Industrial process design and control are complicated affairs. There are many physical constraints and interacting variables that affect throughput, efficiency, product quality, operating safety and the environment. The control valve actuator is critical to all.
No matter your ultimate process objective, flow rates need to be controlled at various points throughout the process. Process variables, such as flow, temperature, pressure, tank levels and more, need to be tightly regulated to achieve the desired goals while maintaining operating safety and reliability. While it is the control valve that physically controls the process media, the actuator is the heart and brains of the operation — mechanically positioning the valve in response to the “instructions” from the plant’s process control system.