Process Industry Informer August 2019

August 2019

www.processindustryinformer.com

Volume 15 No. 3

The Uk’s leading publication serving the process industry

Pressure sensors

in modern-day Variable Speed Pump design

In this issue:

Water & wastewater special Solids Handling & Processing Supplement Plus 15 feature editorial articles IN PRINT | Online | Mobile - The UK’s No. 1 Media for the manufacturing process industries

www.jbj.co.uk/planetary-gearboxes.html Full technical specication catalogue available via the above web page

Complete range of multi-purpose planetary gears. Input can be via electric motor, hydraulic motor, air motor or bare input shaft, be it either a splined or parallel keyed input shaft. jbj Techniques can accommodate gearbox inputs to suit your own bespoke requirements, even for a one off!

Designed for rugged use and dependability. The gear case is made of nodular iron, whilst the planet carriers, are made out of steel or hightensile nodular iron. All gearing is heat treated with full addendum modification, as well as lead and profile modification in order to obtain the best performance, efficiency, and low-vibration. The close tolerances in all of the gears and floating planet carriers allow the load to be evenly shared by all the components.

Spline profiles on the gears allow them to handle even larger loads.

The all-roller bearing design for the planet gears allows for greater efficiency and superior start-up torque.

The gearboxes also use performance shafts made from high tensile steel to further increase the load that the gearbox can handle. All this coupled with over-sized diameters (compared to industry standard) on the shafts, create a gearbox that can handle almost any application.

Additional design features include: » 32 sizes. » Output torque up to 1.000,000 Nm. » Transmissible power up to and above 550 kW. » Ratios going from 3 to over 3000:1 » High efficiency, up to 98.5% per stage. » Modular structure. » Full planetary in-line and combined Gleason-planetary right-angle units available. » 1 to 4 reduction stages, on request 5 stages. » Optional spring applied-hydraulically released multi-disc brake. » Flange, foot & shaft mounting versions, bare shaft output available. » Output shafts include solid keyed, solid splined, hollow splined or for shrink disc mounting. » Vast range of accessories for the low speed shaft: drive flange, splined bushing, slew pinion, splined rod, shrink disc, torque arm. » Broad selection of input adaptors to suit standard electric motors both IEC and NEMA, air and hydraulic motors, male input shafts for mechanical linkages.

Combined thrust and radial shaft loads my reduce bearing life.

Contact jbj Techniques technical office for accurate life calculation of specific application.

Combination of high torque and heavy radial shaft load might require verification of the output shaft.

If the following condition is not fulfilled contact jbj Techniques technical office, for accurate verification of your specific application: [Radial load (applied) ÷ Radial load (admissible)] x [Torque (applied) ÷ Torque (nominal)] < 0.5

from Small Individual Components to Large Combinations jbj Techniques is a specialist manufacturer and distributor of high quality products for the mechanical power transmission & fluid power sectors

Quality products for mechanical & uid power, manufactured, prociently combined as units, & distributed by jbj Techniques Ltd. www.jbj.co.uk

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Contents

FEATUREDARTICLES ARTICLES FEATURED SAFELY EXTENDING How to ReduceINTELLIGENCE the Biggest Error OPERATIONAL Contributor in Temperature FROM THE CONTROL ROOM Calibration TO THE PLANT FLOOR

PRODUCTSECTIONS SECTIONS PRODUCT NEWS & EVENTS

04-05 &PAGE 07

Sean Moran Intro NEWS & EVENTS Maintenance IIoT

04 –0606

12 0810&&10-11

Process measurement

FOOD INDUSTRY FOCUS

Water industry focus POWER SUPPLY Linear Guides

CELL DISRUPTION Mixing

4326

Fluids & Liquids Handling PUMPING

28 –4432

Materials handling

HEATING & COOLING

Health & Safety

PROCESS MEASUREMENT

Filtration DRIVES Shapa News

SHAPA NEWS

Strengthen Resilience

13 & 40 13 – 25 16 25 41 25 41

HEALTH Heating && SAFETY Cooling

Machine Vision FILTRATION

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE Global Corporations HOLD FOR SCADA? Look To Water Reuse To

4732

09

17

SERVING UP FINANCE: OEMS CAN HELP THEIR CUSTOMERS Improving the Efficiency and Water Systems inReliability the food of and beverage with Variable Speed Pumps and sector embrace digitalisation Sensors Pressure with integrated finance CROSS CONTAMINATION FOOD INSPECTION RISKS Reducing The Water Gap Through RECEIVETreatment HYGIENIC HAND Wastewater

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08

14 21

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36 – 38

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DIGITAL FARMS TO SUPERMARKET SMART Solutions, not sludge SHELVES – A NEW ERA OF CONNECTIONS

42 – 43

52 49 55

51 – 77

EDITOR EDITOR Phil Black: philblack@piimag.com Phil Black: philblack@piimag.com

HIDDEN TRUTHS Getting It Right First Time about cooling system A Guide To Wastewater Onsite water filtration Treatment

PUBLISHING // ADVERTISING ADVERTISING MANAGER PUBLISHING MANAGER PeterUllmann: Ullmann:peterullmann@piimag.com peterullmann@piimag.com Peter

CIRCULATION MANAGER CIRCULATION MANAGER Jean JeanCaunin: Caunin:info@piimag.com info@piimag.com OFFICE MANAGER OFFICE MANAGER Diane Ullmann: dianeullmann@piimag.com Diane Ullmann: dianeullmann@piimag.com ART DIRECTION ART DIRECTION Louise Brooks & Jayden Ken Jayden Ken Printed by Bishops Printers Ltd Advertisement & Editorial Offices Process Industry Informer, Offices Passfield Business Centre, Advertisement & Editorial Lynchborough Passfield, Liphook, Hants GU30 7SB Process IndustryRoad, Informer, Passfield Business Centre, Lynchborough Road, Passfield, Liphook, Hants GU30 7SB Tel: 01428 751188 Fax: 01428 751199 Tel: 01428 751188 Fax: 01428 751199 Email: info@piimag.com Web: www.piimag.com Email: info@piimag.com Web: www.piimag.com Subscriptions: UK £25 | EIRE £35 Overseas prices on application Subscriptions: UK £25 | EIRE £35 © Process Industry Informer Overseas prices on application © Process Industry Informer

IS GAS GENERATION THE SOLUTION TO RISING Condition monitoring energy costs? using the drive as a sensor

30

39 35

44 37

BRITISH INDUSTRY TO BENEFIT FROM UK GOVERNMENTFour Stages Of Machine Vision BACKED INVESTMENT In Industry into innovative energy efficiency technologies WHY WILL EFFECTIVE WASTE GreenMANAGEMENT Hydrogen be All more important What’s The Fuss About? than ever before in 2019?

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RF & MICROWAVE Future Proofing MATERIAL Your MotorMEASUREMENTS: Management techniques and applications Strategy

SALES MANAGER SALES&&MARKETING MARKETING MANAGER Guy GuyUllmann: Ullmann:guyullmann@piimag.com guyullmann@piimag.com

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All All product product announcements announcements published published in in Process Process Industry Industry Informer Informer are are paid paid for. for.All Allcopy copysubmitted submittedfor forpublication publicationininProcess ProcessIndustry IndustryInformer Informermust mustbebelegal legaland andmust mustcomply complywith withthe theBritish BritishCode CodeofofAdvertising AdvertisingPractice Practice and for publication, publication, or or not, not, at at the the publishers’ publishers’ absolute absolutediscretion. discretion.When Whendeemed deemednecessary necessaryallallcopy copymay maybebeedited editedand andclassified classifiedatatthethepublishers’ publishers’discretion. discretion. material contained Process Industry Informer and is is accepted accepted for AllAll material contained in in Process Industry Informer is is published good faith, is emphasised publishers in circumstances accept responsibility for accuracy the accuracy or otherwise of any advertisement or message published is kind any kind of warranty published in in good faith, butbut it isit emphasised thatthat thethe publishers do do notnot in circumstances accept responsibility for the or otherwise of any advertisement or message published (nor (nor is any of warranty expressed expressed or implied by such publication) and that the publishers specifically disclaim all and any liability to advertisers, readers and user of any kind for loss or damage of any nature whatsoever and however arising, or implied by such publication) and that the publishers specifically disclaim all and any liability to advertisers, readers and user of any kind for loss or damage of any nature whatsoever and however arising, whether due to whether due to inaccuracy, error, omission or any other cause, and whether on the part of the publishers of Process Industry Informer, or their servants or agents, or any other person. inaccuracy, error, omission or any other cause, and whether on the part of the publishers of Process Industry Informer, or their servants or agents, or any other person. is the the intention intention of of the the publishers publishers in in general general to to run run copy copy as assupplied suppliedby byadvertisers, advertisers,advertorial advertorialitems itemsheadings, headings,which whichare arenot notcharged chargedfor, for,will willbe beselected selectedby bythe theEditor, Editor,and andother otherminor minorchanges changesmay maybebemade, made, Although it is at the the Editor’s Editor’s discretion, discretion, for for the the sake sakeofofthe theclarity, clarity,totoavoid avoidoffence, offence,forforlegal legalreasons reasonsorortotoensure ensureconformity conformityto to house style.

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No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without the prior written consent of the publishers.

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Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

News & Events

Bite size news Europe faces challenges in meeting plastic bottle recovery target

The European recycling industry is going to miss a 2025 target for recycling PET bottles unless there is a reversal of the slowing growth rate in recycling, according to a new study by ICIS. The study also found evidence that bottle-deposit schemes are working better as an incentive than market prices for recycled material.

Read more here

EU Chemicals Production Grows 1.7% In Q1 2019 Compared to Q4 2018

Key findings are as follows: • EU industry confidence posted a sharp decline which is considered to be the most significant decrease in eight years • Rising protectionism all over the world is negatively impacting industrial & economic activity; as a result, the output in the automotive sector, a key customer of the EU chemical industry has dropped below the last year’s level • Despite this, Q1 of 2019 was good for the chemical industry with the 1.7% increase of the chemicals output compared to Q4 in 2018 • This could be partially due to the steady growth in the EU construction sector which seems to be less affected by the declining activity of most EU manufacturing sectors. Output in the construction sector was 4.6% above the previous year’s level.​​​​​

Read the full report here

Join us to tackle fatbergs at source, says GCA

€4m project under way to train next generation of 5G experts

The scheme, titled ‘Mobility and Training for beyond 5G Ecosystems’, and will be led by Dr Pavlos Lazaridis A NEW generation of experts in 5G networks will be trained by the University of Huddersfield, which has been awarded funding of more than a million euros for its central role in a Europe-wide project involving ten academic and industrial partners.

There will be a focus on embedding artificial intelligence into 5G systems, the use of drone-based technology to improve communications, and new “beam-forming” antennae that will direct a separate beam towards every phone user. Researchers will also have opportunities that include an experimental 5G network at the Olympic Stadium in Athens.

Read more here

GAMBICA Index shows 2.8% growth for 2018 – mixed performance across industry sectors

The GAMBICA Index is an indicator of the level of business for our Industrial Automation, Process Instrumentation & Control and Laboratory Technology sectors. It shows the levels of all 3 sectors individually and combined, using the 2012 data as a reference point.

Read more here

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

UK water utilities are being urged to collaborate with the Grease Contractors Association (GCA) to help tackle the blight of fatbergs at source. The Association has introduced an auditing and certification programme for companies carrying out the installation and maintenance of grease traps and is inviting water and sewerage companies to get on board.

Read more here

Industry 4.0, IIoT, and Automation Fuel Smart Solution Growth in Industrial Valves and Actuators Market Manufacturers offering effective quality management and superior reliability set to gain a competitive advantage, finds Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan’s latest analysis, European Industrial Valves and Actuators Market, Forecast to 2024, reveals that the primary factors driving the $5.8 billion market towards $7.05 billion by 2024 include an increased focus on automation across industries to improve operational efficiencies and initiatives like Industry 4.0 and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Manufacturers offering high reliability with effective quality management systems are best positioned to harness growth prospects.

Read more here

Manufacturing innovation - New national centre unveiled.

An £8.9 million centre to help companies benefit from lightweight manufacturing technology has been officially opened by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The Lightweight Manufacturing Centre will develop lighter, more efficient, components for high-value industries, including automotive and aerospace. It also has the potential to benefit other enterprises looking to replace traditional manufacturing processes and materials with the next generation of innovative solutions to help meet the engineering challenges of today and tomorrow.

The centre, operated by the University of Strathclyde, is the first stage of establishing the £65 million National Manufacturing Institute Scotland that aims to make Scotland a global leader in advanced manufacturing.

Read more here

Urgent call to rethink Government’s Apprenticeship Levy Industry calls for apprenticeship levy payers to be able to fund wider skills training from their levy cash Make UK survey shows that 95% of manufacturers say levy must be changed to an employer-led system to deliver the skills of the future Read more here

4

News & Events

Investment boosts recycling capacity for Axion Polymers Further investment in Axion Polymers’ Manchester-based plastics recycling facility has increased waste processing capacity, as well as extrusion capability of its 100% recycled polymer grades. It is the first phase of continuing investment in the plant development.

Additional equipment has been purchased and installed at its Shredder Waste Advanced Processing Plant (SWAPP), Trafford Park, which has ‘de-bottlenecked’ part of the high-tech process.

As a result, the plant capacity has improved by over 30% per month, allowing increased volumes of auto shredder residue (ASR) from end-of-life vehicles (ELV) and Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) to be processed into its high-quality Axpoly recycled polypropylene (PP) and ABS grades.

Operated jointly with S Norton, one of the UK’s leading ferrous and non-ferrous metal recyclers, the SWAPP facility, one of the most advanced of its type in Europe, has an annual capacity of 200,000 tonnes separating the non-metallic fractions (ASR or shredder ‘fluff’) from the equivalent of about 800,000 cars a year.

The plant delivers the 95% recycling and recovery rate for cars, creating a circular economic model for automotive materials. Axion’s high-grade Axpoly® recycled polymers can be used as a direct replacement for virgin polymer or combined with virgin polymers for use in demanding applications, including the automotive sector.

The greater processing capacity translates into a 20% increase in recycled polymers produced per month, enabling Axion to satisfy increased demand from the construction and automotive sectors for these materials.

The SWAPP investment means increased volumes of infeed material for Axion’s Salford plant, which refines plastics extracted from ELV and WEEE. It supplies tailored polymers to suit specific end-user requirements, such as modified melt flow, impact resistance and tensile strength.

Axion’s processes demonstrate a full circular economy approach; extracting and refining a high-quality engineering polymer from auto shredder waste and WEEE.

Axion Polymers Commercial Operations Manager Laura Smith says the new investment is ‘great news’, meaning that they can now satisfy more customer orders, adding:“Our customers benefit

from our secure source of infeed material; it means we can reliably satisfy our customer orders. Because of the process modifications we have made, we are now able to supply greater volumes of Axpoly polypropylene and ABS grades every month.”

Praising the team’s hard work, Axion’s General Manager Judith Clayman adds:“They all pulled together to design and install the plant modifications as efficiently as possible and I am very pleased with the result. The investment in the SWAPP plant shows Axion’s commitment to continuously improve and optimise its unique process for recovering materials from end of life vehicles and mixed WEEE appliances.”

Axion Polymers is part of the Axion Group that develops and operates innovative resource recovery and processing solutions for recycling waste materials.The Group works with a wide range of clients within the recycling and process industries on the practical development of new processing and collection methods.

For more information, contact Axion Polymers on 0161 737 6124 or visit the website - www. axiongroup.co.uk @axionpolymers

Why the stars have aligned for continuous processing in the pharmaceutical industry change) averse, the time has now come for more advanced process understanding, measurement, and control. The resulting trend is a move towards continuous processing.

Ian Shott is chairman of BPE, one of the UK’s leaders in engineering process design. Here, he explores why continuous processing is seeing such a rise in popularity within the pharmaceutical sector.

For decades, the cost of pharmaceutical manufacturing has been low, compared to the returns made on new patented prescription drugs. However, that landscape is changing – not least due to the patent cliff of the last decade – and the cost of goods for major pharmaceuticals is increasingly under the spotlight.

In order to grow their businesses, and against a backdrop of more strongly regulated developed markets and more cost sensitive developing markets, there’s a greater need to reduce costs. And while the industry has traditionally been risk (and therefore

5

For an industry to evolve you must have both innovation and opportunity.

Technology, place, attitude and era must all come together for change to happen and that’s exactly what we’re now seeing with continuous processing in pharmaceuticals. The entire supply chain is plugged into the pharmaceutical industry’s need for change. Now that it is recognised that a fundamental shift is needed, we see a consequential appetite to unlock the next wave of technology.

We are experiencing a new sense of openness and willingness among companies in the pharma supply chain to now create new technologies that will accelerate and intensify production and dramatically increase efficiency, hence reducing cost of goods. Among them is BPE, which is an industry leader in continuous processing and has helped a number of businesses move from batch to continuous in recent years.

Alongside this we’re seeing the

advance of biotechnology, and the ability to engineer organisms to produce highly stereospecific enzymes.

The use of engineered enzymes can significantly reduce the number of processing steps and hence, simplify the overall synthesis pathway.

These two advances, when combined, are extremely powerful. One can be used to reduce the number of stages during production and the other can be used to accelerate progress through those stages.

Making such a significant change in production can understandably be a daunting prospect for pharmaceutical firms. After all, this is an industry where delays or quality problems are highly expensive and new technology and process change does present risks that have to be understood, managed, mitigated, minimised or eliminated.

Having the ability to model and design a new continuous process iteratively is therefore an essential step in increasing predictability of outcome and that’s exactly where BPE is helping its customers. BPE has access to the latest innovative modelling techniques, which maximise predictability, hence minimising risk.

These modelling techniques, in combination with continuous processing, can create much more reliable and effective process scale-up.

Well-established continuous process design methodology has been vastly improved through digitalisation and machine-learning algorithms to improve accuracy and predictability. But it’s not just the pharmaceutical industry reaping the benefits.This has a far wider impact.

The industry’s willingness to embrace continuous processing has had a ripple effect and now other industries, such as fine chemicals and cosmetics are using it too.

With the benefits including greater efficiency, cleaner and greener processing, improved quality control, reduced cost and reduced risk, it’s an incredibly exciting prospect that soon even more industries could be embracing the use of continuous processing with a consequential societal benefit.

A free whitepaper on the latest developments in continuous processing is available to request online at www. bpe-ds.com

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Sean Moran Intro

Sean Moran

The Voice of Chemical Engineering

STEM, STEMM, STEAM, SteM I see lots of “STEM” promotion activity by well-meaning engineers, persuaded to address a supposed “STEM shortage”. Quite why anyone would need to promote STEM is a mystery to me: I – and I suspect this is true of many engineers – have always been fascinated by how things work.

What use are reluctant engineers?

