Rotork EH electro-hydraulic actuators have been selected as a reliable solution for failsafe valve control on a pivotal new oil pipeline under construction in Colombia.
The Colombian Bicentennial Pipeline will improve the country’s crude oil transportation infrastructure and keep pace with burgeoning production. The three-stage project will run for nearly 1000 kilometres from the Llanos region of the country to the port of Coveñas on the Pacific coast. The pipeline will encompass 42 and 36 inch pipe diameters and have a capacity of up to 600,000 bbl/d of crude oil when completed in early 2016.
The first phase of the project includes the laying of a 226 kilometre pipeline from Araguaney to Banadia, for which Rotork EH actuators have been ordered for the control of 42 inch Class 900 pipeline ball valves. Situated at strategic locations along the route of the pipeline, these valves perform vital safety functions.
Designed specifically for critical safety applications such as emergency shutdown (ESD) valves, Rotork EH actuators combine the simplicity of electrical operation with the precision of hydraulic positional control and a programmable failsafe function. Failsafe operation for the actuators on this project is secured with stored energy provided by custom-built Rotork HPU hydraulic power units.
