P&ID. Add pneumatic actuators to valves

[mpalomeque]

Hello everyone;
I would like to know how to add a pneumatic actuator to a butterfly valve? I don't see how to differentiate a manual valve from an automatic valve in the diagrams.
Is it an option or should I generate new blocks?

[DVaquand · Accepted solution]

Hello @mpalomeque 

If the manual valve already exists, you can convert it to a control valve with an actuator
Otherwise you can directly place a control valve
In both cases you can replace the body of the valve and/or the actuator

== French ==

Si la vanne manuelle existe déjà, vous pouvez la convertir en vanne de controle avec un actionneur
Sinon vous pouvez placer directement une vanne de controle
Dans les deux cas vous pourrez substituer le corps de la vanne ou/et de l'actionneur

Cordialement
Dominique VAQUAND
www.dovaq.fr

[mpalomeque]

Thanks Dominic.
I see that the control valves are taken as instruments. Try to generate a control loop. Is there no actuator that does not have to generate a control loop? Typically controlled by a PLC

[h_eger]

@mpalomeque ,

Attention:

AutoCAD Plant 3D P&ID is a program for P&ID Piping and Instrumentation Diagram.
For creating PLC control loops there are other programs that can solve this task much better than AutoCAD Plant 3D P&ID.

[Michiel.Valcke · Accepted solution]

If you want to add actuators to your valves without using a control valve/Instrument you have two options, neither of these options will generate an instrument loop. It is just a way to visualize the actuator with your valve symbol, nothing more, nothing less.

The first way is a 'quick and dirty' solution, ideal for one-off applications, if you only need to do this once. You can use the PIDEDITBLOCK command to edit the valve block symbol of a single specific valve in your diagram.

You can draw an actuator anyway you want to and then save your changes

your other valves of the same type are unaffected. The actuator is part of the valve symbol, if you wish to edit it you have to use the PIDEDITBLOCK command again.

The other option is a bit more permanent and will also allow you to use substitution, and get a list of all actuators in your data manager.
All actuators in P&ID are considered non-engineering items, and in the datamodel that's where you'll find them. You can add one or more of them to the toolpalette.

 

Then you can place them on top of your valve symbols from the toolpalette and use substitution if you want to change them. You can also create your own symbols in the project setup and add properties as you can with any other object/class in the data model.

hope this helps.

[dunja_mitrovic]

Hi everyone!
I have a certain problem with Solenoid actuator. When I choose the control valve and wish to change the actuator to solenoid, a certain hatch comes over "S". This hatch disappears when I explode the block multiple times. I also checked if the text field for S has some kind of background mask, but it does not.
When I try to edit the actuator block in project setup, there is no hatch. It simply appears when I use it in P&ID.
I am using Plant 3D 2025 - 16.0.58.1009. Please help @h_eger 🙂  

[h_eger]

@dunja_mitrovic ,

which P&ID style do you use? (PIP, ISO etc.)
It looks like you changed the solenoid actuator because the safety function closing is not available by default.

[dunja_mitrovic]

I am using PIP and the template I received from the client I am working with. They predefined valves and actuators that we are using. All the other actuators work fine, it is just this solenoid that causes problems.

[dunja_mitrovic]

I realized now that when I restart my PC the actuator works fine, but after some time unknown things causes that hatch to appear again. It looks like it is most probably the program bug unfortunately.

[h_eger]

@dunja_mitrovic ,

which graphics card are you using for AutoCAD Plant 3D 2025?
and which driver version are you using for the graphics card?

[dunja_mitrovic]

@h_eger
I have NVIDIA Quadro M2000M, driver version 31.0.15.1669

[DVaquand]

Hello @dunja_mitrovic

Do you have the same phenomenon if you disable hardware acceleration ?

== French ==

Avez-vous le même phénomène si vous désactivez l'accélération matérielle ?

Cordialement
Dominique VAQUAND
www.dovaq.fr

[dunja_mitrovic]

Unfortunately not, the hatch still appears when hardware acceleration is turned off.
Thank you for the suggestion anyway!