Decentralized automation
Do you want to control your plant in a decentralised manner while achieving high product quality and productivity? Discover how Bürkert solutions can help you achieve this.
Your advantages
- Individual consultation regardless of automation concept
- Clear process monitoring and quick fault identification
- Lower operating and maintenance costs
- Fast start-up and minimised downtime
- Reduced piping and cabling expenditure saves time and money
Control your plant in a decentralised manner – for greater productivity
Whether you produce pharmaceutical substances or food and beverages: To ensure all end products have the same high quality, your plant must guarantee correct control of all media at process level. Fast switching, intelligent process valves ensure the product quality and productivity of your plant.
Your challenges
Decentralised automation combines the intelligent exchange of information with increased reliability and simple troubleshooting – thereby ensuring your plant runs reliably 24/7. Control heads used in conjunction with digital communication technologies offer an ideal platform to meet your challenges in the Industrial Internet of Things.
When is decentralised automation an option for you?
- You need a clear and flexible pneumatic control unit.
- You attach great importance to transparent processes and rapid start-up.
- In a sophisticated plant you need information on the spot.
- You produce pharmaceutical products or food and beverages.
Greater productivity thanks to intelligent control heads from Bürkert
Decentralised automation with Bürkert means: Locally controlled process valves ensure your plant functions efficiently. The intelligence is embedded in the control heads – a concept with many advantages:
- Fast switching valve systems – for rapid start-up and expansion
- Digital communication standards – for reliable operation and predictive maintenance
Control head Type 8681: Universally applicable for fast and simple automation of process valves from various manufacturers.
Decentralised control: This is how you can increase the productivity of your plant with Bürkert solutions
Built for your reliability
Your plant should run reliably and efficiently 24/7. This is ensured by Bürkert solutions with excellently designed details and safety functions.
Clever valves
Intelligent process valves minimise your risk of failure and ensure predictable maintenance. Decentralised automation technology uses a unique principle for this purpose: Control heads in the process valves communicate digitally with your control level and signal the actual status locally.
Clear overview thanks to diagnostic functions
The intelligent diagnostic function ensures you always know the status of your plant and can react quickly to any errors that may occur.
Saving costs with decentralised automation
Example calculation: To switch a pneumatic process valve, both the actuator volume and the pneumatic air hose must be pressurised. This air volume can be seen as lost energy, as it does not contribute to actuator operation at all. With a decentral automated process valve, this loss of volume is completely eliminated, since the pilot valve is located directly at the process valve actuator. In addition, a decentral automated plant also means a reduction in leakage losses. The following example calculation illustrates the savings potential that can be made with a decentral automation solution.
The facts of an exemplary plant:
- 2,000 pneumatically actuated process valves, with lines at an average of 20m per valve
- Line network* of 40 km in length in a distributed plant automation solution
- Ø 5 switching operations per hour
Compressed air leakage losses - 40 km line network Ø 5l/min/km = 105,000 m³ annually.
Losses due to dead volume - 40 km line network (hose 6/4 mm)
5 switching operations/h at 0.5 l actuator volume = 15,000 m³ annually.
120,000 m³ per year total compressed air savings potential of a decentralised automation solution
Decentralised automation put to the test
Many Bürkert customers already rely on individually controlled process valves with intelligent control heads. The following user reports provide suggestions on how you can become more productive with decentralised automation.
Duits & Lauret
Duits & Lauret is a Dutch craft beer brewery based near Utrecht.
Find out how Bürkert's experience in automation contributes to the brewery’s product quality and productivity.