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Margaret Dunn Publisher & Editor

After the success of the last two digital issues of Fluid Handling magazine we’re now proud to bring you the first print edition.

For years people having been trying to say that ‘print is dead’ but when it comes to business publications that’s certainly not the case. We like to have the best of both worlds – a digital issue that you can quickly search through, forward and click on to view advertisers’ products, as well as a thick, glossy publication.

The biggest bonus is that we can now distribute the magazine at events, increasing our circulation no end. The main advantage of Fluid Handling over other publications is its international audience. Not limited to just readership in the US, the magazine will be sent to some of the major worldwide events including Valve World and ADIPEC. If you’ve only just come across the publication, it’s not too late. We still have one more issue before the end of the year so get in touch now to avoid missing out.

Best wishes, Margaret

Bi-Torq expands butterfly valve series to include flange connections Bi-Torq Valve Automation has expanded its resilient seated BY series butterfly valves to include metric (DIN) flange connections.

The metric wafer style valves have a PN16 pressure rating (16 bar or 232 psi) and are offered in sizes 2” through 8” (DN 50 through DN 200). Construction materials include a cast iron body with a stainless steel disc and stem. Seats are

Buna N, which are great for aliphatic hydrocarbons (propane, butane, petroleum oil, mineral oil and grease, diesel fuel, fuel oils), vegetable oils, greases, and water applications. The valves were designed so that the body is fully encapsulated. This means the pipeline media will not come into contact with the cast iron body. An additional benefit of the design is that it

also eliminates the need for a flange gasket.

The butterfly valves can be used manually with a 10-position handle or automated. Actuators for automation include the company’s BI series electric or PN series pneumatic actuators. Other options include spring return ‘deadman’ handles, custom tandem linkages, or gear operators.

MSA will supply valves to Tianwan nuclear power plant in China Czech valve manufacturer MSA, a member of Rimera group, will produce and construct the third and fourth block of the Tianwan nuclear power plant, Jiangsu province.

The specially-designed ball valves will be manufactured from November 2014 to May 2015 for Atomstrojexport. The valve medium is sea water that is pumped at the beginning

of the nuclear plant operational process.

After chemical processing, the water is desalted and turned into fresh water that is used for the cooling of power plant reactors.

Valves in nominal sizes 12” – 50” will be equipped with electric actuators or hand wheels and made of stainless steel suitable for operating in aggressive conditions. In

Hardide coating advances new ball valve technology Hardide Coatings, a provider of advanced tungsten carbide-based coatings, has played a key role in the development of new ball valves manufactured by Heap & Partners, a UK-based manufacturer of fluid handling equipment.

The valve specialist has developed its own range of ‘Phase’ trunnion-mounted ball valves for the UK energy sector, and the Hardide-T coating was selected, particularly for the smaller diameter valves, for several reasons. The primary rationale being the inherent hardness of Hardide-T, at 1100 to 1600 Hv with a typical coating thickness of 50 microns.

Phase includes numerous variations of soft and metal seated side entry ball valves, used for the safe isolation of pipeline production and process equipment. This safety-critical application, often in erosive operating environments, meant the new valve required a durable protective coating.

The Phase range comes in both metal to metal and soft-seated options which pose additional considerations. Metal to metal seated valves often suffer wear by erosion when there is particulate in the process fluid. Most ball valves are soft seated, but wear can also cause scratches and resultant leakage.

Heap & Partners has now utilised Hardide-T on many ball valve applications for both oil and gas and nuclear clients.

Hardide CEO Philip Kirkham says: ‘Hardide-T is especially relevant for intricate ball and seat valves with its uniform application by low temperature CVD, and together with its cobalt-free composition meaning it can be safely used inside nuclear facilities.’

The valves are also supplied for high pressure applications, up to and above ASME 600lbs, ranging from 2” reduced bore to 12” full bore; the valves needed to operate at both low and high pressure.

The product is aimed at niche applications in the UK energy sector, from upstream oil and gas to nuclear and power generation.

this particular case, the sealing seats were made of Teflon instead of stainless steel. This modification guarantees maximum tightness as well as reliability and longer service life.

The first and second block of the plant were commissioned in 2005.

Commissioning of two new blocks is planned for 2018.

Pentair engineers ‘largest ever’ wedge gate valves for Middle East plant Pentair Valves & Controls has supplied its largest ever bolted bonnet flanged wedge gate valves for an integrated petrochemical plant located in the Middle East.

Engineered and manufactured under the Fasani brand, the specialist carbon steel bodied valves measure 78” and 84” in diameter with ANSI class 150 pressure rating.

Designed for wet flare line applications within the plant, the Pentair team worked closely with the project engineering and procurement contractor to design, manufacture, and test the customised valve solution.

For this project, Pentair’s wedge gate valve design offered an improved fluid passage and optimised flow compared with other valve technology options.

The wedge gate valves from Pentair measure 78 Pentair’s production facility and 84” in diameter in Rescaldina, Italy, features one of the largest test benches in Europe gate valves are suited to challenging with stringent and extensive testing applications in the petrochemical and for customised wedge gate valves of chemical processing industries. Pentair this size and capacity. With proven Valves & Controls also offers a range capabilities, engineering expertise and of high-performance gate, globe and advanced design capabilities, Pentair is check valves in cast materials for large filling an industry need for large size pipe sizes, noble alloy materials and gate valves. cryogenic services to comply with Pentair’s Fasani brand large size wedge various ASME and API requirements.

Metso supplies flow control solutions to improve Petronas plant safety Metso has been selected to supply state-of-the-art flow control technology to the Petronas Gas Berhad’s gas processing plant modernisation project in Kerteh, Terengganu, Malaysia.

The new flow control solutions will replace the plant’s existing equipment and enable the plant to reach a higher safety integrity level while improving its environmental performance. The order includes over 140 actuated on-off and emergency shutdown (ESD) ball and butterfly valves.

The order was placed by the Toyo Japan and Toyo Malaysia consortium. Toyo will provide engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning through a turnkey contract to expand the plant life for another 20 years.

Using the flow control technology, the plant will be able to further reduce fugitive emissions using the proven live-loaded stem packing design and by meeting the stringent ISO 15858 standards. The ESD valves will be equipped with automated partial stroke testing capabilities to improve plant safety.

The deliveries to the Dew Point Control Unit 2 have been completed and successfully installed. The deliveries to Gas Processing Plant 4 are ongoing. These have been received and included in Metso’s third quarter 2013 and second quarter 2014 orders.

New ball valves for flange applications introduced by Bonomi North America Valve and actuator specialist Bonomi North America’s new ‘true’ wafer stainless steel full-port ball valves are designed to be a flow-enhancing alternative to high-performance butterfly valves in OEM applications, skid-mounted systems or any tightly-confined area.

Designed for use in ANSI Class 150 flange applications, the new Valpres 725000 Series can reduce space, cost and weight in any process, with maximum flow and minimum pressure loss.

Built with a stainless steel body, ball and stem, the new valves feature an anti-static stem design suitable for environments such as refining, chemical handling and processing. They are available in seven sizes: 1”, 1-1/4”, 1-1/2”, 2”, 2-1/2”, 3” and 4”.

Aligning lugs on the valve body allow the 725000 to be installed

securely directly between two ANSI 150 raised-face flanges.This reduces cost and weight significantly compared to conventional flanged ball or gate valves. They are available in smaller sizes than offered by high-performance butterfly valves and are more costeffective in comparable sizes.

A standard ISO 5211 mounting pad simplifies valve actuation. The 725000 Series is also available in automated valve packages with performance matched Bonomi electric and pneumatic actuators.

PTFE ball seats are standard, with optional steam service trim. Stem seals are PTFE and FKM. With lever handle, the new valves are lockable in the open or closed position.

They are TUV TA Luft approved.

They also meet NACE MR 0175/ ISO 15156 and NACE MR 0103 standards.

GEMÜ introduces stainless steel globe valve for controlling small volumes GEMÜ has expanded its range of control valves with a stainless steel globe valve.

The Type GEMÜ 566 globe valve has a valve body in which the control mechanism is already integrated. In addition to a pneumatic actuator, there is also a manually operated version and a motorised version.

By integrating the control mechanism into the valve body,

it is possible to subsequently switch from a manual actuation type to an automated actuation type at any time.

The particular advantage of this is that the components involved are located outside the medium-wetted area. This means that from the start, the plant operator enjoys a high degree of flexibility with regard to potential changes to their

operational processes. The medium-wetted part is separated from the control mechanism by an additional separating diaphragm. The diaphragm is available in EPDM or FPM materials. The investment casting, stainless steel valve body has a threaded socket and is available in the nominal sizes DN 8 to DN 15.

The GEMÜ 566 valve was

developed especially for controlling small volumes and provides a flow rate from 632500 l/h. For all three actuation types, there are options for optical and electronic position feedback. The motorised version can also be equipped with a positioner. The same applies to the pneumatic actuator, for which a process controller is also available as an optional extra.

Emerging markets spur industrial valve and actuator industry growth Heavy investments in the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the oil and gas industry are fuelling the demand for industrial valves and actuators in China, according to new analysis from Frost & Sullivan, Analysis of the Chinese Industrial Valves and Actuators Market.

In 2013, the oil and gas industry was the largest end user for industrial valves and actuators, accounting for 26.5% of total revenues. The industry will remain a key end user in the coming years as low-price, lowemission natural gas will play an important role in China’s plan to develop cleaner energy supplies, reduce its reliance on coal, and cope with air pollution.

The analysis finds that the market earned revenues of $4.35 billion (€3.3 billion) in 2013 and estimates this will reach $7.89 billion in 2020. The study covers quarter-turn, multiturn, control and self-actuating valves as well

as electric, pneumatic and hydraulic actuators.

The power generation industry, which is increasingly reliant on renewable energy sources and likely to commission new hydroelectric and thermal power plants, is the second-largest end user for industrial valves and actuators in China. With approximately 30 to 50 large national projects in the pipeline for the 2011-2015 period, the outlook for industrial valve and actuator manufacturers is bright.

‘Modernisation of infrastructure across enduser industries is also intensifying the need for automation, spurring the replacement of old industrial valves and actuators with advanced equipment,’ says Frost & Sullivan industrial automation and process control research analyst Zi Ning Chong. ‘These industrial infrastructure upgradation efforts, which have become necessary to reduce energy consumption and overcome other challenges

such as resource shortages, are instrumental in driving market expansion.’

However, market fragmentation and strong competition caused by the absence of relevant regulations is leading to pricing pressures and reducing the profitability of valve and actuator manufacturers. Further, the supply of imitations of high-quality valves and actuators by companies operating under the radar has blown consumer confidence in the market. Market prospects are also hit by the Chinese government’s tightening of investment expenditures across industries.

‘To survive in this market, manufacturers must leverage quality and reliability as valves and actuators form a part of the critical processing equipment in businesses,’ says Chong.

For more information on this study, email Julie Zheng, corporate communications, at julie.zheng@frost.com.

Sembmarine’s new North Sea accommodation platform uses key components from Valvestock Valvestock, Pipe Center’s specialist valve and actuator business, has supplied high specification components for installation in a new 140-person accommodation module being built by Sembmarine SLP for a major oil company.

The module, being deployed in the North Sea off Scotland, includes living accommodation, canteens, a gym, hospital facilities and a helicopter landing pad. The completed structure is due to be transported from Lowestoft by sea in May. Working closely with key manufacturing supplier Conbraco with regard to its Apollo valve range,Valvestock has supplied all manual butterfly valves, ball valves, double-block and bleed, gate valves and globe valves required for the seawater cooling system, potable water, instrument air, plant air and fire-water circuits.

It also provided pressure regulating valves for use on the facility’s calorifier and fire-water main.

Marcus Sampson, GM of Valvestock, says: ‘Given the nature of the project, the technical

and safety requirements were obviously very detailed and comprehensive. This spanned all aspects, from valve specification and sourcing, through to testing, preparation and painting.’

He adds: ‘Our new testing and workshop facilities at Fareham provided all the technical and practical support needed to meet the customer’s requirements.

The service provided by Valvestock included quotation, consolidation of the complete valve package, documentation compliance, and consultation on materials selection and suitability for the application. It also provided specialist support during commissioning.

The company acted as the single point of contact, co-ordinating the supply of components from other Wolseley UK companies, such as Pipe Center, Plumb Center and Drain Center.

A major part of the order consisted of industrial valves, including Apollo stainless steel ball valves, aluminium-bronze ball valves, high performance butterfly valves, aluminiumbronze gate and globe valves, stainless steel

Apollo stainless steel ball valves from Conbraco were included in the Valvestock order

and aluminium bronze double block and bleed valves, and stainless steel and aluminium bronze pressure regulating valves.

It was one of the first major orders of Apollo valves following the recent appointment of Pipe Center as a UK distributor for US industrial valve manufacturer Conbraco.

ITT Goulds Pumps expands mag drive pump line Pump manufacturer ITT Goulds Pumps has expanded its range of magnetic drive pumps with four new sizes.

The 3296 EZMAG sizes are the latest addition to the company’s product line, increasing its metal magnetic drive pump flow and head capacities. The portfolio’s total discharge capacity has also been increased to 620ft.

3296 EZMAG pumps are compliant with ANSI B73.1 dimensional standards and are designed to handle a range of applications, including fluids difficult to seal.

Filter Pump redesigns Penguin Series P-HF high flow vertical pumps Filter Pump has re-designed its series of high flow vertical pumps designed to handle a large range of chemicals without difficulty.

The newly designed Penguin Series P-HF pumps feature a unique air purge port that provides positive air displacement. This prevents corrosive fumes from entering the motor and causing damage to the bearings and motor winding.

All wetted surfaces of the P-HF Series pumps are CPVC for fluids compatibility, able to withstand operating temperatures of 82˚C at flow rates up to 400gpm. Ridged, chemically bonded construction enables these pumps to transfer slurries and abrasive solutions.

High efficiency of operation, low maintenance, and ease-ofinstallation make the P-HF pumps well-suited for semi-conductor, printed circuit board, and metal surface finishing industries; wastewater treatment; fume scrubbing; and eductor systems. All pumps are factory bench-tested.

Verderflex expands hose pump range with Dura 55 Following the release of its Dura 45 hose pump,Verderflex has expanded the line to deliver over 20% more flow.

The addition of the Verderflex Dura 55 expands the range’s flow rates from <1 l/hr to 15.3m³/hr at pressures up to 16 bar.

Designed to meet growing market demands for a pump that can reduce life cycle costs, maximise plant uptime and incorporate special design features for arduous heavy duty applications, the Dura 55 can be used in a variety of applications, including; biogas production, brewing, fly ash recirculation, chemical manufacturing, industrial processing, mining and water treatment.

The hose pump aims to increase hose life by decreasing the number of revolutions needed to pump a given volume for longer hose life and expanded maintenance intervals.

Also featured is a patent pending port flange that

encloses the hose. This flange design includes a quarter turn lock system, halving hose change times to maximise plant uptime. Normally supplied in 316 stainless steel, this flange design also has optional PP & PVDF inserts for aggressive chemical duty options.

Stalled rotor protection technology, including visible slippage indicators, guards against blockages and chokes and eliminates potential rotor, rotor shoe or gearbox damage when the pumped liquid settles out or a line chokes, reducing both maintenance costs and production downtime. This feature enhances the Dura 55’s suitability for pumping sludge, slurries and all kinds of vicious and waste liquids.

Reinforcing the heavy duty design is the pump’s high tensile strength SG iron casing and rotor. The Dura 55 pump’s rotor shoes are fully supported, eliminating potential stress weak points.

New metering pump launched by Watson-Marlow Watson-Marlow Pumps Group has launched a new peristaltic metering pump designed to reduce chemical metering costs compared to conventional solenoid or stepper-driven diaphragm metering pumps.

The Qdos 60 model is ideal for disinfection, pH adjustment and flocculation of drinking water, wastewater and industrial process water, as well as reagent dosing and metering in mineral processing tasks. The new model follows the launch of the Qdos 30 pump, expanding the range to incorporate flow rates from 0.001 to 15 GPH 100psi. The Qdos 60 is especially suited to chemical metering applications found in larger water treatment plants where flow demand is greater than that provided by the existing Qdos 30 model.

The metering pump reduces chemical costs even when metering difficult fluids, or when pressure, viscosity, and solids content vary. This capability combines with peristaltic technology to ensure continuous flow for optimal fluid mixing. Advanced control features include fluid level monitoring, fluid recovery, line priming and intuitive flow calibration.

Enhanced pump accuracy enables higher concentration chemicals to be used, thus saving on transport costs and driving down carbon emissions.

Installation is designed to be simple, since the drop-in pump requires no pulsation dampener, strainers or float switches, nor does it require any de-gassing, back-pressure or foot valves.

The pump requires little or no upkeep, making it ideal for those with reduced maintenance budgets. With no seals or valves in the Qdos 60 flow path to clog, leak or corrode, there is no opportunity for vapour lock.

The pump’s high suction lift and viscous handling capabilities eliminate the need for flooded suction, day tanks, and specialist piping schemes.

Watson-Marlow’s patented ReNu pumphead technology provides a single, safely contained component for rapid maintenance without the need for tools. Straightforward pumphead removal and replacement minimises process downtime and demands no specialist training or technicians.

Operation is facilitated by a menu-driven interface with a colour display featuring high visibility status indication.

Alfa Laval wins SEK 240 million offshore pumping systems order in South Korea Alfa Laval – a specialist in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling – has won an order to supply Framo pumping systems to Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea. The order, booked in the marine and offshore pumping systems segment, has a value of approximately SEK 240 million (€26.1 million) and delivery is scheduled for 2015.

The order is comprised of offshore pumping systems for an FPSO (Floating Production Storage and Offloading vessel). The vessel is commissioned by Total SA and will be built by Samsung. Once completed, the vessel will be anchored outside the Nigerian coast.

‘I am pleased to announce the first large order for offshore pumping systems since the Framo brand was included in our offering through the acquisition of Frank Mohn AS,’ says Lars Renström, president and CEO of the Alfa Laval Group. ‘These products fit very well into our portfolio of reliable and efficient products for the marine and offshore oil and gas market.’

Michael Smith Engineers supplies pumps for Flotech skids Pumps specialist Michael Smith Engineers is supplying Flotech Performance Systems with Viking’s SG range of external gear pumps for use in the company’s additive and dye injection skids for petroleum and chemical applications.

These skids vary in scope from injection hardware skids through to full turnkey systems designed to meet individual customer requirements and can incorporate features such as additive storage, secondary containment pipework, pumps and pump control. For many additive applications, the primary function of the pumps is to ensure that they generate sufficient differential pressure for the additive to be injected efficiently and smoothly into the main process line.

In most installations the operation of the pump and how it is controlled is crucial to the overall performance of the skid. Duty/ standby pump systems will be controlled to provide alternate operation and to also start the standby pump should the duty pump fail to maintain the required differential pressure.

Depending on the application, they may need to cover flow ranges up to 160l/min and differential pressures as high as 16bar. Also, in many situations the pumps need to be certified for use in ATEX hazardous locations.

The pumps perform a vital role on these skids and must be able to cope with the challenges of handling high differential pressures, even when pumping low viscosity liquids.

The Viking SG pump, supplied by MSE, used for Flotech’s injection skids

For this reason Flotech Performance Systems has used Viking SG Series External Gear pumps on many applications.

