Brand and performance of control valve positioners
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Valve positioners are currently available from Yaskawa, Siemens, and those produced locally in Wuzhong. Does anyone know the differences between these three types and their usage patterns? Given our current operating conditions, the precision requirements are not high. I hope experts can take a look and offer some suggestions; thank you very much!
Valve positioners are mainly divided into intelligent valve positioners and conventional valve positioners, with little difference in the functional principles of products from different manufacturers. Just like refrigerators, there are imported ones and domestic ones; those with enough money can buy imported ones, while those without much money can settle for domestic ones as well.
Wuzhong’s instruments are good; Siemens’ ones are too expensive and of average quality. I’m not familiar with Yamata
Wuzhong Instruments has a larger market share.
Cheap domestic options are mainly of the mechanical type (nozzle baffles); there are also those imitating YTK and Power-Genex from Changzhou； Wu Zhonghe, Chuanyi, ABB, Siemens, FISHER, and SAMSON all have their own positioners
Among the more high-end models are Fisher’s DVC6200 series, ABB’s V18345 series, Masoneilan’s SVI, and Siemens’ 6DR5. Others include SMC’s IP8100, YTC, Azbil, Samson, Flowserve, Mesto, and others.
The Yamaki AVP series is quite good. Although I don’t like Japanese products, unfortunately domestic alternatives aren’t up to par
If the requirement for adjustment accuracy is not very high, there is no need to use electronic positioners; mechanical ones are sufficient. Good mechanical options include those from Korean brand YTC, while domestic ones are slightly inferior, but they work just fine under normal operating conditions. For domestic options, one can choose the YT type or the HEP type, as they are cheaper after all
The main considerations are the explosion-proof requirements, whether it has features such as the HART protocol and signal feedback, and finally the price. After all, imported products are extremely expensive; especially those from FISHER – not only are they costly, but debugging also requires purchasing their handheld controllers, whose software versions must be updated regularly. Replacing the controllers is not the biggest issue; what’s important is that it affects the delivery timeline. Who knows when the software will become obsolete? The controllers from Yamatake are of Japanese origin, relatively cheaper, and easier to use for debugging. It’s all because domestic products are not up to par. Nowadays, most design firms require that positioners be of imported brands