Pe 17 04

21 Product of the Year: Meet the 2016 winners

PlantEngineering.com

Plugged into safety Understand hazards with test equipment, training 27

The 1st micro PLC with a can-do attitude

Stand-alone PLC Unit

Expansion Modules

The new BRX Micro PLCs are determined to get it done!

The new BRX PLC family incorporates many high-level features in a small, solid package - allowing it to stand strong no matter the challenge. Loaded with options and using the very popular Do-more! DM1 technology as its engine, this micro controller packs a big punch for a little price!

Starting at

CPU and I/O Comparison

$199.00

PLC Unit (with Ethernet)

(BX-DM1-10AR-D)

with 10 built-in discrete I/O

(28) 24VDC Inputs

The BRX PLC family offers: • Advanced motion control • Robust data logging • Onboard serial and Ethernet ports • Discrete, high-speed and analog I/O • Expansion capabilities • Interchangeable communications port • Free programming software (with simulator) • Integrated video help • Free technical support • Much, much more...

AutomationDirect

Allen-Bradley

BRX PLC

$473.00

BX-DM1E-36ED13-D

$38.00 BX-08ND3

(8-pt DC OUT module + 16 DC OUT on PLC unit)

(4) Analog Inputs

Total System Price

Built-in

$433.00

$85.00

(16-pt DC IN module + 14 DC IN on PLC unit)

(8-pt DC IN module + 20 DC IN on PLC unit)

$433.00

$125.00

(16-pt DC OUT module + 10 DC OUT on PLC unit)

(8-pt DC OUT module + 16 DC OUT on PLC unit)

(20 DC OUT on PLC unit)

6ES7 214-1AG31-0XB0

6ES7 221-1BH30-0XB0

6ES7 222-1BH30-0XB0

FC6A-C40K1CE

FC6A-N08B1

FC6A-T08K1

Built-in

$149.00 2080-IF4

$330.00

$320.00

Built-in

$89.00

(4IN/2OUT Analog combination module)

(4IN/2OUT Analog combination module)

(2 Analog OUT on PLC unit)

2080-OF2

$556.00

$880.00

$2,010.00

(4 Analog IN on PLC unit)

(2) Analog Outputs

$490.50

Built-in

BX-08TD1

FC6A

$814.00

(28 DC IN on PLC unit)

$45.00

IDEC

S7-1200

$642.00 2080-LC50-48QVB

(8-pt DC IN module + 20 DC IN on PLC unit)

(20) 24VDC Outputs

Siemens

Micro 800

6ES7 234-4HE30-0XB0

FC6A-L06A1

$1,020.50

All prices are U.S. published prices. AutomationDirect prices as of 2/20/2017. Allen-Bradley, Siemens and IDEC prices taken from www.radwell.com 1/27/2017.

Order Today, Ships Today! * See our Web site for details and restrictions. © Copyright 2016 AutomationDirect, Cumming, GA USA. All rights reserved.

Research, price, buy at:

www.BRXPLC.com

1-800-633-0405

input #1 at www.plantengineering.com/information

the #1 value in automation

kaeser.com

success story

Clean Sweep!

Air system study yields multiple benefits to bottom line Problem: An aerospace parts manufacturer was experiencing high maintenance costs as well as excessive downtime with their compressed air system.

Their modulation control compressor caused unnecessary energy usage on the weekends and off peak times, resulting in exceptionally high energy costs. Additionally, problems with air quality led to product rejects and costly scrap rates.

Solution: A comprehensive Air Demand Analysis was conducted to understand the plant’s fluctuating demand. It revealed that the 200 hp modulating control compressor was grossly oversized. With proper controls and additional storage, two 50 hp compressors could efficiently handle the demand and save 871,500 kWh per year. A third 50 hp unit was added to ensure uptime and accommodate growth.

Result: These sweeping changes created immediate and sustainable energy savings. The combination of more storage, more efficient compressors and master controls drove system specific power consumption down 77%—and that doesn’t include the savings from leak reduction. As a direct result of the new air treatment equipment, the plant also saw improved product quality and reduced maintenance on the expensive production equipment that may surpass energy in terms of bottom line benefits.

Specific Power of Previous System:

93.89 kW/100 cfm

Specific Power of New System:

21.14 kW/100 cfm

Annual Energy Costs of Previous System:

$107,431/year

Annual Energy Cost Savings:

$ 87,151/year

Savings Due to Fixing Leaks

$ 12,500/year

Utility Rebate:

$ 92,000

TOTAL FIRST YEAR SAVINGS:

$191,651

Let us help you measure and manage your compressed air costs!

COMPRESSORS

Kaeser Compressors, Inc. • 866-516-6888 • us.kaeser.com/PE Built for a lifetime is a trademark of Kaeser Compressors, Inc.

©2017 Kaeser Compressors, Inc.

input #2 at www.plantengineering.com/information

customer.us@kaeser.com

Don’t get torqued off.

Get TorqLOC®!

Can’t remove your corroded gear unit from your machine shaft? Well, stop fretting about it. Man

Assembly

up and get TorqLOC® from SEW-EURODRIVE. With its stainless steel construction, keyless hollow shaft, and taper bushings, TorqLOC® disassembly is fast and easy. The same bolts used for assembly are used for disassembly.

Not only does TorqLOC® reduce your maintenance

Disassembly

headaches, it also eliminates belts, chains, and sprockets to reduce energy costs.

seweurodrive.com / 864-439-7537 input #3 at www.plantengineering.com/information

April 2017 Volume 71, No.3

Cover image courtesy: AVO Training Institute

COVER STORY 27 Electrical test instruments: Safety is still the first tool A review of electrical hazards and requirements for assessing the workplace to identify the electrical hazards is one way to mitigate risk and improve safety.

SPECIAL REPORT: 2017 Excellence in Manufacturing Awards

21 Infor EAM Transit App receives Grand Award The 29th annual Product of the Year winners, the 2016 Top Plant winner, and honorees among the 2016 Engineering Leaders Under 40 were recognized at the annual Excellence in Manufacturing dinner April 3 in Chicago.

PLANT ENGINEERING (ISSN 0032-082X, Vol. 71, No. 3, GST #123397457) is published 10x per year, monthly except in January and July, by CFE Media, LLC, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523.

Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher /Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. PLANT ENGINEERING copyright 2017 by CFE Media, LLC. All rights reserved. PLANT ENGINEERING is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under license. Periodicals postage paid at Oak Brook, IL 60523 and additional mailing offices. Circulation records are maintained at CFE Media, LLC, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. E-mail: customerservice@ cfemedia.com. Postmaster: send address changes to PLANT ENGINEERING, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Publications Mail Agreement No. 40685520. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Email: customerservice@cfemedia.com. Rates for nonqualified subscriptions, including all issues: USA, $145/yr; Canada, $180/yr (includes 7% GST, GST#123397457); Mexico, $172/yr; International air delivery $318/yr. Except for special issues where price changes are indicated, single copies are available for $30.00 US and $35.00 foreign. Please address all subscription mail to PLANT ENGINEERING, 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite #250, Oak Brook, IL 60523. Printed in the USA. CFE Media, LLC does not assume and hereby disclaims any liability to any person for any loss or damage caused by errors or omissions in the material contained herein, regardless of whether such errors result from negligence, accident or any other cause whatsoever.

www.plantengineering.com

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 3

2017

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Learn how IIoT can transform your maintenance program Join us for an information-packed event featuring the latest innovations in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), including Fluke Condition Monitoring devices and eMaint Computerized Maintenance Management Software (CMMS). Coming to a city near you this May. •

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fluke.com/roadshow2017 input #4 at www.plantengineering.com/information

Platinum sponsor: Gold sponsors: R

R E L I A B I L I T Y

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Media sponsors: ©2017 Fluke Corporation. 6008960d-en

39

45

51

Maintenance Solutions 39 Keep on track by tracking A proper vending program can transform time into money by allowing workers to focus on output instead of searching, sometimes futilely, for work items they need.

Automation Solutions 45 A detailed approach to an SI partnership Proper system integration ties all the automation pieces together, ensuring plant technicians and the maintenance department can support the system after the project is completed.

Electrical Solutions 51

Electrical design as easy as N-E-C Although the use of the National Electrical Code (NEC) is mandated by OSHA, many plant electrical engineers whose background is control systems are unaware of how it affects their work.

A Life in Manufacturing 80

Meet Eric Runge, a 38-year-old plant engineer for West Liberty Foods in West Liberty, Iowa.

What’s Inside: 6

InSight

9

InFocus

73 Innovations

www.plantengineering.com

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 5

INSIGHT

®

Confronting the elephant in the room At some point, manufacturing must confront the elephant in the room. It’s both a symbolic elephant in terms of the political party it represents, and a literal one, because one of the reasons the elephant is in the room is because someone wasn’t watching the door carefully enough.

Our manufacturing revolution is gaining momentum and true believers. It holds the potential to deliver significant economic improvement for manufacturing everywhere.

That is running smack into the increasing manufacturing nationalism demonstrated by the current U.S. administration. The two are incompatible; while “America First” makes a dandy slogan, it’s a lousy economic policy, especially when it’s conducted at 140 characters.

As the world will see when Hannover Messe opens again this month in Germany, the business of manufacturing is not confined to any nation’s borders. It is a global, interconnected and interdependent ecosystem.

It requires the ability to speak a common language—the language of productivity.

Global suppliers and global manufacturers and global networks are creating a truly new way to measure and manage productivity. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offers tremendous potential, and almost all of the 200,000-plus attendees at Hannover Messe this month will be looking to unlock all that potential. What every speaker who talks on this subject says is that IIoT will break down the walls separating departments and manufacturing sites.

On year ago,President Obama stood in the hallways of Hannover Messe and championed a global manufacturing economy. The United States would justifiably lead, but that also required trading partners committed to finding fair and free trade around the world.

As President Obama said at the time, “During my time in office, we’ve boosted U.S. exports to Germany, and we’ve increased our bilateral trade by nearly 40% to a record $235 billion last year. German investment in the United States now supports more than 600,000 American jobs. And you’re selling more of your products to America as well. Last year, for the first time in decades, the United States became the top market for exports of German goods. So we need to build on this success. I want us doing

6 • April 2017

PLANT ENGINEERING

PlantEngineering.com 1111 W. 22nd St. Suite 250, Oak Brook, IL 60523 Ph. 630-571-4070, Fax 630-214-4504

CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL BOB VAVRA, Content Manager 630-571-4070 x2212, BVavra@CFEMedia.com EMILY GUENTHER, Associate Content Manager 630-571-4070 x2220, EGuenther@CFEMedia.com AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Director of Research 860-432-4767, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com CHRIS VAVRA, Production Editor 630-571-4070 x2219, CVavra@CFEMedia.com

Editorial Advisory Board H. LANDIS “LANNY” FLOYD, IEEE Life Fellow H.Landis.Floyd@gmail.com SHON ISENHOUR, Partner, Eruditio LLC sisenhour@EruditioLLC.com DR. SHI-WAN LIN, CEO and co-founder, Thingswise, LLC Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) board member shiwanlin@thingswise.com

Bob Vavra Content Manager

even more business together, more trade and creating more jobs for our people.”

Now yet we see one world “leader” (apparently air quotes are the new way to avoid meaning what you say) talking about building walls, about taxing imports and inhibiting global manufacturing.

There’s no sense that this stance will grow jobs or improve the prospects for global manufacturing, and it sticks a dagger in the heart of the potential that IIoT has been promising for the last few years. It is snake oil, sold by a snake oil salesman whose own policies apparently don’t extend to the manufacture of a line of men’s clothing in Asia.

We should do better on regulations and policies that restrict businesses. There’s much to be done around creating a better tax environment for small and large businesses. Just a reasonable reduction in regulation and a fairer tax law could create a windfall for manufacturing owners and do so without limiting any decisions they’d want to make about where they want and need to manufacture.

But we cannot do any of this without better education of the next generation of workers and a sound global environment in which to work. And we won’t do it if the warm hand President Obama stretched out to the manufacturing world at Hannover Messe in 2016 is replaced with an iron fist.

There is an elephant in the room. How do you get rid of the elephant? As the old joke goes, one bite at a time. PE www.plantengineering.com

DAVE REIBER, Senior Reliability Leader, Reliabilityweb.com dave.reiber@reliabilityweb.com DAVID SKELTON, Vice president and general manager Phoenix Contact Development and Manufacturing dskelton@phoenixcontact.com BILLY RAY TAYLOR, Director of commercial and off-highway manufacturing The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Billytaylor@goodyear.com LARRY TURNER, President and CEO, Hannover Fairs USA lturner@hfusa.com MARK WATSON, Senior director, manufacturing technology, IHS Markit Mark.watson@ihsmarkit.com

CFE MEDIA CONTRIBUTOR GUIDELINES OVERVIEW

Content For Engineers. That’s what CFE Media stands for, and what CFE Media is all about—engineers sharing with their peers. We welcome content submissions for all interested parties in engineering. We will use those materials online, on our Website, in print and in newsletters to keep engineers informed about the products, solutions and industry trends. * www.plantengineering.com/contribute explains how to submit press releases, products, images and graphics, bylined feature articles, case studies, white papers, and other media. * Content should focus on helping engineers solve problems. Articles that are commercial in nature or that are critical of other products or organizations will be rejected. (Technology discussions and comparative tables may be accepted if non-promotional and if contributor corroborates information with sources cited.) * If the content meets criteria noted in guidelines, expect to see it first on our Websites. Content for our e-newsletters comes from content already available on our Websites. All content for print also will be online. All content that appears in our print magazines will appear as space permits, and we will indicate in print if more content from that article is available online. * Deadlines for feature articles intended for the print magazines are at least two months in advance of the publication date. Again, it is best to discuss all feature articles with the content manager prior to submission.

Learn more at: www.plantengineering.com/contribute

LIQUID

NOZZLES

Internal Mix

Siphon Fed

External Mix

For pressure fed applications not requiring independent air and liquid control.

Siphon or gravity fed for non-pressurized applications.

For pressure fed applications with independent air and liquid control.

Internal mix nozzles mix the liquid and water inside the air cap and produce the finest atomization. Both air and liquid sides are pressure fed. Internal mix nozzles can be used on liquids with a viscosity up to 300 cp.

Siphon fed nozzles require no liquid pressure and can be used with gravity fed liquids or lift liquids from a siphon height as much as 36 inches (91 cm). Siphon fed nozzles can be used on liquids with a viscosity up to 200 cp.

External mix nozzles have the highest flow rates and allow the air and liquid flows to be adjusted independently and precisely.

External mix nozzles are also the best choice for liquids with a viscosity over 200 cp.

Applications

Advantages

Washing

Fully adjustable

Rinsing

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Coating

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Cooling

All stainless steel construction

Quenching Wetting (moistening) Humidification Dust Control

Compact Minimize air consumption Interchangeable liquid and air caps

No drip option shown below

What Are Atomizing Nozzles?

EXAIR’s atomizing spray nozzles atomize fluids (most commonly water) in a range of spray patterns for a variety of uses. They combine liquid and compressed air to create a mist of atomized liquid that can be easily adjusted to meet the needs of your application. All models use stainless steel construction for durability and corrosion resistance.

All Liquid Atomizing Nozzles are available in No Drip configurations.

No Drip models have the added benefit of positively stopping liquid flow when compressed air is shut off, eliminating the problem of unwanted drips.

input #5 at www.plantengineering.com/information

@EXAIR.COM

www.exair.com/79/award17.htm

Manufacturing Intelligent Compressed Air Products Since 1983

11510 Goldcoast Drive • Cincinnati, Ohio • 45249-1621 • (800) 903-9247 fax: (513) 671-3363 • E-mail: techelp@exair.com • www.exair.com

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Opposing hydraulic rams drive contoured conditioning plates to crush and loosen solidified bulk material safely and easily.

Bulk bags can be raised, lowered and rotated to allow complete conditioning of the entire bag through the use of automated turntables and scissor lifts, or electric hoist and trolley assemblies.

Offered as stand-alone units for loading with forklift or electric hoist and trolley, or integrated with bulk bag dischargers for reduced cost, footprint and loading time.

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USA sales@flexicon.com 1 888 FLEXICON

+56 +44 +49 +34 +61 +65 +27

2 2415 1286 (0)1227 374710 170 8 187 613 930 020 509 (0)7 3879 4180 6778 9225 (0)41 453 1871

©2017 Flexicon Corporation. Flexicon Corporation has registrations and pending applications for the trademark FLEXICON throughout the world.

input #6 at www.plantengineering.com/information

FF-0439

CHILE UK GERMANY SPAIN AUSTRALIA SINGAPORE SOUTH AFRICA

IN FOCUS An IIoT-based plant organization, such as this example Honeywell’s Connected Plant, brings together customers, equipment vendors, process licensors, consultants and supplier experts to develop IIoT solutions for myriad operational challenges.

Image courtesy: Honeywell Solutions

IIoT’s emergence just a matter of when

By Shree Dandekar Honeywell Connected Plant

This will be remembered as the year that the Industrial Internet of things (IIoT) grew up. After so many years of predictions, distractions and industry coaxing, IIoT arrived in 2017. As I look at developments across the industry I see more and more IIoT strategies in progress, with investments being made in infrastructure, technology and skills, and exciting returns being reported on initial projects.

Just as significantly, I see vendors and other industry experts coalescing to build end-to-end solutions that will make IIoT easier to deploy and quicker to yield a return. With so many positive developments, I’m confident IIoT will lie at the heart of every manufacturing facility in 10 years’ time. www.plantengineering.com

My optimism is underscored by a recent survey of 200 manufacturing executives conducted by KRC Research for Honeywell in which nearly 70% of respondents said they plan to invest additional resources in IIoT and data analytics technology in 2017.

What’s driving this desire is the cumulative strategic and financial value of their problems: downtime and related losses in efficiency, inadequate staffing, off-spec production and supply chain inefficiencies. They all add up.

IIoT now is acknowledged by industrial manufacturers as having the capability to resolve each of these challenges. So it’s not a question of will the Internet transform process manufacturing—it’s a question of when.