But leaving that thought aside, how can the unemployment and underemployment of engineering graduates (and even highly experienced engineers) be so high if there is a STEM shortage? The answer is simple: there is no STEM shortage. There are forecasts of shortages, just as there have been for decades. But there is no actual STEM shortage.

There are complaints from employers that they cannot get a particular kind of employee on terms which favour the employer. But there is no STEM shortage. There are complaints from universities that they only have nine applicants for each place on engineering courses. But there is no STEM shortage, just as there was not in 1957, 1982, or 2014, times when we were also told there was supposedly a STEM shortage. What there is, and always will be, is a shortage of good engineers willing to work for peanuts.

The problem here is the very concept of “STEM” itself, which lumps together Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as if they were four words for the same thing.

Universities are funded to teach and promote “STEM”, but their version is more like SteM - Science and Maths, because in the main they don’t know how to teach anything as practical as engineering and technology (areas which academia often thinks are the business of “industry” to teach). Some academics even expand STEM to STEMM (including medicine, and sometimes nursing), or at its extreme STEAM (including arts), as some sort of attempt to ride on Engineering’s coat tails towards greater funding and promotion of their subject areas.

But, even ignoring the desperate Arts and Medicine addons, S,T,E and M are quite different. Each of the four letters covers a wide range of academic disciplines and associated industries. Consider for a

moment only the “engineering practitioners” part of the “E” in STEM. Let’s ignore the various engineering disciplines for now, and consider instead the fact that we can split most branches of engineering into graduate “technical” and non-graduate “craft” practitioners. Whilst the STEM concept is being used to funnel money into higher education in the interests of fixing the “STEM shortage”, very few real STEM shortages are of graduate engineers. What we are short of are plumbers, not chemical engineering graduates.

Is it appropriate then to respond to a temporary shortage of time-served control panel wiremen (a craft job) willing to work for £8 per hour in, say, Ebbw Vale by increasing student numbers on electrical engineering degree programmes which will produce graduates in four years’ time? How about mathematics courses in Germany? Of course not, because there is no such thing as STEM. There are specific, non-interchangeable skillsets in each discipline, sub discipline and sub-sub discipline.

Otherwise all the unemployed experienced chemical engineers laid off by the oil and gas industry could simply go and get a job in the presently booming water sector, or whatever alternative “STEM shortage” career took their fancy. There is of course a discipline of chemical engineering, and there are generic cross sector skills within that discipline, but with a glut of engineers, employers have no real incentive to help people to train or retrain.

The mystery is why professional engineers would want to help employers and universities on this basis. The answer, I think, is because of our goodwill towards the next generation. Sometimes our goodwill may be limited to just a subtype of those engineers which we personally identify with, but this is the main motivation of those I talk to.

Our goodwill is being exploited by academia and big business under the guise of a ‘STEM shortage’ to exploit in turn those who we wish to help. I’m not saying engineers shouldn’t help at all, but only in the most direct possible fashion. Instead of providing your time for free to HE institutions who are charging their students for your input, maybe mentor or take on a student, an apprentice or a graduate. Make them into the engineers of the future. Only engineers can make engineers, so it’s down to us.

Currently I’m in campaigning mode, so here’s a quick taster of what’s to expect:

I see lots of “STEM” promotion activity by well-meaning engineers, persuaded to address a supposed “STEM shortage”.

Why anyone would need to promote STEM is a mystery to me, I was always fascinated by how things work, just like all real engineers. What use are reluctant engineers? That aside, how can the unemployment and underemployment of engineering graduates (and even highly experienced engineers) be so high if there is a STEM shortage?

The answer is simple. There is no STEM shortage. There are forecasts of shortages, just as there have been for decades. But there is no actual STEM shortage.

There are complaints from employers that they cannot get a particular kind of employee on terms which favour the employer.

But there is no STEM shortage.

There are complaints from universities that they only have nine applicants for each place on engineering courses. But there is no STEM shortage, just as there was not in 1957, 1982, or 2014, times when we were also told there was supposedly a STEM shortage. What there is (and will always be) is a shortage of good engineers willing to work for peanuts.

Next time, I’ll get more into it…

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

6

News & Events

ULTRAFLO U1000MKII-FM

New South Africa Office for WatsonMarlow Fluid Technology Group

THE NEW ALTERNATIVE TO CUTTING PIPES AND MECHANICAL METERS FROM MICRONICS, FOR SIMPLE, LOW COST FLOW MEASUREMENT FROM OUTSIDE THE PIPE!

NEW!

Pipe range has been extended to 6" pipes.

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) has opened a new, larger office, servicing facility and ‘peristaltic test lab” demonstration area in South Africa.

This new, larger premises - totalling more than 23002 metres - will provide additional levels of technical support and service for the Bredel range of high-pressure hose pumps, MasoSine sinusoidal pumps and Watson-Marlow peristaltic pumps and tubing.

Located in Laser Park, West Rand, the office will be staffed by a team of 28 people led by Nico van Schalkwyk, General Manager, who has been with the company since 1989. It incorporates space for ‘clean’ stores for products, as well as dedicated receiving and dispatch areas.

Along with extra space for warehousing and pump servicing, the new facility incorporates a fully equipment training center and test lab. This area has been designed to deliver operation and maintenance training to WMFTG’s own staff as well as distributors and customers.

Nico van Schalkwyk, General Manager of Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group South Africa comments:

“This is a very exciting time for my team and I. We’re delighted that the investment in additional facilities allows us to offer a much deeper level of support to our many customers. I am particularly proud that we are offering the first peristaltic test lab in South Africa and which will keep us one step ahead our competitors.”

Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group has a global network of operations including ten factories and 37 direct sales offices. The company is part of the Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc Group and is headquartered in Cornwall, UK. www.wmftg.com

The U1000MKII-FM is an ultrasonic permanent/ fixed clamp-on flow metering solution for measuring flow rate and total flow with a volume pulse output and optional Modbus or 4-20mA flow proportional output, which can be used as a stand alone meter or as part of an integral management system.

Simple to install – connect power and enter the pipe inside diameter, adjust the sensors and clamp-on the pipe – no specialist skills or tools required!

A cost effective alternative to traditional in-line meter installation, plus dry servicing, providing minimum downtime and maximum availability!

Compact, rugged and reliable, the U1000MKIIFM has been designed to provide sustained performance in industrial environments.

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For fur ther information call us on

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or email sales@micronicsltd.co.uk w w w.micronicsflowmeters.com 1247-Micronics U1000 MkII HM Ad 130 x 380mm Sept 2016 v1.indd 3

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Suitable for: Steel, Plastic and Copper pipe, 25mm – 180mm OD

13/09/2018 20:04

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Feature Article

By Henrik Bendsen, Product Manager of JOFRA temperature calibrators

How to Reduce the

Biggest Error Contributor

in Temperature Calibration There are many error sources when performing temperature calibration in a dry-block and very often it is necessary to make an uncertainty budget. The list of error sources is long and comprises: - Axial gradient - Horizontal gradient - Temperature coefficient - Load - Resolution - Stability - Drift - Hysteresis - Insert - Insert age - Curve fit error Normally, the specifications of a temperature calibrator is based on tests performed under “ideal conditions”. For example, the load of the insert is kept at a minimum during these “ideal conditions”, which means that the calibrator is only loaded with a

reference sensor. This scenario differs from the conditions when the calibrator is actually used by the end-user for calibrating a big diameter sensor, or even more sensors calibrated at the same time. Both are scenarios that can cause errors in your calibration results if you do not take precautions.

So, what can you do to reduce error in your temperature calibration? Well, the two biggest contributors to error are the load of the calibrator and the axial gradient, so let’s take a closer look at those.

Error Due to Load If a calibrator is loaded with a 10 mm diameter sensor the error caused by this load can easily get to 0,15°C or more depending on the calibrator being used. The error from load is not a fixed value but is dependent on the sensor diameter of the UUT (Unit Under Test).

The error caused by load can very easily be reduced to a tenth or less just by using an external reference in the insert together with the UUT sensor. The external sensor can be as a stand alone together with an external handheld thermometer or, maybe even better, the external reference can be connected directly to the calibrator.

By connecting the external reference sensor to the calibrator, the reference sensor can serve two purposes at the same time. First of all it serves as the reference indicating the accuracy, but at the same time it is used as the controlling sensor.

By using an external reference sensor the error caused by load is dramatically reduced.

Error Due to Axial Gradient The ideal way to calibrate is in a bath with very high stirring and thus getting a very high temperature homogeneity around the sensor that is calibrated.

There are several reasons why this is not a practical solution though. Bath calibrators are often big and heavy and therefore not practical for onsite calibration. On top of that there is a safety issue with the risk of spilling hot oil, and the sensors being “polluted” with silicone oil.

For these reasons a dry-block calibrator is often the chosen solution when performing on-site calibration. The term homogeneity is now replaced by axial and radial gradients as we move from a liquid bath to a dry-block. Due to the relatively small diameters of the insert in a dry-block calibrator, the error steaming from radial

gradient is normally very small, typically 0,01°C. The error from axial gradient is normally far higher even with a relatively small load. Moreover, the error contribution from axial gradient is changing with different loads and different temperatures.

How to Minimise Errors from Axial Gradients The first step to take to minimise error from axial gradient is to choose a calibrator with a dual-zone design as these types of calibrators have a main heating zone at the lower part of the calibrator and a top zone performing compensation for the heat loss. The dual-zone calibrators are supplied with special internal sensors that can measure the temperature at the two zones, and that can control the energy from the individual zones. By doing this they are able to equalize the temperature differences. To make this system efficient the “zone” sensors needs to be placed in the insert alongside and very close to the UUT sensor.

To minimise the axial gradient to an absolute minimum these zone sensors should influence directly on the energy distribution to the two heating zones. The system that makes the dual-zone calibrators able to equalize the temperature difference is called DLC (Dynamic Load Compensation) and is typically only available on topmodel temperature calibrators on the market. The value of the difference in temperature from the bottom of the calibrator and 60 mm up is shown in the display of the calibrator and the value is used by the controller to minimise the axial gradient. End result is that the DLC system makes a dry-block perform like a bath in regard

Dry-block calibrators with optional DLC

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

8

Feature Article

to temperature homogeneity and tells the user what temperature contribution is inside the calibrator.

What Are the Important Benefits of the DLC System?

So, to sum up, by using a dry-block calibrator with a DLC system you not only ensure that big diameter sensors are calibrated without losing accuracy due to heat conduction, you also save time on calibrating multiple sensors simultaneously.

The displayed difference temperature value for the axial gradient indicates when the optimum temperature homogeneity is achieved in the dry-block, and when the load has minimum influence on the calibration result.

When the difference temperature value is close to zero, the calibration technician knows that the calibration results are reliable.

But there is also the impact of the uncertainty budget to take into consideration. So, let’s take a look at how using a dry-block with a DLC system impacts this.

What Is the Impact on the Uncertainty Budget?

The biggest error in the uncertainty budget is by far the axial homogeneity. By using the value of the difference temperature measurement, and putting the reading in the uncertainty budget, the overall uncertainty with K=2 can be reduced from 0,185°C to 0,034°C.

DLC system makes it possible to calibrate multiple sensors at the same time

Uncertainty budget: Calibrator loaded with ø 10 mm sensor with no gradient control 1

Temperature of reference thermometer

121,003

2

Uncertainty reference thermometer (k=2)

0,015

Normal

0,0075

3

Resolution of RTC temperature indicator

0,001

Square

0,0003

4

Hysteresis effect

0,008

Square

0,0046

5

Axial temperature homogeneity

0,159

Square

0,0918

6

Radial temperature homogeneity

0,004

Square

0,0023

7

Loading effect

0,004

Square

0,0023

8

Stability in time

0,003

Square

0,0017

121,003

k=1

0,092

Geometrical sum

k=2

0,185

Uncertainty budget: Calibrator loaded with ø 10 mm sensor with gradient control 1

Temperature of reference thermometer

121,003

2

Uncertainty reference thermometer (k=2)

0,015

Normal

0,0075

3

Resolution of RTC temperature indicator

0,001

Square

0,0003

4

Hysteresis effect

0,008

Square

0,0046

5

Axial temperature homogeneity

0,024

Square

0,0139

6

Radial temperature homogeneity

0,004

Square

0,0023

7

Loading effect

0,004

Square

0,0023

8

Stability in time

0,003

Square

0,0017

121,003

k=1

0,017

Geometrical sum *

k=2

0,034

Conclusion With a DLC system in a dry-block calibrator you can get calibration results that are extremely close to the results achieved if the same calibration was performed in a bath as the dry-block performs bath-like homogeneity. The dryblock performs as a calibration bath but without the disadvantages such as heavy weight, slow calibration and the risk of hot-oil-spills.

9

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Maintenance

Rapid parts for rotating equipment New technologies reducing lead times for spare parts

Precision data acquisition allows dimensions to be repeated within 0.025 mm (0.001 in.).

Recent advances in the design and manufacture of spare parts have led to a significant reduction in the time taken to create replacement components for breakdown situations or for those that have reached the end of their service life. Digitalization and new manufacturing techniques have paved the way for a dramatic improvement in lead times.

Pharic Smith, Head of Engineering, Parts Retrofit and Siegbert Hardock, Head of Tendering, Parts Retrofit for Sulzer, look at what can be achieved today.

Important assets such as pumps, compressors, expanders and turbines are designed to offer a long service life, but at some point, new parts will be required to maintain reliable operation.

In some cases, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) will be able to support the equipment, but in others, it may be necessary to source the parts from a third party.

The durability of such equipment means that decades may have passed since the machine was originally manufactured and this can lead to additional challenges when spare parts are required. For some, the OEM may no longer be in business, while for others, the lead time on a new OEM part may be more than expected.

Best of both worlds Fortunately, the technology used in modern parts manufacturing has come a long way during the past

Creating new components using sand for a 3D printed mold.

few decades. The introduction of computer numeric control (CNC) has delivered considerable improvements in machining precision, along with the advent of 3-dimensional (3D) drawings.

More recent innovations such as additive manufacturing and hybrid manufacturing have led to huge time savings when creating casting molds as well the components themselves.

Maintenance engineers who are looking for new components suddenly have a glut of solutions that can deliver parts in record time.

In many cases, the original engineering drawings for a component will not be available, which means the part will have to be reverse engineered.

Depending on the complexity of the part, this can require hundreds or thousands of measurements to be taken and used to create the drawing for a new part.

Thanks to the latest in 3D laser scanning equipment, a new drawing for a complex object, such as a pump impeller, can be created in a matter of minutes. Better still, improvements can be made to the original design; upgrading materials, applying modern coatings or improving efficiency by applying computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to optimize performance and durability.

Breaking the mould Larger components are often created by pouring molten metal into a sand

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

A multi-axis CNC robot can create precise molds and cores.

Specialist cleaning and polishing equipment complete the process.

mould, which would traditionally have been made using a wooden template.

Today, the 3D computer aided design (CAD) can be used with a 3D sand printer to rapidly build a mould that incorporates vents that are positioned to optimize the escape of gases from the mould, ensuring optimum quality of the base material.

Processes such as laser metal deposition can be used to add material that has an excellent bond but with minimal heat build-up, reducing stress within the component. The final dimensions are then achieved through multi-axis CNC machine tools before the quality control checks are completed.

An alternative mould making process is to use a multi-axis CNC robot milling tool to create a precision mould from a solid block of sand. This process takes just a few hours, as opposed to a few weeks that would be required to create a traditional wooden pattern. Using the latest technology, lead times can be drastically reduced, especially when the various aspects of the process are well connected, or better, all on the same site.

Every parts manufacturer should have extensive testing facilities including non-destructive testing (NDT), material analysis, chemical analysis and heat treatment reports. These are crucial in determining the exact specifications of the new component and ensuring that they meet the required standards.

Local specialist engineering Investing in the technology and machinery that is necessary to deliver precision new parts is just the first step.

Delivering this service requires a global network of service centres, capable of understanding the intricacies of each project and communicating directly with the specialist parts manufacturing centres. Sulzer has developed just such a network, along with the expertise and knowledge to deliver high quality new parts quickly.

Having created the basic component, the machine shop needs to apply the precision finish using CNC lathes, milling tools and grinders to deliver the final dimensions and surface finish. These can be optimized for the application and ensure a perfect fit when it comes to reassembly.

Rebuilding and renewing In situations where parts have become worn or eroded, it may not be necessary to create a completely new component. Hybrid engineering, which combines additive manufacturing and precision machining, can be used to rebuild existing parts back to their original dimensions.

For further information, please contact: Daniela Haldenwang, Marketing Manager Sulzer Pumpen (Deutschland) GmbH Tel: +49 (0) 7251 76 202 Email: daniela.haldenwang@sulzer.com Web: www.sulzer.com

10

To learn more about the Moore Industries HES HART to Ethernet Gateway System Call +44(0)1293 514488 or visit www.miinet.com/HES

Maintenance

Launch of New Formulation for Welding Wire EnDOtec® DO*327 and New Electrode 6327 XHD free with up to 15 mm in thickness.

All these improvements equal to excellent weldability, performance, and deposition rate.

Application

Welders will be more than pleased to hear about the launch of Castolin Eutectic’s new formulation for welding wire EnDOtec® DO*327 and new electrode EutecTrode 6327 XHD. These are not just any other new products but highly advanced, applying the latest technology in the industry. The electrode 6327 XHD is a high-performance-electrode for rebuilding, and wear facing applications. You can term the two new products as the perfect couple ever from Castolin Eutectic.

These products are mainly developed for wear protective coatings on alloy steel and austenitic steel. The sectors where DO*327 & 6327 XHD is mostly needed are in mining, drilling, cement, quarries, dies, tools and public works. Hammers, anvils, rolls, crusher casings, mechanical loader bucket edges, and teeth also need DO*327 & 6327 XHD.

EnDOtec® DO*327 This is a metal-cored wire that is gas-shielded which was developed with the aim of producing multipass crack-free coating for subjects that prone to wear when they come into contact with abrasion and high

Improved Features This combination comes with highly improved features. The impact wear resistance and combined abrasion are highly advanced with a sustaining hardness of up to 550 degrees Celsius and deposits that are slag and spatter-free. They offer multiple pass and coatings that are crack-

pressure. It is the best product for relatively thick and multipass layers.

Its deposits are resistant to cracking from stress release. EnDOtec® DO*327 contains characteristics of a unique peripheral arc. With this product, you will need low heat input to get low dilutions. It promises a maximized recovery for weld materials and positional weldability that is exceptional.

EnDOtec® DO*327 is spattering free in virtual terms and has a regular bead profile. You will enjoy versatile usage within a wide parameter range.

The tremendous current density of EnDOtec® DO*327 enabled a cored-wire to be welded in lower amperages as compared to wires that are solid. This makes the metal transfer stable across the arc given the ionizing elements of the core.

