This year Siemens has introduced new functionalities to its SIPART PS2 Valve Positioner. It now has several new qualities including a Fail-in-Place (FIP) feature that causes the valve to remain in the last position when it loses power and not revert back to zero, which is what usually happens with standard valve positioners. This feature is particularly useful in damper control applications, but can also be beneficial for critical process control valves.
The SIPART PS2 Valve Positioner also has new diagnostic features and control improvements via the HART Communication protocol update. The key feature in this update is a Valve Performance Test (VPT), which provides hysteresis, non-linearity, non-repeatability, maximum measured error and inaccuracy up/down. This test will provide a baseline as well as current data on a valve that can help plan upcoming equipment maintenance.