One reason for the growing enthusiasm in IIoT is the powerful data it brings together. The majority of survey respondents believe that data analytics will

resolve age-old problems such as equipment breakdowns, unscheduled process disruption and supply chain management issues. These figures are telling in terms of where IIoT investments and deployments will be made in 2017 and beyond.

Taking the first steps

As a first step, many early adopters implemented digitization campaigns.

Most are reporting excellent early results to the tune of multi-million dollars in savings. For example, mineral processing companies have centralized their process knowledge and provided collaborative support to remote locations; refineries have increased overall equipment effectiveness by up to two percent; chemical companies have reduced inventories and improved customer responsiveness; and paper companies have solved key knowledge retention issues.

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 9

IN fOCUS However, for all the success of these pilot projects, there remains a significant number of manufacturers standing still.

Indeed, the survey revealed that some respondents are pressing ahead without a data analytics-led IIoT strategy or are not planning to invest in data analytics in the next year.

Their reasons include a lack of understanding of the benefits of data analytics and inadequate resources—specifically, people with data analytics expertise.

And disconcertingly, while these companies put off decisions about IIoT, many are working their plants harder than they should: the survey found

many respondents feel pressured to continue working under the threat of unscheduled downtime and equipment breakdowns to maximize revenue.

These companies are fighting a battle against time and will start to lag as their competitors surge ahead. The fact that many remain unmoved by IIoT underscores the importance of continued industry education. Many still feel that IIoT requires a sudden and wholesale change in their business.

It doesn’t; it can be phased and scaled to a company’s circumstances. IIoT should be viewed as an evolution, not a revolution.

One trend that I believe will have a positive influence over those still undecided is increased partnership among industry vendors, process licensors, equipment experts and consultants to provide joined-up technology solutions that will ease and speed adoption and provide innovative solutions to industrial problems previously thought to be unsolvable. Just imagine if you could collect, display, analyze and react to plant information by purchasing a solution virtually off the shelf? Or imagine benefitting from whatever data analytics expertise you need without having to hire a team of data scientists? Cloud-based forums of experts have the potential to deliver advice and assistance, whenever or wherever it is needed. Innovative and flexible offerings such as these are becoming available now through closer industry cooperation. The reality is no one vendor can do everything, and some are better at some things than others, and therefore need one another to address remaining barriers and gaps, working together to make IIoT more accessible to the industry.

Despite the remaining skepticism, IIoT is in a very different place in 2017 than it was a year ago. Pilot projects are everywhere and are showing promising early results while momentum builds through industry partnerships. Our research shows that we’re at the tipping point toward mainstream adoption. IIoT has finally grown up. PE Shree Dandekar is vice president and general manager for Honeywell Connected Plant.

input #7 at www.plantengineering.com/information

10 • April 2017

plant engineering

Build a maintenance schedule in six steps

By Jeff Shiver People and Processes

Struggling to put together a complete weekly schedule?

It may surprise you, but you’re not alone. Although the processes of work execution (preventive and predictive programs, planning, scheduling, coordination, storeroom and production partnerships) are foundational, many groups struggle to put it all together well. Without this foundation, more advanced concepts fizzle out quickly.

Frustration ensues.

There are many pieces that need to be aligned to complete the entire work execution puzzle. To start, let’s focus on developing the weekly maintenance schedule. There are six basic steps that you should address to move things forward.

1. Quantify the maintenance backlog

The backlog represents a comprehensive list of all work yet to be completed. It may include overdue preventive maintenance (PM) tasks, corrective actions, safety items and so on. Overdue PM tasks in the backlog highlight problems in your work processes. Determine if the work is complete. If the tasks and frequencies are valid and not done, then we can expect failures. Along with that, a reactive state with equipment availability.

Backlogged work orders should not have birthdays of the annual sort. If it’s been on the list for a year, it is most likely not important. Remove unnecessary work orders from the backlog. Now, place labor estimates on the work in the backlog. You need these hours to determine the how many crew weeks of backlog exist. The backlog metric should be trended at least monthly based on the hours, not the number of work orders.

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Call now to order your replacement filters and parts.

2. Determine your ability to accomplish maintenance work

At the end of the day, the goal is to schedule more work.

To do this, you need to understand the available crew size for each week. Personally, I prefer the maintenance supervisor to work with the maintenance planner scheduler to provide those estimated available hours at least two weeks out.

Things may change—people take a vacation, get sick, have family emergencies—but you need a starting place.

Maybe you’re too reactive and don’t believe you have the resources to schedule 100% of the available hours. So start with 60%. Just start.

3. Find windows for maintenance work

The planner scheduler role knows the maintenance plant engineering

April 2017 • 11

800.365.1331 Donaldson.com © 2017 Donaldson Company, Inc.

input #8 at www.plantengineering.com/information

EHS Today Hardliner 4.5X4.625:Layout 1

2/11/11

10:44 AM

Page 1

N OR A E L C NEVER ZE HARD SANITI GAIN. HATS A BLE A S O P DIS Y HARD R SANITALINERS. HAT

IN fOCUS “There are many pieces that need

to be aligned to complete the entire work execution puzzle.

Save time and money cleaning and sanitizing the inside of hard hats and suspensions.

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For information or a free sample contact: GKR Industries, Inc. 13653 S. Kenton Ave., Crestwood,IL 60445 or call 800-526–7879 www.gkrindustries.com input #10 at www.plantengineering.com/information

”

backlog. As such, those individuals should be looking for and negotiating for maintenance work windows.

This effort requires working with production or operations and planning in partnership. Some organizations have a production gatekeeper to help move things along.

There are lots of windows for work that are often overlooked.

4. Build the draft maintenance schedule

Now we should understand the PMs that are triggering each week at least two weeks in advance. Future work has received some level of maintenance planning.

We’ve identified the maintenance backlog. We know our estimated hours available for work. We understand the production windows. Time to build the schedule for next week.

Assuming a Sunday to Saturday schedule, this should be completed by Tuesday of the week prior. Ultimately, we want to get at least two weeks ahead, but start somewhere. Knowing available equipment windows, we can place that work on those days or windows. Once built, email the draft to the stakeholders, including production 100 managers and supervisors. Ask for people to come with 95 changes before the weekly scheduling meeting so those changes can be integrated early.

75

5. The weekly maintenance scheduling meeting

This meeting should be on late Thursday or early Friday so25 that the meeting time is close to the start of the schedule period. Fewer changes occur that way. Keep in mind 5 not a planning meeting but a scheduling meeting to it’s confirm next week’s work as a minimum, along with any 0 special coordination activities.

The planning part should have happened long before this meeting to ensure parts and time to plan. There are two main components for this meeting: next week’s schedule and a review of the previous week’s metrics.

100 of the metrics review must include schedule breakPart ers that prevented you from accomplishing the schedule.

95 Keep it short and sweet.

6. What gets measured, gets done 75

While the metrics discussion is a longer subject in itself, make sure you have a progression plan using measures 25 for continuous improvement. PE Jeff Shiver, CMRP, is a founder of People and Processes, a consulting and training group.

0 5

input #9 at www.plantengineering.com/information

12 • April 2017

plant engineering

Daniel Destino Electronics Engineer ITW United Silicone

Their go-to safety solution ITW United Silicone relies on TRISAFE safety controllers from Phoenix Contact “ITW machines require flexible, reliable safeguarding solutions. I have complete confidence in placing TRISAFE safety controllers at the center of my designs. TRISAFE allows us to safeguard multiple connections at the highest levels, with minimal wiring.”

Safety controllers from Phoenix Contact give you confidence in the applications that require multiple safety and advanced safety functionality.

Call 1-800-322-3225 or visit: www.phoenixcontact.com/confidence_trisafe

© PHOENIX CONTACT 2017

input #11 at www.plantengineering.com/information

ONE SOURCE IN fOCUS FOR STOCK AND CUSTOM

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder told an audience at Manufacturing in America in Detroit on March 22 that government needs to “create the ecosystem” for job growth in manufacturing. Image courtesy: CFE Media

SPRING SOLUTIONS

Michigan governor touts manufacturing professionals

By Bob Vavra Content Manager

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While touting the job and technology growth in his state, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder told the audience at the Manufacturing in America event in Detroit that the challenge of creating and growing jobs in his state and others was creating the right environment for job growth.

“As governor, I don’t create jobs; you do,” Snyder told more than 250 manufacturing leaders at the annual event sponsored by Siemens and Electro-Matic on March 22. “What we can do is create the ecosystem.”

Snyder s aid t he st ate re vers e d e c on om i c d e c l i n e ov e r t h e l a s t decade by reimaging the tax system, but also by building the talent around the high-tech manufacturing growth. “My top priority today is talent,” Snyder said. “You’re helping me.”

Snyder noted that Michigan created a job website (MITalent.org) a decade ago at a time when the state’s unemployment rate was 11%, and there were 80,000 open jobs on the site. Today the state’s unemployment rate is 5% and there are 100,000 job

14 • April 2017

plant engineering

openings on the site. “We want to create an environment to fill those needs.

Michigan leads the nation in creating manufacturing jobs.”

But Snyder note d t he changes already under way in manufacturing require a fresh look at manufacturing jobs. “We need to redefine the skilled trades. There are not many unskilled jobs left in manufacturing,” Snyder said. “We said everyone should get a 4-year degree, and we stopped telling everyone there was an equally noble career in skilled trades—to become a professional. We need to promote that.”

Snyder, a self-proclaimed nerd, said he is a big supporter of student programs such as FIRST Robotics (he called the state finals in Michigan “a rock concert for nerds”) and wants to continue to change the discussions around what manufacturing is and how it creates long-term careers. “We need to look at how we present manufacturing,” Snyder said.

“We also need to remind people that manufacturing is about making something better to improve people’s lives. It’s not just about making a product; it’s about innovating.” PE www.plantengineering.com

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IN fOCUS

Digital plant value in real numbers Hannover Messe sessions, displays focus on how to realize IIoT’s potential.

By Bob Vavra Content Manager

Even in uncertain global political and financial times, the manufacturing revolution continues to gain momentum. The digital plant is becoming a reality, and it brings with it many questions about the strategic and tactical approaches needed to effectively implement the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).

That will be the focus of Hannover Messe 2017 beginning April 24 in Hannover, Germany. Marking its 70th year, Hannover Messe brings together a global audience of manufacturing professionals and industry leaders to the world’s largest industrial trade show. In 2017 Poland will be the Partner Country, a role held by the United States a year ago, and the show’s theme, “Integrated Industry—Creating Value,” points to the maturity of the digital plant concept and its evolution into an operational reality.

Technology focus

The five days of Hannover Messe bring more than 200,000 visitors to the sprawling fairgrounds, but even with miles to walk each day, the focus of the trade event remains the challenge of bringing an integrated, digital plant into common practices for large and small manufacturing operations.

On Wednesday, March 26, IHS Markit will present a half-day seminar entitled “Smart Technologies Impacting Industrial Market Dynamics.” The three presentations will focus on how robotics, automation and connectivity are changing the way manufacturing plants are designed and operated, and the challenges in each of those areas.

Jan Zhang, senior manager of IHS Markit’s manufacturing technology group, will lead the discussion about how the focus of the discussion on robotics has shifted from how quickly the industrial robots market will grow to how robotics technology will help to reshape manufacturing.

This presentation will review key trends relating to robotics and discuss how they are likely to impact the market as well as the manufacturing world, including the convergence of artificial intelligence and machine learning with robots and its impact on manufacturing.

Jeremie Bouchaud, IHS Markit’s senior director of MEMS & Sensors, and Alex West, the principal analyst for manufacturing technology, will discuss how sensors and cloud computing are providing new data streams (and new business models) for manufacturers. They also will look at how ready today’s manufacturing sector is for these changes, and what they mean for automation vendors and customers.

The final session will be lead by Mark Watson, senior research manager for IHS Markit’s manufacturing technology practice and a member of Plant Engineering’s editorial advisory board. Watson will discuss research around the biggest challenges and opportunities for manufacturers to implement IIoT strategies, and a look at the changing automation component market.

Some of that market penetration already is taking place in Poland, which will double its 2016 vendor attendance at this year’s Hannover Messe. Hannover officials noted in the media preview of the 2017 event that Poland’s manufacturing digitization is moving forward quickly. Today, more than 4% of the nation’s GDP is tied to digital manufacturing technology. The effort also has government support and financing for the country’s R&D sector. PE

16 • April 2017 input #14 at www.plantengineering.com/information

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Robots will be one of the areas of focus at Hannover Messe 2017, starting April 24 in Germany. Image courtesy: Hannover Messe

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Turning research into insights to make better business decisions Plant Engineering performed the 2017 Maintenance Study to better understand maintenance practices and strategies currently in place in North American manufacturing facilities and the effects of maintenance on productivity and profitability. Respondents to the Plant Engineering 2017 Maintenance Study identified six important, high-level findings impacting the manufacturing industries today.

According to the data in the 2017 Maintenance report, thirty-four percent of respondents’ facilities spend 30 hours or more each week on scheduled maintenance, up from 26% in the 2016 survey.

The average facility spends about 19 hours per week on maintenance tasks. Also, more than half of respondents’ maintenance personnel receives training in safety (81%); basic electrical skills (70%); basic mechanical skills (66%); motors, gearboxes, bearings (58%); lubrication (56%), and predictive maintenance (56%).

Download the new Plant Engineering Maintenance Research today! www.plantengineering.com/2017Maintenance

IN fOCUS Mobility becomes a competitive advantage in plants

By Alexandra Altvater Dude Solutions

By offering increased flexibility and accessibility, mobile devices play a key role in helping manufacturers compete in

an increasingly competitive global marketplace. The use of mobile devices offers manufacturing technicians and managers quick availability to important data, helping meet maintenance and operations demands on the manufacturing floor faster.

For the simplest to the most complex maintenance operations, mobile devices enable technicians to complete tasks and record notes directly at the machines they are maintaining and repairing. In fact, technicians who use mobile devices to access equipment maintenance data are reporting more frequently and with higher accuracy than without their tablets and phones. They can also track their work, view it and record it.

Using phones and tablets to access, analyze and report on-work assignments can drive key advantages for manufacturers.

Efficiency benefits

According to manufacturing client data at Dude Solutions, using mobile devices helped generate a 300% increase in added work orders, completed work and completed data forms.

Access to maintenance checklists at the equipment location lets technicians quickly update the status of tasks.

They also can retrieve instructions and diagrams on their devices, eliminating any need for printed documents. The real-time visibility of a mobile platform ensures that problems are solved faster without administrative lag.

Minimizing errors

Entering real-time data means technicians’ reports are more accurate and more data is entered with fewer errors. Realtime problems can now be answered with real-time solutions. For example, technicians can take a picture of a damaged part that needs to be replaced and record the problem immediately.

The technicians also can record information and other notes, without needing to write it down or remember it at the end of the day. Technicians also have access to the latest instruction manuals, material safety data sheet documentation and training materials. input #15 at www.plantengineering.com/information

Cost savings

Mobile devices can help organizations achieve a more significant return on investment, as they are very affordable and allow for more efficient equipment and labor monitoring.

18 • April 2017

plant engineering

For example, if technicians can simply swipe tablets to begin their time and swipe again to stop their time, they can record exact labor hours and labor monitoring reports. This makes it easier for an employer to track time spent on each piece of equipment but it also saves a lot of time that technicians previously would have spent on their computers or with manual log sheets. It also can increase the willingness of employees to track their time.

Once disabled equipment is operating again, this can be communicated to all stakeholders, guaranteeing there is no delay in using equipment due to communication processes.

of software or servers, which can lead to cost savings. Systems should allow for unlimited users, ensuring the system can scale over time without the added expense of paying for additional licenses.

Businesses and consumers have realized the value of mobility in the way they access, analyze and interact with data. The

manufacturing world is no different. Flexibility is critical on today’s manufacturing floors, and mobile platforms can provide the flexibility needed to support these organizations as well as their customers. PE Alexandra Altvater is manufacturing industries manager for Dude Solutions.

Critical data

Data is an important part of how organizations assess their operational health and identify continued success and areas for improvement. Mobile devices make it extremely easy to collect precise data.

Combine that accurate data with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) that simplifies and centralizes the process of gathering, storing, and analyzing data, and intelligent operations is a day-to-day reality.

Critical insights can be made on preventive maintenance (PM) compliance and equipment failure reasons, and the correlation between the two. For example, the data could show that implementing a PM program could save thousands of dollars per year by preventing electrical failures.

Mobile platforms developed specifically for manufacturing yield the best results for manufacturing organizations, as those platforms are in tune with tracking relevant trends and metrics. This includes the cost of equipment downtime and the comparative performance of specific lines or plants.

Cloud-based opportunities

When using a mobile platform, cloudbased solutions are often the easiest, most affordable and quickest way to go mobile.

Cloud-based solutions offer secure, highperforming platforms regardless of the device or operating system used—whether that is accessing an app on a personal device or utilizing corporate-issued devices. Cloud-based solutions also do not require IT expertise or the purchase plant engineering

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Infor EAM Transit App receives Grand Award Plant Engineering honors Top Plant, Engineering Leaders Under 40 at gala

T

By Bob Vavra Content Manager, Plant Engineering

he Infor EAM Transit App received the 2016 Plant Engineering Product of the Year Grand Award at the 2017 Excellence in Manufacturing Awards in Chicago on April 3. The 29th annual Product of the Year program honors outstanding innovations in 15 product categories, with all awards selected by Plant Engineering readers. There were more than 100 finalists for this year’s awards, and 48 products receive Gold, Silver and Bronze designation based on the reader’s votes.

The Infor EAM Transit app provides connectivity for users while they are out of the office or without a computer. In the app, users can view a list of work orders downloaded to the device, create new work orders, edit existing work orders and cl o s e c ompl e te d work orders. Administrators can view hours worked displays, which show the day’s date and total hours worked.

