Pleiger Valve Remote Control
& Actuator Parts Supplier
Parts for centralized hydraulic and electro-hydraulic valve remote control — STK rotary and PVK linear actuators, EHS units, solenoid valve cabinets, PCM modules and hand pumps
Pleiger valve remote control equipment seen on merchant ships
Pleiger Maschinenbau of Witten, Germany, grew out of the company Paul Pleiger founded in 1925 to make compressed-air valves and fittings for mining, and today builds the hydraulic actuators, valve cabinets and control modules that open and close butterfly, ball and globe valves from a console. Its marine literature lists cargo, ballast, bilge, fuel oil, black, grey and seawater, ballast water treatment, scrubber and anti-heeling systems among the applications, and the company's own profile speaks of more than 7,000 ships fitted with Pleiger equipment. Two architectures run through everything below. In a centralized hydraulic system a power unit and solenoid valve cabinets drive the actuators through pipework; in the decentralized EHS every unit is self-contained with its own power pack, and only cables reach it. Which of the two is on board decides where a fault sits and which parts are worth listing.
STK
Rack-and-pinion hydraulic actuators for butterfly and ball valves, double- or single-acting, designed for dry, submerged or hazardous-area positions; in an emergency every one can be worked by hand pump. Single-acting units add a spring assembly, and Pleiger lists that spring-return version of the STK as STKG. Seal kits, indication items and the coupling to the valve are the lines a request usually covers.
PVK
Hydraulic linear actuators for globe valves, double-acting or single-acting with fail-safe spring return, with a hydraulic override available. Seal kits, override items and the spring set on single-acting units are the recurring lines.
EHS-D3
An EHS power pack on a double-acting STK actuator in one closed unit, for open/close and continuous duty, with electric limit switches, an optical position indicator and hand-pump emergency actuation. Limit switches, the indicator and terminal box items are looked at before the power pack.
EHS-SG · EHS-S/G
Single-acting electro-hydraulic actuators with spring return: EHS-SG in rotary form, EHS-S/G in linear form. State which of the two is fitted, because the rotary and linear units take different seal and spring items.
EHS-Q
A power pack unit installed apart from its linear or rotary actuator, for valve positions that are dry, submerged or in a hazardous area. The request names both halves, the power pack and the actuator it drives, with a photograph of each plate.
EHS-EX · EHS-UM
EHS-EX covers explosion-proof double- and single-acting rotary and linear actuators, and the maker presents an arctic EHS-EX power unit for hazardous areas under its LNG heading; EHS-UM is a double-acting rotary actuator for permanent submersion. The Ex marking or the submerged execution is part of the identification.
RK 16/8 · CCM · CM4 · BI
Pleiger Control Modules for solenoid valve cabinets and consoles: BI bus interface, RK 16/8 relay module for centralized actuators, CCM Conti Control Module for continuous position, CM4 for EHS units, IO 8/8/4 and IO/TII input-output modules, and CM-ExE for explosion-proof EHS. Each module is identified by its type designation and the cabinet it sits in.
PCL · PPC
Pleiger Control Loop (PCL) carries power and data to EHS actuators, pumps and tank sensors on one cable loop; Pleiger Process Control (PPC) is the PC-based control system for valve and pump automation, tank measuring, bilge automation, ballast water exchange and heeling automation. Requests name the node or station, not only the system.
EL-F · EL-T · PEL-D2 · PEL-C
Electronic level sensors EL-F and EL-T, with EL-T-HFO for fuel oil, and the PEL-D2 and PEL-C electro-pneumatic systems; a radar sensor with Multi Flange covers tanker cargo tanks. The sensor type and the tank it serves identify the item.
Where a Pleiger valve remote control system gives trouble
A valve that will not move, or moves and never reports, is the same line on the alarm list whatever the cause. The cause sits in one of a few places, and the architecture on board narrows it down.
Internal leakage and a valve that will not hold
STK and PVK actuators hold the valve hydraulically once it reaches position. Worn piston, rack or shaft seals let oil pass internally, and the valve creeps off position under line pressure or strokes slowly. On actuators mounted inside ballast or cargo tanks the outer seals matter as much: once they let water into the oil, the next problem shows up in every component that oil reaches.
