Digitalised industrial age

Many companies in the valve industry are increasingly focusing on digitalisation. (Source: SAMSON PFEIFFER)

Digitalisation is finding its way into the world of industrial valves. More and more companies are relying on the networking of machines and systems in order to optimise processes and reduce costs. Intelligent valves equipped with sensors and measuring devices can play a central role in this. They enable permanent monitoring and control of processes in real time, which not only contributes to greater efficiency, but also to increased safety.

The digital transformation has become unavoidable and has also become a general realisation in German industry. Nevertheless, the pace of implementation varies considerably in different places. As a rule, large corporations are one step ahead of smaller and medium-sized companies. This is not surprising, as new digital processes often challenge established processes. For medium-sized companies in particular, this harbours risks for smooth business operations. In addition to initial costs, there are also additional personnel costs.

However, companies in the valve industry have long recognised that the benefits far outweigh the risks. “Digital transformation is a matter of course for us and also a basic requirement for growth. This is especially true for SMEs with smaller workforces”, says Florian Baelz from valve and system manufacturer Baelz. This is why the industry is driving digitalisation forward step by step at various levels.

Digital approvals and audits for certifications and inspections save time and money. (Source: REMBE GmbH Safety + Control)

In the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) published by the EU Commission, Germany ranks 13th out of the 27 member states in 2022. According to the index, Europe's largest economy has made good progress over the past five years. However, Brussels still sees a lot of room for improvement, particularly when it comes to the integration of digital technology in companies.

German valve manufacturers definitely want to utilise this potential. “The companies in our industry have realised that they have to go down the path of digitalisation because otherwise they will lose competitiveness. Those who start early and gain experience before others follow suit can even gain a competitive advantage from the transformation”, says Laura Dorfer, Managing Director of the VDMA's Valves Association.

Digital rating plate

One ambitious example of the digital transformation is the development of digital type plates, which are an extension of the stickers previously attached to each unit. Up to now, these conventional plates have shown a small amount of basic data such as the year of manufacture and serial number. The digital type plate can also be used to call up all data relevant to the product, such as data sheets and operating instructions. A tablet or mobile phone is used to call up a QR code on the product. By connecting to the internet, all relevant data is made accessible. “The valve industry is currently working on this”, says Hans Zwart, Director Cognitive Solutions at Samson AG in Frankfurt. The project is not trivial. “The first task is to standardise, because suppliers and plant operators each have their own QR codes or bar codes”, explains Zwart.

The minimum data required for a control valve is the setpoint and valve position. (Source: UREASON NL B.V.)

In addition, it is extremely important to create a security environment to prevent strangers from penetrating via wifi and hacking the system. “It's not easy, but it's the future. That's why many are already taking the first step of at least providing a digital nameplate, even if the other requirements are not yet met.”

Making existing valves fit for Industry 4.0

Every year, valve-related failures cost millions of euros. Control valves in particular are susceptible to unplanned downtime. However, as there are hundreds of such control valves in some systems, detecting the weak points often proves to be a challenge. This problem can be solved with the help of collected operating data. Contrary to popular belief, in many cases this does not even require new sensors, instruments or hardware.

One of the major Industry 4.0 misunderstandings is the widespread assumption that you don't have enough suitable data and that you first need to install new sensors. In the vast majority of cases, this is not true and you can achieve the desired results without new sensors and only with the data you already have. This is exactly the case with the condition diagnosis of control valves using data analysis. The required data is already available. No new sensors, instruments or hardware need to be installed. Only the setpoint and the valve position from the control valve controller are required for the analysis. If no position feedback is available, additional data on the controlled measured values (flow rate/level/pressure/temperature) is required. This data is also always available.

“There's an app for that”

In July 2008, the software world was turned upside down when Apple introduced the App Store, which allowed customers to buy third-party applications or “apps” that could be run on iPhones. With Industry 4.0, apps are now also finding their way into industrial automation, maintenance and asset management. Just like the iPhone, an Industry 4.0 app fulfils a specific function. Other functions are then taken over by other apps.

The vast majority of Industry 4.0 apps are developed to monitor a specific machine or a specific group of instruments or machines in a plant using the operating data. The apps contain the specially developed algorithms for status diagnostics and also interfaces for the plant's operating data and interfaces to communicate the results to EAM systems, for example.

Intelligent valve diagnostics (Source: SAMSON)

The company UReason, which specialises in Industry 4.0, launched an app for diagnosing the status of control valves at the end of 2022. The Control Valve App from UReason is based on UReason's expertise in valves, actuators and the corresponding processes. It uses intelligent models that combine expertise and artificial intelligence to provide a detailed analysis of the condition and recommendations for control valves. The Control Valve App is used by plant operators in the chemical, pharmaceutical and energy industries to monitor control valves in order to optimise maintenance planning, minimise energy losses, prevent faults in good time and avoid unplanned shutdowns.

Shaping the field of the future with more data and more connectivity

Field devices are becoming increasingly intelligent and generating more and more data. Nowadays, data is a valuable commodity, even in the process industry. Until now, however, a large proportion of this information has remained unutilised at field level. Plant operators are often faced with the problem of getting the data from the field, or the process involves enormous effort. What options are there for obtaining the data and how can the data be utilised?

One way of dealing with this amount of information is an initial decentralised evaluation of the relevant data in the field device. Positioners with integrated valve diagnostics continuously analyse the collected data and carry out a self-diagnosis and status analysis of the valve by combining the correlating measuring points in a meaningful way. If an anomaly occurs, a consolidated message is sent to the control system as required, for example in the form of a maintenance requirement. For example, the end position is monitored when the closing position is approached. An offset in the negative direction can indicate wear of the seat/plug system, whereupon a message is generated to monitor the valve with regard to the seat or plug. For the operation of the system, a statement about the functionality of the valves is sufficient at this point.

In the case of safety valves, in addition to the statement on the functionality of the valve, documentation must also be provided on how and when the functionality was proven. This is done by means of recurring tests, for example the partial stroke test, during which the safety valve, which only remains in one position, is moved through a partial stroke or angle of rotation. This test can be carried out automatically by the control system or by the intelligent positioner itself. With the EXPERTplus valve diagnostics of SAMSON's digital positioners, the time, result, breakaway torque, defined time T86 and other test-relevant values are recorded for up to 52 tests. The positioner saves this data and analyses it decentrally using the integrated diagnostics function so that only a fraction of the information is forwarded. Why does it make sense to collect all the data and have it available?

In general, it can be said that the more data is available, the more accurate a statement can be made regarding the condition of valves and processes. However, this presupposes that the data collected is selected appropriately. If the collected data is used to form a digital twin, the following also applies here: the more data points are available, the closer the digital twin is to the physical system and the more accurate the information will be.

The data points are also relevant in terms of providing information about the general condition of the system. This means that an asset management system can be provided with up-to-date information on a daily basis and make a statement about all assets that can be used to support maintenance planning, for example. The asset management system can also uncover potential for optimisation in the plant so that changes in the control behaviour of the control valves can be detected and, if necessary, an unstable process identified. If the right data is available and is used in a targeted manner, it not only has the potential to improve processes, but also to save costs.