Anti-Surge - Valve - ROI - REXA - 2

REXA Main Office/Factory Branch Office /Warehouse
Sales/Service/Parts/Training Sales/Service/Parts/Training
4 Manley Street 16810 Baker Springs Rd., Suite B203
W. Bridgewater, MA 02379 Houston, TX 77084
(P) 508.584.1199 (P) 281.395.1400
(F)508.584.2525 (F) 281.395.1410

Anti‐Surge Valve Actuation – REXA Electraulic

If you experience any of the following symptoms, REXA could greatly improve your operational
stability, efficiency and production:

 Compressor surge due to slow and unreliable response from your final control element
 Constant re‐cycling or process clamps to counter process instability caused by your final
control element overshoot or hunting
 Difficulty troubleshooting and/or maintaining your actuator because of accessories and
outdated technology
 Large safety margin between your surge limit line (SLL) and surge control line (SCL),
leading to recycling on a more regular basis – due to the inherent limitations of existing
actuation technology and/or poor tuning

REXA can provide insight into your existing process, assess your issues and make recommendations
on the best way to improve your final control element performance. A site visit will be scheduled.
The following Information is Required from the end‐user:

 PID (Piping Instrumentation Diagram)
 Valve and Actuator Datasheet
 Final Control Element Trends (command signal vs final control element feedback)
Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

(P) 508.584.1199 (P) 281.395.1400
(F)508.584.2525 (F) 281.395.1410
 Process trends and compressor mapping
 Previous optimization studies if applicable
 Complete history of maintenance and problem description

REXA Electraulic™ actuators and drives are industrial grade, microprocessor based, self‐contained
units. Our patented and highly customizable platform allows us to offer a final control element
which requires almost no periodic maintenance. At the same time, it provides uncompromising
market leading performance which is designed to ensure that your anti‐surge loop will function to
its full potential over a long period of time with minimal maintenance input.

Our solution is custom engineered based on the specifics of the problem and the details of the
installation.

Typical improvements which may be expected:

 Eliminate compressor surge which is caused by poor operation of your final control
eliminate
 Improve compressor efficiency by reducing or even removing process clamps
 Eliminate periodic maintenance and ensure easy troubleshooting of your final control
element
 Improve process stability and extend valve trim life
 Market leading control performance which is an order of magnitude better than
pneumatic actuation – leading to increased safety and reduced margin between SLL and
SCL.
 Savings which may be as high as $300,000 per final control element annually or more…

We trust that the following details and description of our REXA product and its worry‐free
performance and operation will completely satisfy all your requirements and needs.
You can … RELY ON REXA.


(P) 508.584.1199 (P) 281.395.1400
(F)508.584.2525 (F) 281.395.1410

1. Installation considerations:
The REXA actuator will be capable to be installed directly in place of the existing actuator.
Mounting hardware and split‐clamp will be custom designed and fabricated to fit onto the
existing control valve without valve modification.
The complete actuator package from REXA is offered as ATEX Zone 2 or 1 certified. The REXA
actuation system consists of 2 main components:
Figure 1: REXA Electraulic System

(P) 508.584.1199 (P) 281.395.1400
(F)508.584.2525 (F) 281.395.1410
These are the mechanical sub‐assembly which is mounted on the valve, and the electrical
sub‐assembly which is remotely mounted a short distance away from the valve and actuator.
The REXA electronics are rated for – 40 degrees C to + 55 degrees C ambient temperatures.
The reason REXA separates the electrical sub assembly from the mechanical sub assembly is
to avoid the typical pipe/valve vibration issues and to place the ESA away from high
temperature applications.
The actuator is rated for ‐40 degrees C to + 121 degrees C and can withstand severe
vibration and high operating temperatures due to process conditions.
2. Performance and Reliability:

REXA has a track record dating back to 1991 and extensive experience providing retrofit
solutions for anti‐surge valve applications. A comparison of REXA’s performance vs the
required minimum standards (testing conducted by CCC) is shown on the next page.


(P) 508.584.1199 (P) 281.395.1400
(F)508.584.2525 (F) 281.395.1410

REXA’s Electraulic actuator can deliver performance which is an order of magnitude better
than well‐tuned pneumatic actuators.

Practically this level of performance translates into very significant operational benefits
especially compressor efficiency improvements.

