Chapter Ten - Subsea actuators

Abstract

An actuator is a machine or component installed on the top of an industrial valve to automatically or remotely move and control the operation of the valve. The quality of a valve depends on many parameters, such as material selection, mechanical strength, quality control, machining, etc., whereas the performance of a valve is largely dependent on the actuator. Three types of actuators—hydraulic, pneumatic, and electrical—are used for industrial valves in various sectors of the oil and gas industry, such as offshore (topside) as well as onshore refineries and petrochemical plants. Hydraulic and electrical actuators are applicable for subsea valves. This chapter includes different types of actuators, pressure and temperature classes, ROV override capability, and design for the actuators. All electrical actuators are the future of subsea due to different advantages such as health, safety and environmentally friendly design, reliability, flexibility, low cost, etc.