With lower heat input welds will have better bonding, microstructure properties that are superior and fewer zones are affected by heat in maximum service performance.

www.castolin.com

ESAB digital solutions offers seamless customer experience across suite of online data management solutions

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products announced that it has migrated all elements of its ESAB Digital Solutions offering to a unified platform powered

by Microsoft Azure IoT and utilising the ThingWorx® Industrial Innovation Platform from PTC. The move provides a seamless customer experience across the entire fabrication workflow and enables the system to seamlessly share data between components on the backend. ESAB’s suite of digital services links plate optimisation, cutting, welding, gas management

and quality assurance to drive continuous improvement in traceability, documentation, asset management, productivity and quality.

WeldScanner for real-time monitoring and recording of arc characteristics as well as various gas management systems.

“Manufacturers and fabricators that want to be part of the digital transformation need a solution that connects every step of the metalworking process, and ESAB is one of the very few industry partners to offer a complete portfolio of digital services,” says Ludvig Enlund, General Manager, ESAB Digital Solutions.

“ESAB Digital Solutions enables users to put data to work to drive continuous improvement in four major areas: asset management, productivity, quality and documentation/traceability,” says Enlund.

ESAB’s digitally-linked service offerings include Columbus® III CAD/CAM nesting software for mechanised cutting, CutCloud™ for cutting productivity data, WeldCloud™ and WeldCloud Universal Connector for welding productivity, WeldQAS and

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

In one recent success story, the capabilities of ESAB Digital Solutions reduced the time the welding supervisor spent on documentation by one hour per week, per welding station.

“Products such as WeldCloud, WeldScanner and WeldQAS automate what is a tedious and costly process that is also prone to human error,”

says Enlund.“With the need for documentation and traceability growing, especially in the power, wind tower, offshore, pressure vessel, shipbuilding and other industries, connected solutions help fabricators use time more productively.”

In a second example, ESAB’s Digital Solutions enabled a fabricator of agricultural equipment to increase MIG welding arc-on time from 10 to 20 percent.

“A fabrication step that had previously been a bottleneck now provides the productivity essential for meeting demand,” says Enlund.“The customer identified activities that they could offload from their highly skilled welding operators, freeing them to focus more on welding.”

12

Process measurement

New low cost range of safe and hazardous area pressure transmitters The AMO M10 is a new low cost industrial pressure transmitter designed for general purpose pressure measurement. This sensor is rugged and durable, providing accurate measurement even under harsh conditions, available in gauge, absolute and sealed gauge versions.

The MPM489 model is the ATEX approved version certified to ATEX Exia IIC T4 Ga. The Diaphragm is the sensing element in these pressure sensors which is comprised of multiple layers including a silicone substrate. The strain on which is determined using a diffused resistor network. Monocrystalline silicone is the low-cost material used in the manufacturing of these semiconductor based sensors. Silicone material displays excellent piezoresistive properties.

When pressure is applied, the diaphragm flexes and causes a deformation in its crystal lattice which ultimately modifies the band structure placed on the diaphragm and

changes the resistivity of the material.

Semiconductor resistors on the front side transduce this tension into resistance changes by means of the piezoresistive effect.

Silicone in its crystal form is a hookean material which, when flexed, has virtually zero hysteresis and hence does not have any energy dissipation.

Silicone is highly reliable as it displays low fatigue stress characteristics and it can be deflected in the range of billions to trillions of cycle without failure Silicone has Young’s Modulus of about 2*105 MPa, which is same as that of steel, but silicone is as light as aluminium, with a mass density of about 2.3 g/cm3. Silicone has a melting point of about 1400°C.This high melting point makes silicon dimensionally stable even at elevated temperatures. Its thermal expansion coefficient is about 8 times smaller than that of steel, and is more than 10 times smaller than that of aluminium.

Silicone is an elastic material with no plastic or creep below 800°C.These

unique features makes it an ideal material for piezoresistive pressure sensors The method of assembly has a substantial effect on the sensor’s characteristic performance. These piezoresistive silicone sensors convert mechanical tension to an electrical signal and cannot distinguish between tension due to the signal (pressure) and that caused by thermal expansion changes or other effects. The sensor data therefore tends to have a thermal dependency which requires accurate on-board compensation. The major advantage of this fabrication technique however guarantees high precision and large volume production at low costs.

Both models are constructed from stainless steel with a choice of grades

Energy Management for Increased Plant Efficiency

One of the most important components for lowering operating costs and reducing energy waste is identifying key areas of a plant where leveraging the attributes of a technology in any given scenario has the most profound effect on efficiency, with a quantifiable return on investment falling in the oneto two-year time frame.

13

Purchased fuel and electricity consumption are two areas where any improvements in efficiency directly impact a company’s bottom line.

Having the ability to monitor the end-use location of fuel throughout a facility as well as the consumption specifics for individual applications — predominately the boiler — can offer insight to potential areas of improvement. A

similar statement can be made for electricity consumption: reductions can be realized by simply identifying where the energy is being lost.

In the energy management arena, the ability to better monitor combustion air, fuel gas flow and compressed air can help identify losses that over short periods of time can affect a plant’s profitability.

The two key phrases when discussing instrumentation for the aforementioned are “cost effective” and “return on investment.” Without question, any situation can be resolved if enough financial resources are thrown in its direction. The idea is to realize the benefit in the shortest time frame possible at the most reasonable cost.

Thermal dispersion mass flow meters meet these criteria.

Thermal mass flow meters are primarily used in air and gas flow measurement applications.

The meters consist of a transmitter and probe with temperature sensors (RTDs) located in the pins at the bottom of the probe. The reference sensor measures the process temperature and the other sensor is heated to a specific

to ensure application suitability. Process connections and operating pressure ranges can be specified as can options for signal output type, diaphragm material and electrical connections. Every device is temperature compensated and calibrated and supplied with a traceable serial number and calibration certificate. The electronics incorporate a microprocessor-based amplifier which means that there are no adjusting pots and therefore the electronics are very stable, especially in high vibration and high shock applications.

For further information contact mail@ bellflowsystems.co.uk or call 01280 817304.

temperature above the reference.

As the flow rate increases, heat gets taken away from the heated sensor. More power is then applied to the heated sensor to maintain the temperature difference. The relationship between power and mass flow rate is established during factory calibration.

Thermal mass flow meters have many features that are particularly well suited for energy management. Aside from an economical purchase price, they are easy to install and have calibration verification procedures that can be run in the field, providing a low total cost of ownership. They are one of the only technologies that directly measure mass flow without the need for pressure or temperature compensation.

A strong signal at low flows / low pressures with a high turndown allow the technology to be utilized all over the plant, including key processes such as combustion air flow, fuel gas flow and compressed air.

For more information on energy management and other steam generation applications, download the steam generation white paper.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Process measurement

CEREAL MANUFACTURER WAKES UP TO FOAM CONTROL EFFICIENCY Purpose-designed foam measurement technology from Hycontrol has resulted in cost savings of approximately £30,000 in the effluent plant of one of Europe’s largest cereal manufacturing sites. Managers at the site, which produces thousands of tonnes of breakfast cereal every year for distribution across the continent, are now considering expanding their use of the patented foam technology.

to a troublesome level. This is usually done by dosing the chemical into the foaming process automatically, often on a timer basis. Chemicals are usually added in quantities based on the maximum expected demand. This does result in existing foam subsiding and being kept down. Unfortunately, this method is not only an inefficient solution to the problem, but it can also create additional concerns.

Water and waste treatment are often carried out at large food manufacturing sites, and cereal is no different.

Foaming in effluent tanks, in particular, can become a major problem if left unchecked. Foamy, dirty overspills are a very messy occurrence, and clean-ups of such events are costly in terms of both time and money. Liquid overspills create health and safety risks by putting employees in danger of injury from slips and falls. Additionally, serious pollution can result if foam escapes into the environment.

The first, obvious problem arising from automatic dosing is that of cost. Antifoam is an expensive commodity and costs can rapidly balloon into a massive unwanted and unforeseen overhead. In some cases, overuse of antifoam can also have a negative effect on the process, and consideration must also be given to the long-term detrimental effect that the disposal and dispersal of these chemicals can have on our health and the environment.

The most common method of reducing and removing foam, and the risks that it generates, is to dose the effluent or process with antifoaming chemicals, breaking up the foam as it forms and preventing it from rising

With all of these considerations in mind, engineers at the manufacturer recognised that more could be done to increase efficiency and control costs at their on-site effluent treatment plant.

The company agreed to trial Redditchbased level measuring manufacturer Hycontrol’s SureSense foam control system. A controller and two-metre-long probe were set up on one effluent tank, linked to control an antifoam dosing pump.

Unlike competing products, Hycontrol’s high-sensitivity foam sensors have been designed specifically to measure

foam, and are not simply modified or adapted liquid level sensors. This technology was originally developed for use in biochemical fermenters but has been used in a wide range of industries since. This level of sensitivity means that the system will dose antifoam only when foam is present at a pre-determined level. Clear benefits, financially and environmentally, can be achieved through the use of a reactive system that doses antifoam only when it is required.

Measuring the level of foam is only the first challenge that this technology has to overcome. It is also vital to avoid false readings caused by the build-up of foam and other substances on the probe. Hycontrol’s IMA (Intelligent Multi-Action) sensing is the backbone of many of Hycontrol’s foam monitoring products and allows for the reliable measurement of foam even when a sensor is covered with a thick, sticky layer of fouling. It enables the sensor to discriminate between the residual deposits of foam/product build-up on the sensor itself and the foam being created in the process.

Effectively the foam sensor ignores the inevitable fouling that accrues during normal operation. In spite of heavy coatings of dense, sticky residue, the foam probe will keep measuring foam throughout the process cycle.

In this case, the foam system has proven a notable success: in the two years that the system has been in place it has proven to be consistently reliable and accurate.

Antifoam usage on the tank has been reduced by approximately 92%, with a saving of around £30,000 per year.The customer is now considering utilising the upgraded SureSense⁺ foam control system to oversee the antifoam pumps on their two remaining on-site effluent tanks.

A representative said:“Having initially been sceptical as to just how effective Hycontrol’s foam control technology could really be, I’ve been very pleasantly surprised by the accuracy and reliability of the system. We’ve had to make a few minor adjustments due to changes in the foam density, but otherwise, it has proven to be very successful. The budget savings on antifoam expenditure have already covered the equipment costs several times over!”

For more information on Hycontrol’s foam control technology, please visit www.foamcontrol.co.uk.

Accurate Flow Measurement of Corrosive Fluids Titan Enterprises reports how its Metraflow ultrasonic flowmeter has been selected by a leading fluid metering and water treatment company to accurately measure chemical disinfection dosing using sodium hypochlorite.

Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is a highly corrosive liquid commonly used as an oxidizing and bleaching agent and as a disinfectant. These properties challenge component parts used in most flowmeters.

Neil Hannay, senior development engineer at Titan Enterprises commented “Our customer chose

the Metraflow because its clean bore design is based upon a chemically resistant Perfluoralkoxy Alkane (PFA) tube onto which are mounted high sensitivity ultrasonic sensors. The excellent chemical stability of the single PFA flow tube, coupled with the lack of any connections or seals within the flowmeter itself, enable prolonged accurate flow measurement of corrosive fluids”.

The Metraflow ultrasonic flowmeter was designed for customers tasked with applications that pose fluid compatibility challenges. Using patented ultrasonic technology, the MetraFlow is able to reliably operate

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

with excellent accuracy across flow ranges from 20 to 5000 ml/min, having excellent turndown of 50:1; repeatability (+/– 0.1%); linearity and a reading accuracy of better than +/– 0.5% full scale.

Each Metraflow ultrasonic flowmeter comes as standard with an LCD display and three customer configurable digital input/output options and an analogue output.

Flexible interface software allows you to configure the Metraflow flowmeter as required via a USB port, giving great flexibility to optimize the device for integration within a wider chemical production operating plant.

For further information on the Metraflow ultrasonic flowmeter please visit here or contact Titan Enterprises on +44-1935-812790 / sales@flowmeters.co.uk

14

Corrosive environments.

Costly blowdowns.

Hidden costs.

Don’t let your efficiency evaporate.

This is why level matters.

Steam production is responsible for up to 60% of your total energy consumption. Which means any inefficiency can cost you a small fortune. That’s why Magnetrol® matters. We’ll help you identify hidden costs, improve production and reduce downtime. And we have the broadest portfolio of level instruments to optimize your entire steam generation and condensate recovery process. That’s critical. Because at your plant, level matters.

©2019 Magnetrol International

Download the Steam Generation Optimization Kit at steamgen.magnetrol.com

Water industry focus

Feature Article

By Paul O’Callaghan, Chief Executive of BlueTech Research

Corporations

Look To Water Reuse To Strengthen Resilience Industrial companies that use a high volume of water in their processes are having to think carefully about the risk water scarcity poses to their operations. Paul O’Callaghan, chief executive, BlueTech Research, shares learnings from his dialogues with cross-sector industrial end-users about their innovation requirements and how they are closing the loop through wastewater reuse.

“Some of what’s being implemented is relatively simple – training for staff around best practice, improved water efficiency or upgrading treatment plants to run more effectively.

Other solutions involving innovation and new technology may require huge investment and major changes in process, but this is crucial if we are to have any meaningful impact.

“Globally, there has been a significant increase in both general water reuse and nonpotable water reuse projects and the use of available technology in this area is accelerating.

Ambitious targets around water use have been set by many big corporations, with innovative solutions being sought and developed, as companies seek to strengthen their resilience and reduce reliance on nonsustainable sources. As the water scarcity situation becomes ever more critical, the issue is being discussed in boardrooms around the globe, with major changes in process being implemented as a result.

BlueTech Research is a specialised market intelligence company tracking water sector

17

technology and innovation globally. In September it will publish its Industrial Reuse Report Plan, which gives in depth technical data and analysis on how industries, including food and beverage, pharma and oil & gas, are currently reusing water - and how much more could be reused.

The report follows the BlueTech Forum held in London in June, where challenges, goals and innovations around water resources were discussed by many global corporations including Heineken, BP, KimberleyClark and Nestlé.

Chief executive Paul O’Callaghan said: “We are seeing some significant changes in how large businesses are managing their water resources with more and more now exploring alternative methods.

“Companies depend on water to operate, so it’s obviously in their interest to think about how they could use less. We know many are striving for continuous reductions in water use and have set themselves ambitious targets, such as achieving zero waste.

“This shift is good news for all of us – and it’s come as a critical time. A commonly cited statistic is that industry accounts for 20% of global water consumption. Therefore, industries are likely to be among the first to come under pressure to use less - we’re now seeing large corporations such as L’Oreal and Heineken take concrete action.

“Of course, the challenge with all new processes is getting the balance right – such as how to reuse water without using too much energy? How can large companies meet their

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Feature Article

Installation of membranes for industrial reuse at a meat processing facility in Poland. Image: Nijhuis Industries sustainability targets, while still being productive and providing a good service to their customers?

“These issues must be carefully considered before any new processes are implemented. Even when we think we’ve got it right, when it comes to sustainability and resilience, we must not stand still. Processes must continue to be reviewed as new technologies become available.”

Peer-to-peer learnings Water availability and solutions to mitigate water scarcity were the biggest talking points at this year’s BlueTech Forum. During a peer-to-peer discussion, companies said cost was a key consideration when researching watersaving projects, with some prioritising innovations which provide resource recovery, and technologies that can achieve “circular water”.

Scalable pilot studies were of high importance, with some companies leaning more towards digital technologies, including artificial intelligence – without forgetting the value of human input.There was also a warning not to focus on “magic solutions” as opposed to more realistic options.

Among delegates from the municipal and utility sectors, there was interest in membrane filtration and advanced oxidation process (AOP) technologies, with companies particularly interested in finding innovative technologies that can integrate with – and optimise advanced treatment systems.

Attendees also spoke of their achievements made through implementing best practice and engaging employees to change the culture within their organisation.

One of the biggest single themes emerging from discussions was the desire for delegates from all industries to collaborate and share information further, to help get the most out of new innovations, help with circular economy initiatives and look towards responsible water stewardship.

No one company or even one industry can hope to influence a watershed alone – communication between various industry groups and other stakeholders is essential.

The next BlueTech Forum takes place in Vancouver, Canada in June 2020. Email sarah.condon@ bluetechresearch.com for updates.

Constrained groundwater supplies prompted this meat processing facility to move to industrial reuse. Image: Nijhuis Industries

Industry leaders share best practice Menno M Holterman is chief executive on Nijhuis Industries, which delivers solutions and innovation water and wastewater projects globally. He said: “Worldwide we see a trend that water reuse is becoming mandatory for some of the major corporations. It depends on geographical locations of course, but in areas where they’re facing a lot of water stress, availability is being seriously accessed and reviewed.”

One example is a project for the largest slaughterhouse in Poland.

“Instead of discharging 8,000m3 a day of treated effluent to surface waters, we’re now installing an 8,000m3 reuse plant. The water is treated to a very high quality and recirculated back into the production facility.”

Cosmetics Company L’Oréal has rolled out a ‘dry factory’ concept to reduce water consumption in its manufacturing operations.

The global cosmetics company embarked on an ambitious roll-out of water reduction in its factories worldwide and has a 2020 global goal to reduce total water consumption by 60%.

Hans-Ulrich Buchholz, environmental compliance director, said:“We had to think how to improve the reuse of water and how to close loops by developing recycling projects.

Dry factory means that we reduce municipal water consumption to just two essential uses – domestic water for use of our employees and for the production of water that serves as raw material for

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

our product. For the rest of the processes and utility uses, we do not use any additional fresh water.

“The treatment and recycling of industrial water is quite new in the cosmetics industry. High quality standards have to be strictly respected to enable the use of recycled water in utilities.

Recycling every drop of used water is economic and, under strict quality conditions, technically possible and safe to do. Ultimately we want to contribute positively in the regions where our industrial activity takes place.”

Industrial water management specialist Aquatech partnered with a major oil company in Kuwait to achieve resilience. The company required large volumes of ultrapure water to generate the steam used for enhanced oil recovery.

Devesh Sharma, managing director, said:“The facility could easily use subsidised desalinated water produced by the Government, but the carbon footprint is high. Instead they looked at taking water from the Sulaibiya wastewater reuse plant, which uses ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis to produce water for industrial uses. However, we went a step further with them and we’re now actually taking the reject wastewater stream from the Sulaibiya plant, which is used to generate the 30 million l/ day of ultrapure water that they require. That’s a great example of resilience.”

18

Water industry focus

Water quality measurement using the updated Ponsel Odeon Bell Environmental are pleased to offer their new easy to use rugged IP67 water quality meter called the Odeon.

The Odeon series has been designed to provide the end user with a highly flexible advanced system for people working in the water and wastewater, environmental, agricultural, and manufacturing, food and drinks sectors where instrumentation forms part of a crucial process.