OPEN or CLOSED never arrives
On Pleiger's centralized system the end position is detected hydraulically inside the actuator: a small bypass flow stays open until the end position is fully reached, and only then do the flow switch "Q" and the pressure switches "S1" and "S2" give the indication. A missing indication can therefore mean a valve stopped short by debris, an actuator passing oil internally, or a switch in the cabinet, and the console shows all three the same way. Working the valve by hand pump and watching what it does separates them before any part is chosen.
Contaminated oil in a centralized system
One oil volume serves every actuator through long pipe runs into tanks and void spaces. Water or particles in that oil reach the solenoid valves in the cabinet and the flow meter that the CCM module reads for continuous position, so a sticking solenoid valve or a drifting position value can be a symptom of the oil rather than a fault of the part. Oil condition belongs in the request.
Self-contained units: outside checks first
An EHS unit has its own closed hydraulic circuit and is connected by cable only. Supply, limit switches, the terminal box, the CM4 module channel or the PCL node can all be checked from outside the unit, and they are worth checking before the power pack itself goes on the parts list.
Hand pumps found unserviceable when needed
Portable, fixed and stationary hand pumps, their hoses and connection blocks are used rarely: in drills, during a power loss, or while an actuator is being worked on. Seals harden and couplings corrode in the meantime, and the condition is usually discovered on the day the hand pump is needed. They belong on the list whenever actuator work is planned.
Play between actuator and valve
A rotary actuator sits on its valve through a flange, a coupling or adaptor and the valve shaft. Wear or play at that interface can let the actuator reach its end position, and report it, while the disc stops slightly short; the remedy is then at the coupling rather than inside the actuator. Photographs of the mounting with the actuator in place save a wrong order.
Actuator, cabinet and emergency-operation parts
Pleiger requests split naturally into what sits at the valve and what sits in the cabinet or on the console. The items are grouped that way below, because a seal kit for the actuator will not cure a fault in the switch that reports its position.
- Seal kits for STK rotary actuators, double- and single-acting
- Seal kits for PVK linear actuators, including the hydraulic override
- Spring assemblies for single-acting STK and spring-return PVK units
- Solenoid valves and coils from the valve cabinet
- Flow switches "Q" and pressure switches "S1" and "S2" for open/close indication
- Digital flow meters for continuous position indication
- PCM modules: BI, RK 16/8, CCM, CM4, IO 8/8/4, IO/TII and CM-ExE
- EHS unit items: limit switches, position indicator, terminal box parts and the power pack
- Electrical position indication boxes where fitted instead of hydraulic indication
- Portable, fixed and stationary hand pumps, hoses, connection blocks and couplings
- Couplings, adaptor flanges and brackets between actuator and valve
- Tank level sensors EL-F and EL-T, and PEL electro-pneumatic system items
What to read off a Pleiger actuator before sending the request
Actuators on valve remote control systems sit in pipe tunnels, duct keels and tanks, and the plate is rarely in good light. The maker's own inquiry forms treat the valve type, flange and shaft size, acting type and emergency operation as minimum information, and the list below follows the same logic. The how we work page shows what happens once the plate photograph arrives.
- Pleiger type code exactly as on the plate, including any suffix after the slash
- Serial number from the actuator plate
- Double-acting or single-acting, and for single-acting units whether fail close, fail open or fail stop
- The valve it drives: butterfly, ball or globe, its nominal size and the valve maker's plate
- Flange and shaft connection between actuator and valve
- System type: centralized hydraulic, with pipes to the actuator, or EHS, with a cable only
- Installation: dry, outdoor, temporarily or permanently submerged, or in a hazardous area, with the Ex marking where there is one
- Position feedback: hydraulic open/close indication, electrical indication box or analogue signal
- Emergency operation: portable, fixed or stationary hand pump, and the connection block fitted
- For EHS and cabinet items: supply voltage, phase and frequency, the control module and bus type, and the valve tag from the system drawing
Tools for this equipment: the actuator flange identifier for an actuator on an ISO 5211 flange, the lubricant code reader for the hydraulic oil and the hose assembly builder for the hoses.
