A JEA power station, which operates two of the largest Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) combustors in use, recently completed a plant upgrade to improve efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. A large part of this project focused on improving steam temperature control. Beck high torque 22-409 actuators were installed on the critical Reheat damper applications to provide the precision and reliability required.

PPG Industries is a specialty chemical company that serves the aerospace, architectural and packaging industries, to name a few. In 2006, PPG’s West Virginia facility had an initiative to reduce fuel and maintenance costs associated with its boilers. As part of this initiative, PPG planned to replace their pneumatic actuators over the next few years.

The Carmeuse lime plant in Maysville, KY has had Beck actuators installed on most of their important control applications for over 30 years. These include primary air, coal mill air, preheater vents, and kiln ID fans. Many of the units installed during original plant construction in the mid-1970’s are still in service. The plant experienced a torque related problem with a 34 year old actuator on a critical ID fan damper actuator. A new motor was installed, without having to remove the actuator from service, returning the damper to operation quickly.

The ethanol blending process is a critical part of petrol terminal operation and has a significant impact on product quality, meeting environmental regulations and profitability. Optimising the process is very important, but does present some control challenges. For example, thermal expansion of petrol and ethanol do not occur at the same rate, and the blended mixture has to be isolated from water due to ethanol’s miscibility in water.

One of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the world recently finished a project for upgrading its sludge valve actuators. In a wastewater treatment process, these valves drain activated sludge from a reservoir and send it to a digester where it is processed. Normal operation of these valves is carried out using a manual handwheel; however, the operation is also commonly accomplished by means of electric, hydraulic or pneumatic actuators.