Rotork valve actuators in ‘milestone’ Chinese water supply project

10/07/2008


Rotork valve actuators in ‘milestone’ Chinese water supply project
Rotork IQPro intelligent electric valve actuators have been specified for one of China’s largest ever water infrastructure improvement projects. 

The Dahuofang Water Supply Project consists of a 231 kilometre pipeline, one pump station, six water distribution stations and a buffer tower.  The network will take water from the high rainfall area of Dahuofang Reservoir and distribute it to six cities in the dryer and heavily industrialised areas of Liaoning Province.

Over 140 Rotork IQPro actuators with Rotork secondary gearboxes have been ordered, mostly to operate pipeline and pump station butterfly valves manufactured by German and Chinese valvemakers.  Some of the IQPro actuators are modulating versions for control valve duties at the pipeline distribution stations.  All of the Rotork actuators are Modbus-enabled to suit the digital bus control protocol selected for the extensive pipeline network.

The Dahuofang scheme is viewed as a ‘milestone’ in worldwide domestic water supply projects in terms of capacity and geographical length.  The project includes a water supply tunnel with a length of 85.3 kilometres, which will supersede the 54 kilometre Seikan Rail Tunnel in Japan as the world’s longest when completed.