This meter can accept any digital sensors from the Ponsel DIGISENS range and provide instantaneous readings for them all. The sensor options include pH, ORP, Conductivity, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity, TSS and Sludge Level. These probes are all ready to use and come supplied with a factory calibration certificate. Their calibration history is logged within them, and can be reviewed at any time through the Odeon meter.

Each sensor can be offered in multiple lengths allowing for even more flexibility; 3m, 7m, 15m and any length up to 100m can be customer built for your application. This makes these sensors suitable for when measuring

water quality in hard to reach areas such as boreholes or wells.

Four readings at once The Odeon meter is available in two different model types; a single channel model called Open One Line and a model called Open X Line. The Open X Line allows for up to two sensors to be connected at one time.

The Open X Line model, when coupled with a Y Cable, can also allow the user to connect up to 4 sensors to a single Odeon device. All of these are powered directly from the Odeon handheld meter, with data logging within them, which can then be downloaded to a PC and exported into programs such as excel for further data analysis.

All Odeon digital sensors also carry their calibration information on their sensor. This means that the sensor can be interchanged between Odeon devices, without the need to worry about recalibration.

Autonomous operation option While the Odeon has primarily

been designed for use as a handheld meter, the device also offers the ability for short term autonomous operation.

For example with two sensors connected, reading every one minute the meter can left for up to ten days of data collection in the field.

The connectors for the sensors are waterproof using a Clic-LocTM Plug A special extended battery pack deployment kit allows the meter to be enclosed in a waterproof IP67 case and includes an additional battery.

These are both rechargeable and comes with the recharge cable in the kit. This allows for data collection autonomously for up to 1 month.

Photometer option The Odeon can accept all of the Digisens sensors offered by Ponsel, however it also has the option to accept a device called the Photopod.

The Photopod is a microprocessor based photometer with LED technology used specifically for water analysis and cannot be found anywhere else in the market. It offers

50 parameters measured by photometry and 10 by physiochemical technology.

Each parameter has its own reagent or tablet to be added for the defined water quality test to be undertaken. The Photopod microprocessor has an exceptional logger capacity allowing 100,000 measures to be taken. All these features make it practical for both field and lab work. It has the flexibility for measuring parameters that require measurement in the field and those that can be undertaken in the laboratory.

This versatile instrument can be used for a variety of applications and can measure a large number different parameters associated with water quality.

For more Information on the Ponsel Odeon meter please contact Bell Environmental via email mail@ bellenviro.co.uk or call 01280 817304.

LEADING ELECTROCHLORINATION SYSTEM NOW APPROVED FOR USE ON PUBLIC WATER SUPPLIES One of the UK’s leading manufacturers of industrial and commercial water treatment solutions has announced that its electrochlorination system has been approved for use on UK public water supplies.

Gaffey Technical Services, which is internationally recognised for its technical expertise and innovative product development, has revealed that its Hyprolyser® 280-2200 system is now approved under Regulation 31 of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2000. This further acknowledges the quality of the Hyprolyser system which has already found considerable success on various water and general processing applications.

The Gaffey Hyprolyser® system has been widely proven in commercial and municipal waste-water, private drinking water supply and swimming pool applications. It uses marketleading technology to generate sodium hypochlorite by applying an electrical current to a water and salt solution. This eliminates the need 19

for chlorine to be stored on site, and so offers a reliable, low-risk and environmentally-friendly solution for disinfecting water.

for the Hyprolyser® system and will allow far more organisations to benefit from the many advantages it offers.”

“This latest recognition marks a significant achievement and is another step forward in the progress we have been making with the Hyprolyser® product range,” comments technical director, Andrew Gaffey. “There are over 300 Hyprolyser® systems in use on major water treatment applications around the world. These include theme parks, wastewater treatment plants, industrial and food preparation processes, plus high-profile installations such as the Edinburgh Royal Commonwealth Pool, Center Parcs in Woburn Forest and the Logan Solar Water Treatment project in Queensland, Australia.”

The Hyprolyser® provides very high standards for product and operator safety. It uses salt for the electrochlorination process, and produces a chlorine solution strength below 1%. This eliminates both remedial chlorine Gaffey Technical Services has announced that its Hyprolyser® electrochlorination system has been injector maintenance, and the approved for use on UK public water supplies. This need to handle hazardous further acknowledges the quality of the system chlorine-based chemicals. The which has already found considerable success on result is a low-hazard work area, simple operational requirements various water and general processing applications. which can easily be handled hazardous zones. The unique by non-technical staff, and a Hyprolyser® design is simple to use reduction in both the need for pH and service, and provides long-term correction chemicals and regular reliability of the electrolyser. Now also specialised servicing, all of which available on a rental basis it can be have a positive impact on the wholeextremely cost-effective, enabling life system costs. the user to fund the system from the cost-savings it generates.

The system has been independently

“This new compliance level for use in drinking water demonstrates that our Hyprolyser® 280 – 2200 system generates a high-quality product and meets strict standards for chemical impurities and toxicology. This opens up a whole new set of opportunities

assessed for Hazardous Area Classification, demonstrating that all models in the Hyprolyser® 2802200 range create no external

For more details visit www.gaffey. co.uk, email info@gaffey.co.uk or call +44(0)1254 350180

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Delivering what you need - NOW As usual, Jacopa is taking the lead by delivering timely solutions to some of the wastewater industry’s most pressing challenges.

FLOW CONTROL Steinhardt’s ‘HydroSlide’ provides highly accurate flow regulation of foul and surface waters, giving a constant discharge through the required head range with certified performance.

PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL Fluidyne FFP™ Cloth Media Plate Filters are the ideal solution for high performance, cost-effective phosphorus removal in wastewater treatment works, and have a wide range of further applications.

PRIMARY TREATMENT The high efficiency Sobye self-cleaning Belt Filter replaces conventional primary treatment of municipal wastewater and sedimentation processes and delivers the benefits of a smaller footprint with a significantly reduced investment.

Jacopa, delivering wastewater solutions when you need them - NOW Call: +44 (0)121 511 2400 or visit: jacopa.com

Feature Article

By Daniel Mullen, Sensata Technologies

Improving the Efficiency and Reliability of Water Systems with Variable Speed Pumps and Pressure Sensors How new technology water pumps with pressure sensors are meeting the needs of 21st Century living Distributing water on a large scale has been a challenge that the world has tackled for decades. It is a particular challenge in high-rise buildings, and with a trend for designers to build up in urban areas, rather than out, it is a challenge that has become a new focus for design engineers.

Occupants of these buildings – office and factory workers, apartment and condo residents, are all very sensitive to failures of the water distribution system. People get upset if their hot water for showers and baths are intermittent or totally run out because people on other floors use up the available allocation of heated water.

What happens when hot water does not immediately start flowing? People let the water run until the flow heats up – potentially wasting a great deal of water as well as the energy required to pump and distribute the water.

In addition, consistent water pressure is a must for correct operations of appliances like dishwashers and laundry machines as well as for industrial and manufacturing machinery.

The challenge to improve the mechanics of building water distribution systems is driven by two fundamental needs: firstly, the need to increase efficiency, and in doing so, decrease water wastage; and secondly, to improve the reliability of the installed systems, thereby reducing the ongoing cost of maintenance and repair.

Old-world thinking Old technology pumps in large industrial water systems typically use pressure switches calibrated to switch the pump on if the water pressure falls to below a specific point (say, below 50 psi) and off if the pressure exceeds a given parameter (for example, 70 psi). This operation is fine up to a point, but it essentially means that the pump is either working at full

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speed or not at all, and these surges in demand placed upon a mechanical system may lead to problems with reliability and repair. Although undoubtedly rugged and reliable, the industrial systems of old also tended to be expensive and inefficient.

Alternative solutions Therefore, pump and water system designers have looked for alternative solutions. First amongst them is the new Variable Speed Pumps (VSP).

VSPs use a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) or Variable Speed Drive (VSD) to continuously optimise the pump speed and power consumption while maintaining constant outlet pressure of the pump. In such scenarios, pressure sensors are essential. A pressure sensor converts the outlet pressure to an electrical signal which the VFD uses to adjust the pump’s speed and is either included as an integral part of the pump design or mounted externally as part of a total solution.

Similarly, in many cases, a high cut-out pressure switch is mounted to prevent the pump from outputting extreme pressure. An additional pressure sensor can also be mounted on the inlet of the pump to monitor efficiency.

Benefits of Variable Speed Pumps (VSP) The benefits of pressure sensors in modern-day Variable Speed Pump design can be categorised into three key areas: efficiency, reliability and the user experience: »» Efficiency - Pumps that utilize VSDs in conjunction with pressure sensors to maintain constant pressure output are proven to be

Figure 1 As the cost of components and pumps becomes more affordable, variable speed pumps are being used to increase the efficiency and reliability of water distribution systems in multi-story buildings.

more efficient. Indeed, in tests, they are proven to be up to 30% more efficient than ‘traditional’ technologies (Hydraulic Institute, Europump, & U.S. Department of Energy, 2004) »» Reliability - VSPs often run at lower speeds and do not run on an outdated ‘stop/start’ cycle, therefore there is less stress on the pump which results in greater reliability, a longer life cycle and less downtime. This in turn means a lower cost of maintenance. »» User Experience – The efficiency and reliability of a VSP ultimately translates into an improved customer experience. Even in the more challenging environments, such as high-rise buildings, a constant, reliable water pressure can be maintained. Beyond the undoubted benefit of a more reliable water supply, customers are also able to easily modify the pressure supply (depending on load and preference). The digital nature of the technology also allows for greater connectivity with the Internet of Things (IoT), effectively making the pump an

intelligent device providing key data that can be acted upon in the event that a problem is identified, such as a burst pipe or leak, or to determine water usage. By using IoT connectivity, building managers can remotely monitor and regulate water use, as well as respond in an emergency by either turning the water systems off to reduce spillage, or by allocating the highest water press to combating emergencies, such as fighting fires on the higher levels of a building.

Use and application of Variable Speed Pumps Traditionally, VSPs have been used in larger, commercial and/or industrial applications, given the previously high costs involved. As costs have come down, and designs improved (notably the cost and size of electronics in the VFD and VSD), VSPs have become affordable in more mainstream, residential applications.

This growth has been driven not simply by falling costs but, more importantly, by rising demand.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Feature Article

Figure 2 Using variable speed drives with pressure sensors and switches to optimize pump speed and power consumption while maintaining constant outlet pressure increases system efficiency while reducing maintenance costs in residential water booster pump installations.

maintain a constant pressure and when it can relieve the pressure, but without the extremes of being either fully ‘off’ or fully ‘on’. Pumps work more efficiently if they are run at a constant rate; they are also less prone to failure, with all of the associated costs of ongoing repair and maintenance.

Increasing urbanization on a global scale, often combined with a less than consistent municipal water supply, and power supply mandates, means that the effective delivery of water is a very real challenge. This in turn has prompted the sensor manufacturers to innovate.

As well as the proven 60/70CP sensors, Sensata has recently launched a cost-efficient pressure sensor family (116CP/126CP), for smaller residential booster pumps. The patented 116CP/126CP sensor design is derived from highly reliable and proven automotive grade pressure sensing technology. The sensors’ innovative plastic housing has options for use in drinking water applications and makes them ideal for residential and other lower cost pump applications The pressure sensor converts the pressure signal into an electronic value which the pump VFP uses to control or maintain the output pressure. The sensor measurement pressure value is usually presented on the pump’s display, and in some cases, customers are able to view and monitor pressures via an application on their smartphone or tablet. In addition, a notification can alert users of irregularities and assist in preventative maintenance.

The world’s water systems are in desperate need of improvement

Pressure sensor innovation Sensata has a range of sensors for use in industrial pumps where components require rugged, industrial housings. For example, its 60/70CP range pressure sensors are proven for use in other industries that require the reliable pumping of liquids, such as oil, and with a very high It is notoriously difficult to maintain degree of a constant water pressure to every reliability (10 story of a high-rise building, but this million cycle is again where the new generation of life-span). pumps and sensors come into their They are own, replacing the inefficient and also robust inconsistent ‘traditional’ approach to enough water provision via a rooftop water to withstand reservoir. potentially damaging Figure 3 Sensata’s 116CP/126CP Sensors can detect variations in phenomenon such as sensor design is patented according to water pressure to determine when the pressure spikes and US9857260B2 2018- 01-02 and is developed pump needs to work a little harder to PII EH h.pg Biosolids Tech Sept 19.qxp_Envirotec half pg 01/08/2019 16:07 according Page 1to ‘automotive’ standards. hydraulic shock.

– especially as the world’s water resources continue to shrink. Many have predicted, with the advent of global warming and climate change – that access to clean, potable water will be the most critical element of life in the next century. Anything we can do to improve overall water distribution efficiency and reduce waste, will be of benefit as the world’s population continues to grow and migrate in response to changing climates and rising ocean levels.

Companies like Sensata, who are developing and implementing new technology water pumps and pressure sensors, will play a crucial role in the design of residential and commercial solutions that drive system efficiency and reliability and help to reduce waste while improving the user experience.

Daniel Mullen is a Product Line Manager at Sensata Technologies where he leads the product strategy and roadmap for pressure and temperature sensors for the global industrial, HVAC and refrigeration markets. He has 7 years of experience with electromechanical and sensor products and has a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Boston College.

For further information please visit www.sensata.com

BIOSOLIDS TECHNOLOGIES Complete solutions for efficient digestion to energy-optimised drying LysoTherm® thermal hydrolysis plant (THP without steam) EloPhos® controlled struvite precipitation and removal

EloVac® – climate protection and reduced sludge disposal costs

EloDry® low temperature sludge drier EloVac® enhanced gas recovery PYREG® dried sludge pyrolysis PEARL® P-removal fertilizer production Liquor treatment plants

ELIQUO HYDROK LTD I T 01726 861 900 I sales@eliquohydrok.co.uk

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

www.eliquohydrok.co.uk

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Feature Article

By Dr Mikael Khan, Chief Technology Officer of Arvia Technology

Reducing The Water Gap Through Wastewater Treatment Dr Mikael Khan is Chief Technology Officer at wastewater treatment technology and advisory company, Arvia Technology. Here, he discusses how effective wastewater treatment can form part of a worldwide effort to reduce the water gap and how process industry professionals can play their part;

In a recent speech by Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, Sir James Bevan, the ex-diplomat warned that in around 20 to 25 years, England’s demand for water will outstrip supply.

In some countries this will happen even sooner.

Tackling the water gap is something which has to be considered holistically, and no single approach can solve what is a global and widespread issue.

It is abundantly clear that the crisis is imminent, so much so that businesses around the world have already begun to make significant investment in preparing for the inevitable.

Water treatment and reuse can form part of an industry wide attempt to prevent further pollution of water sources, reduce the amount of water that is consumed, and make head-way in minimising the water gap.

The process industry relies heavily on water and can play a huge role in safeguarding it for future generations.

Process engineers are continuously looking to improve efficiencies, streamline processes and ultimately maximise profits, and wastewater treatment which allows water reuse can have a significant impact.

Effective wastewater treatment More than 80 percent of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused, according to the United Nations.

Wastewater treatment not only eliminates dangerous chemicals such

as Endocrine Disruptors and Active Pharmaceuticals, but the treated water can often be reused in industry for irrigation or cleaning purposes.

Traditional wastewater treatment methods can partly eliminate or remove industrial chemicals, but some traces are still detectable in effluents.

The final stage of water treatment, when only trace levels of pollutants reside in wastewater, has always been challenging. A significant number of tertiary wastewater treatment processes such as Ozone with Hydrogen Peroxide and Fentons use doses of chemicals to eliminate trace level compounds.

This brings with it a substantial operating cost along with a toxic, sludge-like by-product which similarly needs to be treated. Paradoxically, this sludge then needs to be incinerated which is equally as damaging to the environment.

Targeting the top % Fortunately, there are now greener alternatives which remove the need for dangerous chemicals, trucking and incineration of secondary wastes.

The environmentally friendly alternatives are also facilitating the reuse of wastewater in industrial processes across a variety of sectors, including the pharmaceutical, oil and gas, cosmetics, brewing, textile, food and drink and many others.

For multi-national industries that often come under scrutiny, such as chemical, oil and gas and pharmaceutical manufacturers effectively treating wastewater before it enters the environment can play a huge role in dramatically reducing

the levels of pollutants ending up in the environment, as well as protecting valuable organisational reputation.

The problem with traditional wastewater treatment processes is that they only partly remove recalcitrant pollutants, leaving detectable traces in effluents. The standard measure of water contamination is known as the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), which measures organic pollutants as milligrams per litre (mg/L) or parts per million (ppm).

Present regulations specify strict limits of COD for water to be discharged to sewers or the environment, and failure to fulfil regulation can lead to a loss of permit, operational downtime, limited production volume and severe fines.

Primary and secondary treatment removes around 75-85% of the COD, but the hard-to-treat COD remains.

Typically, legislation for COD discharge is from below 120ppm in the EU and as strict as 30ppm for certain provinces in China.

New technologies State of the art options now exist for the reduction of hard-to-treat organics from water and wastewater streams.

The Nyex™-a technology applies adsorption and electrochemical oxidation, providing an environmentally considerate process that treats water without the need to dose chemicals.

The water passes down through the bed of carbon-based, conductive media where a low electric current is applied. The electrical activity oxidises the contaminants which are localised on the surface of the media so that there are no residues or sludge to worry about, dispose of or incinerate.

This also means that treated water is also safe for reuse for other purposes around the manufacturing facility, such as for cleaning or irrigation; uses where chemically dosed water is often unsuitable.

The technology makes it possible to tackle part per million to part per billion ranges of APIs, pharmaceutical residues, endocrine disruptors, personal care products, manufacturing chemicals and pesticides.

A holistic standpoint Significant potable supplies, presently designated for use by industry, could also be redirected to public use.

Lawns, pathways and cars could be maintained, without massively expensive infrastructure disruption. Simply ridding industrial waste of harmful or undesirable characteristics and trace contaminants could add countless millions of litres to the nations’ supply.

Ultimately, ensuring water quality for this and future generations will necessitate corroboration from governments, industry and water treatment providers. Water treatment which enables water reuse is one portion of a global problem which must to be acknowledged by governments, businesses and consumers alike.

Working holistically, the water gap can be significantly reduced with wastewater treatment providing a significant contribution.

The onus now falls on the process industry to reassess their wastewater treatment procedures to ensure they are in alignment with the most environmentally-friendly and costeffective options, balancing the scales between demand and supply.

Arvia Technology works with process engineers in the UK, Europe and Asia. It has treated challenging wastewater from the agricultural, chemical, electronics, oil and gas and pharmaceutical industries in Europe and Asia.