Kevin Price of Infor received the 2016 Plant Engineering Product of the Year Grand Award for the Infor EAM Transit App. All images courtesy: CFE Media

www.plantengineering.com

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 21

2017 Excellence in Manufacturing Awards

The team from MFC Netform of Shelby Township, Mich., accepted the 2016 Plant Engineering Top Plant award at the Excellence in Manufacturing award dinner in Chicago on April 3.

The Grand Award pres entat i o n f o l l ow e d a full day of information and honors in an event spons ore d by C row n Equipment Corp. and Hannover Fairs USA. The day began with the annual Marketing to Engineers seminar, attended by more than 200 industr y professionals looking to review the latest CFE Media research on how manufacturing professionals choose products and services.

The event continued with a gala dinner where winners of Control Engineering’s Engineer’s Choice awards were presented. Also honored were recipients of the 2016 Engineering Leaders Under 40, jointly presented by Control Engineering and Plant Engineering, and the 2016 Top Plant winner MFC Netform of Shelby Township, Mich.

In a c c e pt i ng t he Top Pl ant aw ard, Ti m Cripsey, executive vice president of MFC Netform, discussed his company’s emphasis on developing a strong workforce culture that features empowering and trusting employees to deliver a strong Tier 1 product to its automotive customers.

22 • April 2017

PLANT ENGINEERING

There were 14 of this year’s Engineering Leaders Under 40 who came to Chicago from as far away as the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emerites to accept this year’s honors. The honorees who attended include: • Yogesh Prasad Balajee, 28, Senior Controls Engineer, Puratos • Mike Blenman, 37, Senior Project Engineer, RedViking • Mike Cooney, 38, Project Manager, Leidos • Chris DiNeno, 24, Director of Enterprise Operations, Polamer Precision • Brad Fryer, 34, Engineering Manager, Systems Integration, Siemens, Analytical Products & Solutions • Verónica Hernández-Mushi, 29, Application Engineer, Bachmann Electronic • David King, 35, Principal, Project Manager, MartinCSI

www.plantengineering.com

The future of manufacturing was represented by the award recipients of the 2016 Engineering Leaders Under 40. The annual recognition is presented by Plant Engineering and Control Engineering.

• Vikram Kumar, 31, President, EZAutomation, AVG Automation • George Parada, 34, Business Unit Maintenance & Reliability Leader, Cargill Salt Inc. • Alan Polk, 34, Controls + Automation Western, Regional Leader, Hargrove Controls + Automation • Chandradhar Prasad, 28, Senior Project Engineer, L&T Electrical and Automation FZE • Brendon Russ, 33, Reliability Engineer, Southern Gardens Citrus www.plantengineering.com

• Ruben Sitts, 35, Production Manager (Welding), The Raymond Corporation • Joël Smit, 34, Subsea 7, Westhill • Seth Wallander, 32, Plant Engineer, Sargento Foods • Aryan Zandieh Vakili, 34, Senior Director of Sales, Hannover Fairs USA Inc. Nominees for the 2017 Engineering Leaders Under 40 are now open, and nominations will be accepted through June 23, 2017. This year’s honorees will be announced in the September issues of Control Engineering and Plant Engineering.

Entries for the 2017 Product of the Year and the 2017 Top Plant awards also are being accepted at the Plant Engineering Website, www.plantengineering.com/awards. Entry deadline for both awards is Sept. 1, 2017. PE PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 23

2017 Marketing to Engineers

The 2017 Marketing to Engineers event on April 3 in Chicago featured a variety of presentations focused on CFE Media’s research around how manufacturing professionals use media. The event included two panels of engineers who discussed how information influences their buying decisions and how the most effective ways to reach engineers. More than 200 industry professionals attended the event, which also included the announcement of CFE Media’s ContactStream SaaS cloud-based delivery platform that provides highly qualified engineering contacts who buy or specify products at all stages of the sales cycle. The prequalification process provides critical information that positions the contact in a specific stage of the buying journey while identifying vendor preferences and preferred product characteristic ratings. PE

24 • April 2017 2016

PLANT ENGINEERING

www.plantengineering.com

2016 Product of the Year Winners Category Apps for Engineers Asset Management

Automation & Controls

Compressed Air

Electric Motors & Drives

Electrical Safety

Award Manufacturer

Product

GRAND

Infor

Infor EAM Transit App

Gold

Eaton

Selective Coordination Designer v1.0

Silver

GTI Predictive Technology Inc.

VibePro 7.3

Gold

WorkTech

Fatigue Management Software

Silver

Rockwell Automation

FactoryTalk AssetCentre v7.0

Bronze

Emerson

AMS ARES Asset Management Platform

Gold

Rockwell Automation

Allen-Bradley ControlLogix 5580 Controller

Silver

Siemens

Simatic PCS 7 v8.2 with Logic Matrix

Bronze

Weidmuller

THM MultiMark Printer Marking System

Gold

FS-Curtis

NxD Rotary Screw Air Compressor

Silver

Parker Hannifin

Parker Air Saver

Bronze

Ingersoll Rand

Next Generation R-Series Compressor with VSD

Gold

Rockwell Automation

Allen-Bradley PowerFlex 7000 Drive System with ArcShield

Silver

Leeson Electric

Platinum e PMAC Motor Inverter

Silver

Siemens

High-speed Induction Motor

Bronze

Baldor Electric Co.

Baldor-Reliance RPM XE

Gold

Anord Critical Power Inc.

Arnord Modular Product Power Distribution Unit

Silver

Schneider Electric

Premset

Bronze

Eaton

Enclosed Circuit Breaker with Arcflash Reduction Maintenance System

Bronze

Energy Management Environmental Health

Fluid Handling

Lighting

Maintenance Software Maintenance Tools & Equipment Material Handling Systems Productivity & Training

Safety

Littelfuse Inc.

POWR-Speed Fuse

Gold

Bedrock Automation

Bedrock UPS.500

Silver

Siemens

Sinamics DCP 120-kW

Bronze

Big Ass Fans

Powerfoil X3.0 with SmartSense

Gold

New Pig

Pig Fuel Station Spill Kit in Overpack

Silver

Hunter Industrial

Titan Industrial Ceiling Fan

Bronze

DL Manufacturing

DL Screen Door

Gold

GoatThroat Pumps/Wescott Distribution Inc.

DrumQuik for GoatThroat

Silver

Graco Inc.

Husky 1050e

Bronze

Chesterton

Polymer Labyrinth Seal

Bronze

Exair Corp.

Large External Mix Liquid Atomizing Nozzle

Gold

Hubbell Industrial Lighting

Utilibay LED High Bay

Silver

energybank

ThinLine LED Troffer Atlernative

Bronze

Eaton

Crouse-Hinds Series LED Weatherproof Luminaire

Gold

eMaint Enterprises

eMaint X4 CMMS

Silver

Infor

Infor Enterprise Asset Management v11.2

Bronze

Smartware Group

Bigfoot CMMS Mobile App

Gold

Fluke Corp.

Fluke Condition Monitoring

Silver

Infor

Infor EAM Maintenance Kiosk

Bronze

Ludeca

Easy-Laser E720

Bronze

Luneta

Sight Glass

Gold

Yale Materials Handling Corp

Yale MPE080VG

Silver

Crown Equipment Corp.

FC 5200 Series 4-wheel Sit-down Electric Counterbalance Forklift

Bronze

Jungheinrich

EKX 514/516k/516 Main-up Turret Truck

Gold

Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Software Studio 5000 PLC Text (Form A4)

Silver

Ramsay Corp.

Bronze

New Pig

Pig Responses Tactics for Hydraulic Spills on Soil (TRN101)

Gold

Rite-Hite

Safe-T-Signal

Silver

Rockwell Automation

Allen-Bradley Compact GuardLogix 5370 Controller

Bronze

Brady

Lockout Program Gap Analysis

Bronze

Schneider Electric

AccessXpert

www.plantengineering.com

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 25

Reduce the Risk of Arc Flash Take the proactive approach to addressing NFPA requirements and protecting employees. Brady Safety Software & Services offers Arc Flash audits, assessments and onsite training to help you understand risks and build a sustainable safety system.

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input #18 at www.plantengineering.com/information

COVERSTORY Conducting an electrical risk assessment wearing the proper PPE. All images courtesy: AVO Training Institute

Electrical test instruments:

Safety is still the first tool

By Dennis. K. Neitzel, CPE, CESCP AVO Training Institute

www.plantengineering.com

T

here is a great deal of attention devoted to safe work practices during electrical construction, maintenance and repair work.

Industry electrical publications regularly report on safety issues, including the use of the proper tools and equipment used for energized and deenergized work, as well as utilizing the correct personal protective equipment (PPE) for each workplace situation.

Electrical test instruments are given very little discussion, if any, in safety articles.

Examples include using the wrong test

instruments or improperly using them, which can have catastrophic results. Some of the most frequently used test instruments include noncontact voltage testers, multimeters, insulation testers and groundresistance testers. The issue with using a non-contact or proximity device is that the requirement to test a circuit to ensure that it is de-energized requires the circuit to be tested phase-to-phase and phase-toground, which cannot be done using this type of tester.

When electrical safety is discussed, the subjects of shock, arc flash and arc blast PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 27

CoverStory Electrical cable testing instrument is used to find faults in a cable system.

dominate the discussions. One question is often asked: “How do I identify when these hazards are present, or likely to be present, when I am using electrical test instruments on electrical circuits and equipment?” A review of these electrical hazards, along with requirements for assessing the workplace to identify the electrical hazards and PPE associated with using test instruments, is one way to get to the answer.

28 • April 2017

plant engineering

Electrical hazards

Electricity is a serious workplace hazard, exposing employees to electrical shock, electrocution, burns, fires and explosions.

Employees have been killed or injured in fires and explosions caused by electricity.

Besides the electrical hazards of arc flash and arc blast, extremely high energy arcs can damage equipment and cause fragmented metal to fly in all directions. In www.plantengineering.com

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COVERSTORY CAT ratings and their definitions Here’s a brief review of the four category (CAT) ratings and their basic definitions:

Category I

This typically covers electronic equipment. Signal level for telecommunications, electronic equipment and low-energy equipment with transient-limiting protection.

The peak impulse transient range is from 600 to 4,000 V with a 30-ohm source.

• Protected electronic equipment • Equipment connected to (source) circuits in which measures are taken to limit transient overvoltages to an appropriately low level • Any high-voltage-low-energy source derived from a high-winding resistance transformer, such as the high-voltage section of a copier.

Category II

Single-phase receptacle connected loads. Local level for fixed or non-fixed powered devices—everything from lighting to appliances to office equipment. Also, all outlets at more than 10 meters (30 feet) from Category III sources and all outlets at more than 20 meters (60 feet) from Category IV sources. The peak impulse transient range is from 600 to 6,000 V with a 12-ohm source.

• Appliance, portable tools and other household and similar loads • Outlet and long branch circuits • Outlets at more than 10 meters from CAT III source • Outlets at more than 20 meters from CAT IV source.

Category III

Three-phase distribution, including single-phase commercial lighting. Distribution level-fixed primary feeders or branch circuits. These circuits are usually separated from Category IV (whether utility service or other high-voltage source) by a minimum of one level of transformer isolation; for example, feeders and short branch circuits, distribution branch panels and heavy appliance outlets with “short” connections to service entrance. The peak impulse transient range is from 600 to 8,000 V with a 2-ohm source.

• Equipment in fixed installations, such as switchgear and polyphase motors • Bus and feeders in industrial plants • Feeders and short branch circuits, distribution panel devices • Lighting systems in larger buildings • Appliance outlets with short connections to service entrance.

Category IV

Three-phase at utility connection, any outdoor conductors or primary supply level.

It will cover the highest and most dangerous level of transient overvoltage you are likely to encounter-in utility service to a facility both outside and at the service entrance, as well as the service drop from the pole to the building, the overhead line to a detached building, and the underground line to a well pump. The peak impulse transient range is from 600 to 12,000 volts with a less than 1-ohm source.

• “Origin of installations,” such as where low-voltage connection is made to utility power • Electricity meters, primary overcurrent protection equipment • Outside and service entrance, service drop from pole to building, run between meter and panel • Overhead line to detached building, underground line to well pump.

atmospheres that contain explosive gases or vapors, or combustible dusts, even lowenergy arcs can cause violent explosions.

In these cases, the electric arc may be the

30 • April 2017

PLANT ENGINEERING

ignition source for a much bigger explosion and fire.

Improper use of electrical test instruments can result in shock or electrocution, www.plantengineering.com

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input #20 at www.plantengineering.com/information

CoverStory In AVO Training Institute’s lab, a student works with an instructor to practice correct procedures to test electrical apparatus.

as well as an arc flash incident. This article addresses these issues, along with the requirements for selecting and utilizing the test instruments to verify the presence of voltage.

Selection of test instruments

Regardless of whether you are performing electrical installation work, equipment maintenance, verifying the absence of voltage for de-energized work, troubleshooting, voltage measurements or similar diagnostic work, collecting accurate and consistent information from these tests is imperative. To comply with electrical industry standards and regulations, there is a need to select and use the right test instruments according to the application.

When conducting voltage verification, for energized and de-energized work, the electrical worker must select the right test instruments and equipment applicable to the work to be performed. As a minimum, these should include the following: • Voltage indicating instrument suitable for conditions • Environment • Correct CAT category I, II, III or IV. (See definitions, page 30) • Continuity test instrument • Insulation resistance test instrument.

All test instruments include specific manufacturer’s operational instructions.

Test instruments must be certified and display a label of an independent veri-

“When conducting voltage verification, for energized and de-energized work, the

electrical worker must select the right test instruments and equipment applicable to the work to be performed.

32 • April 2017

plant engineering

” www.plantengineering.com

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input #21 at www.plantengineering.com/information

COVERSTORY Global verification Here’s a look at the various worldwide labs and test facilities that evaluate electrical safety: UL: Underwriters Laboratories, the U.S.-based test lab. Among its many standards for electrical safety is UL 50, which covers enclosures for electrical equipment.

CSA: Canadian Standards Association, which provides product testing and certification services for electrical, mechanical, plumbing, gas and a variety of other products.

CE: An abbreviation of the French phrase Conformité Européenne, CE is the marking on products which meet conformity standards for the European Economic Area.

ETL: A North American testing laboratory that tests to UL standards. It is recognized at a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory.

TÜV: Based in Germany, TÜV Rheinland tests electrical, electronical and programmable electronic components and systems which are applied in safetyrelated applications.

fication lab, such as UL, CSA, CE, ETL or TÜV (see a list of standards organizations on the left). Make sure all meters, test leads and probes have an adequate category (CAT) safety rating. Sometimes, the only thing standing between an electrical worker and an unexpected spike is their meter and test leads. If you use the wrong equipment with the wrong voltage, you could be putting yourself and others at risk.

So, before conducting any test, make sure your choice of instrument is correct.

Electrical standards, such as UL, ANSI, IEC and CAN, specify protection from currents at levels well above a s y s t e m’s r at e d c ap a c i t y.

Make the investment for electrical safety

By Tommy Northcott, PE, CMRP, Northcott Consulting LLC

A

ccording to the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), a Liberty Mutual poll of executives shows that for every $1 spent on direct costs related to an accident, there are another $3 to $5 worth of indirect costs.

This puts actual cost of an accident (with direct medical and compensation costs of $15,000) at somewhere between $45,000 and $75,000.

Most executives said in a survey that for every $1 their company spent on workplace safety, they saved at least $3. In a recent poll of financial decision makers, the participants perceived that on average they would save $4.41 for every dollar spent improving workplace safety.

Safety’s return on investment (ROI) is dependent on knowing one important thing: How much does an injury actually cost? The various cost factors of an injury fall into two categories: direct and indirect. Direct costs are the more obvious ones such as workers’ compensation insurance, medical expenses, property damage, civil liability awards and related litigation expenses. Indirect costs include OSHA fines, attorney fees, workplace disruptions, loss of productivity, employee replacement, training and insurance premium increases.

OSHA has developed an estimator tool that helps to put these costs into perspective. This tool can be used to assess the impact of occupational injuries and illnesses on the company’s profitability. It uses a company’s profit margin,

34 • April 2017

PLANT ENGINEERING

the average costs of an injury or illness and an indirect cost multiplier to project the amount of sales a company would need to generate to cover those costs.

For electric shock, OSHA statistics show the average direct cost of one injury to be $86,528. Based on their data, OSHA’s direct to indirect cost ratio for electric shock results in $95,180 in indirect costs. This means that the average electric shock injury costs the employer $181,708.

The reality is that the amount of the direct cost paid by the employer is going to vary based on the company’s workers’ compensation insurance policy. However, the employer always pays the higher indirect cost. What is even more interesting about OSHA’s tool is that an employer can enter their profit margin and determine what it will take in additional sales to cover the cost of the injury.

For an electrical shock injury with a company that has a 3% profit margin, the company would have to have an extra $3,172,693 in product sales to cover the indirect cost associated with the injury. It would take $6,056,933 in additional sales to cover the total cost of the injury.

From a strict business model approach, industry data supports the reality that taking a proactive approach to funding an effective safety program to avoid injuries is a more economical approach than the alternative. The money an employer spends on training, PPE, and other services or tools that promote a safety conscious work culture will more than pay for itself over the tenure of the employees. www.plantengineering.com

Without this additional protection, transient overvoltages, which are becoming increasingly common, can lead to equipment failure and serious injury or death.

Minimizing such risks requires that everyone working in electrical environments has safety equipment as required.

They need properly rated gloves, eye protection and electrical measurement test instruments that provide appropriate protection.

Having the correct electrical testing and measurement instruments and using the correct procedures can improve job safety.

Use of electrical test instruments

Due to the potential electrical hazards associated with the use of electrical test instruments, only qualified persons are permitted to perform tasks such as testing, troubleshooting and voltage measuring when working within the limited approach boundary of exposed energized electrical conductors or circuit parts operating at 50 V or more, or

where any other electrical hazard may exist.

Improper use of electrical test instruments can result in shock or electrocution, as well as creating an arc flash incident.

