The HERMES AWARD 2021 goes to Bosch Rexroth. The company won the prize with the world’s first electrical actuator for controlling process valves under water. The award ceremony took place on 12 April at the HANNOVER MESSE Digital Edition.

The jury, chaired by Professor Reimund Neugebauer, president of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, selected the product SVA R2 (Subsea Valve Actuator) , which is the world’s first electrical actuator for controlling process valves under water. The SVA R2 offers an energy-efficient and safe alternative to the actuators previously used in offshore oil and gas production. SVA are self-sufficient assemblies with their own fluid circuit and a variable-speed pump drive. The central unit and the km of lines for the fluid are no longer required. This also greatly minimizes environmental risks. The SVA only require a power supply and a data line. A displacement control regulates the flow rate from the speed with almost no loss. This simplifies the construction and increases the energy efficiency significantly.