How a Pleiger request is checked before a reference is fixed
Each Pleiger actuator is specified against the valve it drives: the maker's inquiry forms ask for flange and shaft size, valve type, fail-safe position, position feedback and emergency operation. Two actuators with the same type name can therefore differ on board, so the type code, the serial and the system the actuator belongs to are settled before any part is named.
System before part
Whether the ship runs centralized hydraulics or EHS is fixed first. On a centralized system a fault can sit in the actuator, the pipework or the cabinet; on EHS everything except the cable is inside one unit. The parts list follows from that, not from the alarm text.
Actuator and cabinet read together
When an end-position fault could be in the actuator or in the switches that report it, the reply names both sets of candidates and says which evidence would rule one out, instead of quoting one half and leaving the other for a second request.
Which route suits which item
PCM modules, EHS power packs and explosion-proof units are tied to the maker's build, certification and parameter settings, so the maker's reference is the one to ask for. Seal kits, O-rings, hand-pump hoses and couplings can be examined on an equivalent-source path where the buyer's approval list allows it, item by item against the serial evidence.
In-tank actuators
Actuators in ballast or cargo tanks are reached when the tank is open and gas-free. Everything one opening allows, from the seal kit to the coupling and the indication items, is best read as one scope, so the tank is not opened twice for the same valve.
Older systems
Many Pleiger systems have been in service since the ship was built, and the maker's own pages name more than one EHS control module, CM3 as well as CM4. Where the type code alone does not settle a part, the serial does; where the plate has been painted over, a page of the system documentation or an earlier order line for the same valve tag is the next best evidence.
Pleiger valve remote control parts — questions from the ship
Which Pleiger equipment can be reviewed at RFQ stage?
Requests reference STK rotary actuators and PVK linear actuators on centralized hydraulic systems; the EHS electro-hydraulic range, meaning EHS-D3, EHS-SG, EHS-S/G, EHS-Q, EHS-EX and EHS-UM; solenoid valve cabinets with their PCM modules; PCL and PPC control equipment; hand pumps; and Tank Measuring System sensors. Send the type code exactly as on the plate, with the serial number and the valve it drives.
Can Pleiger actuator parts be identified without a part number?
In most cases, yes. The type code and serial from the actuator plate, the valve type and size, whether the actuator is double- or single-acting, the installation (dry, submerged or hazardous area) and photographs of the actuator on its valve are usually enough to start. A page from the system documentation, or the valve list with the tag number, removes most of the remaining doubt.
The console never shows OPEN or CLOSED. Which parts go on the list?
On a centralized Pleiger system the end position is detected hydraulically inside the actuator, through a bypass flow, the flow switch "Q" and the pressure switches "S1" and "S2". A missing indication can come from the valve, the actuator seals or the switches. Work the valve by hand pump, note whether it reaches its end stop, and send that with the request: it decides whether the list starts with a seal kit or with a switch.
How do I tell a centralized system from EHS, and why does it matter?
If hydraulic pipes run to the actuator, it is a centralized system and part of the fault may sit in the power unit or the solenoid valve cabinet. If only a cable reaches the actuator and it carries its own power pack, it is EHS, and the type code starts with EHS. The two take different parts, so state which one is fitted.
Can seal kits and hand-pump items be reviewed on an alternative route?
Seal kits, O-rings, hoses and couplings can be looked at either on the maker's reference or on an equivalent-source path, checked against the actuator type, serial and installation. Explosion-proof units, EHS power packs and PCM modules stay on the maker's reference, because their certification and parameter settings belong to the maker's build.
Is Vessel Core connected to Pleiger?
No, and there is no agreement of any kind. Vessel Core holds no distribution, representation or partnership agreement with Pleiger, and quoting a component against one of its designations implies no approval by the maker and no claim of interchangeability.
Send the actuator plate and what the valve does on hand pump.
Send the type code and serial from the actuator plate, the valve it drives, whether the system is centralized hydraulic or EHS, what the valve does when worked by hand pump, and the port or ETA. Each line is then read against the actuator, the cabinet or the emergency equipment it belongs to before a reference is fixed against it.
