Rotork will increase the safety of the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) International Airport in Mauritius through the supply of Skilmatic SI electro-hydraulic actuators.

The project involves installing the systems in the airport’s Joint Users Hydrant Installation (JUHI) fuel storage depot.

The Profibus-enabled, ATEX-rated failsafe Rotork actuators will replace obsolete electric actuators from another manufacturer and will be installed in critical valve areas. This will prevent potential spillages by automatically closing off the flow of fuel on receipt of an overfill alarm signal.

Skilmatic self-contained actuators have been specifically designed as a reliable solution for this type of vital dependable application. Using an integral spring mechanism to provide the most reliable means of positioning a valve to a pre-determined safe position, the actuators combine the simplicity of electrical operation with the precision of hydraulic control and the reliability of mechanical failsafe action.

Incorporating a standard intelligent control and monitoring system, SI actuators provide an ideal solution for two position or safety shutdown duties in safety instrumented systems (SIS) or precise modulating control applications.

In addition to the Profibus DP control, Rotork data logging and monitoring options provide a valve signature profile and historical record of valve torque demands. Using the Rotork non-intrusive and intrinsically safe Bluetooth® setting tool, these configuration and data logger files can be transferred from the field to a standard PC for analysis as part of the asset management programme.

The actuator installation was performed by Rotork’s South Africa office and their Mauritian agents, Electrical and Control Specialists Ltd, whose responsibilities included removing the old actuators, cabling, designing and fabricating new valve adaption, fitting the Rotork actuators, wiring-up, and commissioning.