Supplied by Michael Smith Engineers, Viking’s SG range of spur gear design external gear pumps are able to pump low volumes of liquid at high differential pressures. As a consequence they provide a smooth, accurate output which can be monitored and adjusted, resulting in process consistency

Amarinth supplies pumps to British Sugar and expands UK operations Amarinth, a company specialising in the design, application and manufacture of centrifugal pumps and associated equipment to the oil & gas, petrochemical, chemical and industrial markets, has announced it has delivered new pumps to British Sugar, expanding its organisation into the UK manufacturing sector in the process.

British Sugar turned to Amarinth when they needed new pumps for their sugar production process at their Newark factory in Nottinghamshire.

During the extraction of sugar from beet, the ‘thin juice’ sugary water from the purification process is pumped through a falling

film juice evaporation process which boils the water off to produce syrup known as ‘thick juice’ which then passes to the crystallisation process.

A stainless steel impeller was designed to pump the sticky syrup reliably and an AES CDSA mechanical seal was added to contain the fluid. Hydrostatic and performance tests were completed at Amarinth’s comprehensive facility before delivery within an 18-week deadline.

This was the first order from British Sugar taken by Richard Barnes, Amarinth’s new UK sales manager.

Amarinth is currently expanding its operations to meet demand from the UK manufacturing sector.

without wastage.

Viking SG pumps are available in 29 sizes for capacities up to 45m3/hr at differential pressures to 172bar and operate on liquids with a viscosity range of 1.0 to 250,000 cSt. Construction materials include ductile iron or cast iron and they can be supplied in a choice of lip seal, mechanical seal or magdrive options.

Morrison Pump Company awarded pump contract for US Army Corps Morrison Pump Company has been awarded the contract to supply eight high capacity Morrison axial flow pumps for the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Picayune strand restoration project.

The pumps will be installed at the Miller pump station in Florida as part of the Florida Everglades restoration project, restoring fresh water flow, rehydrating 55,000 acres of drained wetlands, and returning habitat to threatened wildlife communities.

Eight Morrison vertical pumps will provide over 44 m3/s in total pumping capacity. Six high flow Morrison Pumps will be diesel engine driven and contain 30 feet (9.1m) long US Army Corps-type formed suction intakes, and two low flow Morrison pumps will be electric motor driven. The company will also be providing a physical hydraulic model study of the pump station intake systems and factory pump performance testing in support of the environmental project.

Morrison Pump Company has completed initial pump engineering and analyses and plans to commence manufacture in 2015. The eight vertical pumps, along with diesel engines, speed reducers, electric motors and control panels are scheduled for delivery in 2016.

Badger Meter releases new electromagnetic flowmeter US company Badger Meter has introduced a new electromagnetic flowmeter for industrial applications.

The M1000 is the latest addition to the company’s high-performance ModMAG M-Series and combines a general purpose detector with an amplifier in what the company calls ‘the next generation of electromagnetic flowmeter signal processing.’

The flowmeter achieves an accuracy rate of + 0.3% and features a rugged design to ensure reliability in demanding environments.

The meter features a non-intrusive open flow tube that virtually eliminates pressure loss, and with no moving parts to impede the flow stream, maintenance is kept to a minimum.

A selection of liner and electrode materials provides maximum fluid compatibility and minimum maintenance over a long operating period.

The M1000 electromagnetic flow meter was specifically developed for industrial water/ wastewater, machinery plants, commercial vehicles and batching process applications.

Its measuring pipes are lined with material approved for use with drinking water per the NSF-61 standards. Rugged construction and resistance to vibration make the meter ideal for truck-mounted operation for process fluid in the hydraulic fracturing industry.

The M1000 is available in ¼ – 8” sizes and has a flow range of 0.03 – 12m/s. The

Greyline issues latest Doppler flowmeter Greyline’s new flowmeter measures flow from outside a pipe, employing the latest technology in Doppler signal processing, for applications in the industrial, municipal and oil and gas sectors, to name a few.

The DFM 5.1 Doppler clamp-on ultrasonic sensor mounts on any pipe ½” in diameter or larger and is designed for ‘difficult’ liquids like wastewater, sludge, slurries, abrasives or

any liquid with bubbles or suspended solids.

Calibration and start-up is simple with the built-in 5-button keypad.

Standard features include a large, backlit display and totaliser, isolated 4-20 mA output and 6 control relays.

Options include a built-in data logger and reporting system with USB output, Windows software and intrinsically safe sensor.

Ametek expands aircraft flowmeter test capabilities Ametek Sensors & Fluid Management Systems (SFMS) recently expanded fuel flowmeter test capabilities at its Reynosa, Mexico facility, to offer improved accuracy at even higher temperatures than previously possible, along with increased capacity to support higher customer demand.

The company historically has calibrated its true mass flowmeters at 150˚F to provide a closer representation of in-service performance. However more recently, there has been an increased demand for accuracy at temperatures up to 300˚F. With these expanded capabilities Ametek can offer a more accurate fuel flowmeter that directly results in less fuel being loaded into the airplane’s tanks, meaning less energy is wasted transporting extra fuel.

meter is best suited for bi-directional flow measurements of fluid > 5 µS/cm (> 20 µS/ cm for de-mineralised water). The amplifier includes an LCD display and is housed in a weather-resistant, NEMA 4X (IP66) enclosure, which can be integrally mounted to the detector, or if necessary, mounted remotely for an optional NEMA 6P (IP67) enclosure.

The available power supply is 92-275V AC (9-36V DC).

Badger Meter has broadened the M1000 communication connection protocols to include Modbus RTU, RS232, RS422 and RS485 options. In addition, the meter offers a data logging feature kit for advanced analytics.

Tricor launches new 3-inch coriolis flowmeter Tricor Coriolis Technology has announced the release of a new 3” coriolis flowmeter to add to its TCM series.

This meter is particularly well-suited to the oil & gas industry in applications such as measuring the midstream transportation of oil and gas, rail car and truck loading, allocation metering in crude oil and natural gas production, and metering of refined products in downstream production applications, as well as a whole host of other industries.

The new flowmeter can measure flows 230,000 kg/ hr, (8,433 lbs/min) or 230,000 lph (1012 gpm/34,700 Bbl/ day), and withstand pressures up to 1450 psi (100 bar) with a high degree of accuracy (0.1% of reading).

According to Tricor, the meter will soon have the following hazardous area certifications: ATEX Ex IIC TIT6, and CSA/cUS Class 1 Div 1.

Flexible flowmeter platform from Titan Enterprises Titan Enterprises has announced the ‘Hedgehog’, an electronic development platform for OEM applications based on the company’s Atrato ultrasonic flowmeter.

The instrument has the capability of running up to four flow sensors simultaneously with real time analysis. The software interface permits a wide operating envelope allowing OEM products to be developed for 0.5 to 20mm pipes including in-line and clamp-on devices. The structure is such that software changes can be simply ‘dragged and dropped’ into a box in the interface permitting remote on-board logic updating and system re-programming.

A full array of inlets and outlets are available including both analogue and high speed logic signals for fast response system requirements. Smaller single channel versions ‘Hoglets’ have also been produced to enable testing of single preproduction meters where space may be at a premium.

The 3” coriolis flowmeter from Tricor

New flow sensor released by Dwyer Instruments Indiana-based Dwyer Instruments, a specialist manufacturer in the controls and instrumentation industry, has added a new flow sensor to its product range.

The Series MFS2 Magnetic Inductive Flow Sensor is a compact PVDF electromagnetic flowmeter. Unlike sensors with moving parts, the MFS2 can be

used in applications dealing with contaminated media in ½”, ¾”, 1” or 1-1/4” diameter pipes.

This series provides a reliable measuring technique with a ±1% accuracy, an obstruction free pipe cross-section, and quick response time, making this series ideal for interference free operation.

Any change in temperature, density, viscosity, concentration

or electrical conductivity, does not affect the output signal of the magnetic inductive flow sensor.

This, in addition to its long life cycle, makes the series ideal for accurate reversible gauging of volume flow of conductive liquids in closed piping. The unit is available for flow ranges from 0.02 to 66 gpm (0.25 to 250 lpm).

The flow sensor operates

by creating a magnetic field in its measuring pipe. When an electrically conductive medium passes through the pipe a voltage is created that is proportional to the average flow velocity.

This velocity is picked up by two electrodes within the MFS2 and a frequency output signal is obtained that is proportional to the flow.

Sierra Instruments announces flowmeter tech for existing products Sierra Instruments, a global mass flowmeter manufacturer, has announced that two of its flowmeters are now available with additional technology, making them ideal for industrial applications like oil and gas.

The QuadraTherm 640i and 780i are now available with full device description Foundation Fieldbus digital communication protocol; a proven, systemic technology

comprised of a bi-directional communications protocol designed to provide easy access to flowmeter data. The technology is used for: • Communications among field devices and to the control system • A function block structure for true distributed control • Device Description (DD) technology for parameterisation and integration of data

High temperature ultrasonic flowmeter from Titan measures accurately and precisely Capable of operating up to 110°C, the high temperature Atrato ultrasonic flowmeter from Titan Enterprises is purpose designed for applications requiring precise flow measurement at elevated temperatures.

The Atrato is an inline non-invasive flowmeter without the contorted flow path and disadvantages of alternative ultrasonic designs. It can handle flows from laminar to turbulent and is therefore largely immune from viscosity.

It also offers excellent turndown, linearity and repeatability. Atrato flowmeters use patented ‘time-of-flight’ ultrasonic technology that enables them to operate over wide flow ranges (250:1)

accurately (±1.5%) over the whole span.

Constructed with PEEK pipe connections and either a glass or 316 stainless steel flow tube, the compact Atrato is compliant to IP54 standards. Its clean bore construction makes it ideal for a wide range of flow applications.

Titan’s proprietary signal processing system permits flow measurement over the whole Reynolds number range allowing both viscous and non-viscous products to be metered accurately. An integral USB interface makes it easy to install and enables users to directly monitor flow volume and rate on an external PC as well as altering operating conditions.

The Atrato ultrasonic flowmeter from Titan Enterprises

• A network hierarchy for subsystem integration • A well-defined system management structure for reliability and determinism of functional execution The company’s full range of digital communications solutions allows flowmeter integration into automation and control systems.

Emerson introduces coriolis flowmeter for medium to large flow rates Emerson Process Management has introduced a coriolis flowmeter for line sizes from 3.5 to 4.5” (DN sizes of 90-125). The meter expands the Elite family by providing for customers who require measurement of medium to large flow rates.

The Micro Motion Elite CMF350 flowmeter features an optimum level of scalability and standardisation for the best fit in applications where flow rate accuracy with low pressure drop and high turndown is critical. Specifically, this meter delivers 0.05% optional liquid mass flow accuracy and volume accuracy, ±0.35% gas accuracy and ±0.0002 g/cc liquid density accuracy.

Maximum flow rates for this sensor reach 15,000 lb/min (409000 kg/h).

The meter is applicable in the oil and gas, refining, chemical and power industries. It is ideal for applications such as cementing, custody transfer of liquid and gas, production separation, basic and specialty chemicals, ethylene and crude production and manufacturing processes.

CMF350 meters are available with Smart Meter Verification (SMV), which provides advanced diagnostics of meter health and performance without removing the sensor from the line or interrupting the manufacturing or measurement processes. The verification is quick and can be executed remotely without a trip to the field, additional instrumentation, or data interpretation.

SMV diagnostic reports are also increasingly recognised by third-party regulatory agencies, enabling work practice changes that save money and improve worker and environmental safety.

MTS Systems level transmitters gain safety approvals in India MTS Systems, a supplier of high-performance test systems and position sensors, has announced that the chief controller of explosives (CCoE) with the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) has issued updated safety approvals for its Level Plus M-Series level transmitters Models MR and MG in India.

Electrical equipment for use in potentially

explosive applications must be compliant with CCoE regulations.

The Level Plus Model MR transmitter is a two-channel output analogue sensor providing three-in-one measurement (product level, interface level and temperature) in applications such as petrochemical, liquid petroleum gas, biotech, pharmaceutical, food, beverage, water and wastewater storage, and handling

machinery.

The transmitters are modular in design, including a removable sensing element feature, and can also incorporate one, five, or 12 temperature measurement points depending on the output. They are used across many different industries and applications, including custody transfer, inventory control, bulk storage and sanitary process control.

Automated tank level monitoring system from ATEK

Pedigree Technologies launches mobile fluid monitoring system

ATEK Access Technologies has launched a tank level monitoring solution for fuel distributors, waste oil collectors and others managing liquid assets.

The TankScan TSM8000 provides remote access to liquid tank data anywhere an Internet connection is available. This allows customers to reduce tank service costs by an average of 30%, ensures efficient delivery and collection of liquid products and improves customer service.

Accurate monitoring of fluid levels in multiple tanks, across multiple sites, from the convenience of any computer via the TankScan Global Internet portal is provided. TankScan Global provides visibility into all of a customer’s tanks – from anywhere at any time. The Internet portal collects data from every tank monitor and provides an easy-to-digest snapshot of all the assets.

‘The TankScan TSM8000 decreases labour and other costs associated with manual tank measurement, while improving safety,’ says Sherri McDaniel, president of ATEK Access Technologies.

‘The automated tank measurement system optimises the distribution and collection processes by ensuring trucks are deployed efficiently, eliminating costly run outs and reducing excess inventory’.

Pedigree Technologies has released a mobile fluid monitoring system in partnership with Pro-Fab Industries of Arborg, Manitoba and Titan Logix of Edmonton, Alberta.

When used alongside the Titan Logix TD80 liquid-level gauging system, the Pedigree Technologies OneView platform can be used to remotely monitor levels of crude, produced water, acid, jet fuel and other liquid chemicals being hauled in tanker trailers.

The TD80 gauging system is used to send fluid level readings to the OneView platform, which combines the data with the tank’s real-time GPS location. This allows a company to monitor tanks and other assets remotely and ensure proper handling is taking place.

Pedigree Technologies director of product management, Joshua DeCock says, ‘The main benefit of this feature is that companies can track where

and how much fluid is picked up and dropped off. This gives traceability and helps ensure people are not dumping illegally or handling fluids improperly.’

Tank-level readings are taken any time the trailer comes to a stop. The system can also be programmed to send email and text message alerts if fluid levels change from one stop to the next.

This integration creates a safer and more efficient working environment.

The TD80 system enhances driver safety by eliminating the need for the driver to climb on top of the tank to take a measurement. Instead, the tank’s fluid level is displayed at eye-level using an advanced digital display.

The combination of the Titan TD80 with the Pedigree Technologies OneView system enables the dispatcher to see where the vehicle is located and how much product volume is left onboard, or how much ullage is remaining.

Emco Wheaton launches new overfill system for fuel tankers Emco Wheaton has launched an overfill system designed to prevent product overflows in fuel tankers during loading.

The F2020 Overfill Sensor uses electronic signals to prevent product overflows in tanker compartments, ensuring valuable fluid is not lost.

Designed for tankers of up to eight compartments, the system is connected to the controls of the terminal through a plug and socket connection. When overfill is detected, the system will override and shut down the terminal pump and metering equipment filling the tanker compartment.

The system has ISO 9000/2000 approval and is manufactured in compliance with EN13922 and the European ATEX directive.

The sensor and related equipment form a vital part of the Emco Wheaton equipment range for the builders and operators of road tankers. All components are designed to operate reliably in hazardous conditions, ensuring that liquid is delivered without spillage or contamination, at all times protecting the driver and the environment.

The system is designed for tankers with up to eight compartments

Gems Sensors launches new range of single float transmitters for shallow tank monitoring apps Gems Sensors & Controls has introduced a new costeffective range of single float transmitters specifically designed for high-accuracy continuous shallow tank monitoring applications.

The company is an industry supplier of liquid level sensors, pressure sensors and flow sensors as well as fluid control devices.

The Gems XM/XT Series of single float transmitters is designed to provide highaccuracy continuous fluid level monitoring within smaller, more compact tank environments. The new range addresses the concerns of off-highway vehicle, HVAC, locomotive, commercial printing, and medical OEM sectors, which have had limited capability for costeffective and accurate fluid level monitoring of tank depths less than 20” (50.8cm).

The lack of a suitable, lower cost single float transmitter led many OEMs to specify multi-level float solutions.

Gems XM/XT-300 Series fluid level transmitters are constructed from all-wetted polysulfone plastic parts, ensuring direct compatibility with a variety of chemicals.

The Gems XM/XT 700 Series combines the extended durability of stainless steel or brass within a lightweight package.

The compact Gems XM/ XT Series transmitters are designed to serve as effective drop-in replacements using existing tank fittings.

Key features include 0.14” (3.5mm) resolution, indicating lengths up to 14” (35.5cm), and stem lengths to 20” (50.8cm); plus a choice of mountings and float materials to suit individual requirements.

BTE develops electronic suction line level indicator In response to demand, BTE has developed a new type of suction line level indicator system.

The new device mounted on the top corner of a tank can send a signal to a PLC controller in the control room to show the operating level

of the floating suction arm.

The system is an adaptation of the BTE mechanical indicator system employed to date.

BTE is a specialist in the provision of small to large diameter floating suction lines for aviation fuel, diesel, fuel oil, etc. The company has supplied

many of the new/upgraded airports with suction lines such as 10 x 24” lines for Qatar Airport at Doha, 10 x 24” lines for Jeddah airport and currently BTE is manufacturing 8 x 32” lines for Abu Dhabi Airport fuel facility.

ATMI float level switches for fluid applications The Aqua XL and the Aqua Medium from ATMI are robust float level switches constructed with an internal ballast.

The microswitch inside these float switches tilts as the liquid level rises, closing or opening an electrical circuit.

Thanks to its volume and weight, the switches are able to penetrate the grease

layers found on wastewater pumping stations.

They are ideal for applications in all kinds of non-aggressive liquids, loaded liquids, sewage or wastewater, etc.

Easy to install, the Aqua XL and Aqua Medium can also be used for level control of multiple pumps or as a high or low level alarm.

Krohne announces availability of new radar level meter Krohne, a specialist in measuring systems for process industries, has introduced a new 10 GHz FMCW radar level meter for liquid applications in up to a 30m (98ft) measuring range.

The Optiwave 5200 C/F, a 2-wire loop powered device, measures level and volume in storage or process tanks with process conditions up to 250°C and pressures up to 40 bar (580 psi) for general purpose or hazardous locations (Class 1/Div 1).

Together with the recently launched OPTIFLEX 2200 C/F TDR level meter, the OPTIWAVE 5200 C/F has been designed and developed for use in SIL 2 safety-related systems according to IEC 61508.

The Optiwave’s electronics are compatible with a range of

antennas. The unique PP and PTFE Wave Horn antennas are process sealed by their antenna material instead of a traditional process seal construction with ‘O’ ring gaskets. These gasket free antennas are ideally suited for extremely corrosive environments. The PP antenna can be mounted on process connections as small as 1 ½”. The metallic horn and waveguide antennas use a dual seal mechanism, a combination of ‘O’ ring gaskets with Krohne’s Metaglas process interface design. This creates a hermetic seal in highly toxic or explosive applications. Metallic horn antennas range in size from DN 80-200/3-8”.

The modular design of the housing with its unique bayonet locking system and antenna extensions ensures suitability

for a variety of mounting positions and applications. To make the display screen easy to read, the quick coupling system permits 360° housing rotation. The housing can also be removed under process conditions. The remote converter version Optiwave 5200 F features full display and configuration capability up to 100m/328ft away from the antenna.

Fully compatible with all installed Krohne BM 70 flange systems, this new meter can also upgrade any BM 702 radar level meter with enhanced measurement performance and features and is compliant with newer requirements such as SIL and NAMUR guidelines. This unit offers 4-20 mA with HART communication and PACTware DTM’s at no extra charge.

