SPECIAL REPORT: VALVES/ACTUATORS 42 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS September 2023 www.hpmag.co.uk Rotork has helped upgrade and modernise a major Gatwick fuel farm, providing them with IQ3 intelligent actuators on Rotork’s Pakscan control network. GASHCo is one of Gatwick Airport’s main fuel tank farms and has been using Rotork products for over 30 years. The actuators installed on the site are used on the fuel hydrants housed at Gatwick Airport. Rotork’s site services team carried out an obsolescence survey and identified the older equipment on site. Gatwick was made aware that in the event of a failure or breakdown, the required spare parts may not be available for the obsolete actuators. Due to the risk of unplanned downtime, they decided to upgrade 24 actuators and add these to their maintenance agreement. Installation was carried out by Rotork service engineers, which assured GASHCo that the work was carried out to a high standard. The upgrade to the IQ3 actuators will maximise uptime and increase reliability while reducing operational costs. The older IQMk1 and A range actuators have been reliable during their operation, showing the efficiency and consistency of Rotork products. This made the decision to upgrade the actuators an easy choice. The installed IQ3 actuators have the capability to capture performance data through the integrated data logger, display accurate position and torque sensing, and include integral controls as standard. The actuators have a low whole-life cost, and their high degrees of reliability/availability means a reduced likelihood of any interruption to operation. The bespoke Pakscan system was selected as the network control system. Pakscan enables the remote operation of up to 240 valve actuators over a simple single twisted pair data highway, replacing the need for hardwired heavy multicore cables. Gatwick has now been upgraded, which will help reduce unplanned downtime and offer a full suite of available spares. Gatwick fuel farm upgraded with intelligent actuators to decrease downtime to the valve via flange or custom adaption. The pump, motor, reservoir limit switches, solenoids and positioners are mounted to the actuator. In remote locations where power is not available, ATI provides solar power systems to run the systems required by the customer. ATI also provides a skidmounted hydraulic power unit for larger operations, enabling power for multiple actuators simultaneously. Etheridge added: “ATI provides an environmentally friendly solution for customers to reduce emissions and meet industry regulations. All of our actuators are designed and fully manufactured in Houston, Texas, guaranteeing quality at every step in the process.”
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