FCCU ACTUATORS
BLAC INC. offers the best design using proper engineering for the individualized components and assemblies.
The reservoir, control manifold features, hydraulic cylinder, mechanical positioner, and position control electronics are all better in design, features, and capabilities than any competitor in the world.
This is due to a complete ‘what if’ evaluation and the result of many man hours of exhaustive component testing and evaluation.
FCCU Slide Valve Actuator and Valve
Slide Valve Actuators
All mechanical handwheel positioners from BLAC INC. have the following features:
Acme screws and acme nuts can be disassembled and safely replaced while online - unique to BLAC INC.
Other manufacturers design is very difficult to accomplish removal / reinstallation online.Built with bearings (not bushings) holding the acme screws. These bearings can be replaced while the unit is in operation.
No other supplier can make this claim.Actuators are supplied with limit switches and feedback devices as specified. All devices can be removed and reinstalled safely while online.
FCCU Slide Valve Actuator
BLAC INC. worldwide patented hydraulic cylinders are utilized which permit change of the seals completely while the cylinder is mounted to the mechanical positioner or mounting yoke. This is done while the valve position is controlled with the mechanical handwheel positioner.
No other supplier can make this claim.Corrosion protection is primary consideration. Therefore, stainless steel and bronze is used throughout the mechanical handwheel positioners to make sure operation is always able to take place for all functions.
No other supplier can make this claim.
BLAC INC. constructs three different styles of slide valve and plug valve actuators:
| Size | Mechanical Handwheel Positioner – Force Capable | Cylinder Thrust Force Output |
|---|---|---|
| 00044 Series | 2 Tons to 35 Tons | 12,000 lbf (53,375 N) to 40,000 lbf (177,920 N) |
| 00009 Series | 25 Tons to 100 Tons | 25,000 lbf (111,200 N) to 200,000 lbf (889,600 N) |
| 00052 Series | 100 Tons to 500 Tons | 200,000 lbf (889,600 N) to 1,000,000 lbf (4,448,000 N) |
Butterfly Valve Actuators
BLAC INC. constructs two different types of butterfly valve actuators for FCCU applications depending upon the output torque delivered. The smaller sizes of actuators are built with two cylinders while the larger units come with four cylinders. The features of the BLAC INC. units are as follows:
Fully enclosed cylinders, sealed from the atmosphere and operate with the internal components all running in oil
Zero backlash design
10 Year Life Seals
Guaranteed not to leak or have fault condition for 6 Years
Matching torque curves in both the open and closed directions
Smaller sized actuators provide torque output less than 600,000 lbf-in (67,810 N-m) to 18,000 lbf-in (2030 N-m)
Larger sized actuators provide torque output greater than 600,000 lbf-in (67,810 N-m) to 2,500,000 lbf-in (282,460 N-m)
Speed of operation from 0.2 to 10 seconds full stroke
SIL2 and SIL3 rated actuator systems
Butterfly Valve Actuator – Two Opposed Cylinder Design
These actuators are utilized throughout many industries but are best known for controlling butterfly valves that provide safety and control of the FCCU Expander turbines.
These systems are all highly reliable and have set the standard in the industry since 1992.
Flue Gas Turbo Expander Butterfly Valve Actuators
Expander turbines are used in multiple industries such as refining, steel mill, and offshore platforms to extract power from a source of pressurized vapor flowing through a turbine. The protection of that turbine is the function of the butterfly valves that control the flow of vapor into the turbine inlet and the valve that controls the flow around the turbine when the turbine is shutdown.
Due to process and mechanical considerations, the valves generally operate in a quick manner to protect the turbine from overspeed if the coupling breaks between the turbine and the driven equipment. This equipment can be an air blower or compressor, motor generators and other devices that utilize the power output from the turbine.
When the turbine is unloaded from a coupling break or other control problem, the butterfly valve on the inlet to the expander must close quickly to remove the energy input to the turbine, and the bypass valve must open and control the flow around the turbine. These activities are required to be extremely reliable to eliminate the financial impact of destroyed equipment if the valves do not do their job.
Therefore, BLAC INC. valves and actuator systems are required.