Titan announces latest liquid level gauge display Advanced industrial technology company Titan Logix has released a new liquid level gauge display.

Designed for use with Titan’s TD80 liquid level gauging system for mobile tankers, the Finch II is an enhanced version of the company’s Finch 5332E external display.

The Finch II is able to monitor up to two compartments simultaneously which will switch the six-digit LED display to the compartment experiencing alarms, allowing overfill

prevention and high-level shutdown at a more cost-effective price.

Other features include four dedicated and programmable built-in relays, which remove the need for an external relay module and allow the unit to control a light, horn, pump and fourth auxiliary output, when an alarm level is reached.

A built-in RS232 interface also enables development of solutions for connection to wireless modems for ‘in the office’ fleet management.

LinkTech offers chemically resistant containment tank couplings LinkTech Quick Couplings has launched 50PP Series couplings, offering greater chemical resistance along with a more robust thumblatch technology for greater durability on containment tank walls and drums.

The quick coupling solutions can provide more durability and withstand harsh chemicals.

LinkTech’s new 50PP Series was designed with an improved robust thumb-latch. This feature helps create an easy, fast, and smooth connection. The panel mount design, particularly well-suited for

containment tank walls and drums, comes equipped with an EPDM sealing gasket and a plated brass panel mount nut.

Produced in medical-grade polypropylene, 50PP Series couplings interconnect with all other 50 Series couplings as well as other similar industry thumb-latch couplings.

The 50PP Series are available in 20 different configurations and sizes ranging from 1/4” – 3/8” flow size tubing and NPT thread. They are offered with and without shut off valves while maintaining a high flow path for a quality product.

Flowrox launches industrial instrument for pipeline depositions Flowrox, a specialist in heavy-duty industrial valve, pumps and instrumentation manufacturing and service, is releasing a new instrument to the oil & gas market designed to enhance the monitoring of pipelines and related flow-process equipment affected by paraffin wax and asphaltene depositions.

The Flowrox Deposition Watch is a predictive device, as opposed to a reactive solution, allowing its operators to address deposition issues well before these reach critical levels that can cause downtime or costly damage.

Crude oil contains a variety of molecular substances that challenge oil and gas companies: the build-up of paraffin wax crystallises into a solid deposition on the pipe wall and the accumulation of asphaletene can altogether reduce the fluid flow or plug pipes

and valves.

Deposition of paraffin wax and asphaltenes is a common reason for a major decrease in production and revenue in oil wells as it affects valves, pumps and pipelines, along with other pipeline components critical to the fluid control process.

The Flowrox Deposition Watch was developed specifically for use in the oil and gas industry, allowing customers to generate real-time images of any depositions affecting a piping system without ever having to open up the pipeline and slow down production.

The watch can model mathematically deposition profiles and provide calculations on the free available pipe remaining.

Using the Flowrox Deposition Watch allows companies to make better decisions on when to add chemicals, and the frequency of addition

Cashco introduces new back pressure relief regulator US-based fluid handling equipment manufacturer Cashco has extended its range of valves with a new high-flow/highsensitivity back pressure relief regulator.

‘The new B7 valve came about largely as a result of requests for an equivalent to our P7 high-flow/high sensitivity pressure reducing regulator, which we introduced in 2005,’ says Clint Rogers, GM of Cashco’s valve division. ‘So we were able to go back and look at the P7 unit and utilise as many components as possible.’

According to Rogers, the new B7 can be used in any high-pressure application that requires back pressure relief to avoid setting off a safety relief valve. Examples include hyperbaric chambers, air compressors, pressurised ballast tanks, high pressure testing, life support applications, manifold systems, tube trailers and gas transfer stations.

‘This allows customers to control the pressure within those types of systems without losing more of the process than necessary when a safety valve would open and drain the tank,’ Rogers comments.

‘The B7 valve, in reality, becomes a more economical relief solution.’

As with the P7 valve, the B7 back pressure

for treatment of depositions, as well as when to disassemble a pipeline for manual cleaning.

The product utilises electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) to create real time images of the inside of the piping and uses electrical capacitance tomography to detect the differences in permittivity of the various substances found in the piping system.

In addition, it utilises a patented algorithm that creates a 3D image of the process fluid in the piping and generates trend data as well as showing free volume inside the pipe and the growth rate of the deposition over time.

Ultimately, the Flowrox Deposition Watch can show its operators the deposition thickness, profile, growth rates over time, composition, and free flow volume – all of which allow engineers to understand areas where pipes are prone to these damaging deposits.

MG Newell to offer Venair silicone tubing for sanitary grade hoses

Cashco’s B7 back pressure relief valve is available in ½- and ¾” sizes with a brass or stainless steel body

relief valve is available in ½” and ¾” sizes with a brass or stainless steel body. The model B7, which is designed to control inlet set point pressure levels between 10-1150 psig (.69-79.3 Barg), is also available in angle, globe and flow-thru configurations with end connection options of NPT, 300lb flanges, 600lb flanges and 1500lb flanges.

US company MG Newell has partnered with silicone hose manufacturer Venair to offer flexible silicone tubing for clients requiring sanitary grade hoses for conveying liquid or semiliquid products.

All of the Venair silicone hoses are platinum cured in accordance with FDA standard 21 CFR 177.2600 and USP Class VI standard. The elastomer is fully non-toxic, stable, odourless, non-stick, hydrophobic and steam sterilisable with all common CIP cycles.

The company’s brand of Technosil platinum cured silicone hoses are peroxide free and recommended for any process within the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Venair hoses are also recommended for high-grade aseptic requirements as they can be connected using 316L stainless steel fittings equipped with the SZR system. This system allows the connection area between the hose and the metal connection to be completely free of any areas of possible contamination, thus facilitating CIP.

Fluid handling industry market report:

M&A transactions – first half 2014

systems for the marine and offshore markets in a deal valued at $2.1 billion (€1.6 billion).

As can be seen in the graph below, there was a significant spike in market Hertz and United Rentals both announced transactions related to Fluid handling industry market report: M&A transactions - first half 2014 activity with 23 transactions – including company and asset acquisitions – in their equipment rental businesses. Hertz announced it is spinning off Q1 2014. Q2 returned to what has been a more normal level going back to its equipment rental business into a standalone public company. United Industry Deal Activity Level Q3 2010 with 10 transactions.The deal activity included seven divestitures Rentals announced the acquisition of the pump rental business of As can be seen in the graph below, there was a significant spike in activity with 23 transactions in Q1 2014. Q2 returned to as several companies took steps to focus their businesses on their core National Pump and Compressor. Hertz expects cash proceeds of $2.5 what has been a more normal level going back to Q3 2010 with ten transactions. The deal activity included seven strategic end-markets. billion from the spin-off. The acquisition of National is valued at $780 divestitures as several companies took steps to focus their businesses on their core strategic end-markets. million in cash and stock ($765 million cash and $15 million in stock).

Industry deal activity level

Number of Transactions!

Page header: market analysis

30

20

Activity by industrial segments

10 0

Transactions focused on the oil and gas end-use market dominated the deal activity in the first half of 2014.

Segment Number of deals Percent of total Diversified 12 36.4% Most active companies 12 36.4% Sulzer was the most active dealmaker in the first half of 2014 announcing four transactions including divestiture of their Oil & gas Metco division as they moved to focus on their core end-use markets: oil and gas, power and water.

Water 5 15.2% SPX was also highly active announcing threeand divestments with the objective of becoming on their core flow Other Swiss industrial engineering manufacturing firm Sulzer more wasfocused the most 4 12.0% technologies businesses. active dealmaker in the first half of 2014, announcing four transactions Other companies who announced multiple transactions in the first half of 2014 included: including divestiture of its Metco division as it ofmoved todistribution focus on its core 33 100% Applied industrial Technologies announcing the acquisition two oil field and service companies. Total end-use markets: oil and gas, power water.

Graco, Inc. announced two transactions they and actually completed in December 2013. Both acquired companies are focusedfirm on providing friendly solutions.

US-based SPX environmentally was also highly active, announcing three divestments with the objective of becoming more focused on its core flow technologies Activity by targeted geographies Notable Transactions businesses.

Alfa Laval announced the acquisition of Frank Mohn AS, a Norway based manufacturer of submerged pumping systems for the marine and offshore markets in a deal valued at $2.1 billion (€1.6 billion).

Companies located in North America were the primary targets of deal Hertz and United Rentals both announced transactions related to their rental businesses. Hertz announced they are Other companies that announced multiple transactions in the first half of activity and more specifically the US with 18 of the 19 North American spinning off their equipment rental business into a stand-alone public company. United Rentals announced the acquisition of 2014 included: deals having a US-based target. Europe was the next most active with nine the pump rental business of National Pump and Compressor. Hertz expects cash proceeds of $2.5 billion from the spin-off.

• acquisition Canadian company Applied which acquired twoin stock). targets.

The of National is valued at $780 Industrial million in cashTechnologies, and stock ($765 million cash and $15 million oil field distribution and service companies.

Area Number of deals Percent of total • Graco, a provider of fluid handling systems and components, announced Activity by Industrial Segments North America 19 57.6% two transactions actually completed in December 2013. Both acquired Transactions focused on the oil & gas end-use market dominated the deal activity in the first half of 2014. companies are focused on providing environmentally friendly solutions.

Europe 9 27.3% Segment Number of Deals Percent of Total Middle East 1 3.0% Diversified 12 36.4% Notable transactions Asia 3 9.1% Oil & Gas 12 36.4% South America 1 3.0% Water 5 15.2% Fluid handling technology specialist Alfa Laval announced the acquisition Other 4 12.0% of Frank Mohn, a Norway-based manufacturer of submerged pumping Total 33

100% Total 33 100% Figure 1: Announced Pump Industry Transactions Announced pump industry transactions Most Active Companies

© 2014 Global Equity Consulting, LLC All Rights Reserved .

Transaction valuations for the last 12 months (2nd half of 2013 and the 1st half of 2014) Deal size

Transactions*

≥ $1 billion

3

EV/Revenue multiple range

$500 – $999 million

EV/Revenue multiple median

EV/EBITDA multiple range

EV/EBITDA multiple median

No valuation multiples disclosed

5

3.9 – 1.4

1.8

7.2 (one transaction)

7.2 (one transaction)

$100 – $499 million 5

3.7 – 1.1

1.5

9.1 – 6.4

7.9

$50 – $99 million

1

1.8

1.8

Not disclosed

Not disclosed

$10 – 49 million

3

1.7 – 1.2

1.4

8.8 (one transaction)

8.8 (one transaction)

$0 – $10 million

1

1.0 (one transaction)

1.0 (one transaction)

Not disclosed

Not disclosed

Total

18

3.9 – 1.0

1.5

9.1–6.4

7.9

*Transactions for which valuation information has been publicly disclosed.

Terms: EBITDA – earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization; EV – enterprise value is the combined amounts of market capitalisation, minority interests, preferred stock and net debt; Revenue – amount recorded as net sales for the period.

Notable transactions The trend from 2013 for general M&A activity worldwide was for fewer transactions with higher transaction valuations.This was reflective of both deal mix with more mega deals that tend to have higher valuations relative to smaller transactions but also a general increase in valuations.

Looking more specifically at the US middle market, the conditions for M&A activity and valuations remain positive. Both strategic and private equity buyers have cash and access to low cost debt, the economic outlook for the next three years is relatively positive and buyers are motivated to consider acquisitions for a number of strategic reasons.These drivers include: supplementing low organic growth, expanding geographic reach, extending product/technology and/or service scope within market verticals and/or expanding into new market segments.

Based on information from Dealogic, the following table shows median enterprise values (EV)/EBITDA multiples for the US market: US valuations 2010 2011 2012 Middle market* 9.3x 10.0x 9.1x Overall market 9.9x 10.8x 9.6x * Transaction values less than $750 million

As the old English expression goes: “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys...”

2013 9.9x 10.0x

LTM 9.9x 10.6x

Although currently relatively few pump industry transactions are available where valuation data has been disclosed, over the last couple years the industry valuation multiples have lagged the overall middle market multiples by at least two points.

There are numerous factors that drive valuation multiples, but one of the primary factors impacting pump industry valuation multiples is the relatively low overall organic growth outlook in the low-to-mid single digits.

Companies with a solid track record, who have a demonstrated an ability to drive above industry growth rates in revenue and earnings, will be well positioned for top of the range valuation multiples.

Disclaimer: Global Equity Consulting and City Capital Advisors have not independently verified the information in this report.

The information is not intended to be used for valuation, market comparison, investment or other transaction related purposes.

For more information: This article was written by Thomas E. Haan, principal of Global Equity Consulting and an operating director for City Capital Advisors, (+1) 269 385 5186, Thaan@GlobalEquityConsulting.net

Tank Storage magazine: the industry’s only audited publication Tank Storage magazine guarantees our advertisers the readership they desire. What we say we do is what we actually do!

To get advertising prices or to request a copy of the media pack please contact: David Kelly on +44 (0) 203 551 5754 or david@tankstoragemag.com For editorial information please contact: Margaret Dunn on +44 (0) 208 687 4126 or margaret@tankstoragemag.com

New standard for switch and control systems The new series of standards for the construction of switch and control systems, DIN EN 61439, will take effect on 1 November 2014, superseding the previous standard DIN EN 60439 with a transition period. Affected are all switch and control systems for the operation of machines and systems, as well as power distributors for high current applications.The reason for the new legislation is to improve the reliability and safety of such systems.

The required documentation for planners will increase significantly as a result of the new standard. In the future, detailed type and item certifications, as well as, thermal calculations will be required for all switch and control systems.

In the future there must be a design verification for every built-in component and a piece of evidence for every switch system. In addition, the operability of the components must be checked in complete operation and the results documented.The previous component test report will be replaced by the piece of evidence.

For the acceptance inspection all users of switch and control systems are required to provide this extensive documentation, which is comparable to that required for applications in potentially explosive areas.

Preparing the design verification is the responsibility of the manufacturer of the switch or control system and is required only for the reference system and can be provided by testing, evaluation or by a structured comparison with a tested reference.The design verification comprises 13 single certifications. Some of these certifications confirm the interaction of different components. A certification only with the protective conductor rail is not permissible. Nor is it possible to transfer a test to other makes.

The certification for the short-circuit stability of a bus bar system including the mechanical mounting construction can be provided only in a cabinet system.

New definitions The new series of standards consists of a general section and product-specific sections.

The previously used terms ‘type-tested switchgear combination’ (TSC) and ‘partially type-tested switchgear combination’ (PTSC) are replaced in the new standard by ‘energy switchgear combination’ or ‘power switchgear combination’ (PSC).

The interfaces of the PSC must be explicitly defined in a black box model, in which the planner must specify the required current for all electric circuits. Consequently, this must be taken into account by the switch system manufacturer, especially with respect to the given installation

conditions, such as the IP code, ambient temperature and air conditioning. Manufacturers must demonstrate that the chosen device combination can carry the required current without the switchgear combination reaching the maximum permissible temperatures.

The term ‘manufacturer’ is also redefined in the new standard. In the future a differentiation will be made between the original manufacturer and the manufacturer of the switchgear combination.The standard defines the original manufacturer as: ‘an organisation that implemented the original design and the corresponding documentation of the switchgear combination according to the corresponding switchgear combination standard.’

The manufacturer of the switchgear combination on the other hand is the ‘organisation that assumes the responsibility for the completed switchgear combination’.They are responsible for the solution design and for the completed switchgear combination.

Project engineering according to DIN EN 61439 The compilation of data for the project engineering in accordance with the new series of standards will be based on a checklist, which is also part of the new standard.The checklist includes, for example, connection to the power network, electric circuits and consumers, installation and ambient conditions as well as operation and maintenance. It also includes project engineering of the control cabinet and the design verification, the construction and manufacture of the control cabinet, execution of the piece of evidence and a CE declaration of conformity.The changes to DIN EN 60439 refer for the most part to the increased documentation requirements. In the past, for example, it was not necessary to document the type and the components in the degree of detail now required.

Quick implementation According to the new legal situation, all systems commissioned after 1 November must comply with the new standard DIN EN 61439.

In addition to the extensive documentation requirements, conceptual changes and new definitions, the more complex thermal analyses required of the manufacturer also play a role.

Fluid technology company Bürkert is capable of providing its customers with control cabinet solutions that comply with the new legislation.

‘We fulfil 100% of the changes introduced in the new standards. All of our products in this

area are henceforth available in accordance with DIN EN 61439 and Bürkert will support its customers in all questions and matters relating to the new series of standards,’ says Jens Fuhrmann, manager of the Menden Systemhaus.

Development of the control cabinets takes place in the Bürkert Systemhaus locations in Menden, Ingelfingen, Dresden, Charlotte (USA) and Shuzou (China).The experts at Bürkert assume the responsibility for the planning, engineering, manufacture and documentation of customised control units.This also includes delivery and commissioning of solutions for every process environment, including potentially explosive areas.

Individual control cabinet solutions Many switch and control systems, especially for the operation of machines and processes, are so individual with respect to the design and respective combination that a modular system is not used.These customised systems also require a design verification according to DIN EN 61439, in order to fulfil the requirements for a conformity assessment process and other legal requirements.

The safety and simplicity of control cabinets from Bürkert are ensured by extensive documentation. Especially important in this respect are the national and international certifications and certificates, such as the UL Certificate.

Last December, in accordance with the UL Data Acceptance Program, the laboratory of Bürkert was approved for participation in the Data Acceptance Program by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the testing and certification organisation.

The approval occurred within the framework of the UL Client Test Data Program (CTDP), a process that allows manufacturers to acquire test data relevant for certification in their own adequate testing facilities.The test data and all necessary documents, as well as a suitable test item are then sent to UL for evaluation.

This procedure significantly advances the UL certification procedure.

For more information: This article was written by Jens Fuhrmann, GM Systemhaus Dortmund, Bürkert Fluid Control Systems.

Visit: www.burkert.com

Understanding the basics Coriolis mass flowmeters use the properties of mass to measure mass. In an analogy, when a fixed mass is rotating on a turntable, centrifugal force pushes the mass outward, but there are no forces pushing the mass in a plane tangent to the rotation. However, if the mass is moving inwards or outwards from the centre of the turntable, the radius of rotation changes, and a force (the coriolis force) is produced in the tangential plane at right angles to the centrifugal force.This effect can be readily experienced when riding a merrygo-round.

In a coriolis mass flowmeter, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;rotationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is typically generated by vibrating tube(s) in which the fluid flows. In a U-tube coriolis mass flowmeter design, the fluid (mass) in the tubes flows away from and towards the axis of vibration, and a coriolis force in the tangential plane is produced. Fluid flows in opposite directions relative to the axis of vibration cause the coriolis forces on the inlet and outlet halves of the U-tube to be in opposite directions.These opposite coriolis forces cause the U-tube to twist.The amount of twist is proportional to the mass flow rate of fluid passing through the U-tube.

Other designs utilise different geometries to develop coriolis forces. Sensors and a coriolis mass flowmeter transmitter are used to measure the twist and generate a signal proportional to the mass flow of the fluid.

The mechanical characteristics of vibrating tubes are affected by temperature, so the twist of the tube generated by a given coriolis force will vary with temperature.To maintain

accurate mass flow measurement, coriolis mass flowmeters generally require compensation for tube temperature or operation within a narrow temperature range.Temperature compensation is typically implemented electronically in the coriolis mass flow transmitter using a measurement from a temperature sensor located on the surface of the flow tube or in the flowmeter housing.

