Actuators are equipment that can be mechanical or electro-mechanical that provides positioning to operate electrically or manually. Other things such as air and hydraulic, etc. also play a role.
There are linear actuators and rotary actuators. The former leads to the energy conversion in the form of straight-line motions and is controlled using push and pull function. The linear actuators that are operated manually use a rotating knob or handwheel. Rotary actuators convert energy to create a rotating movement.
Every actuator has a specific role and can be of a different type. Their configurations, size, styles, and application may vary. There are many manufacturers and distributors of actuators, and you can procure the actuator you want from them for your project. There are more than 500,000 manufacturers and suppliers of actuators in the U.S alone. There are many top actuator companies worldwide. You can find one after searching the internet.
Motor Operated Valve actuator or MOV is used intensely in many piping systems. They are large and are used for various applications. Motor Operated Valves are also called as On-Off valves, because the motors can fully open or fully close the valves such as cooling water lines, process pipelines, etc. In these pipelines, there is no need to control the fluid, just a fully open and fully stop motor-operated valves are needed for the fluid flow.
There are various types of motor-operated valves such as Gate motor-operated valves, ball motor-operated valves, butterfly motor-operated valves, and many more. There are various designs of motors valves too. The valve has an electric motor which is fixed on the valve stem. The valve opens and closes when the motor operates. The motor-operated valve with actuator control is also required at times.
There are many benefits and uses of MOV, especially when the frequent operation is needed and when the valves are positioned in a remote and dangerous area.
Motor operated valves are used generally for fully opening and closing the applications. But many times, they are used in control as well. Control valves also need actuators to run, and they are called control valve actuators. To operate a control valve, one needs to position the movable part, which can be the plug, a ball, or vane to the valve seat. The valve actuator helps to find the valve plug as determined by the control signal.
The actuator receives the control system signal and then moves the valve to open and close in a controlled manner. There are many methods of actuation. The main ones include Pneumatic, Hydraulic, and Electric. Most commonly used are Pneumatic actuators and are available as piston actuators and diaphragm actuators.