In the chemical industry K Controls products are predominately used to accurately monitor or control the position of on/off valves.  

Sectors of the industry where the products are used include refineries, organic and inorganic basic chemicals, petrochemicals, petrochemical derivatives, solvents, polymers, resins, dyes, pigments, paints, detergents, adhesives, agrochemicals and synthetic fibres. Valve monitoring and control has to be accurate and reliable in order to ensure consistent standards of product quality. 

Plants are generally large and processes are usually continuous. Hazards include corrosive materials, explosive gasses and combustible dusts. On occasions plants can be located in regions that experience high or low ambient temperatures. 

For these reasons K controls products are often supplied with Exi, Exed or Exd certification, to the very latest standards, for use in hazardous gas and dust Zones 1,2, 21 and 22.

Valves can be located outdoors so enclosures are rated IP66 or IP67. When there is a corrosive atmosphere present enclosures can be supplied in stainless steel. 

K Controls K4-20 position transmitters can be used to monitor the performance of emergency shut-down (ESD) valves during partial stroke testing. 

Solenoid valves are sometimes located in remotely sited panels but this can lead to problems with valve identification and lags in actuator response times. K Controls combines one or more pilot solenoid valves for actuator control with the position switches in the same compact enclosure local to each actuator. The result is the 007C Control Monitor. Envelope dimensions of the 007C and actuator assembly remain the same, the solenoid is protected from the environment and if solenoid manual override is specified it is “tamperproof” because it can only be accessed by deliberately removing the cover. 

Exi switches can be mechanical or “Namur” proximity, depending on the type of safety interface being used. Solenoid function can be 3/2 single acting, 5/2 double acting or 5/2 double acting stay put. Low powered solenoid valves are available for use with virtually all remote I/O systems or field bus valve couplers. 

The K44 “Checktite” swing check valve is widely used in the chemical industry. It has a very low cracking pressure and pressure drop and is available with the same range of end connections, seats and seals as three piece ball valves.

A reference list of K Controls chemical industry clients is available on request.