Predictika · Butterfly valve actuator sizing

An AI sales agent's valve actuator quote, checked before it goes out

An AI sales agent sizes an actuator for a resilient seated butterfly valve and quotes the torque it needs. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the manufacturer's published torque tables and service class notes and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.

Scope: Bray resilient seated butterfly valves, Series 20/21 and 30/31/3A, 1 to 20 inches, with actuator torque checked against the published seating and unseating torque tables. See everything this validator covers

This validator models actuator sizing for Bray resilient seated butterfly valves, not just the scenarios shown below.

  • Valves — Series 20, 21, 30, 31 and 3A in the sizes of the torque tables, from 1 to 20 inches, with a full or reduced diameter disc. Reduced discs are offered for Series 30, 31 and 3A of 4 to 20 inches, at 50 psi at most.
  • Pressure — the tabulated differential pressures only (0, 50, 100, 150 and 175 psi). The tables list no 175 psi value for valves of 14 inches and larger. No torque is interpolated between pressures.
  • Service class — Class A, B or C torque values by service. Dry non-lubricating media, bonded seats, corrosive media, rarely cycled valves and, unless throttling only, PTFE lined seats or molded discs need Class C. Class A needs a lubricating hydrocarbon, or water with a Nylon 11 coated disc, between 45 and 160 degrees F, cycled weekly or more often. The Nylon 11 disc is listed for Series 30/31/3A only.
  • Actuator and figures — the torque the quote states is compared with the table value (multiplied by 1.5 for a three-way assembly), and the actuator torque must be at least that value. Sizes of 1 and 1.5 inches on Series 30/31/3A, and PTFE or molded trim on those series, need approval.

Any actuator quote for these valves that touches these rules is in scope — not only the scenarios pictured here. Not covered: prices (the document has none, so there is no price build-up or line-item quote), other Bray valve families, the high performance series, temperature or pressure derating beyond the rules above, and actuator selection from a catalog.

The AI sales agentBuilds the actuator quote from the conversation and says it is ready.
Predictika validatorChecks every rule at once and returns the verdict, each finding, and the computed figures.

7 scenarios in 3 groups · each group runs from the agent’s first attempt to the outcome · click one to switch

What the agent proposes

The AI sales agent says

Illustrative agent statement. The validator receives the structured request below.

Proposing agent: AI sales agent (scripted)

Before sending, the agent must call Recorded run

Predictika validator


      

        
        
        
      

      
Waiting for the call.

      
    

  

  
  

    
Where rules-based CPQ gets it wrong
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Our assessment of what a typical rules-based CPQ (product rules, price rules and validation rules, as in Salesforce CPQ) does with the same cases. It is a judgment about effort and reliability, not a claim that nothing can be built.

    
What the validator caughtTypical rules-based CPQPredictika
Torque that depends on size, series, pressure, disc and service class togetherOnly with care
A table of several hundred values keyed by five attributes; every missing cell is another case to remember.		The table is part of the model and is looked up on every call.
Three-way assemblies need 1.5 times the one-way torqueOnly with care
A multiplier applied before the actuator is compared; easy to apply to one figure and not the other.		The required torque is computed once and used for both comparisons.
Class C for dry media, bonded seats, corrosion, rare cycling and some trimsOnly with workarounds
Several unrelated conditions each force the same class, and the exception for throttling only changes one of them.		Each condition is its own rule and all that apply are reported together.
The quote states a torque, and the actuator must also be large enoughOnly with workarounds
Two free-entry numbers compared with a computed value; a product-rule engine has no natural place for them.		Both numbers are compared with the table value on every call.
Pressures and sizes with no tabulated valueOnly with workarounds
Absence of data has to be a rule of its own, or the quote is silently priced on a wrong cell.		No data is a blocking reason, so nothing is interpolated or guessed.
Every problem returned in one answerOnly with workarounds
Rules tend to fire as a step is completed, so an engineer often fixes one error and meets the next.		All findings come back together, whatever order the choices arrived in.

  

  

    
What this validator catches: findings from its test cases
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Every rule is checked on every call, in any order the choices arrive; one problem never hides another. Blocking findings stop the quote; approval findings need a person to sign off; everything else is computed.

