The answer is an emphatic YES with Bürkert's retro-fittable valve controller for distributed or decentralised valve control or automation.

Distributed valve control

Decentralised or distributed process control can bring with it many distinct advantages to optimising a plant design. Having valve switching and control occurring local to the valve can bring about many tangible benefits. These benefits can range from the cost reductions achieved through removing the need for centralised switching panels and the need for lengthy control and switching circuits, through to savings of compressed air and the faster switching response times of both valves and actuators. Operational constraints such as reliability and overall performance are nearly always achieved through a delicate balance with installation and operational costs, coupled with maintenance response times.

Whilst decentralised or distributed valve control is often a simple concept to address at the time of plant design and installation, the question is often asked; ‘how can it be successfully achieved after the event?’  - on an existing plant that has been constructed and optimised under a centralised control philosophy and is perhaps part way through its operational lifecycle?

Answer: Bürkert may have the answer in the form of its 8681 universal valve control head.

Bürkert Valve Controller

This is an intelligent valve control head or positioner that can be retrofitted to almost any manufacturer’s valve through a series of adaptors and kits that are readily available from Bürkert. This allows intelligent valve control to be applied local to the valve actuator at a fraction of the cost of a new valve controller assembly. It also significantly reduces the overall installation time. These retro-fittable controls heads have been optimised for applications within the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, brewery, dairy and personal health sectors. The valve controller heads already come with universal adaptors for many third party manufacturer’s valves already successfully deployed into these sectors, such as Alfa Laval, Definox, Kieselmann,  Aseptomag and many others.

Fieldbus & Profibus compatible

The 8681 intelligent control head is compatible with many standardised communication and network protocols such as Fieldbus, Profibus, Asi and Devicenet and so will comfortably integrate with existing communication protocol installations. The controller is easy and inexpensive to install and is entirely non-intrusive. The valve position is determined automatically by a fast reliable intelligent function that makes use of an inductive analogue position sensor to determine valve position. The control heads come as standard with IP65/67 ingress protection and also provide an instant visual diagnostic facility for users.

As a design philosophy, decentralised automation of your plant process valves can provide a fast, economical and reliable improvement to your plant operation. The Bürkert 8681 universal valve control head can make those benefits retrospectively available to your operation with a cost effective, reliable and easy to install modular solution.

For more information on Bürkert’s full range of valve controllers, control heads and positioners, click here. To contact Bürkert directly, visit their PIF profile.