Constant diagnostic evaluation of electric motor-operated valves (MOVs) has become an important tool for asset management, predictive maintenance programswww.cechina.cn, troubleshooting, and scheduled periodic maintenance. Predictive functionality allows your maintenance personnel to be proactive in servicing MOVsCONTROL ENGINEERING China版权所有, while limiting costly failures and unscheduled plant process shutdowns. During scheduled downtimewww.cechina.cn, maintenance personnel are given the information they need to prioritize valve and actuator maintenance to make best use of scarce opportunities.
Dashboards show the condition and functionality of every valve in the program.
A typical GUI for a single valve.
Improvements in diagnostics
Diagnostic testing of electrically actuated valves began nearly 30 years ago to validate the operability of safety-related MOVs in the nuclear power industry. Since this periodic, manually-initiated form of diagnostic testing could identify problems in both the valve and actuator, it became not only a tool to verify MOV operationCONTROL ENGINEERING China版权所有, but also for troubleshooting and preventive maintenance.
In recent years, innovations within electronic smart actuation devices created a highly sophisticated but labor-intensive troubleshooting effort for plant personnel. To overcome the labor intensity, built-in-self-test (BIST) features, developed in conjunction with customer requirementsCONTROL ENGINEERING China版权所有, have removed the manual initiation and transformed the historical periodic diagnostic testing into a continuous process, performed integrally within the electric actuator, as shown in the diagnostic system dashboard graphic.
Today, electric valve actuators served by digital communication ne