The following additional requirements apply to test instruments, equipment, and all associated test leads, cables, power cords, probes and connectors: • Must be rated for circuits and equipment where they are utilized.

• Must be designed for the environment to which they will be exposed and for the manner in which they will be utilized.

• Must be visually inspected for external defects and damage before each use. If there is a defect or evidence of damage that might expose an employee to injury, the defective or damaged item shall be removed from service.

Let’s look at an example and consider a business with 20 electricians.

modification rate (EMR), which can decrease a company’s workers’ compensation premiums.

The value of safety

Calculating intangibles

We have already learned that there is an average cost of $181,708 if one of those electricians gets injured from electric shock. One action that can be taken to reduce the probability of any of those 20 electricians being injured by a shock would be to have an electrical safety program developed and send the electricians through an electrical safety training course.

Let’s assume that these efforts reduce the probability of the electricians receiving the shock by 75% resulting in the benefit of avoiding $136,281 in injury expense.

While many variables drive the cost of an electrical safety program development, a fair estimate would be $25,000 and $4,000 for onsite low voltage safety training for the electricians.

The equation for calculating ROI is: (benefit-cost)/cost.

Using conservative numbers, the ROI of our example is ($136,281 - $29,000)/$29,000 = $3.69. This means that for every dollar your company spends on these safety improvements, you could save $3.69 in the future. After evaluating this data, most CFOs would have a hard time finding equally valuable opportunities for investing the company’s money. The challenge is, unless a company is already trending injury rates, it is difficult to dogmatically validate the avoidances through improved safety culture. But even more savings beyond the simple ROI calculation exist.

One tangible savings opportunity comes from a reduction in lost-workday accidents lowering the experience www.plantengineering.com

Some intangible benefits exist as well. The NFPA 70B: Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance identifies one of these benefits: Improved morale comes with an employee awareness of a conscious management effort to promote safety by reducing the likelihood of electrical injuries or fatalities, electrical explosions and fires.

The most significant—and typically overlooked—return on your investment toward electrical safety culture is peace of mind. This comes from knowing that your employees have the knowledge, tools and encouragement needed to execute their work safely and return home to their loved ones at the end of the day.

One of the worst tasks for a manager or business owner can do is make a phone call to an employee’s emergency contact to inform them that their loved one has been injured and on their way to the hospital. While this concern for workers should be sufficient to justify the capital investment needed for maintaining a proper safety culture, it is encouraging to know that there is also factual financial evidence to support spending money on safety now in order to save money later. PE Tommy Northcott is a professional engineer and a certified maintenance and reliability professional and is the President of Northcott Consulting LLC and specializes in Electrical Safety Training and NFPA 70E and OSHA compliance.

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 35

COVERSTORY Electrical safety checklist The fundamentals of electrical safety can be overlooked, especially by seasoned electricians. It’s worth reviewing a few safety tips, both for the novice electrician and the veteran: • Use a meter that meets accepted safety standards for the environment in which it will be used.

• Use a meter with fused current inputs and be sure to check the fuses before making current measurements.

• Inspect test leads for physical damage before making a measurement.

• Use the meter to check continuity of the test leads.

• Use only test leads that have shrouded connectors and finger guards.

• Use only meters with recessed input jacks.

• Select the proper function and range for your measurement.

• Be certain the meter is in good operating condition.

• Follow all equipment safety procedures.

• Always disconnect the “hot” (red) test lead first.

• Don’t work alone.

• Use a meter that has overload protection on the ohms function.

• When measuring current without a current clamp, turn the power off before connecting into the circuit.

• Be aware of high-current and high-voltage situations and use the appropriate equipment, such as high-voltage probes and high-current clamps.

When test instruments are used for testing the absence of voltage on conductors or circuit parts operating at 50 V or more, the operation of the test instrument must be: • Verified on a known voltage source before an absence of voltage test is performed.

• Test for the absence of voltage on the deenergized conductor or circuit part. A zero reading might mean that no voltage is present during the testing, or it could mean that the instrument has failed.

• Verified on a known voltage source after an absence of voltage test is performed.

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This technician testing breaker box is wearing the proper PPE.

This verification primarily applies to conductors or circuit parts operating at 50 Vor more. However, under certain conditions (such as wet contact or immersion) even circuits operating under 50 V can pose a shock hazard.

Only qualified persons are permitted to perform tasks such as testing, troubleshooting, and voltage measuring, due to the electrical hazards associated with energized work.

All required PPE, for the associated hazards, must be utilized when performing these tasks.

Test instruments must be rated for the conditions under which testing is to be performed.

When selecting voltage testing instruments, an assessment must be performed to determine the proper CAT rating required, based on the highest hazard exposure.

When test instruments are used for testing the absence of voltage, for de-energized work, on conductors or circuit parts operating at 50 V or more, the operation of the test instrument must be verified on a known voltage source before and after an absence of voltage test is performed. PE Dennis. K. Neitzel, CPE, CESCP, is a trainer with AVO Training Institute. www.plantengineering.com

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MAINTENANCESOLUTIONS A locker machine requires employees to scan a badge or enter an ID number to access a locker with a scanner, and to report its condition when they return it, which can streamline repair and inventory management from shift to shift. All images courtesy: Motion Instruments

Keep on track by tracking Vending programs can manage materials and provide workers with better access.

By Megan Mullins, John Morton, and Eric King Motion Industries

www.plantengineering.com

E

fficiency is defined as the ability to do something without wasting materials, time or energy. Taking the time to identify where waste is occurring can be a challenge during a busy production day.

Multiple shifts work to keep up with regular production, as well as deal with the occasional breakdowns that occur.

When stockroom items or personal protective equipment (PPE) are needed for a repair or operations job, a worker may go to a common area to retrieve the items. Implementing a vending program to obtain these items is one way to both provide needed materials to workers quickly and to examine areas of potential waste.

Accountability is about trust: can employees trust that the items they need to perform their tasks will be readily available and functional?

Can employers trust that their employees are responsible with the products they use to perform their jobs?

Time is an important and limited resource.

A proper vending program can transform time into money by allowing workers to focus on output instead of searching, sometimes futilely, for work items they need.

A well-designed and implemented vending program can help a business to identify and achieve some of its goals. Vending operates behind the scenes to keep the workplace running and to keep the workforce focused and productive. To be most successful, each facility requires a solution customized to its needs. Here are two examples of how vending programs improved business success and worker productivity.

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 39

mAINTENANCESOLUTIONS A carousel vending machine is another way to help plant management track inventory use and keep materials close at hand for workers.

This effort allowed the management team to take a closer look at their existing systems and identify areas of waste. The vendor worked with each department to collect data and got a more comprehensive look at what each department needed in a vending program. For example, some departments realized they were not using as much product as expected in certain areas of the plant.

In this case, it was found the large storeroom was inefficient. Department heads had to turn in “shopping lists” of products for re-order days in advance. Buyers tried to gauge the demand and order what they expected to need based on a min/max level. This guesswork resulted in the storeroom being consistently overstocked or understocked.

The time it took to go from a work station to the storeroom, collect the items and return resulted in many hours a week in lost productivity. The solution was to install a carousel and weigh scale machines at specific pointof-use locations throughout the plant.

In addition to the time savings for their employees, management got relief from another headache—paperwork.

The vending solutions provided an automated reorder system that streamlined the billing process and decreased the number of invoices from several each day to a total of nine per week.

2. The beauty of efficiency

1. Steeling for change

An advanced metal fabricator had a large storeroom on one side of its facility where products were dispended. The fabricator decided to revamp their process to improve their workflow, and consulted with their vendor to understand what items their workers consumed regularly. In turn, this would determine which items would be candidates for vending machines.

40 • April 2017

plant engineering

In the case of a cosmetology education company, a vending program worked well when implemented at their distribution center. Their primary need was to manage the radio frequency (RF) scanning devices to perform their work, and to have a method to control its PPE. Associates had the option of using one of four types of RF scanners. These tools were stored on open shelves with no formal method of check-in/out or inspection. Workers often developed a preference of one model, to the point where they were reluctant to use the www.plantengineering.com

others. Workers couldn’t count on having a scanner available at the start of their shift— especially if there was an overlap between shifts—or that the scanner they chose would have fully charged batteries, or be undamaged.

Management relied on employees to report the condition of malfunctioning devices or request new batteries, but the lack of a convenient reporting system made this too often an afterthought at the end of a long shift. This resulted in the next group of associates having to spend valuable time searching for an operational scanner before beginning work.

After a full analysis of the customer’s needs, the best fit was a locker machine requiring employees to scan a badge or enter an ID number to access a locker with a scanner, and to report its condition upon return. It was a quick, simple feature that automatically alerted management if scanners required maintenance, and ensured each employee was guaranteed to have a functional scanner available. This small change resolved a major time waster. Another advantage was that each device could be accounted for, hence management could better maintain a surplus in case of an overlap in shifts.

The management team used a vending solution to hold itself accountable for the welfare of the workers by using two carousel solutions to dispense PPE. In this case, supervisors took advantage of the machine’s tracking function and automatic reordering process to ensure that employees always had their required safety product.

Accountability goes both ways—managers who are committed to working with their employees as a team often see great results that affect their bottom line. Implementing a vending program by necessity changes the way the entire team operates, and this change offers the potential to make improvements that are hard to quantify, but are inarguable.

For example, the new locker solution democratized the system in that employees were not guaranteed availability of their favorite scanner—which they initially considered a drawback. However, this provided an opportunity for management to focus on training so that each employee became comfortable using all of the devices. This removed a potential weakness from their workforce, while helping each shift to begin on time and in order.

Improving communications

Open communication between employees and management about the need for and value www.plantengineering.com

“A well-designed and

implemented vending program can help a business to identify and achieve some of its goals.

Vending operates behind the scenes to keep the workplace running and to keep the workforce focused and productive.

”

of a vending program is the hallmark of a successful operation. For example, when the distribution center made the decision to move their scanners to lockers, the leadership team actively promoted the change over a period of months. In various meetings, the leadership team and workers had a series of meetings to discuss the plan and address concerns.

When the locker system was installed, it was a “cold turkey” changeover. That morning, the other managers arrived early and were on hand to walk employees through the new process as they arrived. This collaborative effort paid off—by the end of the first week, 80% of employees had successfully made the switch; at end of first month, only five workers still required a bit of additional coaching.

According to the distribution center’s general manager, implementing the vending solutions improved scanner availability by 300%, and damage to the devices was reduced by 50%. These improvements were the result of a change in perception of the associates toward the products they used. He says the vending solutions “created a sense of value to the associates. They had thought of the consumables, such as gloves and safety glasses, as disposable. The vending devices created a sense of value for the product and led to a change of attitude and control.”

The cosmetology education company also found that the placement of vending solutions saved their supervisors a significant amount of time. The new carousel machines took on the role of distributors of PPE, and now that plant engineering

April 2017 • 41

mAINTENANCESOLUTIONS The vending systems provide employee interfaces that help track not just which individual workers are using materials, but how those uses change from shift to shift or department to department. This leads to better inventory management.

associates can easily access their scanners from the locker machines, supervisors can spend more of their time on the floor, focused on their jobs. This is a win-win for a productive day’s work.

Optimizing operations

The process of implementing vending can provide a bird’s eye view of operations to better understand how employees use these materials and can highlight opportunities to improve process flow or training. And vending solutions can be

tailored to a variety of industries and applications.

Allowing a business to return its full attention to creating its product or service is what a successful vending program as all about. Reducing costs while boosting productivity and maintaining high revenues is paramount. It can help companies to continue to adopt Lean management practices and manufacturing environments and to continue to be competitive in the marketplace, especially in the U.S. Vending is an integral part of this future by helping keep workplaces functioning at their peak potential. PE Megan Mullins, John Morton, and Eric King are part of the Motion Industries’ Inventory Management Solutions (IMS) team in Birmingham, Ala.

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IR scans a valuable annual tool for maintenance

By David Manney L&S Electric.

Maximizing uptime needs to be the main goal in running a business in this tough global economy. Performing an annual infrared (IR) scan should be a major part of a company’s predictive maintenance program. An IR scan helps secure assets and prevents downtime and disastrous equipment.

Advanced features in IR cameras provide you with detailed pictures that show the heat signature of the equipment. Excessive temperatures in components show possible issues such as corrosion, imbalance, or overload. After interpreting the thermal profile, it is easy to make an accurate reading of the condition of the equipment.

Then, provide recommendations after analyzing the cause of the problem.

An IR electrical scan locates hot spots from defects in components and connections. IR scans, it is possible to find sections

exposed to excess heat due to increased resistance. This way, it becomes easier to determine the presence of a potential issue before complete failure. IR scans also prevent safety hazards and loss of productivity.

All these factors impact your business.

Based on the insurance industry’s loss statistics and analysis, more than 30% of fire losses are due to electrical issues.

Even if electrical failures do not create large fires, damages to your equipment may still arise. These incidents all contribute to a reduction in your productivity resulting in long-term customer loss.

So, many insurance companies require businesses to conduct an IR scan on an annual basis. If you consider how this process reduces the chances of damages to the facility, equipment, and personnel, you may end up paying lower premiums.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) notes that IR scans aid in preventing losses due to excessive heat in the facility leading to fires. The NFPA

recommends that business owners conduct a routine IR scan of electrical systems on an annual basis. IR scans are extensive tests that determine the condition of your equipment without interrupting normal operations. These scans take place while the plant is in operation and the equipment is at full load. There is also no contact made on the target object. If the equipment is in a hazardous location, the scan takes place at a safe distance.

An annual IR scan performed enhances the efficiency of your equipment by pinpointing electrical problems at their early stage. Since there are no disruptions during the test, you continue with your normal business operations while preventing expensive and unexpected shutdowns of your systems. PE David Manney is a marketing administrator at L&S Electric. This article originally appeared on the L&S Electric Watts New Blog.

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AUTOMATIONSOLUTIONS A detailed approach to an SI partnership Find the right system integrator, and then define the project scope.

By Tim Roberts AutomationDirect

M

any industrial automation projects can’t be completed with internal resources due to time and other constraints. In these instances, many plants and facilities rely on outside services in the form of a system integrator (SI). Although these projects are subbed out to integrators, plant personnel need to be intimately involved every step of the way.

Proper system integration ties all the automation pieces together, ensuring plant technicians and the maintenance department can support the system after the project is completed.

Key decisions

Internal resource availability and size of a project often determine the need for an SI. Many companies have minimal engineering resources available. If proper personnel are on staff, they are often too busy working on multiple projects to support a new design in addition to their daily duties required to keep the plant or facility running. This is especially the case on larger, complex projects where an SI is often used. The use of an SI in these cases helps ensure the expertise and resources are available for successful execution of the project.

Some end users provide a detailed scope of work to an SI, while others don’t know where to start. For those confused regarding the scope of work, the SI can be required to provide one based on discussions with the end user.

Regardless of who creates the scope of work, it must be well-defined and should include all facets of the project’s deliverables, along with a schedule. Elements of a scope of work should include functional requirements, such as mechanical and electrical design, controls programming (PLC, SCADA/HMI, drives, etc.), panel assembly/fabrication and associated documentation (printed and electronic copies of drawings, system operator manual, training and vendor manuals, etc.). The scope of work also should include operational requirements such as cycle time, accuracy, repeatability, specific machine control variables, features and functions.

A single point of contact at the SI should also be identified, and this person will interface with his end user counterpart. The end user point person should understand the technical aspects of the user’s system/machine, and provide the SI with any information or internal personnel needed to complete the project. In addition, the end user point person should communicate regularly with the SI, at least weekly, to manage the project schedule.

Meeting your requirements

Along with any legal or license requirements, the SI must have a baseline understanding of the project application, along with standard engineering and controls practices. An end user should look for an SI with expertise that will facilitate a long-term relationship because the SI will often be asked to provide related services in the future.

“It’s important for the end user to push an SI to keep a project on time

and under budget while still meeting their performance requirements.

A sit-down with an SI where they walk the end user through the planned schedule, budget and check-points is a must.

”

www.plantengineering.com

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 45

aUTOMaTIONSOLUTIONS

Whether new or retrofitted with a new controller, a machine must be properly automated to be robust and supportable on the factory floor. Image courtesy: AutomationDirect/Delta Technology

Depending on the application, machine and/or process control services may be needed. Often an SI is an expert in one or the other. Machine control is a different world from process control. A discrete manufacturing machine with high digital I/O count,

46 • April 2017

plant engineering

motion control, vision systems and barcode readers often requires different skills than temperature control and other analog and PID control methods for batch and continuous processes. Hybrid plants, such as food and beverage production and packaging, often have elements of both machine and process control.

A machine SI is an expert in step sequences and part tracking, among other things, which may not be the best control method for various processes. The machine control expert may not be able to understand P&ID drawings defining a process. At the same time, a process control expert may not understand how to best create a PLC program for machine control, and may try to turn it in to a batch control application that may be difficult to understand and support.

An SI must also be familiar with the industry and its related specifications and requirements; fortunately, there is overlap between industries. For example, an SI familiar with machines used in the automotive industry should be well suited to design and program automated equipment for an agricultural machine. Programming a pick-andplace machine is a similar task no matter the industry.

Some industries have more specialized requirements. Moving from automotive parts manufacturing machines to food processing facilities may be a big jump for an SI. There are many food safety specifications and a lot more stainless steel and washdown requirements involved that are important from a design, manufacture and build standpoint. A large SI company may be a jack-of-all-trades, but many of the expert and desirable SI firms don’t stray far from their core area of expertise.

Selecting a partner SI

Finding an SI meeting all the unique requirements of an end user’s plant or facility can be challenging, but it is worth the effort. A good starting point is at a specific machine, system or piece of equipment on the plant floor. An OEM nameplate, PLC manufacwww.plantengineering.com

Contacting the hardware supplier is a good way to connect with a systems integration program resource.

Image courtesy: AutomationDirect

turer and even a business card taped to the inside of a control cabinet can help in the search.

