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AUMA technology helping to ensure a reliable supply of drinking water for Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City, Kuwait. The electric actuator manufacturer has supplied 42 SA and SAR actuators with AC controls and gearboxes, plus four SIMA master station control systems, to a large water storage project in the city. The contract is noteworthy for its use of optical fiber communications and AUMA’s SIMA master stations to monitor and control the actuators in parallel with the plant’s distributed control sys

Financial constraints in the oil and gas industry are, more than ever, driving demand for reliable products and professional service with a quick response time. Duxvalves has responded by developing a new range of actuators which have the features required for control and choke valve actuation in a variety of sectors.

Looking at developments which have led to the innovation of new scotch yoke control actuation technology.

Through conduit gate valves are manufactured as per standard API 6D. These valves are preferred for dirty (suspended/abrasive) or fouling service because of the fact that, unlike normal gate valves, their wedge/gate (closure member) is not open to flow stream and so free from jamming or obstruction. These valves are suitable for onshore and offshore application and can be used for isolation purposes.

This article looks at the history and properties of Nickel Aluminium Bronze to help understand why this material is often overlooked. On the contrary, Nickel Aluminium Bronze has good tensile strength, is suitable against cavitation (eg propellers in shipbuilding), does not embrittle at cryogenic temperatures, and is resistant to biofouling. Furthermore, advancements in computer simulation have also overcome traditional challenges in casting processes.

Die-formed expanded graphite rings are widely used as gland packings in modern process valves for higher temperatures. The development of this sealing solution started in the 1970s and is defined by the characteristics of the expanded graphite material.

Coatings for bulk valves is a topic that needs serious thought if complications and extra expense are to be avoided during project execution and during warranty period, says Tecnimont’s Sergio Volontè.

Multiport Selector Valves (MSVs) can play a key role to optimise engineering and management of production facilities, as well as testing of oil and gas wells. Conventional production manifolds are typically expensive, complex and difficult to maintain. Employing an MSV in place of many actuated valves can lead to several advantages, such as fewer automation systems; smaller, lighter and more reliable skids; overall lower cost for installation, commissioning, operation, maintenance and ownership.

A major problem with stem nut thread failure is that stem position is usually interpolated from the number of stem nut rotations. If the stem nut threads strip out, the stem nut will still turn but will give a false indication of position to the control room. Such a failure of control and indication on a valve could cause a critical safety or environmental incident. This paper reviews approaches to stem nut maintenance and introduces a more scientific approach to measure stem nut thread wear.

Hydrometallurgy is a method for obtaining metals from their ores. It is a technique within the field of extractive metallurgy involving the use of aqueous chemistry for the recovery of metals from ores, concentrates, and recycled or residual materials. Metal chemical processing techniques that complement hydrometallurgy are pyrometallurgy, vapor metallurgy and molten salt electrometallurgy.