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SafetySystems:CanWeUseControlValvesforSafetyShutdown?

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Can We Use Control Valves for Safety Shutdown?

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Apr01,2003
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(ControlValveInnovations)
...Plug,ball,gate,orbutterflyvalvescanbeusedforclosedshutdownwithvaryingdegreesofsuccess.Asavery
broadstatement,theireffectivenessisafunctionoftheabrasiveorwearingqualitiesoftheeffluentcontrolled.Of
course,themosteffectivesafetyvalvingiseitherfullclosedoropen,protectingthesealingelementsfrombeing
compromisedbytheeffluent(exceptinthecaseofbutterflyvalveswhichhavesealingsurfacesfullyexposed
whenpartiallyorfullyopen).Allparametersoftheintendedusemustbeexaminedindetailtoprovideadefinitive
assessmentoftheintendedapplication.
MichaelKarr,ExecutiveVicePresident,COO
VulcanJ.M.Intl.,www.vulcanjm.com
Analog Valve Cant Do It
Twokeysafetyprinciplescomeintoplayhere:One,thesafetysystemmustbeindependentofthecontrolsystem
and,two,forprocesscontroltheacceptedsafestateisthedeenergizedstate.Isupposeonecouldusean
analogcontrolvalveforthefirstprinciplebutdon'tseehowitcouldbeusedforthesecondprinciple.Iwouldsay
thatacontrolvalvecannotbeusedasasafetyshutdownvalve.
...Beingintheintrinsicsafetyisolatorbusiness,Ialsomustnotethattheleadingcompaniesinourbusinessdonot
rateanalogI.S.isolatorsforSafetyIntegrityLevels.
(HeroEngineeringFunctionalSafetyManagementEngineeringServicesCertifiedasSIL3)
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...Imustaddthatthemechanismfortheshutdownmustallowforquickactionwhenthepowerisshutofftothe
valveandIdonotthinkthatacontrolvalveisdesignedforthisresponse.
MikeMcElroy,BusinessDevelopmentManager
Pepperl+Fuchs,www.am.pepperlfuchs.com
NC Solenoid Valves Suce
Generallyspeaking,twowayandthreewaynormallyclosedsolenoidvalveswithsyntheticrubbersealsare
consideredtobe"safetyshutoff"valves,andareusuallylistedwithanagencylikeULassuch.Thismeansthat
intheeventoflossofelectricalpowertothecoil,thevalvefailsintheclosedposition,whichismostdesirable.
Thesesolenoidvalvescanbeusedanywherethatitisrequiredtoshutoffgasesorliquidsintheeventofpower
loss.
MarkEmond,TechnicalServiceRepresentative
ParkerFluidControl,www.parker.com
(HowtoperformSolenoidTesting)
More Trouble Than Its Worth
Sureitcanbedone.Thereasonithasn'tmaybeduetooneormoreofthefollowing:
1.Pneumaticvalvepositionersaremuchmoreexpensivethanconventionalsolenoidoperatedvalves.
2.NottoomanysafetyPLCsonthemarketofferacertified420mAoutput(somedoforexampletheQuadlog
systemoffersaTUVcertified420mAanalogoutputmodule).
3.Controlvalvesoftenaren'tdesignedfortightshutoff,theyaretypicallydesignedforbettercontrol(hencethe
addedcost).
4.Typically,thevendorsthatmanufactureandsellcontrolvalvesandvalvepositionershavenotsoughtthe
necessaryfailureratedatatomeettheIEC61508standard.
5.Duetotheiroperationalnature,controlvalvesrequiremoremaintenancethanshutoffvalvesandhavea
higherdemandoncompressedair.
...Mostoftodayssafetyshutoffvalvesaresolenoidoperatedshutoffvalves.Thesolenoidvalvesitsontopofa
valveactuatorandrespondstoadiscrete(on/off)signalfromthesafetysystem.Thesolenoidwilleitherallow
compressedairtodrivethevalveclosedorreleaseairwhileaspringclosesthevalve.
...Anelectrical/pneumatic(I/P)positionerworksontopofacontrolvalveactuator.Thepositionerreceivesa420
mAsignalfromthesafetysystemandallowsthevalvetogotoanypositionbetweenfullopenandfullclosed.
Someofthepossiblebenefitsofusingacontrolvalveare:
1.Usingthepositioner,userscanpartiallyclosethevalvetovalidatesystemperformance.Today,userswould
havetoshutdowntheprocesstotestshutoffvalves.
2.Thepositionersintelligencewouldallowuserstoobtainvaluablediagnosticsforpreventivemaintenanceand
safetyrecords.
3.BustechnologylikeProfibus,HART,orFoundationfieldbusareoftenavailablewithtoday'spositioners,adding
additionaladvantages.
CharlesFialkowski,ProductManager,SafetySystems
SiemensEnergyandAutomation,www.sea.siemens.com
Its Your Call
AcontrolvalvecanbeusedinlieuofaseparatesafetyshutdownvalveforSISapplications.Onetechniqueisto
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installasolenoidinserieswiththevalvepositioner,downstreamofthepositioneroutput.Thesolenoidvalveis
operatedbyaSISsignalwhenaprocessincidentoccurs,anditsoutputsupersedesthatofthepositionertodrive
thevalvetotheshutdownposition.Inmanycasesthisoperatingsetupeliminatestheneedforanadditional
safetyvalve,piping,andinstallationspace.
(Safetyinstrumentedsystems(SIS)usedfornonsafetyapplications)
...WhileacontrolvalvecanbeusedforcontrolandasasafetyshutdownvalveforSISapplications,thereare
tradeoffstoconsider.Upside:
Usingthecontrolvalvewilleliminatethecostofanadditionalvalveandassociatedpiping.
TheDCSwillcheckfortheavailabilityofthemodulatingvalveandwillrecordvalvetravelasawayto
documentoperation.Thisisnotthecasewithdiscreteon/offsolenoidoperatedvalves.
Whenthecontrolvalveisequippedwithadigitalvalvecontroller(DVC),theDVCcanrecordvalvetravel,
actuatorpressure,setpoint,andotherparametersforvalvediagnosticpurposes.
Acontrolvalveusesabetterdesigned/matchedactuatorandinstrumentpackagethandoesthetypicalon/off
valve,withtheresultbeingtightercontrol.
Thentheresthedownside:
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