What Are The Unique Advantages Of Pairing Air Actuators With Butterfly Valves Compared To Electric Actuators?

In the field of automation control of industrial butterfly valve, air actuators and electric actuators are two main driving configurations, which correspond to pneumatic control and electrical control respectively. In many engineering selections, many people mistakenly believe that electric actuators have higher intelligence and wider applicability. However, in most industrial pipeline conditions, the combination of air actuators and butterfly valves has unique and irreplaceable advantages. There are obvious differences in driving principle, safety attributes, operating stability and maintenance cost. Pneumatic butterfly valves has become the first choice in chemical industry, gas, water treatment, explosion prevention and so on. In this paper, the key and unique advantages of air actuators and butterfly valves are expounded.
The ultimate operating safety and natural explosion resistance are the core unique advantages of air actuators. The air actuator adopts compressed air as the power source, and the whole process adopts pure mechanical pneumatic transmission, no power connection is needed. There are no electrical components such as motor, circuit boards or coil inside, and no spark, static electricity or high temperature heat source is generated during operation. Complete elimination of flammable, explosive, high dust, high oil and gas, corrosive and other high-risk operating environments, such as short-circuit, leakage of electricity, fire explosion and other safety hazards, natural adaptation to explosion. However, electric actuators rely on motor drive, electrical components easy to age, overload and short circuit, easy to generate sparks. Even with explosion-proof model, there is a risk of electrical failure and the safety level of pneumatic equipment cannot be met.
Automatic fault protection capability is strong, can effectively avoid the occurrence of industrial accidents. butterfly valve valves are equipped with a single acting air actuator with automatic reset function for gas and pressure cutting. When gas source failure, equipment abnormality, emergency shutdown, etc., the internal spring can quickly automatically open and close the valve, achieve emergency cut-off or safe venting, ensure the safety of pipeline system. When the electric actuator loses power or malfunctions, it will stall and block directly, and the valve will remain in its original position. It willnot reset automatically. It is easy to cause continuous leakage of media, failure of process system control and damage of equipment due to increasing pressure. Safety protection in an emergency is far less than pneumatic configurations.
The environment adapts well, and the ability to resist jamming in bad working conditions is outstanding. Industrial pipeline sites commonly have complex environments such as humidity, water accumulation, dust, corrosion and alternation of high and low temperatures. Electrical precision components of electric actuators are highly susceptible to moisture, short circuit, dust erosion, corrosion and aging, resulting in a significant increase in long-term failure rate. air actuators has a strong structure, aluminum alloy antiseptic shell and excellent sealing performance. They are impervious to humidity, dust and slight corrosion and can operate steadily in sub-zero temperatures, high temperatures and outdoor conditions. They are highly resistant to electromagnetic interference and do not cause control failures due to interference from electromagnetic equipment in the field.
The high speed of opening and closing response is suitable for high frequency opening and closing operation. The air actuator rely on pneumatic transmission, rapid dynamic response, valve opening and closing actions is clear. There is no delay of motor starting, plugging, heating, etc.. It can support high frequency, continuous and repeated switching operation and meet the process requirement of frequent starting and fast closing of industrial production line. Electric actuators rely on motor deceleration drive, start and stop when there is a buffering delay, cannot withstand high frequency operation. Long-term frequent opening and stopping, it is easy to cause motor overheating, coil burnout, deceleration mechanism wear, not suitable for high intensity continuous working conditions.
Low operating and maintenance cost, long service life, and significant value for money advantage. The structure of the air actuator is simple, only cylinders, gears, seals, springs and other mechanical parts as the core, no sophisticated electrical accessories. It is not easy to damage, only a simple inspection of the gas source in daily life, cleaning impurities can be. Easy to maintain and cheap consumables. The structure of electric actuators is precise and complicated, including vulnerable parts such as motor, controller, limiter and circuit boards. Troubleshooting is difficult, repairs costly and replacement parts costly. At the same time, the procurement of pneumatic equipment is relatively low cost, in the long run process does not require electricity consumption. It consumes only ordinary compressed air and is far usage cost combination than electric cars.
Of course, air actuators are not optimal in all cases. electric actuators have the advantage of high precision regulation and no gas source. However, the combination of air actuators and butterfly valves is especially advantageous in most industrial situations with high explosion risk. pneumatic butterfly valves, with its unique characteristics of safety and explosion prevention, rapid response, durability, low operating and maintenance costs, and self-protection against faults, has become the mainstream of automatic control of industrial pipelines and important guarantee for industrial safety.