In many designs, suppliers offer an additional analogue output that can represent temperature.

It should be noted that this output is the temperature used for compensation. It is not the fluid temperature, but rather the temperature of the outer surface of the tube or the flowmeter housing. Nonetheless, this temperature is often sufficiently close to the fluid temperature and may provide useful process information.

The frequency of the vibrating tube(s) is related to the density of the fluid in the tube.

The coriolis mass flow transmitter typically analyses the sensor signals to determine the density of the fluid in the tube. In many designs, suppliers offer an additional analogue output that can represent the density of the process fluid.

Typical coriolis mass flowmeter construction is such that the only wetted parts are the tubes and manifolds that can be made from materials that can withstand corrosion and do not contaminate the fluid.Therefore, these flowmeters can be applied to measure corrosive fluids and fluids where contamination is an issue, such as in sanitary applications. However, some coriolis mass flowmeter designs do incorporate internal seals that should be considered for

compatibility with the process. All welded designs are preferable for applications where corrosive fluids are present.

In addition, the straight-through nature of some designs reduces the loss of hydraulic energy across the flowmeter (pressure drop). Reducing the pressure drop across the flowmeter can conserve hydraulic energy in some applications, such as when a pump or fan is controlled with a variable speed drive.

Note that installing a flowmeter with a lower pressure drop in place of a flowmeter with a higher pressure drop can cause the pressure drop to be transferred from the flowmeter to the control valve, and result in no energy savings.

Suppliers generally state that coriolis mass flowmeters do not require straight run upstream or downstream of the flowmeter.

However, examination of their mounting requirements reveals that some designs require supports located in straight piping upstream and downstream of the flowmeter. While these designs may not require straight run to improve the hydraulic velocity profile entering the flowmeter, their piping support requirements effectively resemble a straight run. Piping support and straight run requirements can reduce the usability of some coriolis mass flowmeters in some applications. The supplierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s detailed mounting recommendations should be examined to evaluate suitability for a particular application.

The technology behind coriolis mass flowmeters has no Reynolds number

constraints, so it can be applied where the liquid exhibits high or varying viscosity.

However, it should be noted that as fluid viscosity increases, the pressure drop across the flowmeter can become excessive and may limit the applicability of the flowmeter. This can usually be remedied by increasing the size of the flowmeter, however performance can be degraded when the flowmeter operates in the lower portion of its range.

In terms of process speed, coriolis mass flowmeters with fast response times can measure liquids that flow for relatively short periods of time, such as in batch and fill operations. Response time and reproducibility become important parameters to quantify in these applications.

Coriolis mass flowmeters can be used to measure the mass flow of gases and vapours.

The advantage of this technology is that it measures mass flow directly, and does not infer mass flow from other measurements, such as pressure and temperature. The caveat is the coriolis mass flowmeter should be operated within a range of mass flow rates where its accuracy is acceptable. Because the density of gases is generally significantly lower than that of liquids, the hydraulic ability to flow a sufficient mass of gas through the flowmeter can be limited. Therefore, coriolis mass flowmeters in gas applications are usually sized larger than would be required for an equivalent liquid mass flow rate. As a result, they tend to operate in the lower portion of their range where accuracy may be degraded.

Mass flow rate of the fluid can also be measured. The measurement is linear with mass flow and exhibits a relatively large turndown. In addition, the range of flow measurement is relatively large and easy to change after installation. The measurement is virtually independent of density and the same flowmeter can be used for multiple products.

This allows potential cost savings through the installation of one flowmeter to measure multiple flow streams when the flow streams are not required to operate at the same time.

Coriolis mass flowmeters can be used to measure fluid density in addition to flow rate.

In some applications, density measurement can be used to determine fluid composition or potential process problems. Those flowmeters that measure flow and density can offer potential cost savings over the purchase and installation of a flowmeter and density transmitter.

For more information: This article was written by David W. Spitzer, principal at Spitzer & Boyes.Visit: www. spitzerandboyes.com and www.iainsider.co.uk

Variation in certain characteristics of coriolis mass flowmeters has allowed this technology to be applied to many processes. The following define flowmeter design categories and how they fit the needs of their intended applications: Liquid coriolis Most coriolis mass flowmeters measure liquid flows, however some designs were developed specifically and exclusively for gas flow measurement.

Gas coriolis Although the majority of coriolis mass flowmeters were designed to measure liquid flow, many were found to measure the mass flow of gases with acceptable accuracy.

Applying coriolis mass flowmeters to gas flows eliminates the need for pressure and temperature instrumentation that is used to compensate flowmeters that measure volume, velocity or inferentially. By measuring mass directly and eliminating the additional measurements, the installation is more straightforward and can be more economical.

High pressure coriolis High pressure coriolis mass flowmeters include flowmeters that can measure fluids at pressures over 125 bar. The flow tubes in these flowmeters usually have thicker walls, so they may not perform as well as Coriolis mass flowmeters designed for lower pressures.

High temperature coriolis Most coriolis mass flowmeters are limited to temperatures of approximately 200°C. High temperature coriolis mass flowmeters are capable of measuring over 225°C. These flowmeters are often used in high temperature heating systems.

Metal (other than 316SS) coriolis Due to the cost and general applicability of 316SS, most coriolis mass flowmeters were designed and are constructed of 316SS wetted parts. However, to increase the applicability of the technology, coriolis mass flowmeters can be constructed using other metals. Note that some coriolis mass flowmeters have seals that are constructed from non-metallic materials. Therefore, the availability of a coriolis mass flowmeter made of materials other than 316SS does not necessarily imply that the seals are (or can be) constructed of a material that is compatible with the process.

Plastic/polymer coriolis Most coriolis mass flowmeters are metal, however coriolis mass flowmeters constructed of plastics and polymers are available. These flowmeters are used for low flows of high purity fluids.

Sanitary coriolis Sanitary coriolis mass flowmeters are designed and fabricated with materials and finishes that allow application to the food and pharmaceutical industries where they may be cleaned and/or steamed in place. In addition, they can usually be oriented to be self-filling and self-draining for easier cleaning.

Single path coriolis Single path coriolis mass flowmeters do not split the flow so as to allow the fluid to take multiple paths through the flowmeter. This feature is important in applications where it is desirable to ensure that the path through the flowmeter is free of trapped material, such as in applications where the process fluid can ‘freeze’, or solidify.

Straight path coriolis Straight path coriolis mass flowmeters exhibit the benefits of single path flowmeters and are unobstructed. Their geometry generally reduces the pressure drop at a given operating condition and allows them to be installed in orientations that selfdrain and self-fill.

Coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters: competitive or complementary?

Coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters are widely used to measure liquids and gases, and both are just beginning to be used to measure steam. Because both flowmeters are very popular with end-users, it is worthwhile to discuss how they are alike and how they differ.

Certain key areas to compare include principle of operation, history, application, line size, and other key points of comparison.

By looking at how the two flowmeter types compare in these critical parameters, it is possible to get a better sense of where these two flowmeter types are best suited in terms of application. Understanding this should go a long way towards finding out to what extent these two flowmeter types are competitive or competing.

proportional to flowrate, and the flowmeter uses this value to compute flowrate.

Fluids measured Both coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters measure liquids and gases. However, coriolis flowmeters have an easier time with liquids.

This is because liquids are denser than gases, and coriolis meters rely on momentum of the fluid to deflect the flowtube. Gases are lighter

Principle of operation Coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters have very different principles of operation. Coriolis flowmeters consist of one or two tubes that are caused to vibrate through electromagnetic force.

As fluid flows through the tube(s), the tube or tubes are deflected by the momentum of the fluid. The flowmeter detects the amount of deflection, and this is proportional to mass flowrate.

Ultrasonic flowmeters operate on a different principle. While there are two main types, transit-time and Doppler, transit time is the dominant technology. Transit time ultrasonic flowmeters send an ultrasonic signal at an angle across the flowstream, using a transducer that is mounted in the pipe wall or is outside of the pipe. The signal is sent both across the flowstream and back, and is detected by a transducer that serves as a receiver. When the signal travels in the same direction as the flowing fluid, it travels more quickly than when it travels against the flowing stream. This different in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;transit timeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is

Endress+Hauserâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Promass X coriolis flowmeter

than liquids, and have a more difficult time deflecting the flowtube.

Ultrasonic flowmeters can measure the flow of both liquids and gases. They are widely used for the custody transfer of natural gas in pipeline applications. They are also used in upstream applications of water, gas, and oil in upstream applications in the context of exploration and production. Other flowmeters used in upstream applications include turbine and differential pressure

flowmeters. Ultrasonic flowmeters are used to measure both natural gas and industrial gases.

Line sizes Line sizes are an important difference between coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters. Up until five years ago, the large majority of coriolis meters were for line sizes of 2” or less, although some were made for pipes up to 6” in diameter.

One company, Rheonik (now owned by GE Measurement), made coriolis meters for line sizes above 6”.

In the past five years, three new suppliers have entered the market for large line size coriolis meters: Micro Motion, Endress+Hauser, and Krohne. These companies are making coriolis meters for pipes with diameters of 6 to 16”. This is a new development in the coriolis flowmeter market.

For ultrasonic flowmeters, line size is no barrier. In fact, ultrasonic flowmeters function best in pipes of 4” in diameter and up, although many are made for pipes with smaller diameters. The ultrasonic signal travels farther in both directions in large pipes, resulting in a greater difference in transit times. Ultrasonic flowmeters are widely used for custody transfer of natural gas in pipes with diameters of 20 to 42” and up. No coriolis meter made today could make these measurements.

What is driving the development of large line size coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters is the demand for more accurate and reliable measurement of oil and gas. Many of these flowmeters are made for custody transfer applications. With the price of crude oil in the $100 (€73) per barrel range, inaccurate measurements can be quite costly when the product is changing ownership. And even though the price of natural gas has remained relatively low, flow measurement of natural gas is increasing as it is viewed more widely as an alternative to petroleum liquids and as a long-term bridge to renewables.

Industry approvals benefit both meter types When crude oil, petroleum liquids, and natural gas change hands at custody transfer points, these exchanges are influenced by regulatory bodies.

The American Gas Association (AGA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API) have published criteria or standards that lay out guidelines for how these measurements are to be properly made. These guidelines were initially published for differential pressure (DP) flowmeters using orifice plates by the AGA in 1930. This report was called AGA-1, and it was followed up in 1935 with AGA-2, as a result of additional tests. The AGA first published AGA3 in 1955, which is the report still associated with orifice plate meters for custody transfer.

However, it has been substantially revised and

updated since that time.

Approvals for ultrasonic flowmeters came much later. In the mid-1990s, the Groupe Europeen de Recherche GaziSres (GERG), a European association of natural gas producers, issued a report laying out criteria to govern the use of ultrasonic flowmeters in the custody transfer of natural gas.

This resulted in a substantial increase in the sales of ultrasonic SICK’s FLOWSIC 600 ultrasonic flowmeter flowmeters for this purpose in larger line size meters. While there does Europe. In June 1998, the AGA issued AGAnot appear to be a theoretical limit to how 9, a report that also gave criteria for using large a line size coriolis flowmeters can ultrasonic flowmeters in natural gas custody accommodate, there is the practical problem transfer situations. This caused a substantial that the meters get extremely large and heavy boost in the sales of ultrasonic flowmeters in these large line sizes. As long as coriolis for custody transfer, especially in the US. The flowmeters cannot measure flow in line sizes market for measuring natural gas for custody over 16”, they are unable to participate in transfer with ultrasonic flowmeters is one of many of the pipeline applications for custody the fastest growing segments of the flowmeter transfer of natural gas. Many of these line sizes market. are over 20”.

In 2003, the AGA approved a report called For ultrasonic flowmeters, much of the AGA-11 on the use of coriolis flowmeters for R&D is centered on getting more value from custody transfer of natural gas. This report the multiple paths in multipath ultrasonic partially explains the overall positive growth meters. Multipath flowmeters do provide rate of coriolis flowmeters, as users begin enhanced accuracy, but they also can provide to use them for natural gas custody transfer greater diagnostic information about the applications. Even though end-users often take meter and about the fluid measurement. time to adopt a new technology, this report Currently multipath ultrasonic flowmeters has boosted the use of Coriolis flowmeters have from three to 18 paths. While having for natural gas flow measurement. more paths does not automatically mean The API has issued a draft standard entitled greater accuracy, multipath ultrasonic meters Measurement of Single-Phase, Intermediate, are more accurate than single and dual path and Finished Hydrocarbon Fluids by Coriolis meters.

Meters. In July 2012, this document was added One reason why the ultrasonic and coriolis to the API Library. The API has also approved flowmeter markets are the fastest growing a second draft standard called Measurement is the amount of R&D put into them by the of Crude Oil by Coriolis Meters. Coriolis suppliers. Expect this to continue as coriolis flowmeters are used for downstream and ultrasonic flowmeter suppliers work to applications of petroleum liquids for custody meet the challenges of measurement that transfer, where they compete with positive result from increased energy demands. displacement flowmeters.

Frontiers of research For more information:

One main frontier of research for coriolis flowmeters is continuing to work on building

This article was written by Jesse Yoder, founder of Flow Research.Visit: www.flowresearch.com

a g n i t t Se k r a m bench There are dozens of different types of flowmetering technology applied to the measurement of low liquid flows. Most of these designs are quite old and have moving parts, whilst the market is evolving towards intelligent electronic solutions with no moving components.

Titan Enterprises, a UK-based company specialising in off-the-shelf and customdesigned flowmeter systems, sought an alternative to its established market of lowcost small bore Pelton wheel and, for thick fluids, oval gear meters. When combined, these flowmetering technologies provided users with a solution for low accuracy and lowcost applications as well as for high accuracy monitoring of viscous products.

The company desired an electronic solution that would span the capabilities of both these product ranges and provide an effective flow measurement tool for an array of applications.

easily fit the company’s largely OEM business model.

Electromagnetic: Another wellestablished technology capable of being produced at competitive prices. Unfortunately only suitable for the measurement of liquids with some conductivity, so excluding a large section of the metering market.

Thermal: A proven flow technology capable of giving mass flow at extremely low flow rates. Low cost production is possible but the thermal flow technique tends to be fluid specific, the accuracy limited and response time is relatively slow.

Which way forward?

The concept of Atrato ultrasonic flowmeter technology is simple: wrap the crystals around the tube and inject the sound directly into the fluid. The liquid will carry the signal through the fluid to the Pentagram strengths and weaknesses map of existing and new low flow ultrasonic flow technologies second crystal and the process is repeated in the opposite direction. The theory suggested a 20:1 flow range at ±2% accuracy. By using a

Titan Enterprises set demanding objectives for its next generation product including competitive pricing, accuracy, a user-friendly interface, adaption capability for high temperature and high pressure applications and a wide flow range including good performance at very low flows. To achieve this

The chosen flow technology development Traditional ultrasonic technology requires

is often compromised by the changes in the liquid movement as it enters and exits the flow path.

Titan Enterprises approached several research establishments to see what was on the horizon with regards to development in ultrasonic flowmetering technology.

The internationally-renowned School of Engineering at Cranfield University, UK, had just filed a patent application on a new technological development that showed great promise to achieve all the developmental objectives.

After securing exclusive worldwide rights to the technology, Titan Enterprises, in conjunction with researchers at Cranfield University, then set about the long process of designing, producing, testing and proving its desired next generation ultrasonic flowmeter.

New technology

Pentagram strengths and weaknesses map of different flow technologies

the company considered a range of alternative flowmeter technologies.

Coriolis: Flowmeters based on this principle are extremely accurate and the technology is well established, but the cost of production is high due the complexity of the construction. Consequently, this would not

a fairly long flight path through the fluid to achieve the phase shift required for accurate measurements. This is achieved in smaller units with wide ‘U’-shaped fluid paths with the sound being injected across the bottom of the ‘U’. This does not appear to work well with very small bore tubes and the accuracy

The Atrato ultrasonic flowmeter

This compact assembly clearly shows the fluid making a number of directional changes as well as performing a 180° loop between the two ultrasonic crystals, coloured green, all without affecting the performance of the meter.

Atrato – change in diameter from the sound injection points and through the metering section to the receiving crystal

circular crystal the energy transfer into the fluid is greatly improved resulting in a high signal-to-background noise ratio. Often this can be in the order of 3000:1 giving excellent meter linearity and a large operating flow range.

First generation Atrato flowmeters used traditional, straight-through construction.

Through a process of ongoing development it was found that these strong signals could be compressed and expanded with the pipe diameters. The original concept from Cranfield used a 6mm bore, however Titan Enterprises discovered that even when the sound was injected into a 6mm bore the metering section could be reduced to a 1mm bore to increase the fluid velocity.

Further development has resulted in a range of small bore Atrato ultrasonic flowmeters (1, 2, 4 and 6mm) but with the sound injected in the 6mm section. To match these hardware advances, the company also developed an electronics package able to measure at high resolution (40 nanoseconds) the phase shifts between the up and down flows enabling unmatched low flow capabilities. The production meters have a 200:1 turndown with an accuracy of ±1% over the whole flow range and for special applications better than ±0.25% over a 10:1 range.

Shows Ultrasound travelling around the loop in the new generation Atrato ultrasonic flowmeters

The near future The signals produced by current generation Atrato ultrasonic flowmeters are strong to be carried around corners in small tubes over comparatively large distances so the second generation meters, currently under development, are able to run the flow round a

Prototype coil type Atrato ultrasonic flowmeter

Titan has successfully implemented the new generation Atrato design concept on a prototype meter with 300mm of 1mm bore tube using three loops forming a 30mm diameter coil. This concept meter works well down to 0.25ml/min and longer coils may be possible in the future, offering the potential for even lower flow rates. The ultrasound is injected directly into the 1mm bore to reduce the dead volumes of fluid.

Part of the company’s vision was the ability to manufacture ultrasonic flowmeters for original equipment manufacturers and this concept has done just that. Current ultrasoundbased products under development include: disposable medical meters, rapid dispense meters for dispensing and bottle filling, and higher capacity low cost OEM meters for less demanding applications.

For more information: This article was written by Trevor Forster, MD of Titan Enterprises.Visit: www.flowmeter.co.uk

curve to produce a compact meter assembly.

A new breakthrough in flowmetering Municipalities that are looking to accurately measure their water flow rates often fall into one of three categories: 1. They want a flow control valve that has the ability to vary flow rates over time but would rather not to have to install a flowmeter, a valve with an actuator and positioner 2. When filling a reservoir they would like to know how many gallons have been used.

3. They would like to install a conventional flowmeter in their control valve station but don’t have the space.

The common choice in the municipal world to date has been the electro-magnetic flowmeter due to cost, reliability and turndown. Unfortunately they require straight runs upstream and downstream prior to the meter – typically five pipe diameters upstream and two diameters downstream – to give reasonable accuracy. There are other technologies but they also require straight runs and, in many cases, even more than the magnetic flowmeter.

Regardless of the flow technology chosen, if using the flow signal for control there is still the task of tying this into a control valve with all of the programming and additional equipment that this entails.

Alternatively, there are ‘in-valve flow measuring’ technologies, which fall into three main categories: 1. In-valve turbine meter 2. In-valve insertion vortex metering 3. Calculated flow measurement using position transmitters and differential pressure transmitters that calculate the flow rate from a known position on the valve C curve.

Each of these technologies is not without merit but also has its problems. Turbine meters require clean water and maintenance.

