Step 1: Consider the scenario.
You are a power plant engineer tasked with determining the valve and actuator designs for supplying air to a pneumatic control valve.
The valve and actuator designs must ensure enough air pressure is supplied to a pneumatic control valve to position the valve from fully open to a fully closed position as quickly as possible.
The pneumatic control valve is a six-inch valve that is in a system designed to protect the power plant from damage due to an initiating event.
The air supply is a 200-300 psig system.
Step 2: Develop a valve and actuator design recommendation.
Your recommendation should be 2-3 pages in length (excluding title, diagrams, and reference pages).
Keep in mind system reliability and fail-safe requirements when providing your recommendation, as well the psig of the air supply system.
Step 3: Ensure your document adheres to APA formatting.
APA formatting includes title page, reference page, double spacing, one-inch margins, and headings. The title and reference pages are required but do not count towards the 2-3 page count.
As you are working on your written paper for this course, and asked to design an air supply valve for a 6-inch pneumatic control valve in a safety system, take some time to think about what you are being asked to do. This prompt can be a bit confusing, because it is talking about two valves.
Valve “A” is a 6-inch control valve in a safety system. For the purpose of this assignment, it already exists. Valve “B” supplies 200-300 psig compressed air to the pneumatic actuator to close Valve “A” when required. You are being asked to come up with the design for a valve and actuator for Valve “B,” the air supply valve, so think small and fast.
Remember the assignment criteria: Keep in mind system reliability and fail-safe requirements when providing your recommendation, as well the psig of the air supply system.
Your paper should answer questions like,
What position will your supply air valve fail? (Open, closed, or as-is)
What happens in the system when your valve fails?
What type of actuator would you design for this purpose?
How does your design ensure your valve fails to the correct position? (This is where system pressure is important.)
It is worth revisiting the application of the valve you are designing when considering the above questions.
The valve and actuator designs must ensure enough air pressure is supplied to a pneumatic control valve to position the valve from fully open to a fully closed position as quickly as possible.
The pneumatic control valve is a six-inch valve that is in a system designed to protect the power plant from damage due to an initiating event.
The air supply is a 200-300 psig system.
Math may be required.