Many SIs are found by referral. An SI does a great job on a project and word-of-mouth is often his or her only marketing method, so asking around or working with a PLC manufacturer’s SI program can provide good search results. Consulting personnel with industry/market experience, inside or outside a company, is also helpful. Finding qualified SIs by looking for referrals from within the end user organization can naturally filter in the company’s unique requirements for an SI. An SI’s Website is usually a good source of preliminary information, as is directly asking the SI for certifications/licenses, documentation and customer references. www.plantengineering.com

There no substitute for detailed discussions with an SI, first by email or phone, and then face-to-face. It is important to take the time to interview an SI as it likely the start of a long-term relationship, which should be the goal. First impressions can help narrow the field, but detailed questions should be asked to determine the final selection.

Some SIs are more cooperative and patient than others. While that may be just the personality of the SI’s engineer or sales person, it can indicate the SI will be easier to work with. End users should look for an SI that asks the right questions to clarify a project or application, which is a good characteristic for any service provider.

A good SI will interview the end user to determine if the project is a good fit for them as well. Smart SIs are looking for longplant engineering

April 2017 • 47

aUTOMaTIONSOLUTIONS Working with a suitable SI can often help ensure the success of a project.

Image courtesy: AutomationDirect

term business relationships that are in their wheelhouse where they can solve problems and have their name remembered and their phone ringing when the next project comes around.

Once an SI is chosen, it is important to build a relationship with them based on trust and understanding. The more an SI knows about an end user and the project the better, as this improves his or her understanding and helps ensure successful project completion.

Win-win management

It’s important for the end user to push an SI to keep a project on time and under budget while still meeting their performance requirements. A sit-down with an SI where they walk the end user through their planned schedule, budget and check-points is a must.

An SI should become a partner in managing a project, because they have just as much motivation to ensure the project’s success as the end user does. To the extent that both parties have that view, an SI can be selfmanaging. However, problems will likely arise. When they do, the end user should contact the SI immediately. It cannot be assumed that a problem will be corrected down the road, or will somehow work itself out without prompt and proper attention.

48 • April 2017

plant engineering

The best way to stay on schedule and avoid problems is to stay in touch on a regular basis.

Specific milestones should be checked to confirm the SI is on track and understands the requirements. Preliminary, interim and final design reviews will help ensure a properly engineered system that meets functional and operational requirements. It will also ensure long-lead items are ordered and delivered on schedule. Other important reviews include an integration review and acceptance testing review, and both should be completed before anything is built or tested.

Time spent identifying the proper SI and defining the scope of work is well spent and will go a long way to making sure requirements are met while keeping the project on time and within budget. Checking off completion of defined requirements and deliverables on a regular basis keeps the project manageable, as opposed to letting significant periods of time elapse without verifying progress.

In the final analysis, an integration project can be an excellent experience for both the end user and the SI. At the completion of a project, it’s great when the end user is pleased and the SI is looking forward to future opportunities. PE Tim Roberts is the program manager for the SI Direct systems integration program at AutomationDirect. www.plantengineering.com

WEBCAST SERIES

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is a transformational strategy that is revolutionizing manufacturing operations across the world.

CFE Media publications take an in-depth look at IIoT-related issues, strategies, and opportunities in the 2017 IIoT Webcast series.

The 2017 Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Webcast Series: Webcast One: Get your head into the cloud Thursday, April 13, 2017 Automation technologies are converging with information technologies. To handle growing volumes of data generated by IIoT-enabled devices, companies will need powerful data processing capability. Cloud-based environments transform how process-automation projects are engineered and instantiated, replacing client/server. This Webcast focuses on how emergent IIoT technologies change the way process and automation engineers execute projects and sustain productivity in today’s, and tomorrow’s, cyber-physical world.

Sponsored by: B+B SmartWorx, Rittal

Webcast Two: Take sensing and control to the edge Thursday, June 8, 2017 Put computing power at the process edge, where measurements happen, and aggregate the results in the cloud. With ubiquitous, lowcost sensing, you can condition-monitor not just high-priced machines and equipment, but also plant substructures like steam traps and vents. Connected assets and rich data do more than give a hint of impending failure. It’s a way to better understand how a process works, and thereby optimize its results. This Webcast will focus on how better sensing leads to big data, and how in future, process control will be found—at the process.

Webcast Three: IIoT transforms predictive maintenance Thursday, August 24, 2017 Manufacturers exploiting the latest IIoT industrial-connectivity and analytics advances are melding operations and maintenance data to spot trends that lead managers to contextualized, actionable insights. At the same time, they are building the plant-floor technology infrastructure of the future. Connecting complex machinery and equipment to operations and enterprise systems enables machine learning, predictive maintenance and secure monitor and alarm. IIoT addresses significant integration challenges posed by the unique data types generated by the many kinds of machinery and equipment found in plant environments, from CNC machines to robotics.

Sponsored by: Deublin, GTI, Rittal

Webcast Four: How IIoT helps cybersecurity efforts Thursday, October 19, 2017 Cybersecurity is a threat to enterprises large and small, at risk of being attacked from unexpected sources both inside and outside the enterprise. IIoT can reduce the cybersecurity risks inherent in legacy automation, instrumentation, equipment, and devices. The Industrial Internet Consortium has released a technical report for an industrial Internet security framework. The intent is to give all interested parties, including device makers, application developers, systems integrators and executives the guidance needed to deploy IIoT systems with best practices built in. The report will be the starting point for this Webcast presentation and discussion.

Register for the IIoT series today at www.plantengineering.com/lloT

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ELECTRICALSOLUTIONS Electrical design as easy as N-E-C

A step-by-step look at how to rework a motor branch circuit.

By Robert Barnett, PE Electrical Engineer

A

lthough the use of NFPA 70: National Electrical Code (NEC) is mandated

by OSHA, many plant electrical engineers whose background is in control systems are unaware of how it affects their work.

What follows is a look at how to design a motor branch circuit based on NEC regulations. For this example, we’re looking at one specific aspect of motor circuit design—a single motor on a branch circuit. The references to NEC articles cited below can be used as a starting point for other motor circuits that feed more than one motor on a set of fuses, for instance.

The project:

A PLC programmer is presented with the following project: A pump has been upgraded to allow for delivery of more power. The motor driving the pump will need to be increased from 200 HP to 250 HP. The programmer must design the necessary modifications to the existing electrical system to accommodate the new motor and intend to use the existing hardware as much as possible.

The first steps:

The programmer needs to know what is required for the new 250 HP motor, then he can determine what can be reused.

First the programmer must determine the motor characteristics, either from a motor data sheet for this specific motor, or from the motor nameplate. In this case, the motor specifications are:

“The 10-foot tap conductors must be rated to carry

• 250 HP • 1200 rpm • 460 V • 3 PH squirrel cageinduction motor with a 1.15 service factor.

This is all the programmer needs to begin the design. The frame size and the enclosure type are not important when designing the circuit components. The steps involved in the process can be ordered whichever way works best for the project.

In this case, the programmer begins by determining the motor full load current, or FLA. Section 430.1 in the NEC shows a diagram of a motor branch circuit and which sections in the code apply to which part of the circuit. A branch circuit starts at the final overcurrent device—in this case, a fuse—and extends to the “outlet”—in this case, a motor.

1. Find the full load current. Use NEC Article 430.6(A)1 and Table 430.250. This section requires us to use this table in determining the FLA and not the motor nameplate date. If a motor is not in the table you can use the nameplate FLA. For a 250 HP motor the FLA is 302 amps.

2. Multiply the FLA by 1.2. Use Article 430.22 to get 378 Amps. This is the beginning of a series of derating steps to adjust the values given in tables to the various situations encountered in the environment for which we are designing. In this case, the multiplier of 1.25 is actually a de-rating of 80%. This takes into account such things as the motor’s service factor, which really is the use the of the motor above its HP rating and other deviations from rated conditions.

load and be at least the amp rating of the equipment and the overcurrent device they feed.

www.plantengineering.com

”

3. Choose the wire. Use Table 310.15(B)(16). Note that this table applies to a run of not more than PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 51

eLeCTRICALSOLUTIONS The existing Size 5 motor starter is being abandoned, and a new starter is being designed in line with the National Electrical Code. All images courtesy: Robert Barnett

three conductors in a 30o C (86o F) ambient. Use 90o C wire, but choose the ampacity from the 75o C column. This column is used because the terminals of most motor control centers (MCCs) are rated for 75o C. Consult the manufacturer’s data to confirm the terminal temperature rating for the MCC being used. Terminals must not be operated above their temperature rating (Article 110.14(C). A conductor chosen from the 90o C column could reach or at least approach, 90o C and cause the terminal to which it is connected to run above its rated temperature.

The programmer tentatively chooses a 500 kcmil (500 MCM) conductor with THHW insulation in the form or a 3-conductor plus ground armored cable. This size is good for 380 amps under the not more than 3 conductor and 30o C ambient provisions.

4. Check voltage drop. Next the voltage drop must be checked. Refer to Article 210.19(A) No. 4. From the source (the MCC) to the motor it must be less than 3%. There are dozens of voltage drop calculators on the internet, and in this case, the voltage drop is well below 3%.

This is often the case with large wires at distances less than 500 feet. A check of voltage drop should always be made for motor branch circuits, especially because of the sensitivity of motor torque to the voltage applied to it. If the percentage is above 3%, a large conductor is called for. A long run may also require increasing the conductor size to reduce voltage drop and allow the motor to start properly.

5. Check ambient temperature.

This motor will be operating in an ambient temperature of 100o F (38o C) for the summer months. Because 52 • April 2017 plant engineering

www.plantengineering.com

The new Size 6 starter is ready to be attached to the side of the motor control center.

Table 310.15(B)(16) was based on a 30o C ambient we will have to de-rate the conductors. Refer to Table 310.15(B)(2)(a). This shows that for a range of 36-40o C, a 90o C conductor must be de-rated by a factor of 0.91. Since the 90o 500 MCM cable is good for 430 amps in a 30o C ambient, when derated for a 40o C environment it can carry only 430 x 0.91 = 391 amps. Because the motor only requires 378 amps, the 500 MCM conductor is still good in 40o C ambient.

With the above design the programmer has kept both the insulation and terminal temperature within ratings and has a cable capable of handling 391 amps in that environment.

6. Choose branch circuit protection.

Having chosen the wire size (500 MCM, 90o C), the programmer now selects the branch circuit overcurrent protection (use Section 430). For a motor circuit, the protection is based on the motor FLA and not the wire size. In this case, the programmer uses a dual element fuse. Literature from the fuse manufacturer is used to choose the fuse size. Table 430.52 limits a dual element fuse size to 175% of the motor FLA. So, 1.75 x 302 = 528 A, which means a 500 amp dual element fuse is what should be used.

7. Select the motor starter. A combination starter has the motor branch circuit disconnect, fuses, contactor and overload relay designed and built as one unit. The overload relay is used to protect the motor from an overload situation and the resulting thermal degradation of the windings. Most motors have relays that are set at no more than 125% of full load current. Refer to 430.32(A)(1). Use of an electronic overload relay makes good sense. It is easy to adjust and can be used to monitor the circuit as well.

The contactor is used to connect and more important, to disconnect the motor from the power source. It must be chosen to be able to carry and interrupt the current that the motor could draw under normal operation as well as overload and short circuit conditions. The manufacturer’s catalog suggests using a size 6 starter. The catalog is based on NEMA specifications. www.plantengineering.com

8. Check the existing equipment. The existing starter is size 5, so a new starter is needed. The existing cable is 500 MCM and can be used if it proves to be in good condition when tested.

A size 6 starter is a full section for the MCC in use. The programmer can add a full section to the existing MCC and, with a little help from a qualified electrician, can reconnect the existing cable using the space where the abandoned size 5 starter was located to mount power terminal blocks.

The new starter is added as a section that connects to the MCC bus.

It is assumed here that the MCC bus and the circuit components feeding that bus can plant engineering

April 2017 • 53

eLeCTRICALSOLUTIONS This single-line electrical drawing cites the pertinent NEC codes discussed in the article.

handle the new load. It also is assumed the short circuit current rating (SCCR) of the MCC and its “buckets” are matched to what the supply can deliver under short circuit conditions. This is a reasonable assumption for an existing MCC. However, the fault level at the MCC should be confirmed to determine if the new starter is suitable for use at the MCC’s short circuit rating. This is mandated in NEC 670.5, although this is outside the scope of this example.

What if an MCC is not involved?

Article 240.21 requires that overcurrent protection (fuse or breaker) be provided in each ungrounded conductor at the point where it receives its supply. Exceptions are allowed for unprotected conductors of a

54 • April 2017 plant engineering

limited length. These are also called feeder tap conductors.

For most industrial motor circuit uses, there two exceptions— for feeder taps not over 10 feet long and feeder taps not over 25 feet long. This requirement is called out for motors in Article 430.28(1) and (2).

The 10-foot tap conductors must be rated to carry the load and be at least the amp rating of the equipment and the overcurrent device they feed. They must be enclosed in a raceway and not extend past the load equipment.

They also must terminate in an overcurrent device. The previously selected 3C/500 MCM cable (380A) would be acceptable if a combination starter located less than 10 feet from the splitter is used.

The 25-foot tap conductors must have an amp capacity greater than 33% of the overcurrent device protecting the feeder. They must terminate in a set of fuses or circuit breaker that limit the current to less than the ampacity of the tap conductors. They must also be in a raceway. Here the 350 MCM cable wouldn’t work. Assuming the 1200 amp splitter is protected by a 1200 amp fuse or breaker, the cable would have to be at least one-third of 1200 amps. So, a 400 amp, 600 MCM cable is needed.

A MC C is always t he b est s olution when more than two or three motors are involved. The above construction method using tap conductors is not recommended but sometimes is needed when an old system is modified. Be careful when modifying this type of outdated construction. The short circuit current rating of this system may not be high enough to provide a safe installation. PE Robert Barnett PE, is an electrical engineer for Cascades Containerboard Packaging Inc., Niagara Falls, N.Y. www.plantengineering.com

CFE Media’s

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The newest version of the online database is even easier to use.

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pertinent data of a System Integrator before clicking to view the full corporate profile

“

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integrator’s engineering services appear on one page on their corporate profile – other details are organized by tabs.

As a Systems Integrator there are quite a few options available for online advertising. They vary in functionality and design, but the Global System Integrator Database has been our go to.

It is easy to use, professionally designed, and has given us a great deal of exposure to clients we wouldn’t normally be able to reach.

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”

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Find and connect with the most suitable service provider for your unique application.

www.plantengineering.com/global-si-database

Webcasts

Plant Engineering Webcasts help you obtain educational information on specific topics and learn about the latest industry trends.

Check out some of our Webcasts on topics like:

• Maintenance • lloT series: OT/IT convergence, collaboration • Energy Management • lloT series: Edge, cloud, fog computing • lloT series: Maintenance optimization • System Integration case studies • lloT series: Network integration, cyber security • Safety www.plantengineering.com.com/webcasts

•

Inside: Universities Moving to CHP Systems

•

inside

on the cover Natural gas is the growing choice for commercial and municipal fleets. Advantages include lower operating costs, lower emissions, reduced carbon emissions, quieter and cleaner operation.

Cover photo courtesy: Agility Fuel Solutions

Gas Technology is a trademark of Energy Solutions Center Inc. and is published in cooperation with CFE Media, LLC. Gas Technology is an educational supplement from: Energy Solutions Center Inc. 400 N. Capitol St., N.W. Washington, DC 20001 • (202) 824-7150 • www.energysolutionscenter.org David Weiss, Executive Director Jake Delwiche Contributing Editor Comments may be directed to: Gas Technology Editor Plant Engineering Magazine 1111 W. 22nd Street, Ste. 250 Oak Brook, IL 60523 • (630) 571-4070 Printed in the USA

energy solutions center websites www.naturalgastechnology.org www.energsolutionscenter.org www.understandingchp.com

A3

Natural Gas for Tomorrow’s Fleets Learn about a growing trend toward natural gas vehicle fueling. Owners are realizing attractive paybacks in reduced operating costs and lower maintenance expense.

Whether it’s over-the-road or local routes, the benefits are significant.

A7 Colleges and Universities Moving to CHP Institutions of higher learning, both large and small, are discovering CHP – the ability to make fuller use of fuels for electric generation and campus thermal energy.

Many have made the change already, and have found the benefits of efficiency, system reliability, and a smaller carbon footprint.

A10 Power and Steam

and . . . Frozen Foods Ammonia-cycle absorption chillers allow owners to use on site electric generation or other thermal sources as drivers for absorption refrigeration – all the way down to sub-zero temperatures, if needed.

A12 Find and Capture that Wasted System Energy Too often industrial and institutional steam users lose track of energy losses within their distribution systems. Here are ideas for pinching back the energy losses to improve total system efficiency. It could amount to significant dollar savings for you.

A14 Changing World of Natural Gas Resources

The last decade has seen incredible changes in our natural gas resource base, in large part because of our newfound ability to extract gas from formerly unavailable sources. This trend has had profound effects on electric generation, natural gas prices, and availability. It’s a promising new world.

FLEETS SWITCHING TO NATURAL GAS FUELING UPS, A GLOBAL LEADER IN TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS, recently announced plans to build an additional 12 compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling stations and to add 380 new CNG tractors to its alternate fuel and advanced technology truck fleet in the US. The expansion involves purchases totaling $100 million. This announcement is indicative of a growing trend in North America toward long-term commitments to CNG as a major fleet motor fuel. The range of vehicles, the development of fueling infrastructure, and the awareness of the benefits of this technology continue to be on the upswing.

UPS Has History with CNG UPS operates a motor fleet of 100,000 vehicles worldwide, including local delivery vans and large intercity truck-trailer combinations. The company has evaluated the use of CNG as a motor fuel since 1989, and beginning in 1999 participated in a detailed study by the U.S. DOE on CNG vs. diesel motor fuel at two Connecticut UPS locations. The results of that study were published by DOE in 2002 and included documentation on fuel economy, vehicle maintenance, emissions, and vehicle performance. Since that time, UPS has periodically expanded its natural gas fleet.

