A test of the NEMA 6P Electric Actuator being submerged in a 6-foot column of water started at the Indelac facility, in Northern Kentucky. The actuator was equipped with a timer to automatically actuate the device every 90 seconds.
After several months in the water, the column of water even froze into ice over the winter but the actuator was still functioning, reaching an outstanding 101,000 cycles.
Indelac decided it was time to break off the ice and get the actuator out. The actuator was taken inside the company’s shop and its cover was removed to make sure that there was no water inside. Then the unit was plugged back on and ran it, and even after several months submerged in water, it was still working perfectly and rust free, especially considering that the heater inside the actuator was not even wired for the experiment.
Image credit: Indelac Controls, Inc.