page_title: Valve actuator
section_title: Service conditions
hierarchical_section_title: Valve actuator / Service conditions
caption_attribution_description: English: Currently used actuator in Siberia
context_page_description: A valve actuator is the mechanism for opening and closing a valve. Manually operated valves require someone in attendance to adjust them using a direct or geared mechanism attached to the valve stem. Power-operated actuators, using gas pressure, hydraulic pressure or electricity, allow a valve to be adjusted remotely, or allow rapid operation of large valves. Power-operated valve actuators may be the final elements of an automatic control loop which automatically regulates some flow, level or other process. Actuators may be only to open and close the valve, or may allow intermediate positioning; some valve actuators include switches or other ways to remotely indicate the position of the valve.
  Used for the automation of industrial valves, actuators can be found in all kinds of process plants. They are used in waste water treatment plants, power plants, refineries, mining and nuclear processes, food factories, and pipelines. Valve actuators play a major part in automating process control. The valves to be automated vary both in design and dimension. The diameters of the valves range from one-tenth of an inch to several feet.
context_section_description: Actuators are specified for the desired life and reliability for a given set of application service conditions. In addition to the static and dynamic load and response time required for the valve, the actuator must withstand the temperature range, corrosion environment and other conditions of a specific application.  Valve actuator applications are often safety related, therefore the plant operators put high demands on the reliability of the devices. Failure of an actuator may cause accidents in process-controlled plants and toxic substances may leak into the environment.
  Process-control plants are often operated for several decades which justifies the higher demands put on the lifetime of the devices.
  For this reason, actuators are always designed in high enclosure protection. The manufacturers put a lot of work and knowledge into corrosion protection.
caption: Actuators are used in Siberia...
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