Size Matters: Control Valve Sizing 101

When control valve professionals talk about "control valve sizing," they really mean the entire process of selecting the valve that will do the best job of controlling the process. Selecting the right size valve is an important part of the process, but there are other equally important considerations as well.

Valve Industry Education: Are You Prepared for the Great Brain Drain?

If you’re a part of the valve industry, you likely are aware of the huge need for valve education and training.

While baby-boomers may have put off retirement for a few more years – thanks to the recent great recession – our industry is on the verge of losing its most valuable players, those experienced and knowledgeable professionals who have spent decades working in our industry. To replace this great brain drain, educating newcomers to the industry must be a top priority for companies that make, use and specify valves, actuators and controls.

Valve World Americas: PST Workshop Raises More Questions than Answers

A number of interesting and informative sessions took place at the recent Valve World Americas, held June 21-22 in The Woodlands, TX. We begin an online series highlighting some of the sessions attended by Valve Magazine.

Henk Hinssen, of iHandl Engineering in Belgium, moderated a workshop on “The Good, the Bad and The Ugly of Partial Stroking.” The purpose was to provide a forum for better understanding of the history, purpose and limitations of partial stroke testing (PST). Hinssen was joined by these panelists:

Valve Triage and Repair: When Water, Water is Everywhere

It’s a fact of life that no matter how well we plot and plan, something can happen to upset those plans. From small events, such as equipment or power failures or leaks and spills to bigger events such as strikes from Mother Nature—there is no way to predict when a catastrophe might occur. However, there are many ways to recover, and part of that recovery process involves finding, evaluating and either repairing or replacing valves.

Emerson Users Exchange Recap

The new Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, located just outside Washington DC, hosted the 2008 Emerson Users Exchange, which ended earlier today. Emerson personnel, members of the media and, of course, the users themselves, arrived Sunday night for a week's worth of speeches, workshops, demonstrations and invaluable networking.

Two-Year Colleges Can Help Meet Recruitment Needs

Valve manufacturers and distributors are scrambling to find young workers who will be the next generation of engineers and managers. While the competition to recruit from four-year colleges is tough, some observers maintain that a supply of talented employees is closer than most companies realize: associate-degree technicians.

These graduates of two-year technical colleges don’t have the engineering background of their four-year-college counterparts, but have been trained in areas that are application oriented and are capable of moving into entry-level positions and, importantly, advancing with on-the-job training and additional coursework.