Systems and methods for control and monitoring of actuated valves

An actuated valve system comprising:

• a valve including a flow controlling valve element;
• and
• an actuator assembled with the valve and including a fluid driven actuator member operatively connected with the valve element and movable with the valve element from a normal position to an actuated position in response to pressurization of an inlet port of the actuator, and a biasing spring configured to return the actuator member and valve element from the actuated position to the normal position in response to venting of the pressurized actuator;
• wherein the biasing spring arrangement has a spring rate configured such that the actuator pressure required to move the actuator member and valve element from the normal position to the actuated position is at least 50% greater than the actuator pressure required to begin the actuator stroke from the normal position.

A backpressure device comprising:

• a body defining a passage extending from an inlet port to an outlet port;
• a seat disposed in the passage;
• a seal member disposed in the body and biased into sealing engagement with the seat, the seal member separating from the seat at a set pneumatic inlet pressure to release through the outlet port any excess pneumatic pressure greater than the set pneumatic pressure;
• and
• an engineered leak path in fluid communication with the inlet port configured to provide a leak rate between about 0.25 seem and 2.5 seem at an inlet pressure equal to the set pneumatic pressure.