    
1The actuator delivers 782 lb-in but the valve needs 783 lb-in at this pressure.
2The quote states a required torque of 712 lb-in; the torque table gives 783 lb-in for this valve.
3The actuator delivers 700 lb-in but the valve needs 783 lb-in at this pressure.
4The quote states a required torque of 783 lb-in; the torque table gives 1174.5 lb-in for this valve.
5The actuator delivers 1,174 lb-in but the valve needs 1174.5 lb-in at this pressure.
6Valves with a reduced diameter disc are rated for 50 psi; the torque tables have no higher pressure for them.
7The manual offers reduced diameter discs for Series 30, 31 and 3A valves of 4 to 20 inches only.
8The torque tables list no 175 psi value for valves of 14 inches and larger.
9The nylon coated ductile iron disc is listed for Series 30/31, 31H and 3A/3AH only, not for Series 20/21.
10Dry, non-lubricating media such as air, dry gas, cement or pneumatic conveying mediums need Class C torque values.
11Valves with bonded seats must always use Class C torque values.
12A PTFE lined elastomer seat or a molded disc and stem must use Class C torque values unless the valve is used only for throttling.
13Significant corrosion by the media, or media reactions that swell or harden the seat, call for Class C torque values.
14Valves cycled infrequently, sometimes not for long periods, are Class C service; Class B assumes cycling at least once every 3 to 6 weeks.
15Class A applies only to lubricating hydrocarbons, or to water and aqueous processes with a Nylon 11 coated disc, between 45 and 160 degrees F and cycled weekly or more often.
16The flow coefficient tables for Series 30/31/3A start at 2 inches; this 1 or 1.5 inch size must be confirmed with Bray.
17The manual describes PTFE lined seats and molded discs for Series 20/21 valves; for this series the trim must be confirmed with Bray.
18The actuator delivers 50 lb-in but the valve needs 89 lb-in at this pressure.

  

  

    
Scenarios and results
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The recorded result of the validator for each scenario on this page: the request the AI agent sent, the verdict, and every finding, in the order they appear above.

    
1. Three-way assembly of 12 inch valves: Three-way 12 inch valves at 100 psi

    
The agent's request. Please size actuators for Bray Series 31 resilient seated butterfly valves, 12 inch, full diameter disc, at 100 psi on water or aqueous media, cycled weekly, standard trim, Class B torque values, as a three-way assembly. The actuator delivers 5,000 lb-in and the quote states a required torque of 3,870 lb-in. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Actuator torque below the table. The actuator delivers 5,000 lb-in but the valve needs 5,805 lb-in at this pressure.
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  • Stated torque differs from the table. The quote states a required torque of 3,870 lb-in; the torque table gives 5,805 lb-in for this valve.
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2. Three-way assembly of 12 inch valves: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please size actuators for Bray Series 31 resilient seated butterfly valves, 12 inch, full diameter disc, at 100 psi on water or aqueous media, cycled weekly, standard trim, Class B torque values, as a three-way assembly. The actuator delivers 6,500 lb-in and the quote states a required torque of 5,805 lb-in. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Torque summary. The torque table gives 3,870 lb-in for this valve and pressure; the quote needs an actuator delivering at least 5,805 lb-in.
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3. Dry conveying line: Series 20 valves on a dry conveying line

    
The agent's request. Please size actuators for Bray Series 20 resilient seated butterfly valves, 8 inch, full diameter disc, at 50 psi on dry non-lubricating media, cycled weekly, standard trim, Class B torque values, with a Nylon 11 coated disc. The actuator delivers 2,000 lb-in and the quote states a required torque of 1,475 lb-in. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Nylon 11 disc not listed for Series 20/21. The nylon coated ductile iron disc is listed for Series 30/31, 31H and 3A/3AH only, not for Series 20/21.
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  • Dry media need Class C. Dry, non-lubricating media such as air, dry gas, cement or pneumatic conveying mediums need Class C torque values.
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4. Dry conveying line: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please size actuators for Bray Series 20 resilient seated butterfly valves, 8 inch, full diameter disc, at 50 psi on dry non-lubricating media, cycled weekly, standard trim, Class C torque values, with a Nylon 11 coated disc. The actuator delivers 2,000 lb-in and the quote states a required torque of 1,844 lb-in. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Nylon 11 disc not listed for Series 20/21. The nylon coated ductile iron disc is listed for Series 30/31, 31H and 3A/3AH only, not for Series 20/21.
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5. Dry conveying line: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please size actuators for Bray Series 30 resilient seated butterfly valves, 8 inch, full diameter disc, at 50 psi on dry non-lubricating media, cycled weekly, standard trim, Class C torque values, with a Nylon 11 coated disc. The actuator delivers 2,000 lb-in and the quote states a required torque of 1,844 lb-in. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Torque summary. The torque table gives 1,844 lb-in for this valve and pressure; the quote needs an actuator delivering at least 1,844 lb-in.
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6. Reduced disc valve on a 100 psi line: Reduced disc valve, rarely cycled, at 100 psi