The existing pneumatic actuator which is installed is capable to provide fast opening and
closing speeds, HOWEVER accuracy is lost when installing boosters, especially multiple

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boosters. Practically, the pneumatic actuator is not capable to make small set‐point changes
and may be making minimum step changes of 15% or greater.

“Although the anti‐surge control system installed is designed to provide maximum benefit
and operational performance, the existing final control element is simply not capable to
provide the positioning accuracy and performance to fully utilize the performance of the
anti‐surge controller” ‐ ADNOC HOD

Very often, a permanent clamp of between 5% and 15% is present in the control system to
deal with the poor resolution and accuracy of the final control element. The clamp helps to
prevent the anti‐surge valve from shooting open and causing process instability or damaging
the valve trim upon closing during SMALL process fluctuations. However, there is a penalty
to pay for the clamp.

It has been shown in ADNOC, that reducing a control clamp of the anti‐surge valve by
between 5% and 10% can result in an energy savings of $300,000 per year.

REXA’s actuator will be capable to provide exceptional control performance which will be
integral to achieving this level of performance improvement.

It can be expected to save in the region of $300,000 per year by installing
REXA and improving the performance of the final control element to reduce
or eliminate anti‐surge valve clamps.

3. Maintenance Considerations:
The REXA actuator offered is capable to be operated without any periodic maintenance of
the Electraulic™ system. REXA uses a patented, self‐contained Electraulic Power Module
which. There are no filters, oil supply or oil maintenance required. Therefore, the condition
and performance of the actuator is preserved over an indefinite period without any

(P) 508.584.1199 (P) 281.395.1400
(F)508.584.2525 (F) 281.395.1410
maintenance requirements subject to hydraulic oil condition or instrument air
moisture/contamination.
REXA Electraulic actuators include advanced asset management features (stats recording,
error codes etc.) and troubleshooting features which allow for effective planned
maintenance and easy troubleshooting.
The REXA actuator seals are expected to last in the region of 15 years or 2 million cycles ‐
whichever comes first. After this interval the seals will need to be replaced at a nominal
cost. The cost of the seals split over 15 years reduces to a “yearly” maintenance cost is $133.
In comparison, a pneumatic actuator may require regular maintenance of the positioner,
SOV, boosters, seals and accessories. The actuator is typically rated for a stroke life of
between 30,000 and 50,000 full cycles. Depending on the manufacturer’s spares pricing
(assume $25,000 for complete spares kit and labour for overhaul), quality of instrument air
and adherence to OEM maintenance intervals (assume 6‐year maintenance turn‐around on
the actuator and accessories) a yearly maintenance cost of $4,166 can be calculated.
The I/P positioner of the pneumatic actuator is typically sensitive to the quality of
instrument air and valve vibration. High failure rates of positioners, boosters and other
accessories can be experienced
REXA will therefore save $4,033 per year in maintenance cost.
A comparison of REXA vs pneumatic actuators is shown on the next page for reference

(P) 508.584.1199 (P) 281.395.1400
(F)508.584.2525 (F) 281.395.1410
Feature Pneumatic REXA Electraulic
Fundamental Requirements A clean air supply must be constantly available. Electrical supply must be available at rated capacity. 230V 1 phase

Humidity or dirt in the instrument air will impede supply required. Closed loop, sealed system.
the level of reliability and performance
Maintenance Requirements in Harsh Environment Actuator regulators, boosters, positioners and Visual inspection required every 3 ‐6 months. Actuator has seal

other accessories will require regular lifetime of 2 million strokes, 20 million dither cycles or 15 years –
maintenance. Soft seals will need to be replaced whichever comes first. No other maintenance required
every +‐ 50,000 strokes depending on design
Commissioning considerations (apart from instrument Air supply pipework & infrastructure Electrical cable to supply power to the actuator

signals)
Resolution 15% of span under load. Due to Compressibility of 0.1% under load
Air and high number of boosters installed
Dead Time (response to change in signal) 1 second 50 – 100 milliseconds

Actuator Speed Very Fast ‐ Unstable Fast ‐ Stable
Duty Cycle Unlimited – 100% Unlimited – 100%

Fail safe options Open In place, open or closed
Temperature Good in high temp. Poor in low temperature due Good. Actuator is optionally rated up to 121 degrees C Electronics
to icing are separately mounted, up to 55 degrees C ambient. Down to – 40
degrees C.
Stiffness Very Poor (due to compressibility of air) Excellent
Cost Lower initial Purchase price ($X) Higher initial Purchase ($2X)
High cost of ownership considering air Very low cost of ownership ‐ no regular maintenance is required in
compressor system and maintenance of 15‐year intervals. Yearly maintenance cost equal to $133.
accessories/seals $4,166 per year.