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Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Water industry focus

MicroFlow The Maintenance-free

Non-contacting Liquid Velocity Sensor

MicroFlow delivers accurate and repeatable velocity flow measurement, either as a stand-alone device or as part of a complete area velocity flow meter system, which provides a viable alternative where the hydraulics of a site do not allow for a restriction in channel flows.

For applications that require loop powered signals into a system, the MicroFlow-I also provides accurate, repeatable velocity measurement, either as an individual sensor or by providing HART communication protocol or a 4-20mA loop powered signal. The extremely low power consumption of the MicroFlow-I makes it the ideal velocity solution for all of those remote installation where mains power is unavailable.

Traditionally, flow velocity has been measured using contacting devices, typically turbines or Doppler immersion probes, plus some other time of flight techniques. These have been highly successful but occasionally problematic, obviously potentially

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

prone to fouling and, particularly the Doppler sensor, reliant on various conditions within the flow.

New approaches such as Pulsar’s MicroFlow and MicroFlow-I offer direct non-contacting measurement of water velocity to be made. Using microwave (RADAR) technology, along with completely novel digital signal processing, a compact transducer is positioned above the flow and makes a non-contacting, time-offlight measurement of flow velocity. A simple bracket can be used to mount the transducer at the optimum angle and multiple sensors can be used for wide channels (over 1.5m).

Once a flow velocity has been determined, it can be combined with

level measurement to produce a flow measurement using a velocity x area calculation. This is a powerful, relatively low cost approach that does not require the civil engineering that is so often required when measuring using a flume or weir.

Both the MicroFlow and MicroFlow-I are lightweight and compact in design making installation simple, especially within confined spaces and requires no interruption to normal operational flow.

For more information visit the website: www.pulsar-pm.com or get in touch at: info@pulsar-pm.com | +44 (0) 1684 891 371

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Water industry focus

MOBILE DISCHARGING OF PAC FROM BULK BAGS HELPS SOLVE PESTICIDE OVERLOAD FAST AT WTW

When a water treatment works in northern England faced a spike in pesticide concentration exceeding the allowable concentration limit for the incoming water, the site was forced to shut down. The company then had to divert water from a regional water treatment works in order to provide clean drinking water to its customers until the problem could be solved.

The solution arrived in the form of a mobile, lorry-mounted carbon dosing system, housed in a 6m long steel shipping container that was delivered and activated within one day, without costly and time-consuming site preparation, construction or complex components.

Supplied by Transvac Systems Ltd. (www.transvac.co.uk), the TransPAC mobile powder handling and carbon dosing system includes a bulk bag discharger and two flexible screw conveyors from Flexicon (Europe) Ltd. (www. flexicon.co.uk) and Transvac’s ejector system for mixing and injecting a slurry of PAC (powdered activated carbon) into the municipal water stream.

The mobile unit requires only connections to an electric power supply, the municipal water stream, and an external water supply. Environmental impact and site preparation are minimised, as well as the need for maintenance and planning permis-

sion. The system is safe to operate, and simple to control.

The water treatment works was restored to compliance as the dosed carbon successfully removed pesticide traces from the main water stream. Dosing is accurate and steady without over-dosing or wastage.

From the BFF-C-X Bulk-Out® split-frame bulk bag discharger, PAC is automatically transferred from a half tonne bulk bag through a flexible screw conveyor to a surge hopper from which a second flexible screw conveyor meters the powder into the Transvac ejector.

Split-frame discharger fits inside container A forklift loads the 1.8 m high bag-loading frame and 500 kg bulk bag onto the 0.9 m high stationary discharger frame inside the shipping container. Once the bag spout is untied, the powder flows into a 5 m long, 80 mm diameter flexible screw conveyor leading to the 930 ℓ capacity surge hopper. A second 3.5 m long, 67 mm diameter flexible screw conveyor moves the carbon powder from the hopper outlet to the intake of the ejector that accurately doses the PAC into the municipal water stream.

The conveyors are curved to fit the tight space within the shipping container.

From the control panel, the operator sets the speeds of the conveyor drives to automatically dose the proper amount of PAC according to the site water flow.

Low and high level sensors in the surge hopper signal the controller to start or stop flow through the first flexible screw conveyor when the hopper contents reach low or high level.

The carbon dosing portion of the TransPAC system includes a header tank for incoming water, a booster pump and the ejector. The velocity of the water flowing through a venturi creates a low pressure zone in the ejector that entrains the carbon powder into the treated water stream at a rate set at the control panel. The unit operates with no moving parts.

PAC poses handling problems Powdered activated carbon adsorbs the pesticide on its surface, and the carbon and adsorbed material are subsequently removed as sludge in the flocculation process. However, the extremely fine powder, with an average particle size of only 20 microns and a bulk density of 230 kg/m3, is prone to dusting.

Both the bulk bag discharger and flexible screw conveyors prevent dusting.

The bag outlet spout is connected to the feeder by a Spout-Lock™ clamp ring, which creates a secure, dust-tight connection between the clean side of

the bag spout and clean side of the bag spout interface.

Each flexible screw conveyor consists of a stainless steel screw rotating inside a durable polymer tube that contains the fine powder as it is conveyed. The conveyor discharge is likewise dust-free, as powder exits through a transition adapter located forward of the drive at the discharge end, thereby preventing powder from contacting bearings or seals.

Transvac has deployed its mobile TransPAC dosing systems in a number of UK water treatment works for similar emergencies for pesticide, or taste or odour problems and as an alternative to traditional PAC batch dosing systems, which are large, complex and costly, and require long lead times by comparison.

Flexicon (Europe) Ltd. 182 John Wilson Business Park Harvey Drive Whitstable, Kent CT5 3RB +44 1227 374710 sales@flexicon.co.uk www.flexicon.co.uk Transvac Systems Ltd. Monsal House Bramble Way, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 4RH +44 1773 831100 sales@transvac.co.uk www.transvac.co.uk

The 5m long flexible screw conveyor (left) from the bulk bag discharger moves the carbon powder to the surge hopper, from which the second 3.5m long flexible screw conveyor moves the powder to the intake of the Transvac ejector.

The Transvac ejector mixes and doses the slurry of powdered activated carbon into the municipal water stream.

Bulk bag and lifting frame of the BFF-C-X Bulk Out® split-frame bulk bag discharger are forklifted onto the stationary discharger frame inside the container.

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Extra fine powdered activated carbon is prone to dusting, but is contained by the flexible screw conveyors and dust-tight connection at the discharger’s bag spout interface.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Water industry focus

ROI for Initial Asset Investment requires planned maintenance FBDA team

OEM service contracts may not always initially look attractive to the UK Water Industry, but, given the increasing pressures to achieve compliance with equipment that is becoming ever more complex, and the demand on staff who are becoming stretched even more thinly, service contracts can be proven to make good business sense and help increase the return on investment of the initial outlay.

Author: David Kertai, Business Development Manager at Eliquo Hydrok, 01726 861900, david.kertai@ eliquohydrok.co.uk

For further information, please visit here

Generally, obtaining buy in from the water industry for OEM planned maintenance programmes has always traditionally proven to be a formidable task, as many water companies place the emphasis on capital expenditure rather than maintenance, with the temptation to rely on in-house staff to carry out general maintenance tasks. However, it is becoming clear to several water companies that the number of staff required to carry out such tasks safely, make them difficult to plan for. Maintenance staff within the water companies are often spread thinly territorially, so getting them together in one place for a day or several days at a time can prove to be difficult.

Process Industry Informer â&#x20AC;˘ August - September 2019

Eliquo Hydrok have been manufacturing water treatment equipment for more than 25 years, historically the technologies had previously been supplied to clients without the expectation for any form of servicing requirement. With the development of the Integrated Fixed-film Activated Sludge (IFAS) and Fixed Bed Diffused Aeration (FBDA) process treatments, plus the tertiary filtration systems in conjunction with Mecana, it became clear that offering a service and maintenance package would be both desirable to the client Water Companies, and provide additional reassurance that the product would meet its expected life span.

Many of the Eliquo Hydrok clients who purchased equipment stated that maintenance would be carried out by their in-house personnel, they have subsequently found that, even after the training supplied by the OEM, the tasks have proven time consuming, less efficient and costly. This has led to a realisation on their part that reverting to the OEM for service tasks is not only desirable, but in some cases, imperative. Leaving valuable assets to deteriorate as evident in the images shown, can not only result in potential damage to the equipment, but also result in the failure to comply with discharge permits. Once serviced, the units are returned to good working order with minimal disruption to the treatment process.

Mecana unit after

Mecana unit before As a solution, Eliquo Hydrok have spent time and investment developing a service team format that allows a service package to be offered which requires minimal input from the water company whilst offering maximum efficiency in the service process. Having teams carrying out the tasks on a regular basis means they are proficient in these tasks and able to reduce the down time required of the assets.

The cost efficiencies mean that the water companies can concentrate their resources on the day to day tasks required to keep the plants running, leaving the equipment OEM to specialise in the tasks that they understand.

Using the OEM service teams, who are trained and equipped to carry out the task, also reduces the requirements for the temporary supply of specialist equipment such as pumps and pressure washer.

Eliquo Hydrok teams are fully equipped with all the required plant in a specially purposefully fitted van and once on site the only external requirement is wash water from the client. The use of petrol driven cleaning equipment ensures that even on remote parts of the site, the task can be achieved without further input from the clients.

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Water industry focus

Water Analytics Solutions For Compliant Process Control

NEW

Innovations from Lutz Lutz Battery Pumps

B1 Battery, B2 Battery

Lightweight, comfortable and powerful

Lutz horizontal eccentric screw pumps Precise process analytical measurements are the key to optimising water usage and maximising recovery and reuse.

Innovative solutions from METTLER TOLEDO Thornton are designed to meet the demanding requirements of industries using ultrapure water (UPW) to help provide a complete picture of water quality.

We have developed technologies which can measure the following parameters:

• Conductivity • pH • Dissolved oxygen • Total organic carbon • Bioburden

B70H Series

For mobile and stationary application

Learn more and see the water regulations for your industry in our Water Purification Guide For more information on Process Analytic products and service email: enquire.mtuk@mt.com

Lutz Compressed Air Motors

Onsite assessment bolsters wastewater technician training

MDxL Series

Small Motor - Great Effect

• British Water’s enhanced qualification includes live observation • Certificate covers small packaged sewage plants up to 1,000 PE • Electrical safety, confined spaces and SHEA required to complete course An overhaul of British Water’s wastewater treatment technicians’ training means plant operatives will now undertake onsite assessment to complete the course. The requirement has been made more rigorous to raise standards and incorporate larger plant sizes, up to 1,000 population equivalent (PE).

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For further technical support, please contact: Mar Batista Segui, Technical Manager E: mar.batista@britishwater.co.uk T: +44 (0)20 3567 0950

Lutz (U.K.) Ltd. Unit C1 Loades Ecoparc · Black Horse Rd · Exhall, Coventry · CV7 9FW · Phone 02477 / 103306

www.lutz-pumpen.de/en Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Feature Article

By Edward Shaw, Business Development Manager of Tapflo UK Ltd

not sludge The Water and Wastewater Industry is often faced with challenging applications such as the handling and transfer of hazardous chemicals or process fluids that are heavily laden with suspended solids and can often be highly viscous and abrasive. However, challenges also mean solutions!

Sludge Treatment and Purification Plants Sludge Treatment and Purification Plants remove the harmful substances in wastewater through active or activated sludge processes so that the water can be recycled and reused. However, a by-product of these processes is a semi-solid waste commonly known as thickened sludge which needs to be either disposed of or further recycled for use in other industries such as Anaerobic Digestion Plants or Fertiliser Production Plants.

Peristaltic Pumps slowly compress the outside of the hose to move products through the pump.The operating principle of a Peristaltic Pump ensures that no particulates are trapped between the walls of the hose and the external rotating shoes, instead the particles will be held back for the next compression.The speed of rotation employed in this type of pump technology is often a tenth of that used in Progressing Cavity or Lobe Pumps which means the wear experienced by the hose is also substantially less.

As new processes and technological advancements are being Figure 1 - Peristaltic Pump Working Principle made, there has been a reduction in the moisture content within thickened As you can see from the diaphragm sludge meaning that the % content above, the only part of the pump that of dry matter is getting higher and comes into contact with the fluid is proving more difficult to pump round the hose, meaning the cost of stocking the various treatment stages. This spares is drastically reduced. The thickened sludge also tends to have simplicity of maintenance is also very adhesive properties and often plastipopular with Maintenance Engineers cises which means that conventional as the heavy lifting machinery and pumping technologies often struggle to extra manpower required when sertransfer these products, leading to high vicing Progressing Cavity Pumps, isn’t costs as parts wear quicker, as well as, necessary for Peristaltic Pumps. the affiliated costs of loss of production and plant downtime.

As Peristaltic Pumps are sealless by design they therefore don’t need Typically Progressing Cavity Pumps complicated and often expensive or Rotary Lobe Pumps are typically sealing systems to combat fluid attack regarded as the go to pump types for or leakages caused by dry running as the above applications as they can they can be run dry indefinitely. handle large solids. However, these By virtue of their design they are also pumps have a rotating element, so will one of the best pumps for suction lift experience high levels of wear and applications (up to 9.8 m vertically) many plants are consequently seeing which also means that they can be high levels of Stator & Rotor / Lobe and employed in areas often not suitable Seal replacements. for traditional Self-Priming Pumps (typical max. suction lift of 6m). High The solution for pumps experience Volumetric Efficiency (+/- 0.5%) for high wear?

Peristaltic Pumps is also maintained A Peristaltic Pump can vastly reduce whereas this decreases over time for the cost of spares, the interval between Progressing Cavity and Lobe Pumps failures and therefore increase plant due to the intrinsic wear of the stator / efficiency and reliability for customers. rotors within these pumps during use.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

fluid is higher than the recommended maximum temperature of 40ºC, the motors can overheat and fail.

Figure 3 - Peristaltic Pump Case Example An Anaerobic Digestion Plant contacted Tapflo UK to reduce the amount of Stator wear, clogging & dry running they were experiencing on a Vertical Immersion Progressing Cavity Pump they had installed in one of their digester feed tanks. They inherited the pump from their plant installation company and didn’t have any lifting arrangements on site to remove the 5 m long pump from the tank.

As a result, every month or so, when the stator became too worn, they had to hire a crane to lift the pump out of the tank and replace the stator, this totalled approximately £7000. The customer purchased a 4” Peristaltic Pump which was positioned on the top of the tank and the casing for the old Progressing Cavity Pump was used as a suction lance. The plant not only experienced trouble-free operation and increased capacity but they also only had to replace the hose once a year, totalling a cost of approximately £1500.

Evacuation of Tanks Another common problem that many plants face in the Water & Wastewater Industry is the evacuation of tanks, sumps & pits which contain fluids with elevated temperatures, solids in suspension and chemically aggressive additives. These are typically waste by-products of production lines and need to be pumped away for treatment or removal.

Traditional Submersible Pumps are not always suited to these applications as they use the water they are submerged in to cool their motors, therefore, if the

Furthermore, aggressive chemical additives can have a detrimental effect on the integrity of the motor supply cables which presents a further risk of failure as well as a health and safety problem for operators.

Additionally, Surface Mounted Self Priming Pumps can also be troublesome in these applications as they are generally not recommended for priming fluids over 60ºC as the fluid can start to evaporate in the suction pipe causing the pump to dry run and cavitate which results in expensive damage to the pump’s impeller, casing and mechanical seal.

What is the alternative to emptying tanks without a submersible pump?

Two options to help handle tank, Figure 4 - Vertical sump and Immersion & Cantilever pit emptying could be the Vertical Sump Pump or Cantilever. These types of pumps feature an extended shaft design which enables them to be installed into tanks, sumps & pits up to 6 m deep.

The motor is kept at the surface and therefore outside of the process media, enabling them to be used on fluid temperatures up to 200ºC! The pumps are also sealless, meaning they can be dry run indefinitely and can be fitted with Closed, Semi-Open, Channel and Vortex Impellers. As a result, they can also be used for anything from clean to fluid with solids.

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Bredel and Qdos pumps cut cost of wastewater treatment at herbal drinks and health preparations plant

Indonesia-based PT Sinde Budi Sentosa is leveraging the benefits of Bredel and Qdos pumps from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) to help it reduce downtime and cut costs in the treatment of wastewater from its manufacturing operations.

The order, for API 610 11th edition OH2 pumps, PT Sinde Budi Sentosa specialises in the production of herbal products, utilising natural ingredients to produce high-quality health beverages and over-the-counter (OTC) remedies. In the manufacture of its canned and bottled health and energy drinks, the company uses a wide variety of fruit, including oranges, strawberries, melon, lychees and guava, to add fresh flavours to 29

the special herb and water blend.

The preparation of the fruit uses large volumes of water, which is subsequently discharged to an on-site treatment plant before disposal to the municipal waste system.

Pumping solids in suspension At the treatment plant, a number of problems were being experienced with the air-operated double diaphragm (AODD) pump used to feed wastewater to the filter press.

Due to varying levels of soil and sand contained within the wastewater, valves on the AODD pump would regularly stick, and subsequently leak, requiring frequent stoppages for repair.

During a visit to the production plant

by WMFTG specialists, PT Sinde was advised that it could improve water treatment, decrease downtime and cut AODD pump spares costs by installing a Bredel 40 peristaltic hose pump for the filter press feed duty. This pump type can handle viscous and abrasive slurries, pastes and sludge,

with up to 80% solids in suspension.

The Bredel 40 has not only reduced maintenance downtime and spares costs at PT Sinde, but energy costs are now far lower as there is no longer any need to run a compressor for long periods to operate the previous AODD pump.

Controlled chemical dosing In a separate process, another AODD pump was being used to dose chemicals such as HCI, NaOH and chlorine into the wastewater for purification purposes, which presented a different problem. PT Sinde needed to know exactly how much chemical was being dosed, but this level of control and accuracy was not possible with the AODD pump.

WMFTG recommended that a Qdos chemical metering pump be dropped into the water purification process to provide precise dosing information.

ReNu technology is at the core of Qdos pumps and ensures accurate

and repeatable flows while facilitating quick and safe pumphead removal and replacement, without the need for tools. In addition, integral leak detection reduces wastage and eliminates operator exposure to chemicals.

Among the key features of WMFTG pumps is their suitability for high viscosity and abrasive fluid applications, as well as dry running and self-priming.

All of this capability is achieved without ancillaries like back-pressure valves, pulsation dampeners, degassing valves or float switches. Moreover, Bredel peristaltic hose pumps and Qdos chemical metering pumps offer much simpler installation and reduced spares inventory.

The success of the pumps at PT Sinde illustrates WMFTG’s capability to lower total cost of ownership (TCO) across water and wastewater applications in many different sectors. www.wmftg.com

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Feature Article

By Andrew Baird, Technical director of WPL Ltd

Getting It

A Guide To Onsite Wastewater Treatment

Tightening environmental standards and the rising cost of tankering wastewater mean more and more industrial process companies are taking control of their own treatment systems.