As part of its corporate commitment to sustainable energy use, the company also uses hybrid electric, propane, and composite light-weight body vehicles. UPS had set a goal of achieving one billion miles on its alternate fuel and advanced technology fleet. It met that goal in 2016, one year earlier than initially expected.

Commitment Based on Long-Term Value In a 2016 statement, Mark Wallace, UPS Senior Vice President Global Engineering and Sustainability stated, “At UPS, we own our fleet and our infrastructure. This allows us to invest for the long term, rather than planning around nearterm fluctuations in fuel pricing.� In addition to the 380 new CNG road tractors, in 2015 the company also announced the purchase of 64 liquefied natural gas (LNG) tractors for its fleet of more than 3,000 natural gas vehicles.

Worldwide Trend The UPS commitment to natural gas as a primary fleet fuel is part of a growing worldwide trend toward this preferred energy source. According to the organization Natural Gas Vehicles for America (NGVAmerica), there are currently about 153,000 natural gas vehicles on U.S. roads. This includes Kenworth road tractor with CNG storage tanks behind the cab.

Photo courtesy: Agility Fuel Solutions

WWW.ENERGYSOLUTIONSCENTER.ORG

gastechnology / SPRING 17

A3

Many new CNG and LNG fueling stations have been built near major interstate highway locations with ample facilities for fleet fueling. Photo courtesy: Agility Fuel Solutions

39,500 heavy duty vehicles – transit buses, school buses, refuse trucks, regional haul trucks, and municipal vehicles. It also includes 25,800 vehicles classified as medium duty – delivery trucks, government vehicles, utility trucks, and airport, university and miscellaneous vehicles.

For all these fleet vehicles, various fueling strategies are used, depending on the daily use pattern and proximity to public or private rapid fueling facilities.

For vehicles that normally return to a central site and are not in use in a predictable pattern, many owners choose to install a timed-fill fueling station. For

other vehicles that may not be on a predictable daily use pattern, the choice is often to use a public or private fast-fill facility. Such fueling stations are being installed in many urban and interstate highway locations.

Fueling Systems Fit the Customer Agility Fuel Solutions is a leading provider of natural gas fueling systems for heavy-duty and medium-duty vehicles. A spokesperson for Agility, Steve Whaley, was recently a presenter at a Technology & Market Assessment Forum sponsored by the Energy Solutions Center. His presentation focused

on the growing opportunity for vehicle providers to reduce operating costs, reduce emissions and offer a positive public presentation by selecting natural gas vehicles.

Whaley points outs obvious first candidates for natural gas fleet use. “The common characteristics are a defined area of travel and overnight refueling at a central location.” A very visible example is transit buses. “Years ago, natural gas adoption in the transit bus market became very popular. They commonly have a central location that the entire fleet can use.” Today, about 30% of the transit buses in the U.S. are fueled with natural gas.

Local-Use Vehicles an Attractive Opportunity He notes that a similar characteristic is seen in the refuse truck market, and today that is a growing area of adoption of natural gas fueling. Similar opportunities exist for ready-mix concrete and parcel delivery trucks. For these types of vehicles, Agility and other companies provide CNG vehicle tank configurations in a wide variety of types to meet the gallonage requirement of the owner, with a choice of the most practical placement of the fuel tanks.

Over-the-Road Requires More Storage

Approximate locations of public CNG fueling stations in the U.S. Note: New facilities are continually being added. Illustration courtesy: U.S. DOE.

A4

gastechnology / SPRING 17

In addition to the local transit and delivery vehicle markets, there is growing interest in CNG fueling for over-the-road tractors. Whaley points out, “Now that CNG fuel stations are becoming much more common with strategic placement along major highway routes, the heavy-duty trucking industry is the next emerging market for natural gas adoption. These vehicles have much larger fuel storage requirements than buses

WWW.ENERGYSOLUTIONSCENTER.ORG

Behind-the-cab systems can be installed with capacities from 30 to 175 DGE. With the addition of side tanks, capacity increases to 280 DGE. Systems include an integrated fuel management module. Photo courtesy: Agility Fuel Solutions and refuse collectors, which average 60 to 80 diesel gallon equivalents (DGE).”

He notes that Agility has developed system configurations to meet the range requirements of much longer haul routes. “Side mount systems range from 17 to 120 DGE and behind the cab systems range from 30 to 170 DGE (and sometimes combinations of both) are being implemented to achieve the necessary amount of fuel needed for the route application.”

For the applications such as the UPS purchase of CNG road tractors, companies like Agility help owners evaluate the economic benefits of the purchase.

Whaley indicates that the incremental cost of adopting natural gas fueling is proportional to the capacity of the system purchased. “The most popular for this market segment has been the 160 DGE behind-the-cab system that provides over 600 miles of range and costs on average an additional $45,000.”

Higher Vehicle Cost Offset by Fuel Savings He notes, “If the life cycle of this vehicle is specified as 750,000 miles, with the disparity of diesel to natural gas fuel cost at $.80/gallon, the total savings over the life of the truck is over $10,000. When diesel prices are above natural gas by $1.00/gallon, the savings become well over $30,000. If diesel prices were to

WWW.ENERGYSOLUTIONSCENTER.ORG

get past $2.00 per gallon more (as they have done in the past), the net lifetime fuel savings would climb to $150,000 per truck. “

Lower Maintenance Costs Regarding maintenance costs, Whaley points out that because natural gas engines require spark plugs, maintenance costs are slightly higher in the first one to two years. “There is a dramatic reduction after year three, however, due to the expensive diesel exhaust treatment systems needed to comply with emission standards.” Whaley explains that natural gas engines meet EPA and CARB emission standards without the expense of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), particulate filters, or the need for regeneration.

Environmentally Sustainable Solution Whaley adds that companies are increasingly requiring environmentally sustainable measures, both as truck buyers and as customers of transportation services. “They are finding that the natural gas transportation solution is not only environmentally sustainable; it is also economically sustainable.” He adds, “Natural gas provides less expensive and cleaner energy than diesel, and

by utilizing our domestically produced energy, we can reduce our dependency on foreign oil.” GT

info MORE

AGILITY FUEL SOLUTIONS www.agilityfuelsolutions.com DOE ALTERNATE FUELS DATA CENTER www.afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/natural_gas.html CANADIAN NATURAL GAS VEHICLE ALLIANCE www.cngva.org NATURAL GAS VEHICLES FOR AMERICA www.ngvamerica.org SOCALGAS - TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION SERIESZERO NOX NGV ENGINES www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZgjFTdRt_E

gastechnology / SPRING 17

A5

Get ready for smaller energy bills.

Switch from a conventional system to a Solar® gas turbine system with combined heat and power, and just like businesses in more than 100 countries, you can significantly shrink operational costs. To get you started, we analyze your energy outlook so we can show you how to get the most back from your investment.

Once you’re cogenerating heat and power, you’ll be sending your utility company tinier payments.

Learn more by contacting powergen@solarturbines.com or visiting www.solarturbines.com/chp. © 2015 Solar Turbines Incorporated.

View of the 25 MWe General Electric gas turbine installed at the University of Minnesota CHP facility. Photo courtesy: University of Minnesota

CHP MAKES SENSE FOR UNIVERSITIES Reducing Energy Costs, Cutting Carbon Emissions COMBINED HEAT AND POWER (CHP) USES BYPRODUCT HEAT FROM ELECTRIC GENERATION AS THE ENERGY SOURCE for other applications such as steam for space heating, domestic hot water and/or absorption cooling.

CHP, sometimes called co-generation, represents an opportunity to dramatically increase total system efficiency. These applications often use natural gas as the primary energy source.

When systems replace coal-fired electric power plants or coalfired heating plants, they also reduce total emissions and virtually eliminate sulfur oxide and particulate emissions.

Makes Sense for Universities Many universities supply energy to dozens or even hundreds of buildings from central power and heating plants. This is an exceptional opportunity for CHP. The central heating plant usually supplies medium- and high-pressure steam for space heating, laundry and sometimes food service and laboratory operations. In some cases, the university is also affiliated with healthcare facilities, which have additional requirements for WWW.ENERGYSOLUTIONSCENTER.ORG

steam and hot water. The university often also supplies chilled water for comfort conditioning and other purposes.

In most cases, the demand for electric power, heat and chilled water is year-round, 24 hours a day. Thus, the heat captured from power generation can be fully utilized. A supplementary steam system may sometimes be used for peak winter heating periods.

DOE Report Indicates Potential According to a March 2016 report by the U.S. DOE titled “Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Technical Potential in the United States,� there currently are 272 applications of CHP by colleges and universities in the U.S. These facilities have a total capacity of 2,674 MWe. Thus, the average university system is about 10 MWe. Most of these systems are natural gas-fired steam turbines, gas turbines and engines. The report notes that for many educational institutions, the demand for electric power and for steam is often coincident, thus making these systems especially attractive. gastechnology / SPRING 17

A7

Solar Turbines Model Taurus 60 gas turbine of the type installed at the University of Arkansas CHP facility. Photo courtesy: Solar Turbines

ity Services, explains that a deciT h e sion was made in 2013 to install a 5.2 MWe gas turbine generating unit to supreport also indicates that the national potential for ply campus electric energy. This unit was these systems is 13,932 MWe. Thus, to sized to the school’s base steam demand, date we have achieved 20% of the potenand uses a heat recovery steam generatial in this area. In many cases, adoption tor (HRSG). of CHP is being considered in conjunction Turley explains, “The CHP system can with decommissioning or mothballing of satisfy the full campus requirement for coal-fired generation and heat plant units. steam for five months of the year. Under winter-load conditions, the HRSG University of Arkansas system can furnish approximately 35% A recent example of an institution that of the campus steam requirement.” This has taken this route is the University installation was an important element of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Scott Turin the university’s Climate Action Plan, ley, Executive Director of Campus Utilwhich is based on reducing source air emissions. Because the central station electric Photo illustrates the inlet side of the heat recovery gas generator at power it replaced was the University of Arkansas. Photo courtesy: Cleaver Brooks 75% coal-fired, the contribution was significant.

Solar Turbines Taurus Unit The gas turbine and HRSG are located in the existing 1956 heating plant building. The building currently also houses ten Miura high pressure steam boilers.

The CHP system went into operation in February of 2016. The turbine used is manufactured

by Solar Turbines. According to Chris Lyons from Solar Turbines, the unit is a Taurus 60-7301 with an ISO-rated output of 5.2 MWe.

A8

gastechnology / SPRING 17

Lyons indicates that these turbines have very long major maintenance intervals. “Approximately every 30,000 hours the engine is overhauled to bring it back to new conditions. In addition, Solar Turbines does semi-annual inspections to assure the units do not have any issues.”

According to Lyons, this unit used alone has an efficiency of 30%, but when used with an appropriately sized HRSG, the system efficiency jumps to 77.8%, and when used with supplemental firing of the exhaust heat, can increase to 88.8%. The HRSG is manufactured by Cleaver-Brooks, and can produce up to 29,500 pph of 250 psig saturated steam.

Fuel Efficiency Soars Because of this high system efficiency, it is estimated that the project will divert 35,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from the atmosphere. The University cites this as a major step to its goal of complete carbon neutrality, while also saving money for the school. According to Turley, based on the first six months of operation, the CHP system is projected to reduce utility bills for the University by $420,000.

A recent speaker at a Technology & Market Assessment Forum, sponsored by the Energy Solutions Center, was Dalia El Tawy from Siemens Energy. She presented information on a variety of CHP applications, several of which were university campus projects. One was the University of New Hampshire, where a recent installation includes a 7.8 MWe Siemens gas turbine, which can operate on natural gas or landfill biogas collected at a nearby site.

Cuts Emissions from Power Plants and Landfills Through use of a HRSG, the facility also supplies up to 12 MW of heat for campus

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heating and cooling. Again, this facility contributes to carbon emission goals not only by reducing campus and utility emissions, but also by reducing landfill gas atmospheric emissions. According to Tawy, the facility has achieved 99.02% average availability.

Cutaway view of a typical gas turbine. For heat recovery purposes, a heat recovery steam generator is connected to the turbine exhaust, which is at a temperature of 700°F or higher.

Illustration courtesy: Solar Turbines

s u c cessful project for all.

We expect to provide a large rebate for the conservation efforts within the facility, mainly the energy recovery from the heat recovery steam generator.”

Engine Generation CHP Smaller campuses can also benefit from CHP. Another example cited by Tawy is Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where a 676 kWe Guascor engine-generator at an athletic facility also feeds into the campus microgrid, and the byproduct heat is used for heating and domestic hot water applications.

It is estimated that this project provides savings of $1,000 per day.

Another large-scale example is the recent completion by the University of Minnesota of a CHP facility on the Mississippi River in St. Paul. The facility serves the sprawling university campus and uses a 25 MWe GE gas turbine with a waste heat boiler, plus supplementary duct heaters to also supply steam for campus heat and domestic hot water.

According to University Director of Energy Jerome Malmquist, the guiding principles of the University’s utility operations are reliability, sustainability and cost management. He adds, “The campus has a goal to reduce carbon emissions 50% by the year 2020, and to zero by 2050. Modeling predicts that this project will reduce the carbon footprint by 60,000 tons or 10% to 13%.

The same models show annual operations savings of $2 million. With regard to reliability, this system has the capacity to power all critical loads on this research and medical campus.”

Major Portion of Campus Steam Needs Met University Vice President for Facilities Management Mike Berthelsen notes that the plant will supply approximately 85% of the campus steam needs, and will annually generate 166 million kilo-

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Hitting Both Energy and Environmental Targets watt-hours of energy. A specific need for the high-pressure steam is for sterilization and other research purposes at large campus medical and laboratory facilities.

The University recently completed an electric energy interconnection agreement with electric power supplier Xcel Energy. The natural gas supplier to the University, CenterPoint Energy, recently gave its “Most Innovative Project of the Year” award to the University for the project.

With states and governing bodies looking for ways to cut operating costs at educational institutions, CHP is a major opportunity. With these projects, the sponsoring institutions may be motivated not only by energy and dollar savings, but also by the potential of CHP projects to contribute to lowering atmospheric carbon emissions and other air pollutants. It is an investment that can pay dollar and environmental dividends for decades. GT

CenterPoint Energy Worked with University

info

Paul Albinson, key account manager for CenterPoint, worked closely with the university on this project.

He notes, “To ensure financial sustainability and reliability, the University worked with CenterPoint Energy to put into place a new service line to the CHP plant to provide natural gas, and also negotiated long term delivery contracts for this to be a

DOE CHP DATABASE https://doe.icfwebservices.com/chpdb/state/WI

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GENERAL ELECTRIC POWER GENERATION https://powergen.gepower.com GUASCOR ENGINES www.dresser-rand.com/products-solutions/guascor-gas-diesel-engines MUIRA www.miuraboiler.com/solutions SIEMENS ENERGY www.energy.siemens.com/us/en/fossil-power-generation SOLAR TURBINES https://mysolar.cat.com/en_US/about-us.html

gastechnology / SPRING 17

A9

COMBINED HEAT AND POWER AND...FROZEN VEGETABLES Ammonia Absorption Cycle Creates Opportunities LARGE-SCALE ENERGY USERS AROUND THE WORLD HAVE BECOME AWARE OF THE BENEFITS OF COMBINED HEAT AND POWER (CHP) SYSTEMS. These use a highquality energy source – often natural gas – to generate electric power using an engine, gas turbine, or fuel cell.

The heat byproduct from this electric generation is then used beneficially for process purposes, for space heating or domestic hot water, or to power an absorption chiller for process or comfort cooling.

CHP can increase overall system efficiency from 30-40% for electric generation alone up to 75-80% or even higher for total energy utilization. This approach can dramatically reduce total site energy costs and cut down drastically on total carbon and other emissions.

Getting More for the Energy Dollar For many industrial and institutional energy users, absorption cooling may be the key method to derive year-round efficiency through CHP. The many different types of absorption chillers all work on the same principle. In a partial vacuum environment, an absorption fluid is evaporated, removing heat from the fluid which is then used to chill water. An external thermal source such as steam, exhaust gas or hot water is introduced to regenerate the absorption solution, allowing the fluid to continue the chilling cycle.

Where Absorption Works

The most frequently used system with absorption chillers uses a bromine-water refrigerant. This chiller method is ideal for comfort cooling where there is a low-cost thermal source, such as byproduct engine or turbine exhaust heat. The limitation is that it is impractical This ammonia absorption chiller can use hot water from a solar collector, to use this cycle to supplemented by a natural gas boiler, to provide both hot water and chilled water at a hotel complex. Photo courtesy: Energy Concepts Company

generate chilled water much lower than 40°F (4.4°C) because of the risk of freezing up the machine. This temperature level is adequate for perishable product pre-refrigeration. Fortunately, another absorption system is available that offers true refrigeration into the low 30s, and far beyond into sub-freezing temperatures. That system is absorption refrigeration and freezing using ammonia-cycle chillers.

Ammonia Cycle for Lower Temperatures Ammonia-based absorption is not new.

Many home and commercial refrigerators in the early twentieth century used this system. More recently, refrigerators for campers and remote scientific sites use this technology, employing a propane or kerosene flame as a thermal source.

Ammonia based systems have come a long way in efficiency, especially for situations where there is an abundant source of byproduct heat. They are ideally suited for a wide range of industrial applications.

The ammonia absorption system can easily produce temperatures in the range just above the freezing point of water, and can even generate refrigeration suitable for freezing product down to 0°F (-18°C) or even lower. With an adequate source of high temperature byproduct heat, it is an ideal method for using this energy productively.

Ammonia Chiller Packages Available Energy Concepts Company is one of the leading providers of ammonia cycle absorption chillers and related heat exchange equipment. Ellen Makar from A10

gastechnology / SPRING 17

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info MORE

DOE ABSORPTION COOLING BASICS www.energy.gov/eere/energybasics/articles/absorption-cooling-basics ENERGY CONCEPTS COMPANY www.energy-concepts.com OSHA AMMONIA USE SAFETY GUIDELINES www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/ammonia_refrigeration/index.html

Energy Concepts was a recent presenter at a Technology & Market Assessment Forum sponsored by the Energy Solutions Center, providing information about these applications.

