 electric actuator pictured above is designed for a wide range of environmental applications in power, oil & gas, and water industries.

Visit Swanson Flo at www.swansonflo.com or call 800-288-7926 to find out more about Limitorque and discuss your potential applications.