Safe control of power is not just limited to electrical systems; fluid powered machinery has to be designed to the same requirements.
For the highest levels of risk, pneumatic and hydraulic systems require the same dual channel architecture and high diagnostic coverage as an electrical system does to achieve functional safety up to Category 4, SIL 3 or PLe.
Teksal Safety is a distributor for Fortress Fluidsentry monitored pneumatic and hydraulic safety valves.
What can go wrong with hydraulics and pneumatics?
Fluid power through hydraulics and pneumatics is a reliable and highly accurate method to apply, move and remove loads. However, as with all systems, there is some level of risk, as fluid power holds a load in the transition between motions; the primary motion to apply the load and the secondary motion to remove that load.
If hydraulic and pneumatic pressure is lost during this transition, failure modes can cause unexpected and unpredictable motion, and if operators are nearby, serious injury.
The most common causes of failure in pneumatic and hydraulic systems are:
- Hydraulic fluid or internal wear generated contamination
- General abrasion
- Heat aging
- Moisture and condensation
- Poor lubrication
How can unpredictable and unexpected motion be prevented with safety valve technology?
- Safety Redundancy
- Retrofittable
- Robust & Durable
- Servicable
Highest level of fluid power safety
Fortress Fluidsentry offers a range of market-leading, safe pneumatic and hydraulic isolation products designed for Category 4 Performance Level e applications.
Mechanical bias to fail-safe
The Fortress Fluidsentry range is designed with redundancy in mind for every component.
Maximise efficiency with operation zoning
The fluid power for hydraulic and pneumatic energy often comes from one supply line.
Isolating the entire supply unnecessarily can be expensive and inefficient.
Safety valves can be used to zone supply lines via a control system to vent and exhaust downstream pressure to the local area surrounding the hazard.
Localised isolation maximises productivity while one zone is ‘out of action’ to minimise downtime.
Cross-linked series-ported manifold
- Designed with redundancy on every component
- Fortress Fluidsentry products use patented technology to ensure pressure is safely exhausted and vented through redundant means in cases where an exhaust channel is blocked
- Manifold within all Cat 4 PLe valves have a series-ported cross-linked manifold to provide additional surety
VIDEO: watch Fortress Fluidsentry in action
Fluidsentry systems can be retrofitted into hydraulic- and pneumatic-based systems to enable the highest level of safety function to Cat. 4, SIL 3, PLe.
Watch the Fortress Fluidesentry animation to learn more about the dangers of fluid power and how it mitigates them.
For more information about any of these products, email sales@teksal.com.au or call 1300 TEKSAL.