    
The agent's request. Please size actuators for Bray Series 31 resilient seated butterfly valves, 10 inch, reduced diameter disc, at 100 psi on water or aqueous media, cycled rarely, standard trim, Class B torque values. The actuator delivers 3,000 lb-in and the quote states a required torque of 1,493 lb-in. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Blocked.

    
    
      
  • Reduced disc is rated 50 psi. Valves with a reduced diameter disc are rated for 50 psi; the torque tables have no higher pressure for them.
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  • Rarely cycled valves need Class C. Valves cycled infrequently, sometimes not for long periods, are Class C service; Class B assumes cycling at least once every 3 to 6 weeks.
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7. Reduced disc valve on a 100 psi line: The agent resubmits after fixing the errors

    
The agent's request. Please size actuators for Bray Series 31 resilient seated butterfly valves, 10 inch, full diameter disc, at 100 psi on water or aqueous media, cycled rarely, standard trim, Class C torque values. The actuator delivers 3,500 lb-in and the quote states a required torque of 3,150 lb-in. It is ready to send.

    
Verdict: Allowed.

    
    
      
  • Torque summary. The torque table gives 3,150 lb-in for this valve and pressure; the quote needs an actuator delivering at least 3,150 lb-in.
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Narration transcript
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The text of the narrated walkthrough, step by step.

    
    
      
  1. Welcome to a demo of Predictika's Validator. An AI sales agent sizes an actuator for a resilient seated butterfly valve and quotes the torque it needs. Before the quote goes out, the agent sends it to Predictika, which checks it against a declarative model of the manufacturer's published torque tables and service class notes and returns a verdict, every reason and the figures it computed.
    2. 
      
  2. I will start with the first request by the agent.
    3. 
      
  3. The agent says. Please size actuators for Bray Series 20 resilient seated butterfly valves, 8 inch, full diameter disc, at 50 psi on dry non-lubricating media. The actuator delivers 2,000 lb-in and the quote states a required torque of 1,475 lb-in. The rest of the request is on screen.
    4. 
      
  4. Before it goes out, the agent calls the validator.
    5. 
      
  5. Blocked, with two findings, all in one answer. The nylon coated ductile iron disc is listed for Series 30/31, 31H and 3A/3AH only, not for Series 20/21. Dry, non-lubricating media such as air, dry gas, cement or pneumatic conveying mediums need Class C torque values.
    6. 
      
  6. The validator returned two blocking findings in one answer. A check that reads one field at a time would pass most of this; it shows only when the choices in the quote are checked against each other.
    7. 
      
  7. What this shows: for torque that depends on size, series, pressure, disc and service class together, a rules-based CPQ is error-prone for this.
    8. 
      
  8. Now the agent resubmits.
    9. 
      
  9. The corrected request. It changes the service class to C and the stated required torque to 1,844.
    10. 
      
  10. It calls the validator again.
    11. 
      
  11. Still blocked, with one finding, all in one answer. The nylon coated ductile iron disc is listed for Series 30/31, 31H and 3A/3AH only, not for Series 20/21.
    12. 
      
  12. One finding cleared. Still blocking: nylon 11 disc not listed for Series 20/21.
    13. 
      
  13. The agent resubmits once more.
    14. 
      
  14. The revised request. It changes the series to Series 30.
    15. 
      
  15. It calls the validator once more.
    16. 
      
  16. This time the validator clears it.
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  17. The earlier finding is cleared, and the validator's figure matches the quote.
    18. 
      
  18. Two problems caught in one call, fixed in two passes, and a clean quote. That is the value of Predictika's validator: catching mistakes before they reach the customer. Now you can try the other scenarios yourself.
    19.