VERSA Blog

Versa understands the importance of getting the right product, on-time to our customers.   We are proud of the fact that we assemble-to-order and ship over 90% of our orders in less than 10 days in February and every month going back for many years!

In the earliest days of solenoid-controlled valves, the power requirements for solenoid coils were extremely high. As a result, automating process valves was very limited in practice. In addition, plenty of consideration had to be given to specific challenges such as heat, large gauge wiring, and consistent power supply. 

Solenoid power consumption isn’t nearly as demanding in today’s world since high wattage is only 5 – 10 watts. However, the scale of valve automation has grown to a point where even the modern coil’s standard power requirements can limit real-world applications.

Reliability in an emergency shutdown (ESD) system is paramount. Until now, there has not been a rational solution to cycle an ESD solenoid equipped with a Latching Manual Reset during a partial valve stroke test (PVST).

During this procedure, once the ESD is de-energized, the solenoid latches and will not reset on a signal due to the manual reset function. In most instances, a bypass circuit is created to PVST the process valve, which bypasses the ESD Latching Manual Reset Solenoid Valve. This test does not cycle and test the critical ESD solenoid valve.

Although good Industrial practices always demand the use of filtered, clean, air to ensure a longer life for the internals, often no consideration is given to environmental ingress into the valves.

We find that many valves are installed with limited to no protection on the exhaust ports and the solenoid operators.

When valves are open to the environment, there is a risk of ingress from the weather, airborne contamination, dust, sand, dirt, and insects. Over time this can shorten the life of the valve and impede the top performance you expect.

When specifying a solenoid to operate in freezing weather, it's critical to identify the basic application needs and address the environmental conditions to ensure reliable operation. In an ideal world, a solenoid experiences a clean and dry media, proper installation, protection from adverse environmental concerns, and periodic cycling to “exercise” the solenoid. Of course, ideal conditions are often not possible in the real world.

Versa Products is excited to announce a valve option for testing solenoid valve control circuits in applications where closing down or “shutting in” the system is not an option. With Versa’s stainless steel bypass valves, users can test or replace a component within the circuit without shutting down the main system.

VersaSelect is now available as an online tool to help you identify the right Versa products based on your specifications, compare similar products, access product documentation, and buy online. This tool is designed to help you easily specify, vet, and select valves and accessories to get you up and running quickly.

The C9 NAMUR  valve is a ½” NPT ported NAMUR-configured valve designed to provide higher flow to larger rack and pinion actuators. This solenoid pilot operated valve is available as single or double solenoid 2-position or 3-position valve. A complete selection of electrical connections, area classifications, and power requirements makes the most exacting and demanding specifications easy to satisfy.

Download any certificate you need

Actuator solenoids are certified by multiple standards and notified bodies worldwide, including ATEX, CSA®, FM™, IECEx, Inmetro (Brazil), KC (Korea), PESO (India), TR-CU (Russia), TS (Taiwan), and UL® in order to ensure worker and public safety, for example, when dealing with hazardous materials, environments or emergency shut down situations. These organizations are legislatively empowered in particular countries or regional jurisdictions to define product performance standards that must be met or exceeded in order to be legally certified for use in most applications.

If ever there is a time when a system absolutely cannot fail, it’s your emergency shut down safety system during an event. These systems are critical to minimizing the impact of potentially disastrous situations such as fire, process irregularities, or storms.

The solenoid valve, frequently taken for granted as a commodity, is actually an essential component in the Emergency Shut Down system. How the solenoids function can mean the difference between a successful emergency shut down or failure. Failure can result in loss of life, an environmental catastrophe, and/or significant financial loss for your organization.