BLAC INC. provides the most reliable operating equipment in this service of expander turbine protection since 1991 when we built our first inlet and bypass butterfly valve actuator systems. In the subsequent years, many developments have been made to further the level of equipment protection.
Contact BLAC INC. for further information.
Butterfly Valve Actuator – Four Piston Design
Hydraulic Power and Control Unit (HPCU) for Expander Inlet Butterfly Valves
Catalyst Plug Valve Actuators
FCCU Plug valves are utilized on Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR) and Axens/Technip process design units. The plug valves are vertically oriented and operate with a conical plug cone that fits into the bottom of a standpipe.
The valve is controlled for position vertically and allows flow to come through the bottom of the standpipe and flow over the top of the conical cone. Pressure drop and flow are controlled with this valve and the actuator provides the position control.
The actuators from BLAC INC. for the plug valve are very similar to a slide valve with one additional feature: The plug valve actuator utilizes a control manifold that can control and limit the thrust of the valve in both directions.
The plug valve is seated and the standpipe grows downward. The actuator must permit the valve to move downward while maintaining the thrust to the seat.
The plug valve is driving closed from an opened position and must seat the cone into the seat ring on the bottom of the standpipe without damage. This may be either under normal control or in the case of power failure if a trip function occurs. In this scenario, the plug valve control manifold must limit the force levels without any electronic control function capability due to it being a power off condition.
BLAC INC. provides thrust control continuously in operation. This value of thrust is available with our standard systems and this value of thrust is provided to the end user. With this thrust control, the plug will not be damaged and the valve stickiness or operation can be confirmed in real time during operation.
Plug valves are provided with emergency trip functions in 1oo2, 2oo2 or 2oo3 configurations.
Flue Gas Diverter Valve Actuators
FCCU diverter valves are designed with one inlet port and two outlet ports. The inlet is coming from the regenerator and the two outlet ports are individually connected to the boiler and to the flue gas stack.
Diverter valves are constructed in three different configurations, each of which takes a different actuator to operate the valve.
The ExxonMobil Process uses what is called a ‘flip flop’ valve, and all other refiners / process licensors utilize either a linear two port or a pendulum type diverter valve. Each of these actuator systems control the disc position and move it from one port to the other port.
1. Flip Flop Valve – This valve design is difficult to operate and control. The valve is designed with the valve shaft between the two ports with a disc that is double sided. The inlet port is on the top, and the two ports are vertical out of the bottom of the valve. The valve shaft is located on the side of the valve between the two ports – and is mounted horizontal.
The valve shaft is connected to the disc on the edge of the disc. As the shaft is rotated, the disc moves upward to the vertical position and keeps moving then to the other side downward till it rests on the other port seats.
The valve shaft is large and the disc is very large, so control of the disc being lifted is difficult if there is catalyst on the top of the disc, and hard to control as the disc becomes over centered on the downward movement into the opposite position port. The two actuators operating this valve are large, one on each side of the valve, and the actuators must rotate through 180 degrees.
BLAC INC. has provided these actuators in very large formats of 3,000,000 lb-in (340,000 N-m).
BLAC INC. Flip Flop Diverter Valve Actuator
2. Linear Two Port Position Valve – This valve design is a three port valve (one inlet and two outlet port) with a sliding round disc riding on guides moving from one port to the other in a linear manner.
This design has a negative design issue where the valve stem is exposed to the flue gas flow when the disc is to the position of the far port from the actuator end. This design in an older design, but the actuator is just literally a slide valve actuator.
3. Pendulum Two Port Position Valve – The pendulum valve is also mounted horizontally with the inlet coming into the top of the valve, and with the outlets flowing out of the bottom of the valve.
The disc is operated from the side of the valve and moves the disc in an arc from the first port to the second port. The shaft is vertically arranged, and a connecting heavy duty arm moves the disc from one port to the other.
This construction requires a pivoting actuator to drive the valve to the two different ports.
In all diverter valve actuator systems, BLAC INC. provides normal position movement with a feedback transmitter output signal and can provide an emergency trip to the stack position. This is provided by accumulators to move this large valve under control and not damage the internals of the valve.