Vortex meters are prone to vibration effect (giving a flow reading when there is actually no flow) and plugging or damage due to foreign objects in the line. In utilising the flow calculation method, accuracy is dependent upon having an accurate valve C curve and, due to the number of instruments required, there is also the risk of compounding of errors. This is also the least accurate of the three measurement types.

Accuracy should always be considered with all of these methods. The current in-valve technologies are meters that are typically

A new flowmeter with greater accuracy and ease of use

Figure 1

Figure 2

rated with a percentage of full scale accuracy.

While they may be 2%, what does that really mean? While the number quoted is important, equally important is the statement after the percentage sign. A percentage of full scale meter, while being accurate at full flow, can be dramatically different at low flow rates, which is expected in a control valve scenario.

As seen in Figure 1, a 2% of full scale meter can still be within specifications at eight to 12 units, which at a reading of 10 units is +/- 20% accurate. A big difference from the initial 2%.

A better flowmeter would be a meter that has a percentage of reading accuracy, as in Figure 2.

From this example it can be seen that this meter is accurate from 9.8 units to 10.2 units, which is a much better proposition for accurate control.

Singer Valve has recently joined forces with McCrometer to introduce the single point insertion electro-magnetic flowmeter installed into a control valve. This is a 2% of reading flowmeter that has been flow profiled and tested in McCrometer NIST traceable flow laboratory in Hemet, California. This means that the unit is guaranteed accurate to the 2% of reading throughout the specified velocity range.

The insertion probe extends into the flow stream, in one of the valve inlet connections and protrudes into the valve equivalent to 1/8 of the valve diameter size and is a bullet nose, flow clean profile to eliminate clogging or build up. The unit can be installed on any of the Singer Valve models from 4” to 36” valve sizes. It can be installed on either side of the valve on the inlet connection and only requires three pipe diameters upstream clearance.

The sensor is rated for continuous submergence and is removable. It only protrudes from the valve 4.6” to 6.3” and only requires 8”-12” clearance for maintenance.

It is supplied with a convertor that gives an LCD readout screen as well as a 4-20mA output along with four programmable digital outputs.

For more information: This article was written by Mark Gimson, business development and marketing manager, Singer Valve.Visit: www.singervalve.com

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High pressure triplex plunger pumps for nanoparticle production Promethean Particles is aiming to scale up its operations through the development of a reactor plant using high-pressure triplex plunger pumps from Cat Pumps. Promethean Particles has already demonstrated the scaleup potential of the technology with its pilot scale reactor system which has successfully manufactured nanomaterials continuously for 60 hours.

A ‘spin-off’ from the University of Nottingham, Promethean Particles produces nanoparticles using continuous hydrothermal technology and is in the process of developing a large reactor that incorporates four Cat Pumps Model 3801 stainless steel pumps in order to scale-up production to commercial levels. In hydrothermal synthesis the hot, pressurised water is mixed with a metal salt solution, such as iron nitrate, and a reaction occurs (the salt is dehydrated) and nanoparticles are formed. It is the high-pressure positive displacement triplex plunger pumps that create the continuous pressure and fluid flow that is a key element in the process.

Promethean Particles is participating in the EU FP7-funded project Sustainable Hydrothermal Manufacturing of Nanomaterials (SHYMAN), which is based on Promethean’s proprietary technology and is worth €10 million. The aim of the project is to scale up

fed downwards through the internal pipe and out the end of the ‘nozzle’; the aqueous metal salt stream is fed counter-currently upwards through the outer pipe.

The reactor has shown improvement in process reproducibility and reliability, as well as providing the ability to control particle properties, such as size, composition and shape, through the manipulation of process variables.

R&D commenced with bench scale reactors and later a pilot scale reactor approximately 30 times larger was developed. The reactor now being built is 80 times larger than the pilot plant reactor. The four Cat Pumps Model 3801 high pressure triplex plunger pumps will be used for pumping deionised water through a heater that raises the temperature to the super-critical condition of 374ºC at 218 atmospheres.

Triplex PD plunger pumps are typically the chemical engineer’s first consideration when high pressure and high operating efficiency is required. Triplex PD pumps increase in efficiency even further at higher pressures and are most widely used in applications where the pumped liquid is of low to medium viscosity and has little inherent lubricity. There are two significant advantages of reciprocating positive displacement pumps to be considered.

Firstly, as they are almost 100% positive they will always deliver a predictable volumetric flow

‘We knew that positive displacement pumps were the only viable solution for scaling up the process to commercial viability’ nanomaterial production whilst maintaining a sustainable, low cost process for producing high quality materials.

The University of Nottingham started research into optimising supercritical water hydrothermal synthesis (scWHS) for nanoparticles about 14 years ago. The result of the University’s work was the development of Promethean Particles’ Nozzle Reactor, a customised design that uses the buoyancy induced eddies to produce an ‘ideal’ mixing scenario in a pipe-in-pipe concentric configuration in which the internal pipe has an open-ended nozzle. The supercritical water is

irrespective of pressure. This is because on the inlet stroke the pump takes in a fixed volume of liquid and physically moves it through and out of the pump with virtually no losses or inefficiencies. Secondly, the pump performance is independent of specific gravity so the input power and output flow are unaffected by the liquid density.

Brian Hubbard, GM of Cat Pumps UK, explains: ‘We worked with Promethean from the early stages of the scale-up project, helping the scientists to develop a pump specification and then offering the most elegant solution both technically and commercially. We

recommended our Model 3801 as it offers the required combination of flow, pressure, materials compatibility and features, including the facility to flush the pump seals which future-proofs the installation. By pairing up two pumps for the highest capacity duty, and two more solo pumps for the mid-flows, we’ve also given Promethean a high level of commonality and standardisation.’

With the pilot reactor clearly showing that scaling to a much larger commercial reactor was viable, some major decisions had to be made in terms of the pumping capability for the de-ionised water feed.

‘From our experience with the bench and pilot reactors, we knew that positive displacement pumps were the only viable solution for scaling up the process to commercial viability,’ comments Lewis Neve, lead chemical engineer on the SHYMAN project. ‘Originally the pilot plant used two single head piston-activated diaphragm pumps and these displayed marked signs of pulsation.

A further issue was that they were at the edge of their capability range in terms of pressure and flow, so they would not be suitable for the much larger reactor.’

Following a thorough review of pump technologies available it was accepted that

the high pressure triplex plunger pump would be the most efficient and cost-effective for reactor up-scaling. The high pressure triplex plunger pump provided additional pressure and required flow rate, so Promethean Particles had all the margins that were needed for the planned production output goal.

Nanotechnology is an emerging technology that has been applied to the development of products and processes across many industries particularly over the past 10 years or so.

Products are now available in markets ranging from consumer through medical to plastics, coatings and electronics.

The step from batch to continuous hydrothermal synthesis had been held back by engineering issues around mixing the heated fluid and the aqueous metal salt flow. It is these issues that have been overcome by Promethean Particles and high-pressure triplex plunger pump technology, courtesy of Cat Pumps, will be contributing to up-scaling production in the near future.

For more information: Bryan Orchard is an independent international journalist working in the areas of pump and valve technologies and environmental engineering. Contact: bryan@ bryanorchardpr.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1420 588194

Cat Pumps model 5CP pump skid installed at Promethean Particles’ pilot-scale reactor

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A crucial choice It seems that the pressure on operators who use fluid handling techniques to operate efficiently and in an environmentally friendly manner continues to increase on an almost daily basis. This puts an intense burden on them to choose the best equipment for their needs, and nowhere is this more apparent than when it comes to pumps for wastewater applications.

Plant and process operators must ensure that their facilities perform as efficiently as possible. This pressure is compounded by a combination of ever-tightening budgets and a plethora of rules and regulations which govern their activities. Plant availability must be maximised, peak efficiency is an essential requirement and costs must be minimised as far as possible. As a result, operators are now far more focussed than ever on the way in which they evaluate and choose pumps for their fluid handling operations.

Selecting the correct pump for a particular application is a more critical task now than it might have been previously â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one with numerous vital factors that have a great bearing on the decision-making process. One such factor is that many treatment works have to handle far greater liquid flows and

capacities than they have done previously. This is often due to an increase in demand, or the current move for treatment authorities to centralise various wastewater handling duties with the aim of reducing their expenditure and improving their efficiency levels. The pumps at the main processing sites are then required to handle much greater capacities and flows than before and, in some cases, these flows may be more than the pumps were originally specified for.

similar capabilities on the surface, a closer look reveals that some are more effective than others. This can confuse the selection process considerably.

As an example, consider the modern phenomenon of the increasing volumes of non-disposable waste and unsuitable solids that are finding their way into wastewater.

Sanitary towels, face wipes, needles and

Choosing wisely There are a number of different pump types â&#x20AC;&#x201C; such as centrifugal or progressing cavity (PC) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which can be specified for a fluid handling operation such as wastewater.

However, while they may seem to offer

Disassembling, de-ragging and maintaining some modern PC pumps can be done in-situ, without the need to remove any associated pipework

it will definitely pay dividends to deal with a manufacturer who produces pumps which are designed specifically for this particular application.

Maintaining performance

plant or fluid handling process cannot be ignored. The engineer will have to unbolt inlet and delivery flanges and remove sections of pipework to create the space needed for the pump to be dismantled. For an ordinary PC pump this can mean clearing a space that is slightly longer than the stator being removed – even up to 50% of the pump’s length – and this is often difficult to achieve in tight spaces.

Fortunately, this problem can be avoided by specifying the right type of pump. Some of today’s more advanced PC pumps are designed specifically so that any disassembly, de-ragging and maintenance work can be carried out quickly and easily without the need to remove the pump or any pipework.

This can slash the time required to replace a rotor, stator, coupling rod and drive train from a full day, to just 30 minutes – a time saving of up to 95%. Choosing this type of maintain-inplace PC pump can lead to major reductions in downtime and whole-life costs when compared to the use of a different type of PC pump for the same fluid handling duty.

The decision process does not stop once the most appropriate There are a number of different pump types – such as progressing cavity type of pump has – which can be specified for a fluid handling operation such as wastewater been chosen for the syringes are all found in today’s wastewater application in question. and with a typical centrifugal pump they can Differences between pumps of the same type represent a potential source of damage. These mean that there are other decisions to be objects get tangled around the rotating shafts made, and some pumps start to appear as and propeller vanes, and before long a serious a better option for the task in hand when blockage will develop at the pump station maintenance matters come into consideration. collection point. The wastewater treatment Maintenance becomes especially important when looking at the whole life cost of a process can be impeded, and more damage Long-term benefits to other equipment further downstream can pump. The ongoing movement to automate occur if the debris is not removed. many fluid handling wastewater processes On the surface, a PC pump might seem to – and to cut operating costs accordingly – Pump performance can exert a major offer the same performance as a comparable has led to a steep reduction in the number influence on the efficiency and cost-effective centrifugal pump. However it is actually a far of engineers available onsite to look after operation of any fluid handling duty, so better option for this type of application – and maintenance activities. This can mean that choosing the right pump for the application in maintenance work may not be completed for many other wastewater treatment plant question has never been more important. The to schedule, or corners may be cut in order operations – especially where they involve consequences of making the wrong choice do the pumping of particularly viscous liquids or to save time, and the inevitable result will be not bear thinking about, but a well-informed pumps that suffer from blockage and ragging those with a high suspended solids percentage. and considered specification will pay dividends problems. Consequently, pump operators are Primary, secondary and dewatered sludges for many years to come. are all better suited to a PC pump, as are demanding more and more support from the manufacturers, some of whom have responded supernatant liquids (and even filter cake). with pumps that are designed especially to The design of a PC pump features a series of discrete internal cavities which carry the make maintenance a much quicker and easier liquid smoothly and reliably, and this greatly task than it has traditionally been. reduces the potential for damage from any Looking at a PC pump as an example suspended solids. When specified for this type again, the suction or inlet chamber can of application they usually feature a hardened become blocked if the rotating shaft becomes For more information: steel rotor and highly resilient stator, making entangled with any fibrous material suspended This article was written by Simon Lambert, commercial them far more efficient when it comes to in the fluids being pumped. Any blockages pumping abrasive, aggressive or viscous liquids. which are not removed can cause damage director – UK, Europe, Africa, Central Asia, NOV Mono.Visit: to the pump’s stator, its rotor or the drive www.mono-pumps.com An energetic approach train itself. The blockage needs to be removed Energy-from-waste operations which use such quickly to prevent the processes as thermal hydroylosis are now expense and downtime becoming increasingly popular, which poses that results from a yet another challenge when specifying a pump breakdown. for waste applications. This type of process However, removing can require a pump which can not only handle that blockage can be a a liquid with a high percentage of solids, but complex business and one which can easily resist liquids at the high even an experienced temperatures involved – often up to 130˚C. maintenance engineer Once again, PC pumps are often chosen for can take up to a day to this type of application as they can resist these disassemble the pump, harsh operating conditions and still deliver a clear the problem smooth, reliable flow. and then reassemble.

However, having decided on a PC pump for Maintenance resources a thermal hydrolysis application, care must still can be stretched to be taken to choose the correct model. While breaking point by this there are various types which might appear type of unplanned event, Maintenance is a key consideration in pumps for fluid handling to be well suited to this type of application, but the breakdown of a applications

The bottom-line benefits of product recovery Product recovery is a topic that can critically affect the profitability of food and beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic manufacturers, from the most basic production-line level on through entire plant efficiencies and even overall corporate performance. As belts are tightened, the operators of these manufacturing facilities have been forced to implement new ways to meet established production quotas while spending less money.

For many, the low-hanging fruit in this area has been an increased focus on making their operations more energy-efficient, or ‘green’.

This has meant incorporating such things as more efficient light bulbs or a streamlining of operations that reduces the plant’s consumption of electricity, leading to a decrease in its carbon footprint. The goal in these lean manufacturing operations is to realise current or higher product yields while using fewer resources with the ultimate outcome being a healthier bottom line.

Many of these green initiatives, however, are not being driven by sound economic principles. Without a doubt, focusing on improved energy efficiency and consumption in manufacturing operations is an admirable tact to take, but many manufacturers have already maximised their energy efficiencies.

Fortunately, thanks to innovative fluid-transfer methods, it is possible to accomplish greater savings than those realised in energy alone in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic/personal care industries. In fact, these savings can often be realised at a much greater magnitude than through other process improvements.

Product waste is one of the areas in hygienic manufacturing where high costs are being incurred. The McKinsey Quarterly Food Waste Alliance has reported that more than

Figure 1

There are three criteria used to determine if high productrecovery values can be achieved in production processes that directly impact the manufacturing operation’s top and bottom lines: • Ingredients used in the raw materials for intermediate or final products that are both extremely expensive and valuable • Product changeovers (switching between products) occur frequently, such as one or more times per day • The product-recovery technique or technology that is used is appropriate for the ingredient or product $120 billion (€87.9 billion) of product goes to waste worldwide annually. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) also estimates that the US is losing 40% of its food from farm to fork to landfills. Between farm and fork are the processing plants that manufacture some of these products.

The term ‘product recovery’ can relate to a number of different operations in hygienic manufacturing (improper dosing and product lost through leakages or spills are two popular examples), one of the key areas being product recovery as it pertains to either raw ingredients or intermediate/finished products that may remain in the suction or Figure 2 discharge fluidtransfer lines at the conclusion of production runs or between product changeovers.

There are many critical areas within a hygienic manufacturing operation where fluid transfer is required. However, many manufacturers are simply flushing these expensive materials down the drain when they do not optimise

their product recovery capabilities, which can be accomplished through the use of eccentric disc pump technology.

The challenge Incorporating increased energy efficiency into the hygienic manufacturing process is one way to save operating costs, but is it the best? Figure 1 shows just how much money is consumed and potentially saved, per positive displacement pump, if the cost for energy is $0.10 per kilowatt hour (kWh).

The sum of $1,008 is the energy cost to run the pump annually. Suppose the energy consumption could be reduced by a large factor of 20%, which is admittedly unlikely.

That would represent a saving of almost $202 per pump per year. For comparison’s sake, however, Figure 2 shows a conservative example of how much can be saved when using positive displacement eccentric disc pump technology with a minimum product

recovery capability of 70% to transfer a finished product from a feed tank to a filler.

By dividing the product recovery savings of $32,160 by the power savings of $202, the product recovery savings are 160 times higher per pump. Another way to view it is that the product recovery savings accumulated in one year in this example will pay for 32 years of energy to operate the pump (not even including interest on the money). As previously mentioned, this is a huge opportunity for the manufacturer because, within today’s pumping

technologies, there is very little room to improve motor efficiency – certainly not 20%, as in the previous example. However, there is significant room to improve product recovery.

This saving is only the most obvious, though. When transfer pumps are unable to adequately strip suction or discharge production lines, there is a snowballing effect on the costs that are incurred by the facility operator. This list of ancillary costs can include: • More water to clean the lines • Additional cleaning and treatment chemicals to clean the lines • Sanitising chemicals to sanitise the lines • Energy to facilitate the cleaning process • Labour costs/hours to perform longer cleaning operations • Disposal costs of used water, chemicals and product • Water treatment costs and associated treatment chemicals.

Product waste is a handicap to the manufacturer’s bottom line and product recovery is a great opportunity to limit that waste and gain cost savings. After all, wasted materials or end-products mean that the manufacturer cannot monetise perfectly good product that is washed out of production lines and disposed of.

For many years, the go-to technologies for hygienic manufacturing processes in the food and beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries have been lobe, external circumferential piston (ECP), centrifugal, hose and progressive cavity-style pumps. While these technologies do perform the basic pumping task, because of their design and operating principles, lobe and ECP pumps, for example, do not possess the ability to adequately strip suction or discharge lines.

This is a critical consideration for industries that may use the same pump to transfer different products in a hygienic operation.

Traditional pumps also wear constantly, which increases their internal clearances over time resulting in product slip, thus reducing flow capacity and volumetric efficiency as operating pressures and fluid viscosities

Hygienic manufacturing operations in the food-and-beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries offer many areas where product recovery can be optimised with the use of eccentric disc pump technology

vary. Specifically, lobe and ECP pumps have two shafts that have to be sealed, which doubles the number of areas where leaks can occur. Lobe and ECP pumps are also not self-priming and can run dry for only a short period of time unless they have flushed double mechanical seals. These pumps will also experience diminished performance when handling low viscosity materials.

Many manufacturers who rely on these types of pump technologies are also often forced to use them in conjunction with socalled ‘pigging’ systems that utilise a projectile to push out the residual product. While wellinstalled pigging systems deliver the highest recovery rates in product line runs without interruptions (with no heat exchangers, valves, filters, flowmeters or other accessories needed), great care must be taken to ensure that purified compressed gas or air is used to push the pig, which can prove a challenge for maintaining product purity.

Typical pump technologies used in hygienic applications

A possible solution With the amount of money that can be saved via adequate product recovery, eccentric disc pump technology stands ready to set a new standard in product recovery capabilities in hygienic manufacturing operations. Eccentric disc pumps are the only hygienic pumps with this capability. One producer of this technology is Mouvex, a founding member of Dover Corporation’s Pump Solutions Group (PSG), based in Auxerre, France.

The key to the eccentric disc pump’s heightened product recovery capabilities is that it operates via a disc that moves on an eccentric plane within a circular channel, which gives the pump the ability to provide non-pulsing, low-slip operation with high volumetric consistency. Many liken this method of operation to a scroll-compressor effect. This design also means that flow rates vary minimally with changes in viscosity, temperature, system back-pressure and even component wear.