However, many who have opted for onsite treatment facilities have had their fingers burned by badly planned and delivered projects.

WPL specialises in package wastewater treatment plants. Like many other equipment providers, it is being asked for extra assurances that its treatment systems will work.

Technical director Andrew Baird has this advice for ensuring wastewater projects go smoothly and that the right system is put in place.

Do your sums Operational costs associated with industrial effluent are not always fully appreciated, says Baird.“A lot of customers get a shock when they look at their return investment. It’s really important to fully understand what the cost will be, before you can decide if it’s a viable option.”

“Chemicals and power consumption costs are often underestimated, as are variables like sludge production rates. If you end up with more sludge than you expect, your storage facilities may not be big enough and you’ll have to pay for more emptying.

Also remember to match the size of your sludge storage to the size of tankers you can get on site to remove it.”

And remember to budget for labour costs.

“You need to really think about how much labour is required for an industrial system. If you install a DAF [dissolved air flotation] system, you’ll probably need an operator on site who can intervene if the system fails or is at least on site every day. Have you incorporated this cost into your planning?”

Baird said oversights like this are common.“Commercial failures occur because people have not thought about the investment upfront and have not done their homework.”

Try before you buy Discrepancies between designs and the delivery of a project can be avoided by conducting detailed reviews and pilots before building a permanent solution, said Baird.“Put simply, you need to know that what has been designed is going to work in real time and fits in with the level of training your employees have had.

“We would start with a lab scale review to sample and test the effluent to get the correct dosing regime, before we get to an estimated cost for the project.“ “After the lab work, we would strongly recommend a reasonably sized pilot trial. This allows us to really look closely at things like chemical, power consumption and sludge production giving a very accurate indication of how the plant will operate and the out-turn costs.”

WPL’s own pilot plants can be hired with trained operators, or training can be given and operated by site. As the plant doubles as emergency hire, it is designed for ease of installation and operation. Biological processes need to be installed for at least 12 weeks, though they are sometimes in place for months or even years. “The longest pilot we had in place was for three years. On one occasion the kit worked so well, the company wanted to use it permanently.”

One of WPL’s more recent projects was at a winery in Norfolk, which saw the development of an onsite biological treatment plant, following a successful 10-month trial. The winery routinely tankered wastewater offsite for treatment but can now treat a maximum

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

100m3/day, for discharge to sewer network. The pilot successfully demonstrated that the effluent could be biologically treated to the required standard, even though its composition can fluctuate widely.

Baird said: “The pilot plants are easy to install and they do tend to work well, allowing us to try lots of variations and do lots of tweaking.

That helps us develop the full-scale design, so we can come up with a proposal and a fixed price.”

Baird says every onsite treatment facility should be piloted first. “Yes, pilots are expensive but they will save you money in the long run. I wouldn’t do an industrial application with having a trial.”

Research the equipment Many projects have been hampered by poor quality kit, according to Baird.

“You get what you pay for. I’ve seen dewatering systems stop working after a month and some equipment mothballed when the operational complexities or ongoing costs are realised.“ “A lot of it comes down to manufacturing, or people over-selling the technology into inappropriate applications, so think carefully before going ahead with purchasing. Get hard facts and data upfront and get advice and recommendations.

Look for tried and tested equipment, with good customer reviews. Don’t be tempted to buy off-the-shelf as all sites differ and one piece of equipment does not fit all.”

“Speak to people who’ve operated it. When it comes to wastewater treatment, you don’t want to be the first company to try a brand new piece of kit. You’re going to be spending a lot of money, anything from £5,000 to £150,000 or even a million, so you have to be careful and really do your homework.”

Train and maintain Maintenance is of course essential, once the unit is up and running. But problems can occur due to a lack of operating knowledge.

Baird said:“People don’t always read the operating and maintenance manuals and they don’t send staff on the training sessions we set up.

Perhaps they don’t view training as important, but it really is. Operators need that knowledge. Some of these pieces of kit are really specialist.”

Unrealistic expectations of what an onsite unit can handle can also lead to failures.

“There are incorrect assumptions of what a piece of kit will do, or what it can handle. The only thing that should go into wastewater treatment sites is wastewater, nothing else. No hair nets, tin cans, plastic cable ties or packaging materials.”

“We find all sorts of things wrapped round pumps – it could be that people lift up the gridding to dispose of things quickly. Education and ongoing training would really help prevent equipment and processes breaking down.”

Think about the future Your new onsite treatment facility might meet required environmental and trade effluent standards now but will it in the future?

“Building in future-proofing, especially legislative, is a difficult thing to do as you can’t guess the future. You can assume that as pressure increases on the sewer network, the water company will increase charges, set stricter discharge standards or possibly stop industry going to its sewer. Ask the question of your supplier - what’s the next step in treatment? At some point in the future could I re-use this valuable resource?”

30

Feature Article

By Sumit Gunawant Kulkarni, Research Analyst Adroit Market Research

Atmospheric Water Generator Introduction Water scarcity is one of the major issues of today’s world. Water covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. However, potable water accounts for a mere 2.5%, which is insufficient to cater to the needs of an ever-growing populace. Water scarcity is evident in geographic locations, which do not have adequate fresh water resources like ponds, rivers and long coastlines. In order to address these issues, countries meet their demands by water treatment technologies such as desalination, which is a costly affair.

To a considerable extent these technologies are capable of sufficing usable water requirements especially the locations that are in proximity to aquatic systems. However, they have still not been able to establish themselves as an effective solution in addressing issues especially in rain shadow areas. Such a scenario has led to the development of water capturing technologies from alternative non-aquatic sources. Atmospheric water generators (AWG) is one such development to gain prominence over the recent years.

These systems are not only used for moisture capture but also for purification of gaseous or air streams in industries. In other words, AWGs address both water and air pollution concerns.

Industry Analysis Atmospheric water generators extract water or moisture content from humid air and purify it. In 2018, the global atmospheric water generator market revenue was valued at approximately USD 2.03 billion.

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Growing AWG adoption in steel processing, pulp & paper, oil & gas, and power plants is expected to increase the market demand in the future. In 2017, The International Monetary Fund stated that, world economic growth was more than 3%, which in turn is expected to create more demand for oil & gas in the future. As a consequence, this is considered to boost the usage of extraction equipment and water treatment machinery. Growing demand to reuse water through eradication of oil contaminants from produced water and discharge, to boost use of AWGs in the oil & gas sector by 2025.

Global atmospheric water generator industry is fragmented in nature as large number of manufacturers are operating in developing countries such as India and China. Some prominent players are Dew Point Manufacturing, Water-Gen Ltd., Konia, Saisons Technocom Pvt. Ltd., Water Technologies International, Inc., Ecoloblue, Inc., Island Sky Corporation, Watair Inc., WaterMaker India Pvt. Ltd., Ltd., Air2Water LLC, Ambient Water, Eurosport Active World Corporation Technologies, Planets Water, and Fujian Yuxin Electronic Co. Can renewable based AWGs alleviate energy costs?

Rising environmental concerns followed by less efficient electricity distribution network in developing countries is likely to pace-up the adoption of renewable energy sources. Atmospheric water generators powered by coal based electricity has resulted in worst carbon footprints. In order to tackle this issue, many

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Feature Article

manufacturers are focusing on renewable energy powered atmospheric water generators. According to International Energy Agency (IEA), by 2040, renewables will account for nearly 40% of overall electricity generation mix.

Solar powered AWGs is expected to be one of the viable options suitable for use in humid and hot climatic areas, that have unpredictable electricity generation and supply and poor water quality. The readily available solar energy, makes it a low cost alternative over conventional electric power sources. However, the technology for harnessing solar energy is currently more expensive as compared to the traditional electricity equipment. According to the International Copper Association (ICA), solar power and wind accounted for more than 10% of global fuel mix in 2017. It is expected that global solar and wind power will reach over one terawatt of capacity by 2035.

Rising R&D focus on atmospheric water generators technology will provide scope for manufacturers to develop generators with higher efficiency and lower environmental impact in the future.

Two of the major factors that concern the manufacturers at present include requirement of high power inputs and high carbon footprint generation.

Carbon footprint of atmospheric water generators is largely attributed to the power source; when powered by coal-based electricity the AWG results in an exponentially greater carbon footprint as compared to desalination and reverse osmosis units. New product development initiatives by several manufacturers now integrate on-board power generation units such as solar panels and wind turbines. This increases the overall product cost owing to addition of solar panels, but reduces the overall electricity cost which is the prime concern of atmospheric water generator users.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Recent company developments in the market »» In May 2018, Water Technologies International, Inc., a U.S. based company engaged in distribution and manufacturing of advanced atmospheric water generators, announced a contract basis collaboration with OriginClear, Inc., based in the same country with an expertise in offering water treatment solutions. »» In Feb 2019, Bharat Electronics disclosed a new product line of atmospheric water generators at the Aero India 2019 event. This new AWGs are manufactured by Bharat Electronics in collaboration with MAITHRI, a Hyderabad based start-up and CSIR-IICT. »» In 2019, University of Texas developed a convenient, innovative, and environment friendly way of harvesting moisture from the atmosphere and converting it into drinking water. It is based on solar power water purification technology which uses hydrogels to clean water using solar power. »» In November 2018, Watergen, an Israeli manufacturer launched atmospheric mobile water generators under the GEN-350 product line. GEN-350 is used to release responders during the devastating Camp Fire in Butte County, California. GEN-350 has a capacity to produce up to 156 gallons of water per day. »» In 2017, Watergen working with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and American Red Cross, offered four water generators to Florida and Texas after Hurricanes Irma and Harvey) to provide clean and safe drinking water. In addition to this, Watergen also signed an agreement with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This R&D agreement is facilitated by Republican backer Sheldon Adelson to improve process for access to portable water during supply shortages.

Latest technological advancements Metal organic framework (MOFs) based atmospheric water generators and sun-towater devices have been a few of the recent technological breakthroughs in the global AWG industry. Atmospheric water sources constitute nearly 10% of fresh water on Earth. However, improvement of process efficiencies for capturing water from ambient air at low humidity levels is still at a nascent stage. Metal organic framework (MOFs) based devices capture water at ambient conditions using natural sunlight.

Atmospheric water generator technology based on metal organic framework (MOFs) is capable of harvesting more than 2.5 liters of water per day for every kg of MOF. Sun-To-Water devices are capable of producing more than 40 gallons of clean water per day and it can be powered by hybrid solar plus grid power systems.

These devices use energy efficient fans to pull air and circulate it through desiccant technology for water absorption.

Conclusion To conclude, declining fresh water levels coupled with supportive government regulations is expected to increase atmospheric water generator market expansion over the coming years. Growing environmental concerns regarding increasing carbon footprint is expected to result in rising adoption of renewable energy sources in the future. Atmospheric water generators are primarily being used in industries and commercial building owing to high installations costs. High electricity consumption coupled with high capital cost has been a limitation of AWG market growth especially in the residential segment. However, increasing production of solar and wind energy based atmospheric water generators is expected to open new avenues in the global industry over the coming years.

Source: Adroit Market Research

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Water industry focus

Sobye Trial Success The ‘Sobye’ self-cleaning belt filter from Jacopa’s Swedish manufacturing partner, Nordic Water provides an automatic, compact solution for primary treatment to replace settlement tanks.The filter has recently undergone extremely successful trials at a unique Scottish Water test facility demonstrating excellent process performance and proving the effectiveness of the system.

The utility’s Waste Water Test Centre is the first facility of its kind in the UK and is one of two research hubs operated by its commercial subsidiary Scottish Water Horizons.The site offers real-life testing of new technologies, processes and equipment under live conditions, with the aim of accelerating technology and adoption.

The centre, near Falkirk, is sited next to Scottish Water’s existing operational waste water treatment works and was transformed from a redundant sludge treatment building.The facility’s testing hall provides three individual feeds of waste water from different stages in the treatment process so that solutions that target the various stages of the treatment process can be trialled.The waste water discharged from the testing area then enters back into the normal treatment process, providing a safe and dynamic testing environment to upscale experimentation.

At the trial site, on the Firth of Forth, Jacopa’s testing was undertaken at the Waste Water Development Centre on a dedicated inlet receiving a continuous stream of live, screened effluent on a large scale. The influent from the waste water treatment plant’s inlet works entered the Sobye filter and following treatment by the filter, primary treated effluent was returned to the downstream plant treatment processes.

Jacopa worked closely with Scottish Water to conduct testing under a number of different scenarios (e.g. high/medium/low flow rates). Samples were also taken and analysed on a daily basis by the utility to prove the effectiveness of Jacopa’s system.

All relevant parameters were tested over the five-week period, such as solids retention and effluent characteristics, using the site’s comprehensive monitoring equipment; the results are reported to be extremely impressive and can be obtained by contacting Jacopa direct. Another welcome outcome is that an order has also been placed for Jacopa to refurbish the grit plant at the main treatment works.

33

The Sobye factory-built, small footprint primary treatment process is designed to remove solids and particles from wastewater. It is intended to replace the need for the usual space-taking settlement tanks found at wastewater treatment plants, reducing both footprint and costs – due to its effectiveness, it can offer savings of up to 50% on investment.

The Sobye filter has acquired an excellent reputation over a 25-year period since its initial development in Norway then Sweden and more than 200 systems are currently in use, with around 100 in the municipal primary treatment market. The system takes screened, municipal wastewater from the inlet works and this then flows under gravity through the moving robust filter belt with filtered wastewater being discharged from the bottom of the tank.

The belt speed is controlled to allow a layer of sludge to build up on the belt which increases filtration efficiency.

The Sobye-filter belt is incorporated into a cassette that can be easily removed from the filter tank for maintenance and repair. The belt is made of polyester, which ensures an exceptionally long operating life cycle.

When the screen needs to be cleaned the belt rotates, and particles are removed by an integrated brush. Next, a high-pressure spray bar cleans the belt, which is quicker and cheaper than air cleaning, and the dislodged sludge is discharged to a conveyor for washing and pressing to a high dry solids content.The washwater, along with the filtrate from the press, is returned upstream.The filter belt is extremely robust and is easily replaced when required.

Because the Sobye filter uses the integrated brush to clean the filter fabric, no compressor or pump is required. The filter also has an exceptionally high filtering capacity compared to its small size and is therefore an excellent choice where space is limited.

There are three sizes of belt filter for use in the municipal wastewater market:

the Sobye TD 07, the TD 14 and the TD 20. These all have an excellent reputation as small-footprint units with a high filtering capacity: their effective filter areas are 0.74m2, 1.45m2 and 2.0m2 respectively.

The units are made in stainless steel, with a heavyduty polyester belt mesh aperture size ranging from 601000 microns. Flow volumes are up to 50m3/h for the TD-07, 100m3/h for the TD 14 and 150m3/h for the TD 20.

The effectiveness of BOD and suspended solids removal across the Sobye unit is at least equivalent to conventional primary settlement but with the greatly reduced footprint discussed above. Operational and maintenance costs are also similar to those of conventional primary settlement tanks and scraper systems.

Key features and benefits include the high efficiency belt filter and the solids removal design basis, which (as seen in the figure) is equal to an 11m diameter primary settlement tank and with hydraulic loading design equal to a 7.5m diameter primary settlement tank.

The Sobye solution offers at least equivalent process performance, a smaller footprint, modular and factory build off-site, lower whole life cost, reduced carbon footprint, shorter delivery times, and minimised site health and safety risks compared to the construction, operation and maintenance of conventional primary settlement tanks.

The system can be deployed as a temporary treatment solution and produces high quality sludge and readily-verified performance. The Sobye belt filter can additionally be retrofitted easily into existing facilities, as it is simple to install. Jacopa envisages that given the speed and ease of implementation it will also be embraced as an effective permanent treatment system, with the option for rental where shorter-term challenges to efficient operation exist due to works overload or where maintenance of primary tanks is a concern for operators.

The Sobye belt filter was the focus of a recent industry presentation by Joakim Nilsson of Jacopa’s Swedish manufacturing partner, Nordic Water.

Joakim presented the case for this advanced process versus conventional civil works settlement tanks, reviewing quality, standardisation and safety and evaluating performance including suspended solids removal, sludge production volume and footprint benefits.

Nilsson emphasised that while existing primary treatment practice is predictable, scalable, and normally robust, nevertheless high loads, inlet works failures and scum can pose significant issues, and repair and maintenance can be hazardous. He produced data showing the superior performance in both biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) removal, highlighted the 6-8% dry solids produced and showed that the sludge had a higher calorific value product.

He also provided an overview of the performance and estimated costs associated with each filter in the range.

In summary, he concluded that the Sobye filter provides at least equivalent process performance to primary settlement tanks, with a far smaller footprint. The filter is also modular and factory-built offsite, and offers lower whole life costs, a reduced carbon footprint, and shorter delivery times. The filter also minimises related site health and safety risks.

Jacopa Managing Director, Alex Lloyd said:“We have been extremely pleased with our collaboration with Scottish Water and by the reliable operation of the Sobye filter and results of the tests, which underlined the effectiveness of the Sobye filter as a replacement for standard primary settlement tanks. On sites where space is at a premium and customers seek tangible innovative solutions to reduce costs, we envisage there will be considerable interest in Sobye”.

Rebecca Skuce, Project Manager at the Development Centre, said:“We were delighted to work alongside Jacopa to help facilitate this trial. The positive results from the trial are very exciting and we’re privileged that our test facility has helped Jacopa achieve their desired outcome. Bringing bold new solutions to market will significantly enhance how we ensure our environment is safeguarded and help us secure a more sustainable future”.

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Feature Article

By Martin Walder VP Industry Schneider Electric

Future Proofing

Your Motor Management Strategy ensure that they are protected and fit for purpose now and in the future.

Think of it like this – with more and more smart Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) compatible products available on the market, if part of the motor were to break, replacing like for like products would not always provide the best operational results.

What’s wrong with like for like replacement?

Motors starters can be complex pieces of technology – and like all technology, they are at risk of faults, damage or breaking down all together.

Manufacturers sit at the cutting edge of the Industry 4.0 revolution. Technology is changing the industry as we know it – and manufacturers need to prepare for the impact advancements in tech are set to have. To do so, manufacturers need a clear vision as to how digitalisation is going to impact their sector. Whilst this isn’t easy, and there’s no set answer – manufacturers can take the opportunity to embrace new and innovative technology. In doing so, they’ll benefit from increased insights, and greater productivity. One of the ways they can do this is in their motor management strategy.

In today’s market, the manufacturing industry dominates the industrial sphere.

Within the sector, an incredible volume of power is used to convert raw materials into finished goods. What’s more, more than 60% of the energy in the industry is being used specifically to power motors. Crucially, this is only set to increase if we’re to sustain the production rate for years to come and futureproof the industry.

