Case Studies

Retrofits, not brochures

Eight installations where the positioner had to survive a real process — and where the customer measured the result. Client names are used with the projects' knowledge; where confidentiality applies we describe the duty instead.

Power · 660 MW coal unit Sichuan, 2024 · 62 units

Sixty-two split-mount positioners on one unit, delivered as a package

A 660 MW unit was retrofitted with 62 split-mount positioners in a single campaign. Split mounting kept the electronics away from the hot, high-vibration areas around the boiler and ductwork, with the feedback unit remaining on the valve stem.

Why it matters: a unit-wide retrofit is a logistics and consistency test, not just a product test — one configuration, one calibration routine, one spares list.

Power · 660 MW + 1000 MW coastal units Guangdong, 2018–2020

34 positioners replacing an imported brand on air dampers — then a 1000 MW turbine side

On a 660 MW coastal unit, 34 imported positioners on air-damper service were replaced in one campaign; a second 660 MW unit followed a year later. In 2020 the same site replaced imported positioners on the turbine side of a 1000 MW unit — where the positioners were driving imported Fisher valves.

Why it matters: coastal humidity plus a large-machine retrofit. Positioners controlling another manufacturer's valves is the hardest compatibility test in this business.

Metallurgy · Coking riser control 55 units · outdoor, high temperature, heavy dust

Coking riser line: 55 positioners, three-month trial, then handover

A coking riser control line runs outdoors in radiant heat with airborne dust and oil mist. Fifty-five positioners went through a three-month trial run before acceptance and commissioning.

Why it matters: this is the environment that destroys feedback mechanisms — dust ingress, oil mist and vibration together. The trial-run approach is what we recommend for any new coking or sintering site.

Offshore · Oil platform CNOOC system · 316L stainless

Salt spray, tight spaces, no room for a positioner that corrodes

Offshore platforms in the CNOOC system use the 316L stainless series — chloride-bearing atmosphere, deck washdown, and access that makes every maintenance visit expensive.

Why it matters: offshore, the enclosure material is the reliability decision. Aluminum with a good coating is fine onshore; on a deck it is a countdown.

Offshore · CO₂ recovery Gaolan, Zhuhai · first-of-kind project

CO₂ recovered from produced gas, liquefied and returned to industry

At Gaolan port, CO₂ separated from produced gas is recovered at low temperature for industrial and food-grade use — around 200,000 tonnes per year kept out of the atmosphere. Positioners serve the cryogenic and compression circuits.

Why it matters: low-temperature duty plus a first-of-its-kind process. Custom builds to −60 °C exist for cold-climate projects; low-temperature configuration is −40 to +60 °C.

Drilling · Onshore rig CNPC Chuanqing · batch installation

A rig deck is a vibration test rig that runs 24 hours a day

Drilling sites combine intense vibration, dust and fast temperature swings with intermittent shock loads from drilling operations. Positioners on the drilling-fluid control system were installed in batch and are in continuous service.

Why it matters: nozzle-flapper construction has no fragile front-end electronics and tolerates vibration well — one of the few architecture choices that still holds up on a rig.

Nuclear sector · Uranium processing CNNC 272 · with Xi'an Guanghe valves

Nuclear fuel-cycle duty, supplied as a valve-and-positioner package

Positioners are configured onto valves from a valve maker for uranium mining, milling and fuel-cycle front-end service — an application where documentation and traceability carry as much weight as performance.

Why it matters: we work directly with valve manufacturers. If you build valves for nuclear or other audited industries, the positioner can be delivered as part of your package with the certificates already aligned.

Chemical · Chlorinated paraffin 242 units · 100,000 t/y project, 2023

242 positioners on a single 100,000 t/y chlorinated paraffin line

A greenfield chlor-alkali derivative project specified 242 positioners in one order — continuous process, aggressive atmosphere, and a plant that could not afford a commissioning delay.

Why it matters: volume projects are won on delivery certainty and configuration discipline. 128 units were delivered to a new-materials plant the same year.

New energy · Lithium cathode material Mianyang · 150,000 t/y project, 2023

When a 10 MW motor starts next to your positioner

During pre-commissioning of a lithium iron phosphate cathode plant, large motors started frequently and produced strong electromagnetic fields. Positioners had to hold their position under EMI that is not covered by a typical refinery spec.

Why it matters: the mechanical control loop passed acceptance where EMI-sensitive designs struggled — a useful reference for battery-material and semiconductor-material plants.

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