Swagelok Pressure Regulators for process and instrumentation applications

Quickly review the differences between some of the lines of pressure regulators that Swagelok offers 

Over the past decade, Swagelok^® has acquired a pair of companies to bring you a full range of regulators for a wide variety of applications.

First was Kenmac Ltd., a regulator manufacturer that Swagelok acquired back in 2003.  We call this line the K Series, giving a nod to its origins. The K Series has continued to grow, and now includes 17 different models of pressure-reducing, back-pressure and specialty regulators.

Actually, that understates the variety of feature combinations you can get with the K Series.  Take the general purpose KPR pressure-reducing regulator.  You can order it in stainless steel, brass or special alloys.  It comes in six different pressure control ranges, five different port configurations, two different seat materials, and a few other options.

K Series vs. RHPS Series

Contrast the K Series with the RHPS Series. Swagelok’s more recent acquisition was RHPS B.V. and their RHPS line of high-flow regulators. They have been designed to support high flow or process support applications in the chemical/petrochemical, oil and gas, power, biopharmaceutical, semiconductor, and alternative fuels industries. The series includes pressure-reducing regulators, back-pressure regulators, dome loaded regulators, and specialty regulators for applications such as tank blanketing.

The RHPS series end connections range from ¼ inch pipe thread to 4 inch flanges. The series is made of 316L stainless steel, making them more structurally sound than the cast designs and carbon steel often used in the industry.  The RHPS body plug design allows you to maintenance the regulator in-line -- without taking the whole regulator off the line.

Stainless steel is also much easier to maintain.  The RHPS line is often installed outside, so you want something that can stand up to snow, ice and other stresses of weather. 

Get details on regulator selection and sizing

In a live technical webinar, customers of Swagelok Northern California received a 30 minute briefing from Swagelok field engineer and regulator expert Eric Kayla.  Kayla discussed how to properly select and size pressure reducing, including:

• Pressure regulator balance of forces
• Selecting a regulator: Diaphragm vs. Piston; sensitivity and resolution
• Sizing a regulator: Why not use Cv?; inlet pressure, control pressure; flow requirement; reading the flow curve; interpolating the flow curve; correction factors and other considerations
• A selecting and sizing example

If you missed it live, click below to watch a reply (or watch it in a larger window here).  You can also access the slide deck from the presentation here.

Additional resources

Click the video to watch "Selection & Sizing of a Pressure Reducing Regulator" (34:39 min)	Download slides presented in "Selection & Sizing of a Pressure Reducing Regulator" (49 slides)