• SPECIAL TOPIC: MAINTENANCE & MATERIALS •
Adaptive Tuning: Expanding
In an interview with Neil Shah and Naas DeJager from ABB, they address how adaptive tuning in digital valve positioners reduces wear, cuts maintenance, and improves process efficiency.
• By Lyndsey Denton-Fray, Valve World
As control valves move continuously to regulate process flow based on system demand, maintenance at some point is inevitable. However, what if there were a way to reduce maintenance time?
“ Maintenance routines for control valves may be reactive, proactive, or predictive, depending mainly on the user’ s approach to maintenance,” explains DeJager.“ It takes more than just maintenance and regular diagnostics to extend the lifetime of control valves. Our objective is to create a digital positioner that can increase the longevity of the entire control valve assembly, to lower costs and maintenance time for our customers.”
Understanding the specific reasons behind valve maintenance is critical— particularly when it comes to issues like gland packing, which is a common point of concern.
“ To modulate a control valve during operation, the control system sends a signal to the valve positioner, which adjusts the valve accordingly,” explains DeJager.“ However, problems arise when the valve oscillates for unintended reasons, leading to accelerated wear of the gland packing. This wear ultimately necessitates maintenance.”
“ Degradation of the gland packing doesn’ t just lead to mechanical issues,” adds Shah.“ It can also result in fugitive emissions, which pose both safety and compliance risks. Minimizing unnecessary valve movement is therefore key to reducing wear and prolonging system integrity.”
What Can be Done About it? DeJager:“ The industry is moving from analogue to digital positioners because they offer a lot of advantages. For instance, they can do diagnostics and calibrate the valve assembly. The key questions are: what else can the digital positioner do apart from just controlling the valve? Is the technology
Maintenance routines for control valves may be reactive, proactive or predictive, depending mainly on the user’ s approach.- Naas DeJager
26 Valve World Americas | October 2025 | www. valve-world-americas. com