Check out our little promotional video for CTi Combustion. For those who don't know, CTi Combustion specializes in combustion, steam, boilers and burners with engineering expertise in:

• Burner Management & Combustion Control Systems
• Burnham Commercial Boilers
• Custom Designed Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) Systems

Class 1500 Ball Valve and Actuator Retrofit

Class 1500, metal seated ball valve
with Rotork pneumatic spring return
actuator and hydraulic override.

CTi Controltech's broad engineering experience was recently challenged with the retrofit of a worn out globe valve and hydraulic actuator, to a new high pressure (Class 1500), metal seated ball valve and actuator package used on 10,000 lb. per hour steam system. 

The customer is a large US Navy contractor located in Northern California. The application is the main steam stop valve on the contractor's steam boilers that provide steam for their turbine testing facility. The contractor's facility simulates conditions on US Navy ships so that turbines and related equipment can be properly tested. 

One of the biggest challenges was to replace the valve and actuator in a very tight compartment. Space was extremely limited.

CTi, along with actuator manufacturer Rotork, came up with the right package to meet the very demanding operating conditions, as well as the working with the small space available.

The job involved the removal of the old globe valve and hydraulic actuator, and then having the new ball valve and pneumatic actuator package lowered through a hole cut in the facilities' roof. A very large crane, with a 200 foot boom, was used for the placement.

The new metal seated, Class 1500 ball valve was outfitted with a Rotork GP200 pneumatic, spring return actuator that included an hydraulic manual override.

The new valve and actuator package works exceptionally well, and the customer is very pleased CTi engineers came up with a solution that fit in to the existing space.

Ball Valves for Industrial Applications

Large industrial ball valve
(courtesy of MOGAS)

Perhaps the most universally used type of valve, ball valves come in a wide variety of sizes, materials, pressure classification, port configurations and end connections. They are applied in a multitude of industrial applications, and in every industry from chemical processing, to pulp and paper to food processing to bio-research.

A ball valve belongs to the quarter-turn family of valves, which means its rotational motion is 90 degrees to fully open of close the valve, allowing or stopping flow. Flow through the valve is accommodated by a sphere, or ball, with a hole through it. The ball is sandwiched between two seating rings, usually made of teflon or other elastomer. When the hole in the ball has its axis parallel to the valve ports, you have flow, when the hole is perpendicular, the flow is stopped.

Rack and Pinion Valve Actuators - A Look Inside

Here is an animation of the assembly components of a Flowserve Automax Supernova rack and pinion actuator with a transparent look inside to see its operation.

The critical components to take note of during the video are:

• body 
• pinion gear
• o-ring seals
• piston "racks"
• travel adjustments
• end caps and seals
• housing bolts

At the end, the video allows you to see the operation (in both directions) of the rack and pinion actuator as it is pressurized from either port. The pinion gear rotates 90 degrees, which in most applications, is used to open or close a valve or damper.

Introduction to Valve Parts or Components

Various types of industrial valves
(courtesy of Flowserve)

Industrial valves come in many shapes and sizes and they are classified according to different functions they have. Regardless of type, all valves have the following basic parts or components, the body, bonnet, trim, seat, stem, actuator, and packing.

Valve Body

The valve body is the primary boundary, housing or container. It serves as the main element of a valve assembly. It is the framework that holds all the parts together.

The body contains the fluid pressure loads from the inlet and outlet piping. The body connects to the piping via through threaded, flanged, or welded joints.

Introduction to Temperature Sensors

Sensing temperature

Temperature sensors are vital to everyday products and in the manufacturing of just about every product we use. Household ovens, refrigerators, and air conditioners all depend on temperature control to function properly. In the process industries, temperature control is essential in the production of chemicals, electrical power, food, communications, building materials, fertilizer, paper, plastics and petro-chemicals. 

Temperature sensors are devices used to measure temperature of a medium (i.e. liquid, solid or gas). The sensor detects change in the temperature, and accordingly, change its physical or electrical property in a manner that can be measured. These sensors come in many different forms and are used for a wide variety of applications.

Measuring Flow - The Basics

Electromagnetic
flowmeter
(courtesy of Azbil)

Flow measurement, the measuring of a flow rate for gasses, liquids and solids,  is used throughout process applications in power generation, chemical manufacturing, petro-chemicals, pulp and paper, water and wastewater, bio-science, semiconductor and many other manufacturing processes. There two primary ways to measure the flow: volumetrically and by weight.

Flowmeters are used to measure the rate of flow (or quantity) of material in an open or closed system. They normally are installed on piping systems with the flow sensor immersed in the process medium.