You know they’re there, but you don’t really think about them until they suddenly stop working. And let me tell you, when that happens it’s like a scene straight out of a disaster movie. Alarms blaring, production grinding to a halt, and maintenance engineers frantically trying to figure out what went wrong. But, let’s be honest, most of us would rather be sipping on a cold beer than dealing with unexpected control valve downtime.
Control Valves and their criticality
Control valves play a critical role in industrial processes by regulating the flow of fluids such as liquids, gases, and slurries. They are used to control the pressure, temperature, flow rate, and liquid level of the process.
The stability, efficiency, safety, and quality of industrial processes are reliant on control valves and their efficient operation, and this is why they are an essential component in many different types of industrial systems.
Downtime and what it means to your processes
Downtime of control valves can have a significant negative effect on industrial processes. When a control valve fails or is not working properly, it can disrupt the flow of fluids and cause the process to become unstable. This can lead to a variety of problems, such as overpressure, high temperatures, leaks, and poor product quality.
In addition, control valve downtime can result in increased energy consumption, as the process may not be operating as efficiently as it should. This can lead to increased costs for the facility. In some cases, control valve downtime can even result in safety hazards, such as leaks or explosions.
Furthermore, if the control valve is a critical part of the process, the whole process can come to a halt, causing production loss and leading to further costs. Overall, control valve downtime can have a significant negative impact on industrial processes, including increased costs, production loss, and safety hazards. A lot of money is to be lost when overlooking control valves since they might not be the most expensive equipment in the process.
Causes of Control Valve Downtime
The most common issues that cause control valve downtime include:
- Sticking or binding of the valve stem or spindle: This can be caused by debris or corrosion in the valve body or a lack of lubrication.
- Leakage: This can occur at the valve stem packing or in the valve body, and can be caused by worn or damaged components, or poor installation.
- Cavitation or flashing: This occurs when the pressure in the valve drops below the vapor pressure of the fluid, causing bubbles to form and collapse in the valve, leading to damage to the valve and surrounding piping.
- Vibration or noise: This can be caused by a misaligned valve, improper installation, or a mismatch between the valve and the process.
- Actuator failure: This can be caused by a lack of maintenance, corrosion, or damage to the actuator.
- Improper valve selection or sizing can also lead to downtime, as the valve may not be able to handle the flow and pressure conditions of the process.
It is important to identify the root cause of the problem and address it as soon as possible. But how can I do it with ease and without installing extra hardware that can have a lot of expenses on its own already?
Steps to prevent control valve downtime
Maintenance personnel can take several steps to prevent control valve downtime and extend the service life of the valves. Some of these steps include:
- Regular maintenance and inspections: Schedule regular maintenance and inspections of the control valves to identify and address any potential issues before they lead to breakdowns. This includes cleaning, lubrication, and replacement of worn or damaged components.
- Proper installation: Ensure that the control valves are properly installed and aligned to prevent leaks, vibration, and other issues.
- Use the right valves for the job: Select the appropriate control valves for the specific process and conditions, to ensure that they are capable of handling the flow and pressure conditions.
- Monitor the performance of the valves: Regularly monitor the performance of the control valves, including the flow rate, pressure, and temperature, to identify any inconsistencies that could indicate a problem.
- Use the right actuator: Choose the appropriate actuator to match the valve and the process, and ensure that it is properly maintained and lubricated to prevent failure.
- Keep a maintenance schedule: Have a preventive maintenance plan that schedules regular check-ups and maintenance of the control valves.
- Use specialized software: Use specialized software, such as UReason’s Control Valve App, to analyze the performance of the control valves and provide recommendations for maintenance and repair.
By implementing these steps, maintenance personnel can minimize control valve downtime and prolong the service life of the valves, ultimately keeping the industrial process running smoothly and avoiding costly downtime.
The Control Valve App
UReason’s Control Valve App is a powerful tool that can help maintenance personnel not only reduce control valve downtime but also save money and get more control over their maintenance planning and overall maintenance processes.
The app requires setpoint and valve position data from the controller of the control valves, and if position feedback is not available, additional data on controlled measurement flow/level/pressure/temperature and environment is needed. However, no additional sensors are required, which makes it easy to implement and join the industry 4.0 “club”.
The app is based on UReason’s extensive expertise in valves, actuators, and the relevant processes. It uses intelligent models that combine domain knowledge and AI to provide detailed analysis and recommendations for control valves. The output can vary from a PDF report (in Valve App Basic) to an online dashboard or job order in the maintenance management system (in Valve App Premium). These insights and analysis can help maintenance personnel to identify the problems early on and take actions to prevent them, thus reducing the control valve downtime.
Link to UReason’s Control Valve App https://www.ureason.com/control-valve-app/