Whilst this volume of energy consumption may not come as a surprise, the amount of companies without a motor management strategy in place is surprising. What’s more – an intelligent motor management strategy is crucial if we are to reduce our overall energy consumption and increase plant uptime. In fact, the manufacturing sector is dependent on motors, so it’s essential to 35

There are several different conditions in the industry to watch out for that can create a motor starter failure. This includes, high or low voltage supply, phase unbalance, continuous excessive loading, jam or stall conditions, ground faults, singlephasing, seized motor bearing or binding mechanical linkages.

When impacted by one of these situations, many plants are re-ordering a like-for-like starter. Prior to its failure, it worked well and it’s a product they know and feel comfortable with. This however is a shortterm solution. The issue here is that the technology and capability of the said motor may not be fit for the long-term. Without smart capabilities, businesses will suffer from a lack of insight and will get left behind in the plant process information technology race.

Enter: Smart motor management strategies The solution therefore, is to implement a smart motor management strategy. This isn’t something that is needed purely for new machines, but also for upgrades and retrofit. A smart strategy offers the manufacturer additional digital based benefits above simply opting to implement energy saving technologies.

A great example of this in play is Schneider Electrics motor starting product, VSD’s and TeSys island with EcoStruxure Machine

Expert configuration and commissioning software and the EcoStruxure Motor Configurator tool. The tool helps OEMS to accelerate the time to market by enabling multiple teams to simultaneously program and control the quality of design. By enabling a more efficient integration, it becomes 40% faster to integrate and reduce installation costs by 30% compared with traditional solutions.

By utilising these technologies, product and process information is automatically generated. This allows businesses to open up to the world of plant digitisation and enjoy all the benefits it brings. Benefits include reduced energy consumption, increased productivity, more empowered operators, preventative maintenance scheduling and asset management. Not only this, but access to smart data is key in increasing uptime, improving overall quality.

All of these contribute to the same end goal – to increase the overall equipment performance (OEE) and ultimately, business profitability.

A future-proof strategy At present, a smart motor management strategy may not be the first thing on everyone’s minds. But, in three to five years’ time, when the senior leadership team are requesting insights into why downtime on the plant floor is high, or into how many stop/starts a motor has done – we need to be prepared to give informed and datadriven answers. The only way to do this is by improving our traditional technology, and replacing it with smarter, more innovative and more connected motors.

The question is, how do we get the most out of our manufacturing plants? The answer is simple. It’s time to embrace change and opt for smarter, more innovative starter technologies that provide us with the analytics and business insight we are going to need. By preparing a smart motor management strategy now – it’s possible to remain competitive – and ready for the future changes technology is yet to bring.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

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Feature Article

By Norbert Hanigovszki, Jörg Dannehl, Sanjeet Kumar Dwivedi, Anna Hildebrand Jensen from Danfoss Drives A/S

Condition monitoring

using the drive as a sensor

Variable speed drives have been used for over half a century, with the main advantage being the reduction of electrical energy use. With the advance of Industry 4.0 the role of the drive moves from that of a pure power processor to that of an intelligent element of the automation system. The ability of the drive to act as a smart sensor, makes it a natural choice when implementing condition monitoring. In this article we present how this can be used in water and wastewater applications.

1. New drive capabilities for water and wastewater applications Variable speed drives with power electronics converters have been used for more than half a century and today more than 20% of all electric motors are driven by variable speed drives. The main reason for using drives is the reduction of energy use. However, there are also other reasons for employing drives in water and wastewater applications, such as process control (keeping constant water pressure, thus avoiding leakage caused by high pressure), avoiding water hammer or optimized well exploitation.

Since the introduction of microprocessors to control the drives, additional functionality has been added to the original function – which is that of a power processor. For example, drives are able to perform pump de-ragging in wastewater applications, they are able to control several pumps in a cascade system in water pumping applications or can by-pass certain frequencies to avoid resonances.

The advance of Industry 4.0 has given an additional boost to these additional functions. As Industry 4.0 deals with information

37

and networking, we start using the drives as smart and networked sensors.

2. Industry 4.0 in motor and drive systems Industry 4.0 is a generic term, suggesting a fourth industrial revolution which can be characterized by networking (following the first industrial revolution – mechanization, the second – electrification and the third – automation). Although the term is somewhat vague, a possible definition could be “Industry 4.0 describes the intelligent networking of people, things and systems by utilizing all the possibilities of digitalization across the entire value chain”.

The impact of this trend on motor systems is a migration from what is known as “automation pyramid” to networked systems, see Figure 1 (left). This means that the various elements of the system, such as motors, drives, sensors and controls, get interconnected and also connected to a cloud – where data is stored, processed, ana­lyzed and decisions are made, see Figure 1 (right).

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Feature Article 3. The drive as a sensor In variable speed drive applications, the availability of microprocessors in the drive and bus commu­nication options, combined with current and voltage sensors opens new opportunities. Moreover, additional sensors (such as vibration and pressure sensors) can be connected to the drive at almost no cost. This allows the drive to be used as a smart sensor for condition monitoring (Figure 2). The available information offers various use cases, e.g. system optimization, energy efficiency optimization, and condition-based maintenance. The next section will explore some examples of sensor integration and condition-based maintenance.

4.1 Vibration level monitoring Many mechanical failures, e.g. bearing wear-out, shaft misalignment, unbalances, create some kind of vibration. Thus, vibration monitoring has been established as state of the art for monitoring rotating machines.

There are various methods ranging from basic simple monitoring up to highly sophisticated monitoring [3]. A widely used method is vibration velocity RMS monitoring [2]. It is based on the RMS value of the vibration signal that is measured through a vibration sensor. Many mechanical faults have a significant impact on the RMS of the vibration, e.g. unbalances, shaft misalignment, and looseness. However, the challenge in variable speed applications is the dependency of the vibration on the actual speed. Mechanical resonances are typical examples. These are always present, and a monitoring system has to cope with them in some way. Often the fault detection levels are being set for worst case to avoid false alarms. This reduces the detection accuracy in speed regions where no resonances are present.

4. Embedded condition-based monitoring Condition monitoring is a technique to monitor the health of equipment in service. For this purpose, key parameters need to be selected as indicators for developing faults. The equipment condition typically degrades over time. Figure 3 shows a typical degradation pattern, also known as PFcurve. The point of functional failure is when the equipment fails to provide the intended function. The idea of condition-based maintenance is to detect the potential failure before the actual failure occurs. In this case, maintenance actions can be planned before functional failure, with advantages such as: reduction of downtime, elimination of unexpected production stops, maintenance optimization, reduction of spare part stock, and others.

Having a suitable vibration transmitter mounted and connected to the drive, the drive can offer advanced monitoring by correlating the transmitter signal with drive-internal signals, e.g. speed, or other signals that are relevant for the application. The drive can detect faults early and give traffic light info (see Figure 3) on the health state of the system to prevent functional failure. Maintenance can be prepared and scheduled in advance while the system can continue operation until the next possible maintenance break.

The vibration level in normal and faulty condition is also dependent on the type, location and mounting of the sensor. Moreover, it varies with the actual appli­cation that is to be monitored. Thus, a learning period is required. This can be done is different ways. First approach is learning the normal vibration levels during the initial period of operation. This means the application is running normally and the drive learns the vibration in parallel without affecting the operation. When enough data has been collected, the drive starts to monitor the vibration. Secondly, the drive can execute an identification run. Here, the drive controls the motor in a way that enough data is being collected. The possibility of using this second approach depends on the specific application. For example, in a water supply system the pump may not be allowed to run at full speed at the time of commissioning.

A test set-up has been built to demonstrate the functionality.

The fault in scope for this test is misalignment of the motor shaft. Shaft misalignment adds mechanical load to the bearings and thus reduces bearing lifetime.

Moreover, it creates vibrations that can lead to secondary effect in the system. Early detection of misalignment and correction can extent the bearing lifetime and avoid downtime.

Figure 3: P-F curve representing the condition of a component until functional failure.

Process Industry Informer â&#x20AC;˘ August - September 2019

38

Feature Article Figure 4 shows the test set-up with an induction motor driving a small pump. An angular misalignment can be created through slightly lifting the baseplate with the red handle. A vibration sensor has been installed on the baseplate of the motor to illustrate the concept. The analogue 4-20 mA sensor signal has been connected to the analogue input of the drive.

Figure 6 illustrates the basic concept. Fault condition indicators can be extracted from the motor currents and voltage signals. Frequency components of currents and voltages can be related to motor or application faults, e.g. shaft misalignment or stator winding faults. The current and voltage sensors are essential components of drives anyway. They provide the necessary signals for controlling the motor. These signals can be used for monitoring purpose. Thus, no extra sensor costs are added. Signal processing and analytic techniques play an important role in this context.

Figure 6: Electrical signature analysis

Figure 4: Test set-up with a small pump driven by an induction motor. Vibration transmitter (black/orange) mounted on the baseplate next to a motor.

Figure 5 shows an example of test results. The measured vibration in mm/s versus the motor speed in RMS is shown for two scenarios.

In the first scenario the system is in its healthy state. In this state, a baseline measure­ment is executed. The warning and alarm thresholds are derived based on the measured baseline. For the faulty scenario, a shaft mis­align­ment is created by slightly lifting the motor baseplate through the red handle, see Figure 5. The measured vibration in faulty condition is shown in green.

The drive being the controller of the motor can correlate the monitoring values, e.g. specific current harmonics, with other available information inside the drive. Knowing the controller state for instance, the drive knows when meaningful spectrum calculations can be performed. Like the vibration level monitoring, the correlation of monitored values with motor speed, load, and other relevant process data (e.g. pressure in water pipes) can be performed to get more accurate fault information.

4.3 ­­Load monitoring in pumps As shown in the previous section, drives are measuring motor current and voltage and the primary purpose is to use these measurements for controlling the motor. The primary current and voltage measurement is used to calculate various parameters such as motor power, energy, actual motor speed or torque. And these values can be used for monitoring the motor load, for example a pump.

Figure 7 Load envelope curve

In applications where the load depends on the motor speed, the torque estimation can be used for determining over-load and under-load deviations. During baseline the drive “learns” the normal distribution of the load, or the load envelope – shown in Figure 7. As in the previous functions, there is a correlation with the motor speed. During monitoring the drive can detect over-load and under-load conditions, which can be caused in pump applications by faults such as: fouling, sanding, broken impeller, wear out or other.

Conclusions Condition monitoring can be used for implementing condition-based maintenance – which is an evolution from corrective and preventive maintenance. But condition monitoring relies on sensor data; and installing additional sensors can be expensive. However, if variable speed drives are already used in the application, they are a valuable source of data which can be used for condition monitoring, saving unnecessary expense.

Figure 5: Test data (Vibration RMS value in mm/s versus speed in RPM) for two scenarios: fault-free (black,“baseline”) and faulty (green,“misaligned”).

In the above example, the drive can clearly detect this fault. For other applications, the baseline data can be very different. Typically, even in heal­thy state the vibration is dependent on speed. There can even by resonance points that need to be taken into account while monitoring.

Other types of faults, e.g. unbalances, looseness, create different patterns.

4.2 Electrical signature analysis The condition of the motor and application can also be monitored through electrical signature analysis. This technique has been under research for many years. The early studies have addressed direct online machines, and later variable speed drive applications have been investigated too [5,6,7]. With the available processing power and memory in today’s drives, these techniques can be integrated into products as product features now.

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www.drives.danfoss.com

References: [1] DIN ISO 10816 Mechanische Schwingungen - Bewertung der Schwingungen von Maschinen durch Messungen an nicht-rotierenden Teilen [3] Robert Bond Randall: Vibration-based Condition Monitoring: Industrial, Aerospace and Automotive Applications [4] Ifm: Operating instructions Vibration sensor VKV021, https://www.ifm.com/ mounting/704575UK.pdf [5] Hamid A. Toliyat, Subhasis Nandi, Seungdeog Choi, Homayoun Meshgin-Kelk: Electric Machines: Modeling, Condition Monitoring, and Fault Diagnosis, CRC Press, 2013 [6] Howard P. Penrose: Electrical Motor Diagnostics, Success By Design; 2nd ed. edition (2008) [7] Sanjeet Kumar Dwivedi, Jorg Dannehl: Modeling and simulation of stator and rotor faults of induction motor and their experimental comparison, 2017 IEEE 11th International Symposium on Diagnostics for Electrical Machines, Power Electronics and Drives (SDEMPED)

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Process Measurement

By Tina Todd, Director of Engineering at Moore Industries Worldwide

Bridging the Gap between

HART Devices and IIoT,

the Industrial Internet of Things

Distributed Control System - DCS

In recent decades, the introduction of industrial Ethernet and wireless networks in process manufacturing plants and automation facilities has meant that data exchange within a facility and even throughout global corporate networks is becoming commonplace. This free flow of information has introduced new possibilities for using the copius amounts of data in existing field devices in an IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things), context to enable the Smart Factory, Cloud Automation and Industry 4.0. The flow of process and diagnostics data from smart HART digital field instruments can now be shared with mid and higher level control, asset management and data information systems without having to upgrade expensive process control interface equipment.

For this reason we are seeing companies offer leasing or annual agreements that involve collecting, storing, and analyzing all sorts of process data. This data is part of a larger predictive analytics strategy that can not only forewarn operators of impending problems to come, but is also being used to optimize the process itself. This type of cloud automation looks to gather as much data as possible to reduce operating expenditures and future capital expenditures for future plant builds.

So the challenge remains: how do existing and new manufacturing facilities find a cost effective way to get critical plant floor data up to higher level information systems? The answer is to take advantage of the digital HART data you already have installed but either didn’t know it was there or couldn’t afford the equipment upgrades to gain access to it.

HART Protocol

ISA 95 Control Hierarchy Levels Level 4

Level 3

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Business Logistics

Plant Production Scheduling, Shipping, Receiving, Inventory, etc

Manufacturing Operations Management

Dispatching, Detailed Production Scheduling, Production Tracking

Batch Production Control

Continuous Production Control

Discrete Production Control

The production processes

ISA 95 Model Showing Control and Information Levels Plant of the Future The typical process control model that involves decision making for the process at the local or centralized level by PLCs (Programmable Logic Controller) or BPCS (Basic Process Control System) is quickly changing. These systems were never intended to deal with or even realize the amount of data they would have access to in the near future. There are newer ERP, MES and asset management systems that collect some of this data now, but the more critical challenge that local manufacturing facilities face is manpower. Because streamlining of costs and overhead has left many manufacturing facilities with just enough personnel to keep the plant running, facilities no longer have the extra time, personnel and resources required to analyze data.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

With over 40 million installed HART devices worldwide, HART continues to get updated revisions that continually enhance data exchange capacity, speed, number of devices on a network, support over Ethernet, and wireless capability. It enables end users to have unfettered access to process and diagnostic data that can be shared with all areas of the new Smart Factory that supports IIoT endeavors.

In many cases, HART instruments were installed simply because they could be configured and diagnosed easily with a HART handheld communicator (HHC). However, the HART digital signal often contains additional process measurements and other variables that may include instrument status, diagnostic data, alarms, calibration values and alert messages.

A simple and cost-effective solution for gathering HART information is to use a HART interface device. These HART interface devices make acquiring HART data a fairly simple proposition.

This HART data can then be made available to the control system, asset manager or plant Ethernet backbone where it can then be shared with higher level systems or corporate WANs (Wide Area Network).

HART Interface Options There are several ways to interface with HART smart field devices in order to acquire the digital process and diagnostic information. They vary from HART enabled 4-20mA input cards, HART multiplexer (Mux) systems, slide-in PLC gateway cards, custom coded software interfaces for asset management and MES/ERP systems and standalone gateways that typically convert the HART data to some other proprietary or open industry format.

HART multiplexers are common and typically their interface is a custom RS-422, RS- 485 or RS-232 serial connection and is custom configured for a particular vendor’s hardware interface, asset management system or control system. Each of these options is quite costly and often avoided.

The most expensive but also most specific HART interface to have is one written by a programmer which can then be customized to exact user and hardware specifications.

Standalone HART gateways, such as the Moore Industries HES HART to Ethernet Gateway System, often provide the most economical pathway to extracting HART data from field devices, making the data readily available to higher level systems.

These products usually offer one to four channels or ports that allow several HART devices to be multidropped for maximum data concentration.

For more information on Moore Industries, visit www. miinet.com

HART to Ethernet Gateways offer a quick and economical way of sharing critical HART data with higher level systems.

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Mixing

Silverson manufactures 19ft Duplex Disintegrator mixer in-house

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Silverson Large Scale Batch mixers are individually built to order and constructed to suit client’s specific requirements.

The mixer was designed, manufactured and assembled in-house.

Silverson also manufacture multipurpose Batch mixers with special interchangeable work heads allowing the mixers to be used on a wide range of applications. These small to medium range mixers also have the option of a mobile floor stand, greatly increasing the flexibility of the machines as they can easily be moved from vessel to vessel.

This particular mixer will be used to manufacture Viscosity Index improvers and can process batches of up to 20 tonne batches.

If you have an application you would like to discuss, please contact Silverson Machines at sales@ silverson.co.uk or visit www.silverson. co.uk for more information.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

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Feature Article

By Angelo Giambrone, Business Development Manager at Spirax Sarco UK

Embracing

Steam In The 21st Century Steam plays a valuable role in meeting the requirements of modern manufacturing facilities. Angelo Giambrone, Business Development Manager at Spirax Sarco UK, discusses why more of those involved in the operation and management of manufacturing facilities should embrace steam in their process.

What comes to mind when you think of steam? Steam’s uses are very much relevant in the world today as an essential part of many applications across a broad range of industries including humidification, sterilisation, cooking, cleaning and even cooling.

Delivering improvements From the boilerhouse, through the distribution system and into the plantrooms, there are many areas of consideration when looking to optimise a steam system. It may seem obvious, but ensuring that lagging is of a good standard is crucial for example, in maximising system efficiency. This is of course relevant to any medium, but an ageing installation will often offer significant opportunity for improvement.

Boiler water feedtanks have traditionally been atmospheric units in the UK. More commonplace in Europe is the Pressurised Deaerator, which operates just above atmospheric pressure, thus driving off oxygen from the feedwater. This helps to improve the quality of the steam and condensate, therefore increasing the longevity of the steam infrastructure. Its low-pressure operation provides an effective way of capturing surplus energy that may be found in the boilerhouse, boosting overall system efficiency.

Boilers have two key areas where energy can be recovered; one being to capture the thermal energy in boiler flue gases using an economiser, which is typically used to pre-heat the feedwater going into the boiler, and the other being boiler blowdown, where hot water is discharged from a boiler to maintain the internal dissolved solids level at an optimum. Fuel savings from each can typically be between 3 and 5%.

