Burkert Fluid Control Systems

Burkert has provided a complete process control system, including level and flow monitoring, fluid control and process actuation, for a new Moulding Station and Effluent Treatment plant, installed at Mersen’s new production facility at Eurocentral in Scotland. The Burkert control system is integral to the new moulding and treatment facilities, automating what was previously a manual manufacturing process, to improve its quality, yield and output volume.

Burkert is maximising its ability to provide process solutions in key markets, such as pharmaceutical, oil and gas, food and beverage and semi-conductors, with the appointment of Fluid Controls - a specialist in these sectors, as its distributor for the South East of England.

Scaling, fouling and oxidation are the natural enemies of reverse osmosis (RO) systems in water processing units—especially in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Proper process monitoring and control of critical parameters, such as pH, ORP, conductivity, flow, temperature and differential pressure can provide advanced warning and protection of a scaling, fouling or chemically attacked RO element. If these early warnings are ignored, the membrane may be damaged beyond the point that chemical cleaning can restore the system back to its original operating efficiency.

With the development of practical solutions that integrate automation functions into the pneumatic actuators of process valves, decentralised automation systems have become a real alternative to control cabinet systems in many process sectors. Food and beverage producers, as well as companies in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors are now in a position to reconcile the commercial necessity of a high degree of automation of their production with the requirements of hygiene and safety. Thanks to their modular structure, systems based on intelligent process valves can be adapted to suit many situations and applications, whereby such optimised solutions are always based on high-quality, tried and tested components with a long service life.

The monitoring of the pH of liquid media in high- end hygienic processes - in biotechnology, pharmaceutical and food processing - ensures not only that legal requirements are met, but also that quality standards are maintained, reducing cost and ensuring optimum levels of yield.

Bürkert Fluid Control Systems has partnered with Green Fuels Ltd., the World’s leading biodiesel equipment manufacturer, providing a complete package of ATEX- rated valves, flow sensors, level switches, positioner systems and conductivity and flow meters, for Green Fuels’ latest Fuelmatic system. Designed to produce up to 20,000 litres per day of the highest quality biodiesel, the fully automated Fuelmatic is skid- mounted for ease of shipping and installation. It is attracting worldwide interest, with the 20th Fuelmatic currently being commissioned Mexico.

Burkert’s ex-proof AirLINE Ex 8650 system, working in conjunction with modules from the intrinsically safe Siemens SIMATIC ET 200iSPTM system, has provided the ideal solution in a recent North Sea project for Jiskoot an internationally recognised manufacturer and supplier of Zone 1 control, sampling and blending systems to the oil and gas industry.

The cost-down pressures inherent in all process industries mean that plant operators are consistently required to improve efficiency, at the same time as ensuring repeatable product quality. In pursuit of efficiency, companies are prepared to invest heavily in new plant and equipment. However, in many cases, real savings and efficiency improvements can be achieved relatively simply and at low cost by focussing on cutting energy usage.

By using configurable, modular control systems with operator-specific software, users of spot welding robot systems can acquire intelligent tailor-made cooling systems that guarantee zero leakage in their production environment as a result of loss or replacement of electrode tips. Such modular systems, consisting of compact devices with integrated sensor equipment, valves and controllers, can be individually configured to provide optimised cooling solutions for specific applications and operator requirements. Moreover, in contrast to conventional solutions consisting of products from various manufacturers, integrated solutions are much more compact in size and their components are specially chosen for optimised interoperability.

Burkert’s innovative Type 6650 3/2 isolation valve uses patented flipper technology to set a new benchmark for miniature solenoid valves employed in clinical, life-science, analytical and fluid handling equipment. Suitable for use on vacuum, at up to 7-bar, and providing medium isolation for aggressive fluids, the direct-acting Type 6650 - at just 4.5mm wide - is a significant step towards miniaturisation, while outperforming comparable 10mm and 16mm designs.

