Fountain control saves space, energy and money

Burkert globe valves equipped with TopControl positioners are providing precise control of water height on a prestigious new water feature currently being commissioned in the centre of Copenhagen. Supplied by a Burkert premier partner, Fine Controls, the valves control 40 individual vertical water jets, with each valve receiving a position signal from a central PLC so as to control the height of the water jets in time to music.

Gareth Hall of Fine Controls states: "The system that we have supplied, based upon Burkert globe valves with integrated Type 8630 positioners, is far more cost-effective than one based upon pump control. In addition, the Burkert solution consumes less space and, with 24V DC actuation, is far more energy-efficient."

A highly regarded systems designer and builder, Fine Controls specified and sized the integrated Burkert valve units, and then supplied samples for tests, which proved entirely successful. Hall comments: "This was all in a day's work for us. With our extensive product range we are regularly requested to provide advice on how best to integrate specific products into small and medium-sized systems. Many of our customers are happy to let us take it further, involving us in designing, building and commissioning bespoke systems for use across all industry sectors."

Fountain experience

Fine Controls has also recently supplied the same Burkert system for two other fountain projects, one in Luton Town Centre and the other in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The high-quality water feature at the V&A is within the external garden courtyard of the museum in South Kensington. The feature has an unusual elliptical form, and has a number of operational modes that can be selected by the client dependent upon the usage of the space.

The TopControl 8630 combined with Burket globe valves provides an excellent combination for these projects, not least because of its reliability, precision and ability to interface easily with PLC systems and Profibus networks. The Type 8630 is an electro-pneumatic positioner that is designed for use with pneumatically-actuated control valves - piston, globe, ball or butterfly types. With its numerous software functions, the TopControl Type 8630 may be used as a process controller with PID characteristics, a servo controller for process valves, or as a straightforward pneumatic positioner, with either single- or double-acting actuators.

Contact Burkert for more information about its valves and Type 8630 TopControl positioners, or use the form on this page.