A complete, state-of-the-art guide to the design, applications, and maintenance of valves and actuators. Todays production processes involve new and exotic fluids, extreme pressures and temperatures, and increasingly sophisticated electric and electronic process control technology. What new valves and actuators are available to meet the challenges facing mechanical designers, process/control engineers, and maintenance personnel? This book identifies, describes, and evaluates all the major valve and actuator products currently on the market...with expert coverage of materials, design parameters, operating characteristics, and, most importantly, scores of field-proven applications and industrial usages.