SAMSON, a valve engineering and process automation specialist, is focusing on products to improve the safety and reliability of process plants as well as topics for the future, such as sustainability and the energy transition.
Over the past few years, SAMSON has expanded its product portfolio, driving its evolution from a valve manufacturer into a process automation specialist for smart valves and digital solutions. SAMSON succeeded in expanding its valve engineering capabilities to include plant equipment and overall plant operations thanks to its diverse range of products and services as well as the application expertise available within the group.
To a large extent, the safety and the reliability of process plants depend on successful maintenance strategies as well as the quality of the installed machinery and components. Back in the early 2000s, SAMSON developed the EXPERTplus valve diagnostics integrated into positioners as part of the shift away from reactive towards software-based preventive asset management. SAMSON's solutions are based on advanced algorithms, machine learning and artificial intelligence. They draw on historical plant data and plant operator know-how to implement preventive and predictive plant maintenance strategies. Such digital solutions include the SAM DIGITAL product line and FOCUS-1, the world's first smart process node jointly developed by Krohne and SAMSON.
Sustainability is another much discussed topic in the process industry. How can processes be made more efficient and resource friendly? Monitoring and analytical systems can discover resource-wasting weak points within a plant based on the field data. In such systems, Ethernet-APL technology will be capable of transferring these data almost in real time in the future. Trends and easily understandable analyses show plant operators how to make their processes more efficient and where to save energy to reduce operational cost. SAMSON achieved a 30 % rise in productivity in a test run of its own production operations in Frankfurt thanks to SAM SOUND®, an analytical tool for machinery powered by 3d Signals. This increased efficiency shows the commercial benefits achievable by digitalization in the field and it is one of the key achievements offered by the SAM DIGITAL product line.
The global energy transition calls for components capable of meeting the applicable process engineering requirements and handling the demanding properties of certain process media. For example, molten salt used in solar thermal power plants or hydrogen as an energy source are particularly challenging media for control valves. To guarantee continuous reliable plant operation, the materials and trims used in the valves must be able to withstand these process media. SAMSON is keeping track of value chains and processes that will evolve as a result of the transition from fossil fuels to renewables. This includes continually analyzing its own product portfolio to adapt or further develop its valve specifications to fulfill the requirements of green energy generation. SAMSON's control valves are already being used successfully in various applications in the energy sector involving district heating, biogas, solar thermal energy and hydrogen. SAMSON has its eyes firmly set on the technologies of the future and will ensure that its wide range of products and services is ready for the challenges of tomorrow.
At ACHEMA 2022, SAMSON will exhibit products to showcase its key fields of expertise. Exhibits include the SAM VALVE MANAGEMENT and SAM GUARD® digital solutions, the Type 3248 Cryogenic Valve, the innovative TROVIS 3797 Positioner with PROFINET® communication suitable for APL connectivity, the FOCUS-1 smart process node and the Type 7121 Electric Steam Generator.