Valve Automation Retrofit at a Mountain Pressure Reducing Station

Retrofit · Valve Automation · Water Distribution

Upgrading manual butterfly valves to AUMA electric actuators with a new control panel at an underground pressure reducing station in Sofia’s water distribution network — operated by one of the largest water utilities in the country.

The station controls pressure in a critical supply zone serving the capital. The existing manual valves required on-site personnel for every adjustment — a time-consuming process in a chamber accessible only via mountain terrain. PS Technik replaced the manual operators with AUMA SA-type electric actuators, installed a dedicated control panel, and commissioned the full system for remote operation.

Scope of Work

Removal of existing manual valve operators
Supply and mounting of AUMA electric actuators on butterfly valves
Torque and end-position limit configuration for each actuator
Installation and wiring of a new local control panel
Full system commissioning and operational handover

Automating a manual valve in an active pressure reducing station requires precise actuator sizing, correct torque limiting, and careful commissioning — all without interrupting supply to the network. This is the kind of upgrade work PS Technik specialises in.

Getting There Was Half the Job

The station sits high in the mountains above Sofia with no road access in winter. With the project scheduled for late January, deep snow made conventional delivery impossible. Our team loaded the actuators and control panel onto a snowmobile and hauled everything uphill to the site.