Most importantly for product-recovery considerations, Mouvex eccentric disc pumps can pump air when no fluid is present. This creates a vacuum effect on the pump’s suction side and a compressor effect on the discharge side. In other words, once the product runs out in the feed tank, the eccentric disc technology continues to pump air in a very constant, non-abrupt, non-pulsating manner so that the surface tension on any remaining fluid is not broken. This

Mouvex eccentric disc pumps can be used in hygienic manufacturing in two ways, first as a normal process pump, then as a way to increase product recovery. The result is less waste of critical raw materials and expensive finished products, resulting in a healthier bottom line

produces a plug effect, which pushes out the product ‘plug’ as a whole.

Because the eccentric disc pump transitions to the purging process by using the air that is already in the feed tank, there should be no issues with maintaining product purity. If there is an issue, then the air/gas that blankets the product in the tank should be further purified to start. This method of product recovery is a much safer and cleaner alternative to pigging or a simple air/gas-blowing process.

It is also much more difficult and costly to ensure proper quality of required air/gas that is sourced from compressors or high-pressure bottles.

Despite these drawbacks, some processors have adopted hybrid recovery processes for high-value products using both eccentric disc pumps and pigging. The eccentric disc pump is used to automatically recover most of the product from the line into the packaging equipment and maximise product recovery on sections of the line that pigging cannot serve.

The pig is then used for a secondary recovery process to recover final product that adheres to the tubing wall in ‘piggable’ sections of the line such as prior to a clean-in-place (CIP) operation.

The upshot of using eccentric disc pump technology for product recovery operations is that the typical amount of product recovered is more than 95% on the suction side of the pump and typically 60-80% or more on the discharge side.

Examples where the incorporation of Mouvex eccentric disc pumps in hygienic product manufacturing operations have resulted in documented six-figure savings per pump line include: • A multinational high-end cosmetic manufacturer that recovered enough silicone-based product to immediately pay back the cost of the pump within a few days • Two global yoghurt companies with very long transfer lines that were able to record 70-80% and higher product-recovery rates, which resulted in the quick deployment of an additional pump in the process • An oral care company that upgraded from centrifugal pumps to quickly achieve

product-recovery targets with its lowviscosity products • A pharmaceutical company that fills many oral medicines with frequent product changeovers • A large baked goods company that more effectively recovers the filling used in

Mouvex S Series eccentric disc pump

pastries, which also prevents blockage of injection nozzles.

When used in hygienic manufacturing operations, the Mouvex pump serves first as the normal process pump, with the productrecovery capability coming as a bonus. For other pump styles, the product recovery hardware – such as pigging systems – comes at a considerable cost premium and adds unnecessary complexity to the pumping operation. Specific additional advantages of eccentric disc pumps in product recovery

applications when compared to other product recovery methods include: • Eccentric disc pumps can recover product from tank bottoms, inlet and outlet lines • Eccentric disc pumps can recover product from small-diameter lines where pigging is not possible • Eccentric disc pumps can recover product through ordinary valves, heat exchangers, magnetic traps, flowmeters and other accessories found in the transfer line • Product recovery with eccentric disc pumps is seamless as no line interruptions will occur between normal production and the product-recovery phase • For the majority of the product-recovery process, air mixing is not a concern as most of the product recovered by an eccentric disc pump comes in the form of a product plug with no air mixed in. A simple flow switch can be used to shut down the pump before the air purge reaches the product’s destination.

Realising optimised recovery Reducing the operating costs in a manufacturing facility will be a front-of-mind concern for plant managers for the foreseeable future. Initially, cutting energy costs was a popular way to attack the problem, but the overall value of that approach to the manufacturer’s bottom line may have already been maximised. Operators of food and beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic manufacturing facilities that rely on hygienic systems would be wise to not only develop ways to optimise energy costs, but to also determine how much cost savings can be realised in targeted product recovery. As illustrated, per pump product recovery cost savings can be as much as 32 times greater than the yearly cost of the energy needed to run the pump. In a large production operation, that can result in millions of dollars of savings per year.

The fulcrum in optimising product recovery is the pump that is used to transfer raw materials or finished products through the suction and discharge lines. While lobe and ECP pumps have been popular choices for this task in the past, they feature a number of operational inefficiencies that mean optimised product recovery will never be realised. One solution is eccentric disc pump technology, which, by nature of its method of operation, offers the line-clearing and stripping capabilities that other pump technologies cannot accomplish.

For more information: This article was written by Wallace Wittkoff, director, global segment management – hygienic for Pump Solutions Group Mouvex SLS Series eccentric disc pump

(PSG). Visit: www.mouvex.com.

a paint job

Suurmond is a privately owned company, headquartered in Nunspeet in the Netherlands, providing engineered solutions for the industrial chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as providing systems and solutions for the plastics extrusion and compounding trade.

Its systems range from pump units suitable for processing simple fluids in small volumes to complex dosing arrangements capable of processing fluids of low or high viscosity, high temperature or high pressure.

The company is a distributor for Maag Pump Systems, part of Pump Solutions Group. Maag Pumps has been manufacturing gear pumps since 1928 and offers a range manufactured from cast iron and stainless steel to Hastelloy and more exotic alloys for the specialist applications. Its products serve all applications from oil transfer to polymer production and are capable of pumping fluids in a viscosity range from water-like fluids to fluids up to 4 million millipascal seconds (mPas).

One of Maagâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s key features is the ability to

Large dosing unit

One of the skids at the AkzoNobel facility

pump very high viscosity fluids pulselessly and efficiently.

They were selected by Suurmond UK for the Ashington project as their process performance and reliability are ideally suited to the project and process requirements.

A basic requirement of the project was to deliver pump units that met all the process requirements within a strict delivery schedule.

The process requirements of the project for AkzoNobel meant Maag Pumps were chosen as, in many of the applications, the fluids have low viscosity but still needed to be volumetrically efficient across a very wide range of flow rates. In some cases the required turndown was up to 18:1, this means that the maximum flow was up to 18 times greater than the minimum flow rate.

Maag CINOX pumps were selected for the project because the materials of the

construction are well suited to chemical applications. The CINOX pump has a stainless steel body, stainless steel shafts (gears) and, combined with carbon bearings and a mechanical seal, it is suitable for providing pulseless flow for chemical processing.

The Maag pumps were coupled with ABB drives for this project. The pump units supplied by Suurmond have been integrated into skid units designed by Projen and were assembled and tested by Merit Merrell and AkzoNobel engineering staff.

Once the function testing and inspection has been completed of all the various skid units they will be installed in the new plant and commissioned ready for production to begin.

For more information: This article was written by Laurence Fletcher, sales director at Suurmond UK.Visit: en.suurmond.com

Maag CINOX pump unit

Process control actuators have an important role to play in chemical dosing and blending.

Constant, precise control of the volume of fluid injected into the process is dependent on the accuracy and reliability of these actuators.

Regardless of the environmental conditions, these electromechanical devices must maintain precise control as required by the process demand.

In almost every industrial process chemical dosing can be found in one form or another.

Oil and gas industries use chemical dosing in upstream, midstream and downstream applications to enhance production and protect equipment. Power plants use chemical dosing to demineralise the makeup water in the steam circuit, as well as to remove oxygen

Industry

Dosing example

Oil & gas production

De-emulsification, biocide, drag reducer, dehydration, wax control, scale control

Power generation plant

Boiler water treatment, feed water conditioning, demineralisation

Petrochem and refining

Crude desalting, anti-gumming, corrosion inhibition

Sugar

Boiler water treatment

Food & beverage

Edible oil additives, (phosphoric acid, citric acid, caustic soda), blending

Water & wastewater treatment

pH. control, disinfection, SBS de-chlorination, fluoridation

Pulp and paper

Alum, H2SO4 for pH. control of pulp

and other undesirable elements. At the other end of the industrial spectrum, the soap and cosmetics industry uses chemical dosing to add perfume and colour to products. The beverage industry uses dosing to measure precisely the mixing of syrup concentrate with water to produce colas and other beverages.

Injection methods

There are different ways of introducing chemicals into a process fluid. The most widely used is to pump the chemical into the fluid using a positive displacement pump. These pumps come in many forms, however the common feature is their ability to vary their volumetric flow rate.

A peristaltic pump, for example, would vary its speed of rotation so that the volume delivered would increase with speed. A reciprocating pump, using a piston or diaphragm, could either vary the length of the stroke or the speed of reciprocation. Precision metering pumps usually have a micrometer adjustment on the stroke length to facilitate fine At this water treatment plant in Canada, the de-chlorination dosing is performed with precision control valves automated with Rotork CVA control of the stroke electric process control actuators (shown prior to commissioning). length and so the volume SBS (sodium bisulphite) is injected into the backwash process water delivered. The American by micro-valve to ensure the elimination of residual chlorine prior to discharge into the river Petroleum Institute (API)

has the API675 standard for controlled volume positive displacement pumps, with which many pump manufactures comply.

The alternative to positive displacement pumps is injection via a precision micro-valve.

These are usually small bore valves, often needle valves, with the ability to change the volumetric flow by incremental changes in the needle position.

Most chemical dosing processes have a measuring element that allows the process fluid to be monitored. This is to ensure that the correct amount of chemical is being dosed to achieve the desired reaction. Too much chemical would be wasteful and too little would leave the process fluid insufficiently treated.

For example, in a water treatment plant where the pH of the water is the process variable, the pH monitor would feedback the pH reading to a controller, which in turn would adjust the control element manipulated variable (pump speed or stroke) to maintain the set point.

In some processes the chemicals used are expensive and so the need for precision dosing is of economic importance. One example is the corrosion inhibiting chemicals used in an offshore production platform.

In other processes the tolerance band on the process variable could be very tight for other reasons, such as quality constraints.

So precision in dosing would be of critical importance to the composition of the product; for example the flavouring additives in foodstuffs.

Some industries operate in harsh, hazardous

environments by utilising robust hazardous area certified enclosures, coupled with high precision motion control technology and fieldbus compatible control interfaces.

Application examples: oil and gas production

A piston pump equipped with a Rotork CMA modulating electric actuator for injection duty

or hostile areas requiring the metering equipment to be not only accurate, but also robust and resistant to the local environment.

This applies not only to the pumps and valves involved in the dosing but also the control elements such as valve actuators or pump stroke adjustors that are operating in the environment.

Valve and pump automation equipment therefore needs to have the appropriate hazardous area certification as well as the environmental protection requirements – the appropriate IP rating. They must also be robust and resistant against any corrosive chemicals that may be in the immediate environment.

Not only does the equipment need to survive in this environment, it also needs to adjust the pump stroke or valve position as frequently as is required, up to and including constant modulation. It also needs to do this with the minimum of maintenance for the life of the plant.

This is a significant requirement, particularly as this equipment is often electronically controlled either with a 4-20 milliamp control signal or a digital field bus communications system. Physical protection of the associated microcircuits and components is essential.

Today’s electric process control actuators for valves and stroke adjustors are able to resolve the problems of fine control in hostile

There are many reasons to inject chemicals into oil and gas production wells. Depending on the well there may be problems of wax, corrosion, microbes or other items that may need chemical treatment by dosing. These facilities may be offshore or onshore, so heavyduty, hazardous area certified equipment is essential.

The most common method of injection for these applications is the electrically driven reciprocating metering pump.Various chemicals can be injected into the flow from the well to reduce scale, inhibit corrosion, reduce drag and for microbial control to remove bacteria.

Many thousands of process control actuators have been supplied to metering pump manufacturers for these applications.

A common unwanted by-product of gas production is the water that is often present in gas wells. Although separators remove the majority of the liquid water, there is often water vapour entrained in the gas.

This can freeze in low temperatures to form hydrates in the gas flow lines which could cause blockages in the pipelines or process equipment.

Many gas production facilities use regenerative glycol dehydration equipment to remove most of the residual water vapour.

However, an alternative is to inject methanol directly into the production gas pipeline. The methanol prevents hydrates from forming in the gas line. In some circumstances this method has been found to be less costly and simpler than conventional glycol dehydration.

Potable water treatment At treatment plants the water needs to be pH controlled before being pumped to

Rotork CVA electric actuators are used for methanol injection to prevent water vapour freezing in natural gas pipelines

the consumer. A lime slurry is therefore introduced into the filtered water.

In the application illustrated below, 2” and 8” valves were used to modulate the flow into the filtered water by using the two valves in parallel. This gave the rangeability needed to accommodate the variation in water flow rate. Originally, standard valve actuators were used but they could not provide the accuracy required or the robustness for constant movement. They were replaced with Rotork CVA process control valve actuators capable of constant modulation and high precision. A secondary benefit was the controllability and precision of these actuators such that only a single 8”valve now needs to be modulated to provide tight control on the pH.

Conclusion In all these applications, it is important to note that the constant movement demanded by the process necessitates the use of a process control actuator.This is not only because of the higher precision achievable with a process control actuator, but the constant movement required to maintain the process.Today, electric process control actuators deliver continuous, repeatable modulating control with a programmable fail to position option. Resolution, repeatability and hysteresis performance is quoted at less than 0.1% of full scale, offering suitability for the most demanding control valve applications whilst a rugged, double-sealed IP68 watertight and explosion-proof enclosure enhances long term maintenance-free reliability in the harshest of environments.

For more information: This article was written by Chris Warnett, principal of CPLloyd Consulting.Visit: www.rotork.com/en/product/ index/processcontrolactuators

Rotork CVA actuators installed at a municipal water treatment plant in the UK

The perfect system?

This is mainly the case in the production of non-storable chemicals. For example, the chlorine dioxide (CIO2) production needs an elaborate plant set up. Chlorine dioxide, frequently used as a disinfectant in the beverage industry for bottling and cleaning equipment, can neither be stored nor compressed. The chlorine-oxygen compound tends to decompose in high concentration and under the influence of temperature variations.

Therefore, the production must be geared to the consumption and has to take place on site.

Accordingly, such a skid is equipped with a wide range of measuring and control

instruments, actuators and pipes and fittings.

The preferred material of those components would be chlorinated PVC due to its chemical resistance. Each separate metering needs shut-off valves, devices for flow measurement, e.g. magnetic-inductive flowmeter (MID or magmeter), pneumatic diaphragm valves and pressure retaining valves for stabilising a defined back pressure. All of these components must match perfectly together to ensure the highest possible quality. Space is more and more a critical factor in plant construction and so both OEMs and end users are keen on building more compact, for new installations as well as extensions.

Often, a gauge guard combined with a pressure gauge is installed for monitoring the pressure setting at the valve inlet. With the new pressure regulation valves from GF Piping Systems, both the reducing and the retaining valve can be fitted with a pressure gauge. For aggressive media, a small gauge guard can be mounted directly on the valve.

Standard plastic pressure regulating valves follow the design derived from metal valves which means top and body parts are held together by metal screws. But, due to different temperature expansion coefficients, the connection will losen over time. This will

lead to leakages when the valve connections are not tightened at regular intervals by the maintenance personnel to a particular nominal torque.

For many end users of plastic pressure regulating valves, it has become second nature to check the screw torques and re-torque them during maintenance intervals. Even a brand-new valve might need re-torquing before first commissioning to avoid leakages.

Compact but effective GF Piping Systems has developed a new pressure regulating valve which is compact in design but not lacking any performance.

Re-torquing is no longer necessary with the new central housing thread. All materials have same temperature expansion coefficients and therefore a stable set point behavior is provided. Its design guarantees a long-term stability â&#x20AC;&#x201C; both in terms of tightness as well as in keeping a constant set point.

By using a non-rising spindle the allowable installation space could be reduced. The design pays special attention to initial startup as well as to maintenance. Due to its design the pressure retaining and reducing valves have the same external geometry and therefore

For special requirements, like in microelectronics for example, GF Piping Systems offers a specially-designed piston.

During the up and down movement, standard valves generate particles from abrasion.

GF’s version comes out with a one-piece elastomer-free piston, not shedding particles while the piston is moving. Thanks to its geometry there is no limitation of the functionality for sensitive processes.

Online help

The new pressure regulating valve from GF Piping Systems

A cross-section of the valve

the only components that determine the function of the valve are the cartridges. The function can be changed by replacing the inner cartridges. By doing so, even the change of the diaphragm for maintenance can be done quickly. Intelligent design features guide the user to the correct handling. A double-injected direction arrow guarantees the possibility to choose the correct installation direction. In the upper housing section, injection moulded arrows help the user to increase or decrease the desired set pressure.

When dealing with crystallising chemicals, easy maintenance and the opportunity to

clean sensitive parts instead of replacing blocked valves are also beneficial for the operator. This is enabled thanks to the valve’s cartridge design. Standard applications for chemical dosing can be supplied as well as demanding applications where temperature cycles must be observed or high purity and precious media are transported.

The new valve is available in PVC-U, PVC-C, PP-H or PVDF. They can be purchased for the standard pressure range from 0.5 to 9bar (7-130 psi) and in the more sensitive configuration for low pressure ranges from 0.3 to 3bar (4 – 44psi).

Often, regulating valves are sized incorrectly – even worse, if they are chosen too big, this can lead to disturbing vibrations in the piping during operation. To make the selection of the right valve size as easy as possible for the customer, GF Piping Systems also offers a new online tool. Starting with the valve type, it will guide step by step to the optimal valve size for the application.

For more information: This article was written by Sandra Schiller, head of product management automation, GF Piping Systems.

Visit: www.gfps.com

Don’t miss your chance to appear in the November/December 2014 issue of Fluid Handling magazine For editorial suggestions contact: Daniel Traylen, daniel@horseshoemedia.com +44 (0) 208 687 4126 For advertising information and prices contact: Belinda Smart, belinda@fluidhandlingmag.com +44 (0) 208 648 7092 Next issue features include: • Centrifugal pumps • Ball valves • Flow computers • Chemical resistant seals • Leak detectors Bonus distribution: Tank Storage Germany, Germany Valve World Expo, Germany Advertising deadline: 20th October 2014

VALVES

Familiarity breeds contempt The phrase ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ implies that the more one knows about something, the more they lose respect for its characteristics and, in this case, potential hazards. Never has a simple phrase been so appropriate for industrial safety analysis. The more that protocols and safety processes are established, the more human operators are seen circumventing, disregarding, or simply ignoring the facts and procedures that have been established to specifically benefit them.

Familiarity Definition: Individuals assume that the circumstances underlying past behaviour still hold true for the present situation and that this behaviour can be applied effectively to the new situation.

On 14 July 2001, at the Atofina plant in Michigan, US, a pipe attached to a fitting on the unloading line of a railroad tank car fractured and separated, causing the release of methyl mercaptan, a poisonous and flammable gas.

Shortly after the Riverview Fire Department chief arrived on scene, the methyl mercaptan ignited, engulfing the tank car in flames. Fire damage to cargo transfer hoses on an adjacent tank car resulted in the release of chlorine, a poisonous gas that is also an oxidiser. Three plant employees were killed in the accident and there were several other injuries. Two tank cars, railroad track, and plant equipment (including hoses and fittings) were damaged in the fire.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the accident was a fractured cargo transfer pipe that resulted from (1) the failure of Atofina to adequately inspect and maintain its cargo transfer equipment, and (2) inadequate federal oversight of unloading operations involving hazardous materials. Contributing to the accident was Atofina’s reliance on a tank car excess flow valve (EFV) to close in the event of a leak from cargo transfer equipment and the company’s failure to supply appropriate safety equipment for employees involved in tank car loading and unloading operations.