The integration of sensor, control electronics and proportional valves into a single compact device enables Burkert’s new Liquid Flow Controller (LFC) to provide fast and accurate measurement and dosage of small volumes of liquids with nominal flow rates of 10 – 600 ml/min (0.6 to 36 l/h) with a 1:10. measuring span.

The intelligent combination of high-performance flow-rate measurements and a highly precise proportional valve turns Bürkert´s Liquid Flow Controller into a perfect solution for a large number of industrial applications. The integration of sensor, control electronics and proportional valves into a single compact device make the Liquid Flow Controller ideally suited for applications requiring the fully-automatic metered dosing of small amounts of liquids.

Burkert’s new 8792/8793 SideControl units are versatile, robust and easy- to- use positioners/process controllers designed for flexible mounting onto linear and rotary actuators, (according to IEC534-6/VDI/VDE 3845 Namur), and also Burkert process valves. The SideControllers offer excellent control accuracy and outstanding dynamic properties in positioning and decentralised process control tasks; they are suitable for a wide range of applications in sectors such as Hygienic Processing, Water treatment, Steam and Gas Handling, typically in the control of auxiliary processes -water, steam, air, heating and cooling.

Burkert’s 8804 ATEX- rated electrically actuated ball valves are providing the safe shut off of heating oil and diesel fuels at multiple depots operated by one of the UK’s largest fuel distributors. The valves are employed by flow and level measuring specialists, Severn Instruments, as part of the company’s tank overfill protection alarm system (TOPAS). The TOPAS system is critical to safe and efficient operation at fuel depots, as fuel spillages are potentially hazardous and cost around £1,000 per litre to clean up.

Burkert has supplied a Robolux valve system on a machine that fills asthma inhaler cartridges for a multinational pharmaceutical company. The unique Robolux design has enabled Burkert to reduce the costs of the system drastically, by cutting the valve requirement from eight diaphragm valves down to four. In addition, because Burkert’s integrated design has only one block – compared to two for competitors - there are fewer weld connections for the customer to make, reducing installation time and validation costs; and the integrated design also means that internal volumes are smaller, eliminating deadlegs and maximising sterility.

Isolated miniature solenoid valves (IMSV) that provide maximum power from a minimum sized envelope are the current demand of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the field of laboratory and analysis technology, and also medical engineering. In clinical diagnostics, flow-rate and reliability are essential, while cleanliness is given top priority. In automated analytics, standard procedures such as titration, defined sampling and the precise dosage of reagents, based on integrated fluid control systems, require pinpoint precision and repeatability. In addition, manufacturers and users, when opting for a certain type of IMSV, also consider cost, wetted material type, cleanability, dosage capacity and flushing characteristics of the valve.

Burkert’s Robolux valves have eliminated deadlegs and reduced the requirement for diaphragm valves from 8 to 2 on sterile filling units used in the production of Pulmicort, one of the world's leading asthma medicines. The Robolux valves have also greatly simplified the design of the filling units, cutting cycle times and making maintenance and cleaning procedures far easier to carry out.

Buck Systems, part of GEA Pharma Systems based in Birmingham UK is using Burkert to sub-contract supply pneumatic control systems for it’s leading edge powder processing plant equipment used in one of the world’s largest and most advanced tablet manufacturing plants in the Far East.

The ultra-fine control, accuracy and repeatability provided by Burkert’s CMOSens mass flow controller technology (MFC) has been instrumental in enabling Plasma Surgical to develop PlasmaJet, the first and only true plasma surgery system for surgical cutting and coagulation.

Bürkert and BBS-Systems AG of Switzerland have formed an alliance that offers combined competence and a single source for specific system solutions in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical- and food market sectors. The alliance provides a unique synergy of Burkert’s valve, sensor, process control, hazardous area and specialist products with BBS’s sterile range of ancillary piping, flanges, connectors, indicators, sampling systems and vessel equipment.