Spirax Sarco: Peak production without the downtime – sound like a dream?

Don’t be burdened with lengthy downtime due to complex control valves. What you need are control valves that have been developed with you in mind. Spirax Sarco UK’s Darren Silverthorn National Controls and Metering Specialist gives his top three tips for optimising your control system.

1. Ensure the correct selection of control valves for your process

Control valves are at the heart of almost every industrial process and therefore play a critical role in achieving effective process automation.

Control valves are one of the most common, but also most important, instruments in your plant. By regulating the fluid flow in connected pipes, valves can achieve desired operating parameters, thereby ensuring smooth and efficient operation. Some of the valve selection considerations you make should be:

• Design
• Process stability
• Material suitability
• Relevant approvals
• Integration and communication with site infrastructure

2. Look beyond the initial purchase price

When sourcing the right control valve, it’s crucial to look beyond the initial purchase price and look at the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) as process is key and should therefore be prioritised. Investigate the hidden costs that can impact a given process throughout its lifespan by simply reviewing a valves capital cost, the cost of annual maintenance activities, and any efficiency savings the control valve can provide you with.

3. Take a proactive approach to your maintenance

Proactive maintenance involving routine maintenance schedules is always preferred to reactive maintenance. Valve maintenance recommendations will vary between manufacturers and also the process conditions. Having an understanding of a given operation is the first step towards proactive maintenance.

When you identify the subtle differences in operating characteristics between a fully functioning valve compared to a valve that requires maintenance, this will help you to better predict when maintenance should take place. Sudden breakdowns will generally cause lengthy spells of downtime and costly production delays, therefore having a huge impact on your process productivity.

These are some simple things to remember to help you reduce maintenance requirements include making sure the internals of a control valve are made from quality materials, which will help mitigate against wear and tear.

For more information on control system solutions go to sxscom.uk/controls

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