The erosion/corrosion that was found within the failed pipe indicated that Atofina’s mechanical integrity programme had not been effective. The NTSB concluded that Atofina’s failure to implement effective procedures for inspection and maintenance of its unloading pipes and fittings allowed the transfer pipe in this accident to gradually deteriorate and ultimately fail.

In this case, the employees’ familiarity with the equipment they had been relying upon

without knowledge of its limitations resulted in their death.

As a result of its investigation of the Riverview accident, the NTSB made the following safety recommendation to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA): Assist the US Department of Transportation in developing safety requirements that apply to the loading and unloading of railroad tank cars, highway cargo tanks, and other bulk containers that address personal protection requirements, emergency shutdown measures (passive device technology), and the inspection and maintenance of cargo transfer equipment.

Ruptured chlorine transfer hose with its Teflon inner layer exposed

Ambivalence The term ‘ambivalence’ is commonly used to refer to situations where ‘mixed feelings’ are experienced or where a person experiences uncertainty or indecisiveness concerning something.

In August 2003, a chlorine repacking plant operated by DPC Enterprises received four railcars containing nearly 250,000lbs of chlorine.

After 59 days, a hose wrongfully identified as a chlorine hose failed, spilling 48,000lbs of chlorine over 3.5 hours. The hose was made of stainless steel not suitable for chlorine uses, although it was identified as hastelloy by the manufacturer, a material that is suitable for chlorine usage.

The root cause, in addition to the hose failure, was that backup systems (ESDs) as well as EFVs failed to work.

Factors that enabled this incident, excluding the wrong type of hose: 1. The employees moved their hazmat suits, which would have allowed them to shut off the chlorine via valves on the car, to an area near the door leading to the car.This was a direct violation of established company policy.

2. On realising that they could not reach their hazmat suits the employees evacuated.

When leaving the building they activated the remotely operated emergency shutdown devices. The switch went from ‘open’ to ‘closed’ as it had during regular testing of the switch. However, nobody had inspected the actual valves to see if they were closing per the command, which they were not.

This lack of regular inspection of the ESD’s themselves was in direct violation of company requirements of regular equipment functionality inspections.

US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) investigators concluded that it is all but impossible to determine all possible routes of escape for hazardous materials or the infinite numbers of low probability/high consequence scenarios. It is clear, however, that the hose is the weakest link in the chain and that devices, training and other precautions have proven to be inadequate in combating hose failures.

One constant that seems to appear in most reports of hazardous material release incidents is that employees do not follow regulations, rules and precautions that management, organisations and agencies have mandated and reasonably assume are being followed.

Moreover, the valve technology that relies upon excess flow principles has been vastly over-relied upon to address these incidents and governmental regulatory bodies have taken notice through the issuance of warnings and landmark special permits encouraging the use of the passive device system mandated in 49 CFR 173.315.

Laziness Laziness is the lack of desire to perform work or expend effort.

In Tacoma, Washington, on 6 October 2007, a mechanical failure in a propane-supply hose apparently led to the massive explosions that rocked the Atlas Castings and Technology foundry and caused severe burns that killed a propane-truck driver, Tacoma Fire Department investigators say.

While a safety hose with a passive device was on this truck, the driver decided to use the facility’s non-regulatory hose in an effort to save time. When the hose failed, the EFVs that many erroneously depend upon to address a hose failure did not engage again. Both the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and CSB have warned against this over-reliance.

The hose connection between the driver, truck and the larger, stationary tanks suffered a ‘catastrophic failure’ and the escaping gas was apparently ignited by a furnace inside the nearby foundry.

Factors that led to this incident: 1. The operator decided not to use the hose equipped with a passive device.This is a direct violation of his company’s policies, his training, and a violation of US law.

2. Two facility workers assisted the driver in putting an unsafe fitting onto an unsafe hose for the product transfer.This is a direct violation of their company’s policies, their training and US law.

3. The hose failure was not recognised as excess flow, allowing product to escape unimpeded from the truck and eventually igniting.

Here the lack of effort resulted in one death and millions of dollars of destruction.

Status quo Status quo is defined as the existing order of things; present customs, practices, and power relations.The continued use of the same systems that have been deemed inadequate is what can be defined as ‘status quo syndrome’.

An EFV is, typically, a metallic device inserted into the interior piping of a tank car, just below the valve(s) used to load and unload the car. In the event that the valves are sheared off in a railroad accident, there will be a sudden rush of product out of the resulting opening.With nothing to impede the flow of fluid, the EFV will move toward the opening and seal it off.

In response to concerns that the thencurrent regulatory provision for EFVs might be ambiguous, in 1985 the Department of Transportation published a notice of proposed rulemaking to amend the tank car specifications by adopting what is now the contemporary standard. Proponents of the clarification stated that tank-mounted EFVs are not intended to substitute for adequate excess flow equipment in plant loading systems.

EFVs, by their nature, must encounter a highvolume, surging flow of product to be activated.

If that were not the case, they might function in unintended situations, such as when a tank car is being unloaded with the aid of a strong pump.

EFVs are intended to function only when the external closure valve is sheared, broken off, or otherwise removed during transit.These devices may also function as a back-up flow control device during tank car loading or unloading activities.

Despite these functional limitations, in the absence of newer passive device technology, the industry has placed great reliance on these types of valves to address a scenario that they are not designed for – namely line/hose failure.

In the face of this limitation and over-reliance, what would the regulatory bodies should another major incident occur?

Nearly two years after the National Transportation Board made its

recommendations; warnings were issued by all major regulatory bodies in the US, including the US Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, in September 2003 and the EPA in April 2004.

The Atofina incident previously described occurred in July of 2001 with reports being issued within months. It should be noted that the other two incidents occurred after this and subsequent government and manufacturers warnings of over-reliance upon EFV’s in transfer line failure. Even more alarming is the following finding by the CSB in its July 2007 report: ‘Despite these warnings, the CSB investigators found that approximately 30% of the bulk chlorine users contacted during this investigation continue to rely only on EFVs to stop chlorine flow in the event of a transfer hose rupture.’

It can be argued that some in a position of responsibility for the design and maintenance of their facilities’ systems continue to rely upon flawed systems to protect their employees, facilities and their communities from the obvious and well-known dangers posed by the first three factors – familiarity, ambivalence and laziness.

Can we truly affect human behaviour?

Within the field of occupational safety and health many efforts have been made to improve safety in the workplace.These efforts have focused upon legislation, engineering failure, safety awareness campaigns, safety training, and unsafe acts.Taken as a whole, these efforts have not always been successful in impacting upon accident rates.

Many approaches to improving safety concentrate upon changing people’s attitudes, in the hope of influencing their subsequent behaviour.The underlying assumption of this approach is that attitudes cause behaviour.This assumption is, however, inaccurate. For example, evidence has shown that workers with the most favourable attitudes towards personal protective equipment are those least likely to actually use it in practice.

It has been recognised that, while a behaviourbased approach to safety can be implemented (planning, measuring current perceptions of the safety culture, management briefings, training, establishing departmental baselines and goals, and continuous improvement), a combination of control measures may also need to be employed where possible: 1. Avoid: eliminate the hazard altogether to avoid the risk 2. Substitute: change the activity or process to one that is less harmful 3. Isolate: separate people from the hazard or physically guard against it.

4. Reduce: design a safe system of work that reduces the risk to an acceptable level 5. Protect: provide the appropriate PPE, install machine guards, etc.

In sum, moving human behaviour from the safety

process is the solution.The question is how can this most readily be done?

What is a passive device?

A passive device is defined as a device that will operate without the need for human intervention.

It could be argued that proven passive device technology would have prevented each of the three incidents presented here, immediately and mechanically, without the need to change or alter human behaviour, perceptions or actions.

The passive device technology that exists will fail in the closed position should there be any attempt to disable or alter the device.These devices relieve management of the obligation to adhere to and to find a solution to the problems associated with EFVs. There are two common denominators in the three incidents previously described: 1. It was impossible for management to predict or to negate the decisions made by their employees.The actions of the employees were in violation of company policy, protocols, common sense and in some cases the law.

2. In each case an EFV was part of the mechanical safety equipment and in each case the EFV failed.

Conclusion To be effective, a passive device must have the following characteristics: 1. Cost effective 2. Immediately deployable 3. Does not change existing procedures 4. Ease of use 5. Cannot be disabled In its most recent warning on the subject, the EPA included the following recommendation: ‘Commercially available hoses with a selfclosing device at each end that will shut off flow entering the hose from either direction if the hose is pulled apart or sheared may be considered as an additional measure of protection. Such devices will protect against hose failure, but not against leaks that occur upstream or down-stream of the hose.’

These warnings act as advice to professionals charged with the safety of facilities, communities and individuals and are intended to be actionable.

While there is no doubt that training and instituting a safety culture is beneficial, given the numerous, detailed and accurate warnings from manufacturers, advocacy groups, government agencies and from accidents themselves, it is not reasonable for anyone – be they industry or agency – to be surprised when the next hose bursts and an EFV fails to stop the consequences.

For more information: This article was written by Andrew Abrams, executive vice president,Thomas Steinbach, vice president of sales and Joseph Abrams, chairman and director of engineering, Lifeguard Technologies.Visit: www.gpsafetysystems.com

Putting the spotlight on A wide range of industries, including chemicals, material and bolting information for available refineries, pulp and paper, and many others, rely compressive force. It should be noted that on sealing devices to keep their piping systems, nearly 70% of gasket failures are attributable pumps, valves and other equipment from leaking. to insufficient load. The type of compression Because seals represent a miniscule portion of packing used for pumps and valve stems will the total cost of these systems, they often do largely depend on whether the motion is not receive the attention they warrant, being reciprocating, helical or rotating low-cost but high-consequence components.

• Media: The seal must be compatible with When they fail, the consequences can range the media that comes into contact with it, from nuisance leaks to catastrophic events, including any secondary media to which resulting in millions of dollars of damage, it may be exposed, such as fluids that are downtime, lost production, and punitive present during chemical or steam/hot water damages for violation of regulations, injury flushing. The sensitivity of the media to and even death. Add to these the potential for colour, contamination or substances that may litigation, worker’s compensation claims and leach from the seal must also be considered damage to a company’s reputation, and the • Pressure: Most systems operate at costs can become substantial. relatively constant pressure, but any severe Devices for sealing piping systems in the spikes or surges that may occur should be process industries are available in a variety of taken into account different materials and configurations, including • Size: ASME provides standard dimensions gaskets for flanged piping connections and for flanges and gaskets, based on nominal compression packing for pumps and valves. pipe size and flange class. Most pumps and Among the factors to consider when specifying valves conform to API/ANSI standards, or sealings for a particular application are its ability must be field measured to withstand the service conditions and provide • Speed: Selecting pump packing depends on maintenance-free performance over its useful life. the surface speed at the seal-shaft interface.

To prevent unscheduled outages, its service It should be noted that pumps operating life should correspond to a at the same rpm company’s maintenance cycle. with different In addition, it should comply shaft diameters with applicable regulations operate at different and standards. surface speeds, A helpful guide in selecting which determine the correct sealing device is the amount of a simple acronym, TAMPSS frictional heat that (temperature, application, will be generated. media, pressure size and High speeds call speed): for materials that • Temperature: The can withstand and temperature of the dissipate heat. fluid contacting the seal immediately narrows the Gasketing options for suitable sealing materials. Bear in mind, the Gaskets for flanged temperature will increase connections in rotary equipment due to come in a range frictional heat of materials, • Application: Defining shapes and sizes. the parameters of the Compressed sheet application requires gaskets are made of information about the organic or inorganic equipment to be sealed, fibres, fillers and such as the type of flanges elastomeric binders.

This gasket contains a proprietary rubber binder, allowing it to swell in both on which gaskets will Different material oil and water be installed, as well as formulations can

accommodate applications ranging from general service to high-temperature, highpressure applications with aggressive media.

Specialised gaskets that swell in the presence of oil or water create their own compressive

PTFE gaskets are used extensively in the chemical processing, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries

load, making them suitable for use in lightweight flanges. These gaskets can seal flanges in imperfect condition, and are used in compressors, generators, pumps and other equipment.

Flexible graphite gaskets resist non-oxidising chemicals, providing high compressibility and low creep relaxation. They are suitable for service in extreme temperatures (-200˚C to + 588˚C) and high pressure (up to 2,000 psi). Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) gaskets offer even better chemical resistance, allowing them to withstand exposure aggressive media, including strong acids and caustics, solvents, hydrocarbons and cryogenics.

Also to be considered is gasket geometry, since sealing performance usually decreases with the thickness of the material. The thicker the gasket, the greater the compressive load it requires to seal. In applications with glasslined, non-metallic or custom designed flanges, these loads may be difficult to achieve.

Thinner gaskets require flatter flanges and will not seal as many irregularities as a

thicker gasket. However, they are typically less expensive and provide adequate sealing performance. Ring gaskets that seat inside the bolting circle are generally preferable to fullface gaskets that cover the entire face of the flange. These gaskets significantly reduce the compressive load required for an effective seal.

Compression packing Compression packing for sealing valves, pumps, agitators and other rotary equipment likewise comes in different materials and configurations. High-temperature, highpressure, high-speed chemical applications should be packed with braided carbon filament with graphite lubrication or dieformed flexible graphite to reduce friction, shaft wear and maintenance.

Chemically resistant, self-lubricating flexible graphite packing is capable of sealing to ppm levels of leakage. Made of highly graphitised yarn, this packing performs well under extreme temperature and pressure conditions, and provides excellent thermal conductivity.

Braided packing of PTFE fibre resists chemical attack, and braids of PTFE yarn impregnated with PTFE particles are especially well suited for use in valves. The chemical and food processing industries pack their pumps with PTFE braid impregnated and coated with silicone or other lubricants.

Engineered packings sets are designed specifically for use in pumps or valves. For example, a rotary seal developed by Garlock replaces mechanical seals in industrial pumping applications, providing leak-free, no-dilution, outage-to-outage service in slurry applications.

Superior heat dissipation enables the seal to be maintained with minimal amounts of water.Valve stem packing is also available in engineered sets to achieve low fugitive emissions.

Sealing installation Just as important as selecting the right

Flange bolts should be tightened uniformly, going from side to side around the joint in a star-like crossing pattern

sealing solution for an application is installing it properly. The first step in this process is to refer to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Depending on the nature of the application and the availability of resources, field support may be necessary in some cases.

Use of controlled tightening methods such as torque wrenches help assure the proper gasket load is being applied and evenly distributed on the flange.

It should be noted, however, that torque wrenches are typically used only in applications deemed critical.

Bolt-thread lubricants are often applied to gaskets to facilitate removal but, if the gaskets contain non-oil-resistant binders such as SBR or EPDM, petroleum-based lubricants can attack them chemically, softening the binders and reducing their crush strength.

These lubricants also reduce friction between the gasket and flange faces, allowing them to extrude and eventually blowout.

Metal in the lubricants can bond to flanges and fill in surface serrations that bite into the gaskets and hold them in place. In addition, the lubricants can degrade or ‘bake off’ at elevated temperatures, leaving a void between the gasket and flange.

Sometimes caulk is used to affix gaskets to flanges or to compensate for damaged or

irregular flange surfaces. However, some caulks contain acidic cure systems that can attack gaskets containing rubber binders. Because of their lubricity, caulks can also cause gaskets to move within the flange assembly, leading to the same loss of friction, crush strength and blowout resistance. Gaskets should be installed using only products specified by the manufacturer.

Properly installing valve stem packing requires stem and stuffing box surfaces to be in good condition, with stem finish at 32 micro-inch arithmetic average roughness height (AARH) or better, and the stuffing box wall free of burrs. The stuffing box should be cleaned out of any remaining rings or parts of rings, and its depth measured to accommodate a standard five-ring set. If the box is deeper than required, carbon or stainless steel bushings should be used to shorten its depth. If the box is too short, contact the manufacturer.

Installing multiple-ring packing sets begins with inserting the bottom two rings one at a time and tamping them to the bottom of the box. Stagger the ring joints at a 90˚ angle from one another, and use the gland follower to compress them. Repeat this step with the third, fourth and fifth rings. When complete, the gland follower should penetrate the box to approximately half of a ring thickness. Three to five strokes of the valve will distribute the load in the packing set. If the gland loosens after actuation, retighten it to its original level.

At this point, the gland nut should be removed, and disk spring washers installed and loaded to a specified torque value or deflection of the spring stack to maintain load.

Working closely with a sealing supplier will help assure selection and proper installation of the optimal sealing solution for an application.

Using TAMPSS to identify, troubleshoot and compile data on problems in advance will inevitably lead to better solutions for all fluid sealing challenges.

For more information: Compression packing sets expand radially when the gland is tightened for a positive seal on both the valve stem OD and stuffing box ID

This article was written by Russ Pimblett, product/applications engineering leader at Garlock (GB).Visit: www.garlock.com

Speed awareness The use of variable speed drives has become more prevalent in industry in an effort to increase the efficiency of pumping systems. The ability to adjust the rotational speed of a rotodynamic pump has been a major factor in the ability to match a pumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hydraulic characteristics to those of the system in which it operates.

Whether the mismatch was due to the variation in required pump output or due to incorrect sizing of the pump in the first place, there is no question that the ability to easily vary the pump speed has been a major advance in the overall performance of the pumping system. This has increased energy efficiency as well as reliability of the equipment, as problems such as cavitation or shaft deflection can be alleviated by running the pump at the optimal speed for the system.

One of the impacts of the variation in operating speed rarely considered is the effect that it can have on the mechanical seal.

Mechanical seals are affected by many factors; they include the fluid properties, the process temperature and primarily the pressure and peripheral velocity of the sliding seal surfaces. Varying the pump speed will have an effect on these factors. Although the fluid properties and the temperature of the fluid are not likely to change significantly with rotational speed, it is most likely the pressure and the sliding velocity will.

In some traditional designs the forgiving wear characteristics of a carbon seal face were relied upon to adjust the seal faces to a profile that would promote a stable lubrication regime. Changing conditions, such as start up after a period of stand-by, would result in either leakage or wear until steady operating conditions would be reached. Mechanical seal faces are subject to pressure and temperature gradient induced distortions. As the pressure and speed change, these distortions also change. The primary effect with varying speed is in heat induced distortion as the heat generation is directly proportional to the speed, while seal cavity pressure remains close to suction pressure for many pump designs. Thus changes in speed will most likely result in changes in face profile which then can result in wear.

Most modern mechanical seal designs are fairly insensitive to variations in pressure and speed. Pressure and speed tend to work together and, for outside pressurised seals, the distortions induced by speed and pressure tend to balance each other. So for common applications the effect of variable speed in pumps can be neglected.

However, there are some areas where the variation in speed should be reviewed as it can negatively impact mechanical seal life.

Setting aside problems that might otherwise affect pump reliability, there are some situations where the mechanical seal environment control system could be substantially affected.

A starting point would be plan 11, which is used to recirculate liquid from the discharge of the pump, typically through an orifice, to the seal cavity. This recirculation is usually set up to either maintain a certain pressure in the seal cavity for low vapour pressure fluids, or to remove heat generated from the seal. The flow is a function of the pressure differential between discharge and seal cavity pressure. The heat generated from the seal is proportional to the speed ratio, but the pressure is proportional to the square of the speed change. There is thus the possibility of either too low a pressure for a necessary vapour pressure margin or too little flow to properly remove seal generated heat especially at lower speeds. What needs to be done is to size the system so that the proper vapour pressure margin or flow rate is achieved under the maximum and minimum conditions. Without this investigation, certain operating speeds could adversely affect seal life or increase emission levels.