Flue Gas Isolation Goggle Valve Actuators
Goggle valves are large valves located usually in flue gas service of a refinery process or in a steel mill to provide isolation of the process function. Goggle valves are extremely low leakage valves and can be bubble tight under design conditions.
They operate in high temperature flue gas and can seal off against that flue gas flow. They are not considered to be man-safe even though they are leakage free. A blind is still required in most applications for personnel to be allowed to be downstream of the valve once isolated.
Goggle valves are connected to the piping, and the internal moving carriage assembly inside the valve carries a thru port and a blind disc. There are two actuation systems on a goggle valve:
The movement actuator for the carriage assembly has been typically hydraulic or electric motor operator. These actuators drive the carriage from open to closed or from closed to open position upon demand from the automated control system (plant BPCS or DCS).
Prior to the movement of the carriage, the valve must be unclamped. This involves either hydraulic or electric actuators to provide unclamping functions around the circumference of the valve. The unclamping function must then provide re-clamping function once the valve is into the new position and is ready to be seated.
The goggle valves control system generally provided by BLAC INC. comes with a hydraulic power and control unit with a PLC – or can be provided with an electrical enclosure that has all the motor controls for the unclamping/re-clamping function.
The unit is controlled and monitored by a PLC system that monitors the limit switches, position feedback signals, all the functions of the hydraulic power and control unit (HPCU) and provides safety controls to keep the valve from any potential damage that may occur during operation.
Contact BLAC INC. for solutions to your boiler, precipitator, flue gas cooler, furnace or coke oven isolation issues.
Reactor Vapor Line / Fractionator Isolation Valve Actuators
The fractionator or overhead vapor line valves are providing isolation between the reactor and the fractionator. These types of valves are also used to isolate many other equipment and vessels.
These valves are typically provided with an electric motor operator gear type actuator. They lock when power is off and can be interlocked with the DCS / SIS controls of the plant refinery systems.
Main Air Blower Suction Valve Actuators
Blower suction valve is used to control the air flow into the air blower. Accurate control of this valve is required.
The actuator system from BLAC INC. provides the control as needed. Generally these are butterfly valves that are used for this control, but in some applications, this is a louver style damper.
Main Air Blower Discharge Butterfly Valve Actuators
BLAC INC. provides for the following situations with the Main Air Blower Discharge:
Air Grid Butterfly Valve
The air blower discharge butterfly valves on most FCC units are used to control the air flow to the air grid. BLAC INC. supplies self-contained or separated type actuators for these applications.
The valves are generally operated by pneumatic actuators that are slow and not accurate in their position control.
These valves when operated by BLAC INC. actuators provide precise air flow to the regenerator and control the burn process extremely well.
Air Blower Discharge Check Valve
A second control system is provided by BLAC INC.
BLAC INC. does not build check valves for the air blower discharge check service – sometimes called ISO Check or Special Check.
We instead replace this check valve with a butterfly valve and operate it to back pressure the air blower on startup and to provide control of the air flow when the air blower is near to the surge point line.
The system from BLAC INC. includes the butterfly valve, the hydraulic controls and the modifications to the surge control system. This overall system provides less pressure drop to the discharge of the air blower, thus providing huge benefits to the end user.
Contact BLAC INC. for more information.
Variable Orifice Valve Actuators
Variable Orifice valves are used in the flue gas systems and can function as an orifice chamber. These valves are designed to take a constant pressure drop through the orifices located around a center mounted butterfly valve that is utilized to provide a variable flow.
The actuator is just a simple electric modulating actuator such as Viper or can be provided as an electro-hydraulic actuator using the Pantera Series HPCU.
Catalyst Withdrawal Valve Actuators
Catalyst withdrawal valves are provided as an automated valve from BLAC INC. with electric actuator that is spring returned to closed position.
BLAC INC. makes a very special electric actuator that can be used in fail safe applications, and this actuator is the spring return type. The actuator is PLC controlled for position control, thrust control, and temperature control of the downstream piping. In addition, it can control the aeration air for the withdrawal pipe flow to the spent catalyst hopper.
