Market for industrial valves to reach $56bn in 2012
Over the next five years, demand for industrial valves in China will approach that of the US according to the McIlvaine Company
Surging demand for valves and actuators
Rising demand from diverse process industries supports steady growth in global valves and actuators market
Sensor market is forecast to grow
Frost & Sullivan predicts the market for sensors will grow, largely due to the development of sensors with greater functionality
Adopting a holistic approach to safety
Didier Turcinovic, founder and President of the Safety Users Group, explains the importance of a holistic approach to safety management
A lifecycle approach to security management
Karl Williams outlines how a novel lifecycle approach to security management is setting a new process industry standard
Wireless plant and the process environment
Hartmut Wallraf, Chief Technology Officer with Invensys Process Systems Europe, Middle East and Africa, outlines where the technology is now and what the future holds for it
Protective role for control valves

In order to rule out possible cases of damage in industrial plant the operator has to fulfil a series of precautionary safety measures and regulations.

These measures relate to the safety equipment, control equipment, safety distances and the regular checking of the functional capability of technical plant and equipment. The selection and design of control valves which have to fulfil a protective function must correspond to the requirements in respect of protective devices. Their suitability can be examined according to DIN V 19250 (fundamental safety considerations) and DIN V 19251 (I&C protective devices).

The control valves manufactured by Schmidt Armaturen (FlowTop, FlowPro and FlowAct) can be deployed up to requirement class 7, if the corresponding requirements for avoiding faults and controlling faults are observed on the part of the plant operator. Key criteria for the classification of I&C devices are the design, configuration, assurance of quality, hardness tests and many years of proven operational reliability.

Flowserve Flow Control Division is based in Essen, Germany. www.flowserve.com