Latest News
July 20, 2010
Karan Gas Project 
ATI recently sold Western Process Controls in Australia eleven spring-return actuators for the Karan Gas Project. The actuators range in bore size from 18 inches all the way to 28 inches. They are being shipped to the Nippon Fisher Company in Japan where they will then be transferred to Karan Gas onshore facility in Saudi Arabia for installation. The project, about 160 kilometers north of Dhahran, will produce 1.8 billion standard cubic feet per day of Karan Khuff gas when completed and will include facilities to transport gas from the field via a 110-kilometer subsea pipeline to onshore processing facilities at the Khursaniya Gas Plant.
July 8th, 2010
Automation Technology keeps the Yates Oil FIeld a champion of the environment.
West Texas Installation
Yates Oil Field
Ira Yates became the first Texas oil man to emphasize minimal drilling waste through ground reclamation of water and gas. Our recent installation in the Yates Oil Field is on the main water reclamation header line which is 24 inches in diameter.
The water flows into a tank and its surface is skimmed for oil on a regular basis. If the skimming system shuts down and the water keeps filling the tank, it could overflow. When this has happened in the past, an oil worker had to drive over to the site and shut the gate valve manually, hopefully in time to prevent spillage from an overfill.
Our actuator is part of a newly installed system that senses the level and shuts the water supply automatically to prevent a spill. ATI also provided an auxiliary tank full of pressureized air to provide back-up supply to the actuator in case it loses its main air supply. This provides an even more reliable way of ensuring that Mr. Ira Yates' dream of minimal waste continues to be a reality in the Yates Oil Field of West Texas.
March 18th, 2010
This particular actuator has an operating pressure of 75 psi, a 40 inch internal diameter and a 20 inch stroke. The controls consisted of: (1) 4-way dual coil Versa solenoid valve, (4) 3-way Versa pilot valves, (5) Versa quick exhaust valves, and (1) 1550 gallon vertical air tank. The upper and lower actuator heads were non-standard and manufactured for this particular job, which happens quite often. The actuator will be used at Roquette America, Inc. in Keokuk, IA. Roquette America, Inc. is the regional operating subsidiary of Roquette, one of the world's most advanced producers of starch and starch derivatives. Included is a video showing the actuator meets stroke speed requirements.
February 8th, 2010
Automation Technology hires key executives to support growing customer demand.
We are pleased to announce the addition of Brent York, as VP of Operations and Paul Stephan, as Controller.
As ATI expands, we are dedicated to constantly improving our relationships with a growing global client base. These added positions will be instrumental in further streamlining our manufacturing processes to meet the rapidly growing demand for actuators, power systems and controls, worldwide.
Brent York
VP of Operations
Automation Technology Inc. is pleased to announce that Brent York has joined as Vice President Operations. Brent brings 22 years of experience from
global manufacturing companies of engineered products, consisting of pressure relief valves, regulators and rupture disc safety products. Brent is a registered Professional Engineer with a Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from the University
of Missouri - Columbia. He has held technical positions in Product Development and managerial positions in Engineering and Operations with manufacturing companies serving the Chemical, Oil & Gas and Waste Water Industries. He also brings excellent experience in LEAN Enterprise implementation and global manufacturing
which will allow ATI to support its ever-growing global customer base. In his new position, he will manage the operations, engineering and quality assurance administrative functions for ATI, reporting to Cooper Etheridge, president.
Paul Stephan
Controller
Automation Technology Inc. is pleased to announce that Paul
Stephan has joined as Controller. Paul brings much experience with
engineered products and manufacturing companies, specifically in the
valve automation industry. A native Texan with a BBA in Accounting
from Southwest Texas State Univ., he has held positions with oil & gas
related companies over the last 30 years. Paul’s extensive experience in
ERP systems implementation and business process improvements will enable ATI to
develop a more consistent and efficient customer experience. In his new
position, he will manage the finance, human resource and administrative
functions for ATI, reporting to Cooper Etheridge, president.
August 1st, 2009
ATI outfits the Woodside Pluto LNG project with pneumatic spring return actuators.
ATI was proud to have been named the actuator supplier of choice for the pluto LNG project. Woodside's $12 billion Pluto LNG Project is set to become the fastest developed LNG project from discovery of the gas field in 2005 to first gas in late 2010.
