Intelligent valve actuators for Caltex terminal upgrade

Rotork intelligent electric valve actuators and two-wire digital control systems have been specified for a major plant upgrade at the Caltex Kurnell site in Sydney, Australia. The upgrade project is converting the existing refinery site into an import terminal for the storage and distribution of petrol, diesel, jet fuel and fuel oil.

A large proportion of the 300 actuators involved are Rotork’s latest IQ3 units, the third generation of its non-intrusive intelligent electric actuator product range. All the actuators will be monitored and controlled by 10 hot-standby Rotork Pakscan P3 bus networks. Designed specifically for the remote operation of valve actuators and the spacious environments associated with tank farms, Pakscan provides the link between actuators in the field and the host control system.

Rotork IQ3 valve actuators retrofitted on previously manually operated double block and bleed valves on Berth Number 2 at the Caltex Kurnell Sydney site.

Many of the actuators will be supplied on new valves while a number are being retrofitted by Rotork Site Services Australia onto existing hand-operated valve installations. Retrofitting areas include the terminal berths, where IQ3 actuators are being used to motorise the double block and bleed manifold valves. Rotork’s retrofit responsibilities encompass surveying and measuring the on-site valves, sizing and installing the new actuators and assisting with the integration and commissioning of the Pakscan networks throughout the site.

Launched in 2012, the IQ3 has introduced new levels of functionality and asset management abilities for valve actuation. Advanced IQ data logging and communication capabilities have been increased in response to the end users’ desire to access more data, both in the field and in the control room.

The large, toughened glass, wide-angle indication window is the focus of attention for non-intrusive, two-way wireless communication and multifunctional indication. The window provides positional and warning icon information, while actuator set-up and operating menus along with detailed diagnostic and operational data screens are clearly displayed in dot matrix format. Diagnostic screens show the valve torque and usage profiles along with service logs, facilitating real-time analysis directly at the actuator.

A handheld setting tool with Bluetooth wireless technology also enables the data from the actuators to be transferred to a PC for analysis using Rotork Insight2 diagnostic software. Valve maintenance requirements can be identified and anticipated, eliminating unplanned interruptions or over-cautious planned maintenance outages.

The IP68 watertight and temporarily submersible double-sealed enclosure is universal to all actuators, including those with explosion-proof certification, ensuring long-term reliable performance in the most challenging environments.

The Pakscan P3 digital control system is capable of monitoring and controlling up to 240 actuators without repeaters on a single highway with a length of up to 20 km. Pakscan combines high reliability and efficiency with low maintenance costs, incorporating secure field communications with in-built network redundancy to maintain control even in the event of equipment or cable failure.

At the P3 master station, current status and alarm indication is updated when data has changed, providing real-time status indication of every actuator on the network. Information includes torque profiling to provide an accurate indication of valve performance. Reprogramming of individual actuator parameters can be performed at the master station or remotely via the host serial network or via ethernet.

An event logger captures and saves every major change in the status of the actuators as well as recording all digital and analog commands. Logged data is viewable at the master station or on web pages, where the data can also be stored for future asset management reference.