Makar explains, “The colder refrigeration you want, the hotter the driving heat is required. For +10°F refrigeration, we need a heat source around 260° F that we can take down to 230° F. For -10° F we need around 280° F to take down to 250°

F.” She notes that engines This skid-mounted 125-ton ammonia absorption chiller provides or gas turchilled water at a nominal 32°F for a vegetable processing plant. bines can The heat source is a gas fired engine generator. Photo courtesy: provide ample thermal Energy Concepts Company energy. “Gas turbines are great sources of waste heat because of the hot exhaust.” for their processes, using byproduct heat She notes that the Capstone microturbine, from electric generation as the source. with an exhaust temperature of 535°F, can Examples include potato processing, fruit be a very valuable source of heat for refrig- and vegetable freezing, dairy products eration using an ammo- and meat processing. Other candidates An 80-ton ammonia absorption chiller provides -25° F might include cold storage warehouses, nia-cycle chiller. refrigeration for a public cold storage warehouse in the breweries, wineries, poultry processing Philippines. The heat source is a boiler that burns rice husks.

Efficiency Penalty plants and cheese plants.

Photo courtesy: Energy Concepts Company at Lower TemperaEnergy Concepts Company has units tures successfully operating at a wide range of Makar points out that sites, including a vegetable processor and with compression refrigera- a cheese plant in California, a fish stortion, the cycle efficiency goes age warehouse in Alaska, and a public down as the target tempera- cold storage warehouse in Manilla, Philtures are lowered. “Compres- ippines. sor efficiency for an output at air conditioning temperatures Existing Generation (45°F) is about 0.6 kW per ton. Becomes an Asset For temperatures of 10°F, you Are you a candidate for ammonia cycle need 2.0 kW per ton. With refrigeration using CHP byproduct heat? waste heat-powered refrigera- If you are an industry that uses large scale tion, you do not need to burn refrigeration and already have on-site extra fuel or buy additional electric generation and are not using the electric energy.” She adds that byproduct heat, it’s definitely a promising the heat-source water, after it option. As Makar points out, it is practileaves the absorption chiller, cal to use refrigeration for the first stage can further be reused for space in using heat. The chiller outlet water still heating or domestic hot water. contains much thermal energy that can be used for other applications.

Variety of Industries If you are contemplating CHP, rememUse Ammonia Systems ber to include potential absorption coolMakar indicates that a variety ing or refrigeration applications as very of industries with refrigera- effective ways to use that heat and avoid tion or freezing requirements the cost of compression refrigeration. Abhave chosen this solution sorption is a tool to make CHP pay. GT

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gastechnology / SPRING 17

A11

TAKE BACK YOUR STEAM ENERGY IN DISCUSSIONS ON HOW TO MAKE TODAY’S STEAM AND HOT WATER SYSTEMS MORE EFFICIENT, first thoughts often turn to replacing or upgrading boilers or boiler burners, or to reducing the demand for steam or hot water at the point of use.

But great opportunities also exist in making major improvements in steam and hot water distribution systems.

Rapid Paybacks Possible Often the paybacks from improvements come within weeks or a few months at a cost much lower than replacing or upgrading a boiler or burner. After making these improvements, you may find yourself asking, “Why didn’t I do this sooner.”

The first step is evaluating your system and finding those opportunities.

Savings can come from incremental reductions in energy losses by completely insulating hot pipes and devices, improving condensate return systems, assuring correct operation of steam traps, and recovering heat from boiler blowdown water. Individual steps may make only small improvements, but taken together they can make for improvements in steam system efficiency ranging from 10% to 20%. Where do we find these savings?

together, these resulted in a heat loss of 5,069 MMBtu/hour at an annual energy cost of $45,620. These energy losses could be reduced by 90% by the appropriate use of pipe insulation. In a case like this, the payback is very short – a matter of weeks.

Missing Insulation Common Reasons for inadequate or missing insulation are numerous. Sometimes in the rush to start up a new system, the final step of pipe insulation is never completed.

Sometimes devices such as steam traps and valves are initially wrapped with insulation but during periodic inspection or maintenance, the insulation is removed and not replaced.

Often older insulation is damaged or saturated with water and loses its effectiveness. Sometimes asbestos insulation was removed as part of a plant-wide abatement program, but was never adequately replaced. With today’s higher energy costs and an increased emphasis on system efficiency, it’s time to correct these problems.

Insulate to Reduce Heat Losses Whether it’s an eight-inch main steam line, or a one-inch hot condensate return line, insulation is critical.

In an example cited by the U.S. DOE, at a plant where the fuel cost was $8.00/ MMBtu, a survey identified 1,120 feet of bare 1-inch steam line, and 175 feet of bare 2-inch line, both operating at 150 psig. An additional 250 ft of bare 4-inchline operating at 15 psig was found. Taken A12

gastechnology / SPRING 17

Designs for Easy Removal and Replacement One very useful solution is advanced insulation systems that are highly effective yet allow easy removal and replacement for periodic inspection or service. One provider of these systems is Shannon Enterprises, manufacturers of INSULTECH™ blanket thermal and acoustic insulation systems.

It’s Out There to Capture

Shannon manufactures a wide range of custom insulation products, including insulation packages for steam and hot water pipes and devices of all type. Commonly insulation for each steam device is customfitted to allow for piping, sensors, valve stems, etc. This fitted insulation is designed for quick removal and replacement to allow for inspection or service, and fits around data links such as steam trap monitoring systems. Three additional benefits of quality insulation are more comfortable working conditions, less pipe noise, and reduced risk of personnel burns.

Complete Condensate Return a Target Another major area for system efficiency improvement is improving hot condensate return. Too often condensate return piping has not been extended to the full extent of the steam system and hot liquid simply drips away into floor drains. Nevana Iordanova discussed the importance of condensate return at a recent Technology & Market Assessment Forum sponsored by the Energy Solutions Center. Iordanova noted, “Condensate is a tangible item which can be measured in the form of a savings analysis.”

She pointed out that 13% to 45% of the total heat in a steam system is represented by hot condensate, most of which can be retained by proper condensate return.

Further, this hot condensate is already treated so it does not require additional chemicals. In some locations collection of condensate also significantly reduces the cost of water. Thus, the payback for extension and maintenance of these return lines is often short and should be considered.

Another aspect of collecting full value from condensate return improvement is WWW.ENERGYSOLUTIONSCENTER.ORG

Uninsulated fittings, such as this bare six-inch steam valve, represent a major heat loss, and thus a loss in plant efficiency. Situations like this can be easily corrected with modern removable insulation tools.

Photo courtesy: Shannon Insultech

adequate insulation at the steam trap and along the return piping.

Steam Traps a Major Target Most steam distribution systems have dozens, sometimes hundreds of steam valves and traps of various designs. Iordanova pointed out, “Steam leaks, water hammer, plugged valves and traps lead to process loss, large equipment damage, safety issues, energy loss, and environmental issues.” These are often in locations where inspection is challenging or at least timeconsuming. Thus, it is important to verify that these devices are operating as intended, without loss of steam or condensate.

Often the best solution is remote steam system device monitoring, with alarming features that indicate malfunctions as soon as they occur, rather than waiting for the next inspection.

Iordanova notes that Armstrong recently introduced SAGE™, a cutting-edge innovation in smart utility monitoring, measuring and reporting. It is a powerful

is heat energy that has already been paid for, and should be recovered.

These are some of the potential energy conserving steps that can be taken to improve system efficiency. All are worthwhile targets for most applications. In

software tool to analyze data and track trap’s behavior and performance. A fully integrated solution, it works seamlessly with Armstrong’s real-time monitoring devices, ensuring that it alBy insulating valves, steam traps and other fittings, plant ways has access to the most efficiency is significantly increased, plant temperatures are current data on your critical lower, and risks of burns to personnel are reduced. Photo system steam traps. courtesy: Shannon Insultech Many owners have chosen to include steam trap monitoring in initial system designs, or to retrofit existing systems with remote monitoring capabilities.

Recover Heat from Blowdown

One more opportunity for major energy savings in the steam system is boiler blowdown water heat recovery.

According to a Steam Tip Sheet of the U.S. DOE, in a plant where the fuel cost is $8/MMBtu and the blowdown ratio is 6% of the hourly steam flow of 50,000 lbs at 150 psi, the potential is for recovery of 90% of the heat, with an annual value of $68,000. Several manufacturers offer these heat recovery devices which can be installed during initial system construction or The steam system efficiency monitoring plus malfunction alarming in retrocan detect departures from established standards in real time. Photo fits. This of Sage™ monitoring system courtesy: Armstrong International

today’s era of increased emphasis on conserving energy and reducing carbon emissions, they are worth acting on. Many older steam systems were designed without the full complement of these tools, but can be upgraded. Major system efficiency improvements are out there, often for a very moderate investment. GT

info MORE

ARMSTRONG INTERNATIONAL www.armstronginternational.com/products-systems DOE BOILER BLOWDOWN HEAT RECOVERY https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/05/f16/steam10_boiler_ blowdown.pdf DOE PIPE INSULATION BENEFITS AND CALCULATOR https://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/05/f16/steam2_insulate.pdf SHANNON INSULTECH www.blanket-insulation.com

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gastechnology / SPRING 17

A13

NATURAL GAS FROM NEWLY-IDENTIFIED SOURCES FEW OF US SAW THIS COMING. WE DIDN’T FORESEE THE IMPORTANT ROLE that would be played by tight natural gas extraction technology on the volume and location of natural gas recovered. Final production figures for 2016 are not yet tabulated, but it is expected that for the first time, more than half the natural gas that comes to market in the U.S. comes from gas wells in shale and other tight rock formations. This was a resource that in previous decades was considered “not economically recoverable.”

The term “tight” refers to rock formations which hold gas and oil so closely that it cannot be recovered economically without fracturing the rock. In large part, because of shale and other tight rocksourced natural gas and oil, the energy picture has dramatically changed. Areas in the Eastern United States and Eastern Canada are producing large volumes of natural gas where it was not previously produced. Western regions that had been in a production decline are now on an upswing.

Map illustrates the diversity of natural gas plays in North America. Illustration courtesy: U.S. Energy Information Administration.

New Sources, New Technology The convergence of three technologies made energy recovery from tight rock formations practical. These were sophisticated horizontal drilling tools and techniques, “smart” drill feedback communications, and hydraulic fracturing – “fracking.” Beginning in the early 2000s, use of these tools began contributing to North American energy production capabilities.

Interestingly, although oil and natural gas are associated in many production fields, currently the largest producing tight oil fields and the largest tight gas fields are not in the same areas. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (USEIA), of the top ten tight gas-producing fields in the US, only one, the Eagle Ford formation in Texas, is also among the top ten oil fields.

Sources in Varied Locations The largest-producing natural gas formation in the U.S. is the Marcellus formation in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 2013, this formation accounted for 2,836 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Other important formations include the Newark East Barnett Shale in Texas, and the Haynesville Shale in

Rich North American Gas Resources

Texas and Louisiana. Other regions that have major shale gas production include Arkansas, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.

In Canada, a much lower percentage of the country’s gas production currently comes from shale and other tight rock formations. Prominent producing areas in Canada include northeastern British Columbia and to a lesser extent, Alberta. In Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, promising formations have been identified, but production is still quite low. Canada is a net exporter of natural gas, most of it to the U.S.

Decline of Utility Carbon Emissions In a related significant development, electric utility carbon emissions in the U.S., for the first time in decades, fell to a level below that of transportation carbon emissions. This follows a steady drop in these utility emissions since 2003. This decline can be attributed to three factors: The retirement of older coal-fired generating stations, the increasing installation of lower-emission natural gas-fired facilities, and the growing role of renewable electric generation from solar and wind sources.

Where the gas turbine alone is used to operate a generator, it is called a simple-cycle plant. These have been widely used in the past, but the growing trend is toward what is called a combined-cycle plant. Here, the exhaust from gas turbines is directed to a heat recovery device for steam generation. The steam is used to turn a steam turbine for additional generation.

Strong Trend Toward Combined-Cycle According to the USEIA, in 2018 about 75% of new natural gas-fired generating plants will be of the combined-cycle type. This trend is one of the reasons that emissions from utility natural gas-fired generations are significantly lower. Combined-cycle technology increases the generation efficiency of the plant and thereby reduces carbon emissions per kWh generated.

An example of implementation of this technology was recently given by Siemens A14

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Chart shows one EIA projection of the energy sources for future electric generation. This illustrates the probable growing role of natural gas as a replacement for coal-fired generation.

Illustration courtesy: U.S. Energy Information Administration

spokesperson Dalia El Tawy of Siemens Energy at a Technology & Market Assessment Forum, sponsored by the Energy Solutions Center. She described a decision by the City of Holland, Michigan to replace a coal-fired generating station with a natural gas-fired combined-cycle plant. This plant has two Siemens gas turbines rated at about 50 MWe each, and a steam turbine rated at about 40 MWe. The byproduct heat from the plant, in addition to feeding the steam turbine, is used to supply an expanded snowmelt system covering over 11.5 acres of city streets and sidewalks. This is the largest snowmelt system in the U.S., serving a city in the lake-effect snow area of western Michigan.

This is typical of hundreds of decisions being taken by public and investor-owned utilities in the U.S. and Canada. In a recent USEIA forecast, in 2018 for the first time ever, electric generation from natural gas will exceed that from coal combustion. The world changes.

Export and Import in Balance

production volumes in both countries will cause these balances to continually change in the future. The U.S. is also a major net exporter of natural gas into Mexico. In the case of these three countries, gas movement is almost entirely by pipeline.

Because of the growing production of natural gas in North America, the trend of natural gas importing into the U.S. by liquid natural gas shipment has remained steady or declined slightly.

Of the imported liquid natural gas, in 2015 about 80% came from Trinidad/Tobago.

Other sources include Norway, Yemen and other countries. However, on a broad level, imports of liquid natural gas currently represent a small proportion of gas used.

Gas Storage Trends

Storage Remains Steady Although the usage of natural gas has increased dramatically in recent years, the available storage capacity has shown few changes. This has not been a problem to date, because much of the increase in usage has been by electric generation and manufacturing applications. Electric generation nationwide peaks during summer air-conditioning months, thus tending to even out annual demand patterns. Therefore, the unevenness between summer and winter usage has not increased.

Future for Natural Gas is Bright Natural gas is the fuel that is driving many changes. It is supporting the transition from coal and oil to other methods of electric production. It is making it possible for North America to hold onto many of its traditional industries, and in fact is drawing some companies that have offshored to return home. And it is a lead force in a world that is demanding higher efficiency, lower emissions, and energy to maintain our life style. GT

Natural gas is produced at a fairly even rate through the year, but traditionally, the usage pattern is much higher in the winter.

For this reason, storage facilities have been developed in the U.S. and Canada to allow withdrawMORE als during times of peak usage, and replenishment during other times of the CANADA NATIONAL ENERGY BOARD/NATURAL GAS year. These storage sites inwww.neb-one.gc.ca/nrg/sttstc/ntrlgs/index-eng.html clude depleted oil and gas production fields, below U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION/NATURAL GAS impenetrable aquifers, and www.eia.gov/naturalgas in empty salt caverns.

info

Taken together, the United States and Canada consume a very high percentage of the natural gas produced by the two countries.

The U.S. is a significant importer of natural gas from Canada in the west – in Idaho, Montana, and Minnesota. On a somewhat smaller scale, the U.S. is an exporter of natural gas in the east – in Michigan and New York into Ontario and Quebec. Changing Graph shows recent trends in gas storage in the U.S. Note: increase has been gradual because of the growing seasonal diversity of gas usage. Illustration courtesy: U.S. Energy Information Administration

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gastechnology / SPRING 17

A15

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From fast-start power plants that support the move to renewable energy, to efficient oil and gas transportation, to combined heat and power plants that ensure reliable energy where it’s most needed, more businesses are relying on Siemens to power their future. Discover how Siemens powers the world with innovative gas turbines.

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IN NOVATIONS

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Modular inventory control SupplySystem is a modular industrial inventory control system for managing all types of indirect materials and tools. This easy to deploy, operate and manage system delivers an automated, state-of-the-art configurable technology with actionable insights via intelligent cloud software.

The modular approach to design allows distributors to meet their customers’ control requirements with the most efficient solution possible. Advanced configuration software and proprietary algorithms allow SupplySystem to be configured and reconfigured as needed, including the addition of new components, without tools or technicians.

SupplyPro http://supplypro.com Input #200 at www.plantengineering.com/information

Watertight plugs

Coriolis mass flowmeter The OPTIMASS 2000 S400 16-inch Coriolis mass flowmeter is ideal for bulk measurement of petroleum and oil, as well as syrup, molasses and raw chemicals. The meter has been approved for custody transfer of liquids and gases. With its unique four straight tube design, the OPTIMASS 2000 S400 features the smallest installation footprint in its class and offers significant energy savings with a lower pressure drop. The meter’s small installation footprint compared to other meters on the market makes it ideal for applications where space is limited, like offshore platforms, or where alterations of existing pipework would otherwise be necessary. It can handle flow rates as high as 4,600 tons per hour, with an accuracy of 0.1%.

The Bryant watertight plugs range from 125Vac/15A to 480Vac/30A, 2-pole/3-wire and 3-pole/4-wire. They feature 10 corresponding connectors for plugs and a portable outlet box and two covers. These new products are a one for one replacement of currently offered watertight plugs, connectors and accessories. Design improvements include a new cone seal that prevents water from accumulating at the cable entrance; rugged PBT (Polybutylene terephthalate) interiors providing excellent resistance to moisture and temperature; and a new ring and collapsible bushing design offering superior strain relief. The watertight components meet NEC requirements for “Wet & Damp Locations,” are NEMA 4, 4X, 6, and 6P, IP65, IP66, IP67 rated, and UL listed and CSA certified.

