Intelligent electric actuators provide flow control at South Korean chemical plant

07/04/2022

Over a 100 multi-turn and part-turn intelligent electric actuators have been installed at a new petrochemical site in Daesan, South Korea. The IQ actuators will provide flow control at the plant which produces ethylene, polyethylene and propylene.

The project is a joint one between Hyundai Oilbank and Lotte Chemical. It is found 50 miles southwest of the South Korean capital Seoul. The new facility will produce 750,000 tons of ethylene, 750,000 tonnes of polyethylene and 400,000 tons of propylene per year. These chemicals are widely used to make plastic and synthetic rubber which in turn make automotive parts and other industrial materials such as packaging and pipes. The actuators have been installed in the cracking units in the plant to control the flow of the oil that is the feedstock at the heart of the production process. They operate ball, gate, globe and butterfly valves.

The customer was impressed by other similar Rotork projects within South Korea and there are more than 500 A-range and IQ actuators in an existing plant they own. Stability of operation and local service capability on those projects led to them choosing Rotork for this critical petrochemical site. The customer also highlighted that choosing these actuators resulted in reduced cable, installation and commissioning cost.

The Rotork Master Station provides a local centre for monitoring and controlling flow control assets. It is a control interface for Pakscan network loops, capable of operating up to 240 actuators across three separate field networks. The actuators will be linked by Rotork’s leading Pakscan™ network bus system and connected via a Rotork Master Station installed in the control room, operating two independent loops.