(P) 508.584.1199 (P) 281.395.1400
(F)508.584.2525 (F) 281.395.1410
4. Power Requirements: The proposed REXA actuator will require a 230V, 1 ‐ 3 phase AC
supply rated for between 2.5 KVA – 15 KVA. The power supply must be available at the site
of the REXA electrical control enclosure. Exact consumption depends on the size of valve and
stroke length.
5. Integration with control system:

INPUTS Description Details Notes
1. 20 ‐ 4 mA Analog Analog control signal input from 20 ‐ 4 mA input signal
input signal Anti‐surge controller to position Mandatory INPUT to position the
actuator/valve actuator
2. TRIP Input Trip signal to initiate rapid response Min. rating 24 ‐ 120 Input to trip the actuator open
to have the actuator move to the VAC/VDC 10mA (actuator will trip open when
open position signal is REMOVED or ACTIVE)
OUTPUTS
1. 20 ‐ 4 mA position Actuator Position Feedback signal 20 ‐ 4 mA output May be loop powered (24VDC
feedback signal supplied from DCS) or active
2. Alarm Relay Normally energized. Activated when 24 to 120 VAC/VDC Available in REXA Electrical
the actuator has a malfunction which 1.0 Amp Control Enclosure
prevents it from functioning as
required.
3. Not in Auto Normally energized. When the 24 to 120 VAC/VDC Available in REXA Electrical
actuator is changed from Auto mode 1.0 Amp Control Enclosure
to either SETUP or LOCAL MANUAL,
this relay opens
4. OPEN limit Open limit when actuator reaches 24 to 120 VAC/VDC Soft limit (mechanical switches
open position 1.0 Amp available as option)
5. CLOSED limit Closed limit when actuator reaches 24 to 120 VAC/VDC Soft limit (mechanical switches
closed position 1.0 Amp available as option)

A wide range of options are available for control signal integration. Upon loss of control
signal the actuator will move to the open position but may also be configured to fail in the
last position.

(P) 508.584.1199 (P) 281.395.1400
(F)508.584.2525 (F) 281.395.1410
The actuator may also be moved to any position in local manual mode using the control
enclosure mounted in the field via the pushbutton HMI. A “Not in Auto” contact is available
to alert operators that the actuator is in this condition.

6. Mechanical Override:
The actuator is supplied with a handpump or handwheel which enables the operator to be
moved manually in either direction upon loss of power or malfunction. The manual override
is disengaged during normal operation.

7. Spares:
REXA will undertake to provide spares for this model of actuator for at least 25 years from
date of installation. Usually OEM’s will provide support for up to 15 years from date of
product release, which translates into 10 – 12 years of practical support.

If the pneumatic upgrade costs $30,000 today, an upgrade with cost escalation of 2.5% per
year (due to inflation and manufacturer price increase) will cost $40,347 in 2030.

It can safely be expected that REXA will save at least one product lifecycle
upgrade which is a saving of $3,362 per year in today’s dollars.

8. Summary on Cost Saving

Taking all the above factors into account, REXA can save in the
region of $307,400 per year in this application. This is a ROI of less
than 6 months in most cases.


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REXA Main Office/Factory Branch Office /Warehouse

Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

Feature Pneumatic REXA Electraulic

Fundamental Requirements A clean air supply must be constantly available. Electrical supply must be available at rated capacity. 230V 1 phase

Maintenance Requirements in Harsh Environment Actuator regulators, boosters, positioners and Visual inspection required every 3 ‐6 months. Actuator has seal

Commissioning considerations (apart from instrument Air supply pipework & infrastructure Electrical cable to supply power to the actuator

Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

Rotary & Linear Actuators ■ Drives ■ Xpac ■ Mpac ■ MEGApac

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