The engineering management of the Presidente Getúlio Vargas Refinery (Repar) - PR, completed in March the implementation of the Remote Control System for Motorized Valves (STVM) in the Transfer and Storage (TE) area. The project was carried out through a partnership between Mesa Engenharia, Fluxo Serviços de Petróleo and its subcontractor Insmec.
Petrobras acquired 326 Rotork intelligent electric actuators divided into seven "loops" and used the Pakscan communication network, a highly reliable system that offers fundamental resources for this type of application. The motorized valves will be controlled by a system operator in the TE control room.
The actuators are state-of-the-art. They perform functions such as accurate valve operation and diagnostics, as well as detecting specific events occurring with the actuator and control system. The actuator allows the analysis of the opening and closing torque profile of the valve during the entire stroke. This means that with it you can predict any non-visible anomaly in the valve's operation and avoid stops and accidents during operation. All this information can be sent through a downloadable file to any customer unit, or even to Fluxo or Rotork technicians.
The main characteristic of the Pakscan network is the use of current, instead of voltage, as in other systems. The current gives the network characteristics such as fault tolerance at a single point (short circuit, grounding or rupture), in addition to allowing up to 240 actuators per "loop", a network length of up to 20 km without restriction of distance between actuators and without using repeaters. In addition, the network guarantees high noise immunity and high speed. The system also offers network and actuator diagnostics with status indication. Due to its characteristics, Pakscan is seen as a suitable solution for networks with a large number of actuators and large distances, such as in tank parks, transfer and storage systems, terminals and others.
Project coordinator Luiz Alberto Drescher, from Repar's engineering management, adds that the new system reduces the operator's presence in the area and allows for a better view of the execution of maneuvers. "We started to have more agility in the intervention of the operator, we reduced the possibility of errors, the exposure of employees to risk, in addition to optimizing the entire process", says Drescher.