AutomationDirect www.automationdirect.com Input #202 at www.plantengineering.com/information

Krohne http://cdn.krohne.com Input #201 at www.plantengineering.com/information

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PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 73

IN NOVATIONS dc dataloggers The SD900 and SD910 3-channel dc current and dc voltage dataloggers are optimized for extended monitoring of milliamp (SD900) and millivolt (SD910) signals in a manufacturing plant. The dataloggers can be used throughout a manufacturing plant to monitor diverse process systems regulated or monitored using milliamp (e.g., 4-20 mA) or millivolt signals (e.g., controls, controller electronics or indicators). Extended monitoring can help reveal problems in complex manufacturing environments. They feature a durable design with flexible programming configurations and the convenience of datalogging readings in Excel format directly onto an SD card. Both the SD900 and SD910 feature a large, backlit triple display, showing three readings simultaneously for easy, at-a-glance viewing.

Extech Instruments www.extech.com Input #203 at www.plantengineering.com/information

Enclosures Enclosures are designed to shelter robots and other lab automated processes by providing exhaust air systems or HEPA-filtered clean workstations. Robots are beneficial in many applications, and are proven to increase efficiency and productivity. Robots integrated into existing facilities are shown to increase output and improve quality, while providing additional flexibility in the production process. Enclosures are built to protect robotic processes from contamination and personnel from hazardous fumes. They utilize a flexible, modular design in a selection of standard sizes in vented or HEPA-filtered models.

HEMCO www.HEMCOcorp.com/enviro.html Input #204 at www.plantengineering.com/information

74 • April 2017

PLANT ENGINEERING

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Time switches An expanded lineup of multi-timers and time switches offers functionality, maximized flexibility and the widest adjustable timing range in the industry to reliably govern the duration of automation and control operations. The AMT8 and AMT12 universal digital multitimers are available in four models featuring eights or 18 timing functions and adjustable time ranges from 0.1 seconds to 999 hours.

AMT10 and AMTAS universal analog multitimers are offered in two models featuring 10 or two timing functions, respectively, and adjustable time ranges from 0.1 second to 100 hours. AMT33 programmable panel-mount digital multi-timers include two models featuring 33 timing functions and two independent outputs with individually selectable timing modes. ATS digital time switches are engineered in three versions, allowing daily or weekly switching time or three pulse versions, allowing for pulse operations lasting from one second to 59 seconds.

Altech Corp. www.altechcorp.com Input #205 at www.plantengineering.com/information

Triaxial accelerometer The HS-173R triaxial accelerometer has been developed specifically for use with the latest generation of route-based and stand-alone data collectors, which increasingly require multichannel inputs from a range of permanently or temporarily mounted sensors. It uses an electromechanically coupled piezoelectric sensor mechanism protected in a robust stainless steel capsule.

The HS-173R accelerometer is available with a choice of options, including a range of operating sensitivities from 10 mV/g to 500 mV/g, different mounting threads and an aluminum rather than stainless steel enclosure.

Hansford Sensors www.hansfordsensors.com/us Input #206 at www.plantengineering.com/information

www.plantengineering.com

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 75

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SuperiorSignal.com/PE Input #100 at plantengineering.hotims.com

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Input #101 at plantengineering.hotims.com

Direct Drive Screw Compressors

Topog-E® Gasket Company, formulates and mixes its own rubber manufactures superior moldedrubber handhole and manhole gaskets for steam, hot water boilers, water heaters, softeners, deaerators, make-up tanks, and other selected pressure vessels.

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76 • April Month2017 2014 PLANT PLANTENGINEERING ENGINEERING

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Input #103 at plantengineering.hotims.com

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Input #102 at plantengineering.hotims.com

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(on receptacle)

Rated up to 200A, 75hp 4 Connector + Switch in 1 device 4 Maximizes Arc Flash Protection 4 Minimizes PPE Requirements

meltric.com 800.433.7642

A company of MARECHAL ELECTRIC GROUP

Input #105 at plantengineering.hotims.com

www.plantengineering.com

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workbenchmarket.com Input #107 at plantengineering.hotims.com

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www.plantengineering.com Input #109 at plantengineering.hotims.com

Stay current with technology and trends in electrical, mechanical, maintenenace and automation.

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PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 77

For more information on how to advertise in Plant Engineering’s Internet Connection, call Jim Langhenry at 630-571-4070 x2203 abb.us

dynatect.com

solonmfg.com

ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact.

ABB Inc.

Dynatect designs and manufactures a complete line of components to protect equipment and people.

Dynatect

Solon Manufacturing Co. engineers and manufactures Solon Belleville Springs and pressure switches.

Solon Manufacturing Co.

aitkenproducts.com

emaint.com

uecorp.com

eMaint improves the way over 50,000 users worldwide manage, monitor, and control assets for a connected world. eMaint Enterprises

UEC provides innovative, customizable power distribution and monitoring solutions.

Universal Electric Corp.

flexicon.com

VAC-U-MAX specializes in design and manufacture of pneumatic systems and support equipment for conveying, weighing and batching of dry materials.

VAC-U-MAX

Aitken Products manufacturers and distributes high-quality industrial heaters. Aitken’s products are for a variety of industrial applications and are available when needed.

Aitken Products Inc.

a3automate.org The Association for Advancing Automation is the global advocate for the benefits of automating.

Association for Advancing Automation

Flexicon designs and manufactures bulk handling equipment and custom-engineered and integrated plant-wide systems.

Flexicon Corp.

atlascopco.us

us.kaeser.com

Atlas Copco produces and markets compressed air equipment and generators, construction and mining equipment, industrial tools, assembly systems, services and rentals.

Atlas Copco

Manufacturer of air system products, including rotary screw compressors, portable compressors, rotary lobe blowers, vacuum packages, refrigerated and desiccant dryers, filters, and condensate management systems.

Kaeser Compressors Inc.

automationdirect.com AutomationDirect offers over 16,000+ industrial automation products through their free catalog and online superstore including PLCs, operator interfaces, drives, enclosures, sensors and more.

AutomationDirect

lubriplate.com

avotraining.com

mhia.org MHIA is the leading non-profit trade association representing the U.S. material handling and logistics industry.

Material Handling Industry of America

baldor.com

noria.com

Baldor Electric designs, manufacturers, and markets a broad line of industrial energy-efficient electric motors, mechanical power transmission products, and more.

Baldor Electric Co.

Noria is a worldwide leader in providing lubrication consulting services and training.

Noria Corp.

camfilapc.com

Orival is a leading manufacturer of self-cleaning water filters, automatic water filters and strainers, for use as industrial water filters, irrigation filters, cooling tower filters, and more.

Orival Inc.

centuryspring.com Century Spring has been supplying quality stock and custom springs, metal stampings, and wire forms for MRO and OEM applications since 1927.

Century Spring Corp.

donaldson.com Compressed air purifications solutions, compressed air filters, dryers and process water chillers.

Donaldson Company Inc.

78 • April 2017

plant engineering

yaskawa.com Yaskawa is the world’s largest manufacturer of ac inverter drives, servo and motion control, and robotics automation systems.

Yaskawa America Inc.

Lubriplate manufactures more than 200 high quality lubricants, including high performance synthetic lubricants and NSF-H1 lubricants for food processing and beverage.

Lubriplate Lubricants Co.

For almost 50 years, AVO has been helping organizations create safe and reliable electrical systems.

AVO Training Institute

Camfil Air Pollution Control (APC) is a leading global manufacturer of industrial dust, fume and mist collection equipment and is part of Camfil, the world’s largest air filtration company.

Camfil APC

vac-u-max.com

orival.com

rogers-machinery.com Manufacturer of rotary screw and reciprocating air compressors, fixed and variable speed drives, rotary and centrifugal compressors, blowers, and vacuum systems.

Rogers Machinery

seweurodrive.com One of the largest global suppliers of drive technology, SEW-EURODRIVE specializes in gear reducers, motors and electronic motor controls.

SEW-EURODRIVE USA

www.plantengineering.com

Place next to your computer as a reference or go online to www.plantengineering.com for hot links to these companies.

Remove at Line

2017 April

CONTACTS ®

Advertiser Contacts for plant engineers

1111 W. 22nd St. Suite 250, Oak Brook, IL 60523 Ph. 630-571-4070, Fax 630-214-4504

Request more information about products and advertisers in this issue by using the http://plantengineering.hotims.com link and reader service number located near each. If you’re reading the digital edition, the link will be live. When you contact a company directly, please let them know you read about them in Plant Engineering.

CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL

Advertiser

PlantEngineering.com

BOB VAVRA, Content Manager 630-571-4070 x2212, BVavra@CFEMedia.com

AutomationDirect

Page

Reader Service #

C-2, 16A-16D

1

800-633-0405

www.automationdirect.com

C-4

27

800-828-4920

www.baldor.com

Phone #

Web site

EMILY GUENTHER, Associate Content Manager 630-571-4070 x2220, EGuenther@CFEMedia.com

Baldor Electric Company

AMANDA PELLICCIONE, Director of Research 860-432-4767, APelliccione@CFEMedia.com

BRADY

26

18

www.BradySafety.com

CHRIS VAVRA, Production Editor 630-571-4070 x2219, CVavra@CFEMedia.com

Caterpillar - Northeast

37

22

www.NECatDealers.com/power

CENTURY SPRING CORP

14

12

CFE Edu

44

CFE Media’s Global System Integrator Database

55

630-571-4070

CFE Media’s New Products for Engineers Database

50

630-571-4070

PUBLICATION SERVICES JIM LANGHENRY, Co-Founder & Publisher 630-571-4070 x2203, JLanghenry@CFEMedia.com STEVE ROURKE, Co-Founder 630-571-4070 x2204, SRourke@CFEMedia.com TRUDY KELLY, Executive Assistant 630-571-4070 x2205, TKelly@CFEMedia.com ELENA MOELLER-YOUNGER, Marketing Manager 773-815-3795, EMYounger@CFEMedia.com KRISTEN NIMMO, Marketing Manager 630-571-4070 x2215, KNimmo@CFEMedia.com

800-237-5225

www.centuryspring.com

630-571-4070

http://CFEedu.cfemedia.com www.plantengineering.com/global-si-database

www.plantengineering.com/NP4E

CROWN

15

13

419-629-2311

www.crown.com

Donaldson Co., Inc

11

8

800-365-1331

www.DonaldsonTorit.com

800-903-9247

www.exair.com

Exair Corp

7

5

MICHAEL SMITH, Creative Director 630-779-8910, MSmith@CFEMedia.com

FABTECH

29

19

KATIE SPAIN, Art Director 630-571-4070 x2218, KSpain@CFEMedia.com

Flexicon Corp

8

6

888-353-9426

www.flexicon.com

PAUL BROUCH, Director of Operations 630-571-4070 x2208, PBrouch@CFEMedia.com

FLUKE ROADSHOW 2017

4

4

888-443-5853

www.fluke.com/roadshow2017

GKR Industries, Inc

12

10

800-526-7879

www.gkrindustries.com

GoatThroat Pumps

12

9

646-486-3636

www.GoatThroat.com

GTI Spindle Technology

10

7

IIoT Webcasts

49

Kaeser Compressors, Inc

1

MICHAEL ROTZ, Print Production Manager 717-766-0211, Fax: 717-506-7238 mike.rotz@frycomm.com MARIA BARTELL, Account Director, Infogroup Targeting Solutions 847-378-2275, maria.bartell@infogroup.com RICK ELLIS, Audience Management Director 303-246-1250, REllis@CFEMedia.com LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Please e-mail your opinions to BVavra@CFEMedia.com INFORMATION For a Media Kit or Editorial Calendar, e-mail Trudy Kelly at TKelly@CFEMedia.com REPRINTS For custom reprints or electronic usage, contact: Brett Petillo, Wright’s Media 281-419-5725, bpetillo@wrightsmedia.com

Tom Corcoran, West, TX, OK 1111 W. 22nd St., Suite 250, Oak Brook, IL 60523 Karen Cira, Southeast 879 Autumn Rain Ln. Charlotte, NC 28209 Maggie Hatcher, AL, FL 1111 W. 22nd St., Suite 250, Oak Brook, IL 60523

TCorcoran@CFEMedia.com Tel. 215-275-6420 Fax 484-631-0598 KCira@CFEMedia.com Tel. 704-523-5466 Fax 630-214-4504 MHatcher@CFEMedia.com Tel. 630-571-4070 x2221 Fax 630-214-4504

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603-669-5993

www.gtipredictive.com

630-571-4070

www.plantengineering.com/lloT

2

866-516-6888

www.us.kaeser.com/PE

Littelfuse, Inc

31

20

773-628-1000

www.littlefuse.com/powrspeed

Lubriplate Lubricants Co

38

23

800-733-4755

www.lubriplate.com

M&T: ID&E 2017

20

17

MIL-COMM

18

15

201-935-8561

www.mil-comm.com

Orival, Inc

43

25

800-567-9767

www.orival.com

13, 33

11, 21

800-322-3225

www.phoenixcontact.com/confidence_trisafe

Phoenix Contact

PUBLICATION SALES

www.automationtechnology.events

www.mfgtechshow.com

Plant Engineering 2017 Maintenance Research Study

17

630-571-4070

www.plantengineering.com/2017Maintenance

Plant Engineering Webcasts

56

630-571-4070

www.plantengineering.com/webcasts

PRUFTECHNIK Inc.

19

856-401-3095

www.pruftechnik.com

16

SEW-EURODRIVE, Inc.

2

3

864-439-7537

www.seweurodrive.com

SOLON MANUFACTURING CO.

16

14

800-323-9717

www.solonmfg.com

SPM Instrument

42

24

800-505-5636

www.spminstrument.us

Yaskawa America, Inc

C-3

26

800-927-5292

www.yaskawa.com

RGroth@CFEMedia.com Tel. 774-277-7266 Fax 508-590-0432

Jerry Preston, West Coast 6746 E. Tyndall Circle Mesa, AZ 85215

JPreston@CFEMedia.com Tel. 602-369-3037

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stuart.smith@ssm.co.uk Tel. +44 208 464 5577 Fax +44 208 464 5588

www.plantengineering.com

PLANT ENGINEERING

April 2017 • 79

A LIFE IN MANUFACTURING As part of Plant Engineering’s 70th anniversary celebration, we’re asking industry leaders and manufacturing professionals to tell us about their career in manufacturing and its impact on them, their company and their community. If you’d like to contribute your thoughts, please send them to content manager Bob Vavra at bvavra@cfemedia.com.

Investing in people pays dividends for you

By Eric Runge West Liberty Foods, as told to Leading2Lean

Y

ou start out your life on a path, and that is your expectation, that is your goal. Sometimes you don’t expect those paths to change.

I had originally started my career path as an automotive mechanic. I went to school through a program for General Motors and as I got into that career it just didn’t work out for me well. I was struggling to make ends meet. Things got a little tough there, transitioning from jobs with bills and such.

I had already started out thinking I was going to be an automotive mechanic.

That is what I went to school for and invested money in and everything else, and that didn’t work out.

I can’t say exactly how I got through it all. I did focus on work quote a bit, got really involved learning new skills doing several projects. I have always had a passion for learning new things.

(At) West Liberty Foods, in West Liberty, Iowa, they were very open and welcoming. They brought me in with minimal experience, and said, “You know, if you are willing to learn and willing to train, we will take you on.”

West Liberty is a small town, population roughly 3,000 people. It’s very quiet.

I ended up moving to West Liberty and I had worked at the plant for 10 years prior to moving here. It made things a lot

more convenient for me just being 10 to 12 blocks from the plant.

I love grilling and cooking. I like to prepare big meals, trying new things.

We’ve got three different styles of grills.

Being a single father, there are things you have got to be able to do, and one of those is cooking. I am the type of person that when you are going to do something, do it right. I started cooking when I got bored making the same old thing; let’s make something a little fancier and a little more creative. My close friends and family know that when I put on a meal, I put on a meal. I like to impress people.

When I get an opportunity where someone is willing to teach me something, show me something, and it is something I would love to do, I always take advantage of those opportunities. I am not a failure. I will get good at what I do. I push myself. I am big on the quality of work that I do, I want it to be the best.

When I came to West Liberty Foods, I started as a maintenance mechanic. I couldn’t do anything electrically. I wanted to know this stuff and I wanted to be good at it and at some point, from the time I started to roughly a year and a half into it, I was the one that everybody was coming to and asking questions. And when I got awarded that second shift electrician job, it was a big feat for me because I pushed and I tried and I got there.

As far as my role in the company now, I strive to

be a leader. When somebody comes to you, saying, “Hey, I want to learn, I know you know how to do this and you can show me,” you can’t turn your back on those people.

A lot of people have helped me out, helped teach me, helped me work to where I am, and in turn I have helped guys that have come to me for help wanting answers. And the interactions that I’ve had, the good and bad with several people over the years, all those relationships have helped make me who I am.

With my department, the maintenance side of the business, I treat that as that is my family. I reference back to me being the one that didn’t know, but I had the ambition there. You can directly see what you are doing to positively impact another person. You just essentially helped make his life better. You helped make that person more valuable.

Over the years, I have worked with quite a few people. If I were to look back and if people would have not been the way they were with me, then where would I be?

My own personal morals (are that I feel) like you kind of owe something, that you need to give back. That investment comes back, and you have got to find a way to have those relationships to get to where you need to be. PE

In its “People of the Plant Floor” video series, Leading2Lean, a Plant Engineering content partner, has shared the stories of manufacturing workers and their pride in their work. One of the people they interviewed was Eric Runge, a 38-year-old plant engineer for West Liberty Foods in West Liberty, Iowa. The edited transcript of the video follows. The full video can be found at the Leading2Lean Website, www.leading2lean.com.

80 • April 2017

PLANT ENGINEERING

www.plantengineering.com

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input #26 at www.plantengineering.com/information

DRIVES & MOTION DIVISION

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input #27 at www.plantengineering.com/information