Schematic of plan 11

Two variations of plan 11 are plan 21 and plan 31. In plan 21, a line from discharge is routed through a heat exchanger to the seal cavity.

This is used for a hot process in order to cool the seal. By reducing the speed, the pressure differential driving the flow through the heat exchanger will decrease, and thus the temperature at the seal will increase. The heat exchanger and piping system must be designed to reduce the process temperature sufficiently under the extreme conditions. Just adding a variable speed drive without resizing the system could result in elastomer or face damage.

Schematic of plan 21

In the case of plan 31, a cyclone separator is used to bring clean fluid to the seal cavity using the pressure difference between discharge and suction. The efficiency of these devices is very much tied to the differences in pressure between discharge, seal cavity and suction. As these pressure differences vary, so will the ability of the separator to provide clean fluid to the seal.

Schematic of plan 31

One should also be careful in situations where a circulating device built into the mechanical seal is used to drive fluid through a heat dissipating external device. It can be a heat exchanger or a reservoir depending on whether a plan 23 (single seal circulating fluid through a heat exchanger), or plan 52/53 (dual seal circulating a buffer or barrier fluid through a reservoir which can also include a heat exchanger) is being used. When these plans are just used to handle the seal generated heat, there is likely to be little impact. As the flow rate of the pumping device and the heat generated by the seal are proportional to the pump speed, the decrease in flow rate is compensated by the decrease in heat generation. However, when these plans are also used to cool the seal environment due to high process temperatures, the decrease in speed will result in elevated seal temperatures that can adversely affect seal life and operation. In these circumstances the lowest speed is the case that needs to be paid most attention to.

Original design convergent @ 5500 RPM (197 µrad) but divergent @ 3300 RPM (42 µrad)

Schematic of plan 23

Finally, severe duty applications may also require some special consideration. When the pressure, temperature, and speed are elevated, a custom design with rigorous analysis might be required.

One example is a boiler feed water application. The original conditions were stable, but later, the speed was reduced periodically as the power plant changed its output on a daily basis.

Convergent profile @ 5500 RPM (277 µrad) and @ 3300 RPM (110 µrad)

Cooling jacket Fluid region (green) Gland Pumping ring Shaft

Rotary seal ring

Stationary seal ring

A design was used and verified to be able to handle the original conditions. FEA analysis predicted a convergent profile to promote face lubrication. Analysis of the same geometry at the lower speed showed that the seal did not have an optimal face profile at the reduced speed with a very slightly divergent profile.

Although the seal can operate under this regime, an optimised face geometry can be developed to handle both conditions. Note also the reduced temperature under both regimes.

Finally, consideration must be given to the efficiency of the pumping ring. The role of the pumping ring is to circulate fluid to a heat exchanger to dissipate heat generated from the seal faces, but also to cool the process fluid in the seal cavity that is constantly heated from the heat soak. At the lower speed there must be enough flow to circulate enough fluid to bring the temperature down to the desired level, yet at high speeds there can be cavitation problems if the design of the pumping ring is too aggressive. Achieving a balance can be

challenging and may require flow analysis.

It must be emphasised that, while in most cases varying the speed of the pump will have no adverse effect on the mechanical seal, there are certain situations that do require careful analysis. It is mostly in cases where environmental controls are used with the mechanical seal; the purpose of the controls must be well understood so that the system design can properly function under all the varying operating conditions.

For more information: This article was written by Henri Azibert, technical consultant, Fluid Sealing Association.

Visit: www.fluidsealing.com

Flow velocity vectors at exit of pumping ring

Increasing seal face capability in hard-onhard combinations To achieve prevention of media reaching each other in contacting mechanical seals, different materials are employed, including mechanical carbon-graphite with resin or antimony impregnation, metals and hard coatings, aluminium oxide, tungsten carbide, and silicon carbide.The latter three materials are most often characterised as ‘hard-face’ materials.

These hard face materials are often used in particularly challenging applications. As operating conditions become more severe, hard-face materials must continue to efficiently rub against each other to maximise their inherent benefits.

Unlike mechanical carbon-graphite, these hardface materials are not self-lubricating and so cannot function for extended periods without fluid lubrication. Other enhancements must therefore be made to extend the capability of the hard-face mating pair.

temperatures, has a low thermal expansion coefficient, high thermal conductivity and excellent corrosion resistance.

The porous outer surface results from silicon reacting with graphite, encapsulating a carbon graphite core and providing a hardened surface with a unique topography for increased interfacial lubrication.

One limitation is that it requires impregnation to make it impervious for sealing applications. The graphite core also limits characteristics such as elastic modulus.

Homogeneous materials like reactionbonded silicon carbide offer low porosity, higher elastic modulus (stiffness) and thermal

Evolution of silicon carbide materials Silicon carbide is hard and has excellent abrasion and wear resistance. It has a low friction coefficient when lubrication is available, high hardness and high modulus of elasticity. It also retains its strength at elevated

Micrograph of CVR silicon carbide

grinding. This reduction in production cost, coupled with the material’s homogeneous nature enabled its use in highly corrosive environments, and higher volume applications.

It began to displace other materials where higher pressure-velocity (P-V) capabilities were required. Unfortunately, this monolithic material does not have all the tribological characteristics of a reaction-bonded silicon carbide, nor can it run at that material’s highest duties.

Silicon carbide materials now often take the form of a two-phase composite applied in the highest duty applications, the most popular being silicon carbide and graphite. These composites are often referred to as ‘graphiteloaded’ silicon carbide since the graphite is integrated (not impregnated) into the silicon carbide structure.

The graphite’s presence creates small surface reservoirs providing a controlled texture for lubrication without creating leak paths, increasing the hard face combination’s

Micrograph of reaction bonded silicon carbide

conductivity, and good tribological behaviour when run against a suitable mating material, such as mechanical carbon. Initially, the costs associated with processing these materials somewhat limited their use. They required extensive grinding and the free silicon in the structure was susceptible to highly caustic or acidic environments.

However, they gained acceptance as contact pressures could be increased with less face deflection than would be experienced with metallic materials. Normal protocol was to run a high-duty, hard, mechanical carbongraphite, often impregnated with antimony, against the reaction-bonded silicon carbide.

Sintered silicon carbide can be formed into specific shapes and then sintered to, or nearly to, the finished size, limiting expensive

Micrograph of graphite-loaded sintered silicon carbide

ability to operate under more rigorous P-V conditions.

Graphite was initially added to reactionbonded silicon carbide and quickly exhibited an increase in the performance capabilities of hard face combinations. While strength is

reduced somewhat and the ability to handle abrasives is less than monolithic silicon carbide, tribological behaviour is improved significantly.

Using this type of material in at least one hard face extended the seal life cycle in some cases from minutes to hundreds of hours.

Graphite-loaded sintered silicon carbide has the benefits of sintered silicon carbide while incorporating a second, abradable phase that provides pockets or reservoirs for the ‘storage’ of fluid.

Diamond is the hardest material with excellent tribological behaviour, heat conductivity and chemical resistance. These qualities are produced on the surface of a conventional finished silicon carbide ring by growing a crystalline diamond film on the surface through Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). These enhancements offer benefits for applications in harsh operating conditions but come with a significant premium.

Seal face topography A mechanical seal’s performance and reliability is greatly influenced by topography – the shape, height and depth of the seal face surface micro-structure. As an example, a monolithic sintered silicon carbide is so homogeneous and dense that it has no topography resulting from its structure. If this material is lapped to normal seal face standards then this hardon-hard combination may ‘wring’ together creating a very high starting torque and marginal lubrication conditions, which may damage the seal faces.

Traditionally a ‘matte’ lap approach, which creates scratches a few microns wide on the seal face to allow fluid into and potentially across the interface, was applied to seal faces to prevent ‘wringing’ and enhance lubrication.

But with time the surface would again become polished smooth, re-creating the same conditions that, while theoretically optimal for minimising leakage, are tribologically challenging for these non-lubricating, monolithic hard-face materials.

Composite graphite-loaded silicon carbides have been developed with graphite integrated into their structure which creates small reservoirs on the seal face surface that provide a controlled surface for lubrication without creating leak paths. This extends throughout the material and produces an enhanced capability throughout the

component’s life. It is also possible to control the quantity and particle size of the graphite in the structure for a given application.

This control of the surface topography with the size, distribution and depth of graphite is termed the texture and it increases the hard face combination’s ability to operate under more rigorous P-V conditions. Both graphiteloaded silicon carbide composites running against themselves have the highest relative P-V values of any of the hard-face pairs.

When they are combined with a carbongraphite mating material, P-V is further enhanced. The ability to closely control the surface texture provides enhanced capability, in particular in hard-on-hard combinations that will exist throughout the life of the components. Additionally, this specific adjustment of amount and volume of the texture enables further customisation.

Increased texture on at least one contacting surface can extend the seal pair’s life. The final surface finish technique used on a surface texture controlled by the level of graphite in the composite can influence the predictability of the mechanical seal’s performance.

The transitions between the silicon

the addition of a second phase; thermal shock resistance is improved for the composite versus the monolith.

The graphite-loaded silicon carbide materials enable greater reliability for hardon-hard seal face material combinations. Not all graphite-loaded composites are the same – the second phase’s integration is as critical as its presence in the matrix. The presence of the second phase reduces the material’s key characteristics, potentially limiting its use in the highest mechanically loaded conditions.

This limitation has led to the development of hybrid composite silicon carbide.

This improves and sustains the physical characteristics of the homogeneous silicon carbide in the bulk of the material while incorporating the benefits of the graphite addition only on the seal face itself. The integration of the two-phase composite texture onto a homogeneous substrate provides the physical attributes of the bulk silicon carbide and the tribological enhancement of the composite (patent pending).

This allows the composite graphite-loaded silicon carbide’s structure to be customised for demanding requirements without affecting physical strength or other attributes.

The tribologically enhanced surface(s) can be applied to a seal face and/or diameter, depending on the component’s ultimate use.

The mating rings for a mechanical seal are critical components and silicon carbide remains one of the most popular and cost-effective options. While the physical characteristics of the material matrix can be adversely impacted by the incorporation of tribological enhancing additives such as graphite, the mating pairs’ capabilities are enhanced, specifically in marginally lubricated conditions. A patent-pending development permits the strategic placement of the tribological enhancement in hard-face materials, thereby providing the best attributes of both the monolith and the composite.

‘Diamond is the hardest material, with excellent tribological behaviour, but it comes with a significant premium’ carbide and the tribological enhancement are critical to avoiding other operational issues.

Specifically, edge breakdown around the boundary can create debris that then damages the interface.

A graphite-loaded sintered silicon carbide composite with a properly configured graphite structure can provide for a smooth transition between the reservoir and the silicon carbide matrix.

The wear rate of composite graphite-loaded silicon carbide can also be influenced by the quantity of graphite.

The change from a silicon carbide monolith to a composite structure can also result in a reduction in the structure’s physical properties. The impact of these properties can limit the use of these materials where modulus and strength have higher importance.

There is one characteristic that improves with

Cross section through a hybrid silicon carbide seal face

For more information: This article was written by Joseph Boylan, director, product line management, Morgan Advanced Materials.Visit: www.morganadvancedmaterials.com

increased magnification of hybrid silicon carbide seal face cross section

The flange protection challenge The integrity of flanged connections is critical to the containment of fluids in a piping system.

Loss of containment, whether in chemical lines such as hydrocarbons and gas systems or water distribution lines, will have significant environmental, operational and commercial impact, and could pose a serious safety risk.

Flanges present a unique corrosion protection challenge because solutions must not only prevent corrosion, but also allow future access to fastenings in the event that maintenance or disassembly is required.

Exposure to corrosive environments or polluted industrial atmospheres leads to high corrosion rates of unprotected flanges. In addition, due to the complex geometry of a flanged connection, problems such as crevice corrosion, which occurs within the void between the two flange faces, and galvanic corrosion found where dissimilar metals are used are common and can prove severely detrimental to the integrity of the piping system.

a situation are not easy to predict since they are dependent upon prevailing conditions.

Depending on the severity of the environmental conditions there may, at best, be a slow continuous degradation of the substrate. However, under extreme conditions, the external corrosion process may rapidly reach a point where the structural integrity of the system is adversely affected and could result in a catastrophic loss of containment.

Since visual inspection of the sealing faces of flanged connections can only be accomplished during a shutdown of the system, it is vital that this process is made as simple as possible and therefore elimination of external corrosion must be a high priority. If shutdown is not an option, then an alternative method of inspection would be to use ultrasonic techniques, but again this process can be made much more complex and inaccurate if external corrosion is not controlled.

Therefore, external corrosion protection of flanges and fastenings is critical in order to be able to both monitor the system and provide more effective and realistic quality control and inspection procedures.

Existing solutions to answer the corrosion protection dilemma of flanges

Corroded flange

Corrosion issues and inspection of flanges As flanged connections are a critical component within the piping system, effective monitoring and inspection techniques are required to minimise unscheduled shutdowns due to leakage in order to meet everdemanding production requirements. Usually, leakages occurring between the flange faces are the primary concern, leaving fastenings and pipe external protection unaddressed, which can lead to serious problems especially when external environmental conditions are severe.

Insufficient external protection can lead to rapid and more extensive damage to the flanges and fastenings which will in turn accelerate the deterioration of the sealing system as a whole. The consequences of such

Due to the complexity of the flange geometry, it has become a challenge to design efficient solutions to protect flanges against corrosion.

The ideal solution would be a system that combines excellent corrosion protection along with a simple installation procedure and is suitable for all flange sizes and shapes, in conjunction with easy bolt access for inspection purposes.

The most common solutions available on the market are maintenance paints and mechanical solutions. Maintenance paints are hard coatings that are bonded directly to the substrate, commonly epoxy- or urethanebased.

As flanges involve lots of angles and edges, paint systems will struggle to coat effectively due to the thinning effect when paints are applied over an edge.

Applying thicker layers may address the issue of edge protection, but it may also lead to seizing of fastenings which prevents subsequent access. In addition, accessing the bolt will be difficult without cracking the coating and it will therefore be necessary to re-apply the coating after the inspection.

Mechanical solutions such as covers and clamps encapsulate the flange or the void between the flange faces and they are usually

constructed from stainless steel or plastic and incorporate a rubber seal. This protection is rigid, not flexible and requires having the correct cover or clamp size in stock to cater for each size of flange.

Another commercially available solution is tapes or semi-solid tapes. These come in various forms such as petrolatum tape, wax, or visco-elastic polymers embedded into fabric for wrapping. Tapes are supplied on a roll and are wrapped around the surface to be protected. They provide reliable corrosion protection, thanks to the water-repellent nature of these semi-solid polymers. However, these materials can be time-consuming and difficult to apply on complex shapes. If access to bolts is required, these relatively soft materials can be readily cut away but cannot be easily resealed afterwards to reinstate the protection, and normally must be replaced with new.

Hot-melt thermoplastics are relatively new on the market. They are essentially a wax-like meltable polymer which is heated to high temperatures and then spray applied onto the surface with specialist hot-melt equipment.

The main advantage of using this solution is the fact that it can be re-melted and recycled, which offers a cost-effective solution for flange protection. However, it requires hot work as well as specialist equipment and contract application service, and while the coating can be reused it cannot be easily opened up and resealed to facilitate inspection.

Another relatively new form of flange protection is polymer bags containing vapour corrosion inhibitors (VCI), which entirely cover the flanges. The sealed bag is composed of a low permeability polymer with internal VCI film (and drying agents). They are quick and easy to install but the ends of the bag are sealed using normal adhesive tape â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which is not the most durable or effective of bonding mechanisms. The large vapour space inside the bag means that a relatively large amount of moisture may be trapped inside the system and the VCIs are consumed over a period of time.

Peelable coating for flange corrosion protection To offer an alternative answer to flange corrosion issues, Belzona has formulated a new peelable coating concept, Belzona 3411 (Encapsulating Membrane), specifically designed for the protection of flanges, fastenings and associated pipework.

Belzonaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s R&D chemist, Ruckseeta Patel, describes the new technology: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;With the

use of clever polymer chemistry, we have created a flange protection system strong and flexible enough to be peeled back without tearing. This solution features the flexibility of elastomers but is based on a new technology excluding the use of isocyanates and toxic metal catalysts. The system bonds to manually prepared surfaces and does not involve hot work, making it safe and easy to use.’

The coating offers full corrosion protection due to its use with a corrosion-inhibiting base layer, Belzona 8411, and its high adhesive properties that exclude any moisture.

The corrosion resistance of the system has been proven by the salt spray test, used to assess a coating’s ability to resist attack from a continuous salt fog. The salt chamber

Substrate

Preparation

Adhesion

Failure Mode

Rusty carbon steel Manual abrasion

6.6 pli 1.16 MPa

Cohesive

Epoxy paint Manual abrasion

6.4 pli 1.12 MPa

Cohesive

Polyurethane paint Manual abrasion

6.4 pli 1.12 MPa

Cohesive

Adhesion testing results on three different substrates

the exposed steel part at the end of the flange showed a high level of corrosion.

In order to provide a durable seal at the application extremities and exclude any moisture, the system requires a good adhesion, particularly to manually prepared surfaces. Adhesion testing has been performed on three manually prepared substrates according to ASTM D429/ISO8510-1 St 2. The results have shown a cohesive mode of failure on all substrates.

Release properties and flexibility

Belzona flange encapsulation system

converts a 5% sodium chloride solution into a hot fog at 35°C. The test piece consisted of an assembled flange joint, one side being bare steel and the other an existing paint system.

After 1,000 hours of exposure to the saltfog atmosphere, no corrosion was reported under the encapsulated system. In comparison,

Another property of this new system is the ease of access to the fastenings. When maintenance is required, the system can be simply cut open by using a sharp knife to cut through the membrane in the gap between the flange faces around the circumference of the flange. The membrane will be then be peeled back with the bolt caps, exposing bolts and flanges. Once the required maintenance has been completed, the membrane will fold back to its original position.

In order to be peelable, the system is required to be both tough and flexible. Tensile strength, elongation and tear strength were determined according to ASTM D412/D624.

For more information:

Salt spray test showing no corrosion under the encapsulating system Encapsulating system being cut for inspection

Salt spray test showing no corrosion under the encapsulating system – close up

To reseal the repair, the surface of the system has to be cleaned around the flange circumference to remove all dirt, grease and surface contaminants. Then, a further quantity of Belzona 3411 will be brush applied onto the cut around the circumference of the flange for a quick and simple reinstatement of the flange protection.

This encapsulating system can be used not just to provide a complete corrosion protection for flanges, fastenings and associated pipes, but also as a preventive system which helps improving and facilitating further monitoring and inspection of flange faces.

Ensuring asset reliability has become one of the major challenges faced within many industries today. As a result of this, a growing demand for new and more effective corrosion protective systems can be identified. The corrosion protection challenge presented by flanges has led to the development of a number of solutions.

Made available in 2014, Belzona’s membrane system meets all of these requirements. Its design ensures that further monitoring and inspection of flanged connections can be easily carried out.

This article was written by Alice Jucquois, marketing assistant, and Juan Lopez, technical service and business development engineer, Belzona Polymerics.Visit: www.belzona.co.uk

Belzona 3411 unreinforced

+Belzona 9311 reinforcement

Tensile strength

410 psi 2.8 MPa

670 psi 4.6 MPa

Elongation

66%

24%

Tear strength

21 pli 380 kg/m

100 pli 1830kg/m

Tensile strength, elongation and tear strength results

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