Biffi

Pipeline and wellhead valves in the oil and gas industry are often moved by a Biffi actuator. The company was founded in 1955 at Fiorenzuola d’Arda, Italy, and builds pneumatic, hydraulic, electro-hydraulic and electric actuators for on-off and shutdown valves.

Seven Star LLC lists Biffi quarter-turn actuators across these operating media and supplies them to valve automation shops and operators in Oman, sized from the valve torque data.

Biffi actuator series on this page

The series names follow a logic that helps when reading a tag. ALGA is the pneumatic quarter-turn actuator and ALGAS its spring-return version. OLGA-H is the hydraulic quarter-turn actuator and OLGAS-H the fail-safe hydraulic version with spring. In the compact rack-and-pinion group, RPD and RPS are the double-acting and spring-return pneumatic pair, and RPHD and RPHS are their hydraulic counterparts. The F01 and F02 are electric quarter-turn actuators; the manufacturer now names the Bettis SCE300 as the replacement for the F02. In each pair the S marks the model that returns to a safe position by spring.

Where Biffi actuators are used

Typical duties are emergency shutdown and blowdown valves, pipeline block valves, wellhead and manifold valves, tank farm isolation and large ball valves at compressor and metering stations. Spring-return models are chosen for fail-safe service. Hydraulic and electro-hydraulic units appear where instrument air is not on hand, as on remote GCC pipeline stations.

Ordering Biffi actuators: what we need

Actuators are sized, so the valve data comes first: valve type and size, the torque curve or at least break, run and end torques, the safety factor in your specification and the stem and mounting flange dimensions. Then the supply: minimum and maximum air or oil pressure, or voltage for electric units. State the fail action, stroking time, ambient temperature and the control accessories required. For an existing actuator send the model and serial number from the nameplate.