Approved for development in July 2007, the foundation project will process gas from the Pluto and Xena gas fields, located in the Carnarvon Basin about 190 km north-west of Karratha, Western Australia.
The Pluto LNG Project is underpinned by 15-year sales agreements with Kansai Electric and Tokyo Gas. Both companies became project participants in January 2008, each acquiring a 5% interest in the foundation project.
With construction of the foundation project progressing, Woodside is preparing for expansion with a second and third LNG train and pipeline gas facility.
Field location: 190km north-west of Karratha, Western Australia
Onshore plant location: Burrup Peninsula
Water depth: 85 metres (platform); 1000-400 metres (field)
Permits: WA-350-P, WA-34-L
Discovered: 2005
Joint venturers: Woodside 90% (operator); Tokyo Gas 5%; Kansai Electric 5%
May 15th, 2009
ATI provides steam blow actuators and power units to Fluor Engineering's Oak Grove power plant installation.
Two hydraulic power units and four actuators were provided for the Oak Grove power plant Fluor Engineering is building for Luminant Power, located outside of Frederick, TX. The Oak Grove power plant currently under construction will consist of two, supercritical, lignite-fueled power generation units. When complete, the plant will deliver about 1,600 megawatts of reliable power to Texas. These two unites are expected to be operational in the middle of 2009. These hydraulic power units and actuators are used for "steam blows" which get the boiler up to pressure and temperature and quickly open the valves releasing steam at supersonic speeds. This process cleans the welding slag and anything else from the inside of the pipes before the turbine is put into service. Once the steam blows are completed the hydraulic actuator, valve, and hydraulic power unit are removed and can be used for the next project. We may see these actuators and power units again in the next steam blow.
April 21st, 2008
ATI lands large order for LNG regasification complex owned by Cheniere Energy.
ATI provided 16 large double acting actuators on control valves for the offloading process at the Sabine River Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Regasifaction plant. The regasifaction process required good controllability with high thrust; two features for which ATI actuators are well suited. Click here to read an article about the project. Read More »
March 31st, 2008
ATI hydraulic actuators and control units give pipeline operator peace of mind.
ATI shipped fifteen hydraulic double acting actuators with newly designed control systems on each of the units. A Houston-based valve automation center approached ATI to design a system to actuate and control the valves on a hydrogen pipeline. The control system is designed to sense a change of 7 psi differential pressure in a pipeline operating at 915 psi which would cause the actuator to shut the valve. This is important because such an increase in differential pressure would indicate an increase in flow which may mean a leak downstream. Fast speed and fast response were critical in the design of these units. The end user inspected the final units and is very pleased to have ATI actuators and control systems on their pipeline.
March 1st, 2008
ATI Opens Second Facility in Houston
Automation Technology, Inc. (ATI), a designer and manufacturer of valve automation products and solutions, has opened a second facility in Northwest Houston. According to ATI President Cooper Etheridge, the expansion triples the company's production floor space and includes a 50% increase in staff. This expansion will reduce ATI’s product lead times and provide a more local support center for its customers.
The company's original facility in Industry, TX will continue to act as the engineering and fabrication hub, while the new Houston facility will handle assembly and testing, new product development and sales. The address for the new facility is: 4950 Cranswick, Houston, TX 77041.
November 17th, 2007
ATI launches new cushioned designed actuator product.
ATI shipped its first cushioned actuator this month to a domestic valve company who will be installing it on their valve for final shipment to the Middle East. The ATI design team developed the new actuator with three main design parameters in mind: Long stroke capability, fast speeds (20 inches in 400 milliseconds), and adjustable rates of cushion. This last parameter is particularly important in creating different characteristic curves, according to VP of Products, Gary Robbins who led the design effort. In addition, the actuator uses an internally adjustable “plate” which reduces manufacturing variability and enables old actuators to be converted to cushion. Shane Michalcik, Design team leader, developed the plate concept in order to achieve a more flexible design.
This type of actuator is ideal for anti-surge applications which are used in LNG plants to protect and help control the compressors. Surge curves are are installed into the compressor control system and they rely on fast speed, but precise positioning. Fast speed protects the unit in the event of a surge while good controllability optimizes the efficiency of the compressor (i.e. too much gas recirculating is not energy efficient, too little may not fully protect the unit from a surge). The ATI actuator achieves this optimization in its design. For test results, see “Cushion.” Read More »