In the distribution system, steam traps are essential in the safe and

effective operation of a steam system. Whatever type of trap is employed, there will be an aspect of maintenance required to maintain maximum system efficiency, whether it be cleaning a strainer or changing a trap. Traditionally made of a number of separate components (valves, strainers, etc.), the latest generation of one-piece trapping solutions have reduced potential leak paths from a typical 18 to just 3, vastly reducing maintenance and associated costs.

It is important to have the ability to access any trapping item quickly and effectively. Steam traps such as the STS17.2 has transformed the way this is achieved and has found favour across many industries with its integral componentry, saving time and money by helping sites to keep steam traps running at maximum efficiency.

In plantrooms, steam-to-water plate heat exchangers offer an energyefficient alternative to the traditional shell and tubes in the generation of hot water. Modern plate heat exchangers are designed to operate at optimum conditions for efficiency and also have the added-value benefit of reduced operational costs, eliminating the ongoing strip-downs that calorifiers require for insurance purposes.

Space is increasingly at a premium in facilities. When considering a traditional plantroom, there may have been a number of large domestic hot water (DHW) or process hot water calorifiers occupying a considerable footprint. This can usually be satisfied using steam-to-water plate heat exchangers that deliver instantaneous hot water from a much smaller footprint. Not only does this provide benefits in terms of reduced losses (no radiated losses from stored water volumes) but it also helps to minimise the legionella

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

risk by the removal of the stored water volume.

Condensate recovery provides substantial benefits to those who manage the finances of their facility. Condensate is ideal for use as boiler feedwater as it has both heat content and is of a quality to minimise boiler blowdown, resulting in energy savings. Returning condensate will not only minimise raw water use, but also reduce the amount of boiler treatment chemicals consumed, this time with an associated financial saving.

Future-proof Taking a new approach to steam has significant potential to futureproof any facility. Centralising and consolidating the thermal source would maximise the output of any Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant that may be under consideration. CHP works by utilising a fuel source to generate electricity which the facility can then make use of. The CHP engine can use the hot exhaust gas to produce steam, which can then be effectively transferred across site. This source of thermal and electrical generation is more efficient than traditional means of power generation.

With the emphasis on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the future could well bring about change to our primary energy sources.

What fuel will be used in the facility of tomorrow? The centralisation of boiler plant helps facilitate these changes, adapting to the fuel change at one point, whilst that excellent energy-carrying capacity of steam can still be utilised, serving all the significant users around the site, or even off site.

So if centralisation helps future-proof against changes in fuel supplies, how does this high-energy steam get transferred to the various areas of the site?

The reduction of an item’s electrical energy consumption is very topical.

All around there are ideas to reduce electrical energy consumption, from LED lighting to variable speed drives on pumps. At a time when we seek this reduction, it is important to know that with steam we have a medium capable of delivering megawatts of energy, yet it does not require pumping to get from A to B. It travels from areas of high pressure to low pressure under its own steam, if you excuse the pun.

Where next?

Steam’s use clearly shows that it is still very much an important part of industry today and why so many facilities have been built with steam running through their veins. While the way facilities look and function may well change in the near future, the versatility of steam will help to ensure that manufacturing industries can continue to deliver, whatever the 21st Century may bring.

For more information on embracing steam in your process, why not download your copy of The unsung hero of boilerhouse efficiency whitepaper?

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Heating & Cooling

The Dolfin – a unique approach to heating viscous fluids in IBCs

The Dolfin is a unique approach to heating viscous fluids within IBCs (intermediate bulk containers). It is designed and built in the UK to protect sensitive products – such as syrups, honey, fats and other viscous products that are difficult to process.

It is also designed for fast batching, thus increasing efficiency and reducing down time.

The Dolfin heats directly in the product and right into the outlet valve to get that batching process underway in a fraction of the time of traditional heating systems.

Advantages of the Dolfin include: »» Lightweight and robust »» Microprocessor controlled delivery of heat

»» Direct heat into the outlet valve for FASTBATCH »» Thermodynamic core to achieve Sensitive Product Protection »» Carefully designed large-fin area to give maximum heating surface area »» Industrial strength food grade Xylon coating for non-stick of viscous products

»» 240V, 2400 Watts of controlled power delivery »» Simple temperature adjustment with adjustment protection »» Status and power delivery LED »» Optional cleansing station For more information, visit here

Fulton’s VSRT helps to improve efficiency at Fillongley’s spring water bottling plant Fillongley Spring Water boasts one of the UK’s most efficient bottling facilities and offers a high-speed and costeffective way for bottled water cooler distributors to access the high-quality product demanded by their customers.

But with the demand for bottled cooler water increasing, Fillongley needed a new bottling line. However, with the two existing Fulton boilers not having the capacity to reach the target temperature for the new plant’s washing line, Fillongley started looking at alternative steam raising solutions.

Commenting for Fillongley Spring Water, technical and quality manager Martin Whitehead says:“We looked at several alternatives – including vertical and horizontal firetube boilers – but, with advice from our main contractors and installer, a decision to specify one of Fulton’s recently-launched VSRT-30 steam boilers was taken and, overall, the results have exceeded expectations!”

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Instead of running two boilers for the washing line, a single VSRT boiler is now being used to achieve an increased target temperature of 60°C for the detergent. The combination of the new line and Fulton’s energyefficient VSRT also means the company has been able to increase the throughput of the line by 40% – from 1,200 bottles per hour to 2,000 – and Fillongley has reduced its gas consumption by about a third.

“A reduction in gas consumption wasn’t something we set out to achieve, so this is a real bonus for the company and means the payback period for the bottling line is reduced.” says Martin.

It is within the bottle washer that, via a heat exchanger, steam from Fulton’s VSRT vertical boiler is used to heat the detergent. The company also took the decision to retain the existing vertical steam boilers for duty-standby purposes.

The VSRT is the first steam boiler to emerge from Fulton’s new ‘PURE Technology’ approach, an initiative that’s resulted in a world-first design that is durable, long-lasting and boasts the highest efficiencies and ultra-low NOx emissions as standard.

This new approach aims to enhance heat transfer, provide class-leading efficiencies, improve steam quality and reduce NOx emissions.

Rather than further-improve products

like its J Series to achieve these goals, PURE Technology – the culmination of Fulton’s clean slate approach to design – challenges the industry status quo on conventional boiler design by engineering solutions that are fit-forpurpose and fully-optimised for all applications.

Further information on Fulton’s VSRT can be found on their website, by calling +44 (0)117 972 3322 or emailing sales@fulton.co.uk.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Fluids & Liquids Handling

KNF announces a revolutionary three-diaphragm liquid pump delivering high flow rates at low pulsation.

KNF’s new FK 1100 diaphragm liquid pump is one of the most advanced solutions on the market for transferring liquids at high flow rates gently with low pulsation.

This is required as for example in industrial inkjet, food processing or cooling circuit applications.

The robust, adjustable pump is offered in a variety of materials, and comes in food-safe and chemically resistant versions.

The recently released FK 1100 has a flow rate of up to 12 liters per minute, doubling KNF’s previous maximum for liquid diaphragm pumps. The pump has only one inlet and one outlet, despite having three diaphragms working inside.

These are offset at 120° to each other while connected in parallel, which results in very low pulsation and minimal shear forces. Intensive

testing has proven that the pump easily achieves pulsation values below 200 mbar at the inlet and outlet. This permits the new pump to convey liquid very gently and to protect fragile elements of the media.

The FK 1100 is anything but fragile. It has a highly durable and robust design with a die-cast aluminum housing and high-torque motors that provide continuous operation with up to 6 bar back pressure, even at this high pressure, the pump delivers an impressive 8 l/min.

Further advantages of diaphragm technology include the use of elastomer diaphragms, which remove the risk of contaminating the

media in the pump and allow almost any type of liquid to be conveyed, including corrosives. The pumps are self-priming with 4.5 mH2O suction height, and able to run dry which reduces the need for additional equipment.

Versions are available in a variety of carefully selected materials, for example with NSF certification for food applications, or elastomers with higher chemical resistance.

Customers can also choose between different drives, such as brushless DC or single-phase AC motors.

The speed of the brushless DC motor can be controlled using analogue or digital PWM signals, permitting lower flow rates if necessary.

KNF develops, produces and distributes high-quality diaphragm pumps and systems for neutral and aggressive gases and liquids.

Press contact: KNF Neuberger UK Ltd Kirsty Wilson — Marketing Avenue 2, Station Lane Industrial Estate, Witney, Oxfordshire, OX28 4FA Tel.: 01993 778373 Fax: 01993 775148 kirsty.wilson@knf.com www.knf.co.uk

Qdos pumps replace diaphragm pumps in paint shop chemical metering application Five Qdos 30 chemical metering pumps from Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) are being deployed in a critical paint shop application at Bredel – also part of WMFTG – and a world leader in the design and manufacture of hose pumps.

Delivered by surface finish technology specialist Indufinish as part of a system for treating non-ferrous metals prior to painting, the Qdos 30 units replaced diaphragm pumps in the original specification to help improve process management and bath quality.

It was in 2018 that Indufinish first contacted Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group in the Netherlands with a request for five Qdos pumps to replace diaphragm pumps in a chemical metering application at the Delden plant of Bredel. Now installed, the Qdos pumps are being used for pH-control; for metering proprietary Chemetall chemicals such as Gardoclean (cleaner/degreaser), Gardobond (phosphate conversion coating) and Oxsilan (silane-based

pre-treatment); and for introducing additives like zirconium and fluoride.

The surface-treatment installation consumes chemicals, which are replenished by the Qdos pumps. Here, the run time and flow rate of the pumps depends on the paint shop’s workload.

However, the manually controlled Qdos units typically operate for 2-5 hours a day, at flow rates of 1 to 15 l/h.

Bertus Groteboer, senior manufacturing engineer at the Bredel plant, says: “Inherent ease of use means we can easily program the flow rate, which in combination with checking the fluid level of the jerry cans, brings about a major improvement in process management. In turn, the quality of the process baths has increased and is more consistent.”

The set flow rate of Qdos pumps remains constant up to the maximum 7 bar operating pressure, giving them a unique advantage over diaphragm metering pumps. In addition, Qdos pumps offer long maintenance

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

intervals, reducing the impact of process downtime and lowering TCO (total cost of ownership). In fact, TCO is typically half that of diaphragm pumps in chemical metering applications.

A further issue with diaphragm metering pumps is their frequent requirement for a range of high-maintenance ancillary items in order to function effectively. There is no such need with Qdos pumps, which deliver accurate, linear and repeatable metering across all process conditions without backpressure valves, pulsation dampeners, degassing valves, foot valves, strainers or float switches.

The ReNu peristaltic pumphead is at the core of Qdos pumps, ensuring the delivery of accurate and repeatable flow for fluids with wide-ranging viscosities. Process uptime is maximised by facilitating quick, safe and easy pumphead removal and replacement, without any

requirement for tools, specialist training or skilled maintenance technicians.

The contained pumphead design with integral leak detection reduces wastage and eliminates operator exposure to chemicals.

Danny Fine, country manager Benelux at Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group, sums up by stating:“It’s great to have our own breakthrough products proving their capabilities in company production facilities. The Qdos pumps are really helping the Bredel plant to excel in manufacturing.” www.wmftg.com 44

Fluids & Liquids Handling

NEW Stainless Steel field mounting indicators

Hydra-Cell… the pumps for high efficiency be fitted with smaller motors than would be needed to meet the same flow and pressure requirements.

Thanks to their unique, seal-less design, Hydra-Cell® pumps are able to operate at exceptionally high efficiency levels, claims Wanner International… And higher efficiency translates directly to ‘lower energy costs’.

The Hydra-Cell pump drive mechanism is submerged in a reservoir of oil, which keeps it permanently lubricated and allows power to be transmitted through the drive train with minimal frictional losses. With no dynamic seals in the pumped liquid to further consume energy, industry leading pumping efficiencies as high as 85% minimise Hydra-Cell’s power requirements.

This compares with around 45-50% pumping efficiency for a typical multistage centrifugal pump and, as a result, Hydra-Cell pumps can frequently

Unlike pumps such as screw and gear pumps that depend on close internal tolerances to operate, Hydra-Cell pumps have no internal process fluid ‘leak paths’ and exhibit no efficiency ‘drop-off’ as pressures increase and/or viscosities fall.

Wanner has also turned its attention to improving pumping system efficiency with the introduction of Intelligent Pump Control™ technology, whereby changing system flow and pressure requirements can be met precisely and automatically, without resorting to wasteful, energy wasting, bypass systems.

With energy efficiency playing an ever-increasing role in the total cost of ownership equation, would it not be prudent to consider Hydra-Cell?

Further information from: Brenda Davis Marketing Manager Direct: +44 (0)1252 919033 Main: +44 (0)1252 816847 Email: Brenda@wannerint.com www.hydra-cell.co.uk

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IP66 Stainless Steel Enclosure (Grade 316) Toughened Glass Window Operating Temperature Range -40˚C to +70˚C High Impact Capability (Enclosure 7J, Window 4J) Indicators 4 Digit 34mm & 5 Digit 29mm High Intrinsically Safe ATEX, IECEx, ETL & cETL Certified Suitable for Zones 0, 20, 1, 21, 2 & 22 & Div 1 or Div 2 3 Year Warranty Optional Backlight & Dual Alarms Accessories – Pipe Mounting Kits, Tag Plates General Purpose Models also available

www.beka.co.uk

Hitchin, Herts. SG5 2DA,UK sales@beka.co.uk Tel +44 (0)1462 438301

Machine Vision

Antares Vision Introduces Traceability Solution with Consumer Engagement Capabilities Suitable for high-value products in a variety of industries, new “TrackMyWay” platform offers supply chain transparency through stakeholder communication, and customer engagement for brand-bolstering reassurance.

Antares Vision, global leader in visual inspection systems, track & trace solutions and smart data management, has introduced TrackMyWay, a nextgeneration track & trace platform providing dialogue between various stakeholders throughout a product’s supply chain journey and lifecycle.

This new tech product aims to further protect and guarantee the transparency of production processes and distribution channels along with keeping increasingly sophisticated consumers informed about the products they purchase.

TrackMyWay is suitable for any industry with high-value products, including pharma, electronics, luxury market goods including jewellery and fashion, and premium foods and beverages.

A legacy leader in pharmaceutical serialization, which is increasingly mandated by governments around the world, Antares Vision is in a strong position to develop track & trace solutions with broader applications.

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TrackMyWay was developed for a landscape where the value of brands depends not only on the benefits of its products, but also the assurance of safety and security the company can provide to its customers. The detailed data shared and stored via TrackMyWay makes it an effective tool for managing recalls, as it can oversee product movement at a granular level as single units of sale, thus minimizing the economic impact caused by defective goods.

The TrackMyWay platform opens the dialogue between all actors of the supply chain, creating value through information exchange. This connection guarantees the integrity of the information, enhancing the customer’s experience through a verified purchase using a standard smartphone to scan unique, unit-level codes on the product’s package. The platform allows consumers to review certified information about the product origin,

manufacturing process and distribution chain, offering the guarantee of integrity and authenticity.

True to the simple ethos that more data means more transparency, TrackMyWay helps companies with high-value goods fight product diversion and counterfeiting, which continue to be a critical concern across numerous high-level industries. The additional benefits of this innovative technology are in-depth product analytics, brand protection and increased marketing engagement.

“We are convinced that the TrackMyWay platform can be an important competitive lever for companies that want to stand out in the market and, at the same time, a valuable defence instrument for their brands,” said Emidio Zorzella, CEO of Antares Vision. “Guaranteeing a product’s origin and supply chain journey is not only a valuable safety feature, but also a powerful tool that

adds brand value. This is why we coined the neologism Trustparency®, which sums up in one word how much trust a transparent supply chain can generate, from the raw material to the consumer.”

For any further information, please contact: Antares Vision North America Marketing & Communication Fiona Nicklen, fiona.nicklen@ antaresvision.com, T. +1 856 206 3230 Antares Vision HQ Marketing & Communication Davide Antonioli, davide.antonioli@ antaresvision.com, T. +39 0307283500 www.antaresvision.com

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Feature Article

By Mark Williamson, Managing Director of STEMMER IMAGING

Four Stages Of

Machine Vision In Industry

Machine vision is a well-established technique across a host of industries, improving quality and efficiency in the manufacturing and processing sectors. Its ability to make inspections reliably and at speed 24/7 makes it an invaluable enabling technology in quality control. Technological advances in machine vision continue to be made rapidly, opening up more and more possibilities. Improvements in sensor technology, processing power, optics, illumination technology and software all contribute to improved performance in the traditional machine vision sector.

The application of deep learning and machine learning methods are beginning to transform complex image classification challenges. Simplified 3D vision-robot interfaces are facilitating high-performance 3D robot visionguidance for quality control inspection and automated assembly with smart pick and place. The development of scalable embedded vision systems is offereing great flexibility to the machine builder, systems integrator or OEM who may want to use vision as an integral part of a process or machine.

Progress is relentless and Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, together with the wider use of artificial intelligence, machine learning and many other technologies present users and developers of vision systems with big challenges in the selection of the ideal system for their respective application.

Nevertheless, the use of machine vision is not restricted to highly automated processes; it also has applications in areas where there is a high level of manual involvement. We can consider four stages of machine vision involvement.

Stage 1: aiding manual assembly In the manufacturing sector, there are huge numbers of products that are assembled manually, relying on the skill of the operator to ‘get it right’.These products are often visually inspected by another member of staff as part of the QC process.

There are two outcomes for any faulty product/components that are produced: they are either identified at the QC stage and rejected, or they find their way through to the end customer, where they are likely to be

returned as sub-standard. Either way, unless the product can be re-worked there could be a lot of waste and a potential cloud over the reputation of the manufacturer. Even if the rejected component can be reworked, this incurs additional costs for the manufacturer. Installing a vasion system to take over the inspection can significantly reduce the chances of a defective product reaching a customer, which is good for reputation, but does little to solve rework costs.

The solution is to eliminate defects at the point of manufacture, and a new vision approach has been introduced to help with this. This involves the use of a ‘human assist’ camera, which has a set of assembly instructions loaded into it.

The operator follows the instructions which are displayed on a monitor.

After every action the system compares the result to the correct stored image to ensure that it has been carried out correctly and completely before the operator can move on to the next step. If an action is incomplete or if a mistake is made, it is displayed to the operator so that it can be corrected.

Each step completed can be verified and recorded to provide data that can be used for assembly work analysis and traceability.

Stage 2: Integrating a manual assembly process The approach outlined above is highly effective in ensuring the correct manual assembly of a product, but is essentially a stand-alone system. It is possible to take this a step further by integrating this type of manual assembly process into a company’s overall control system.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

This would allow a more sophisticated vision system to be used to assist with the manual assembly, offering a greater range of measurement and inspection tools, while using the same principle of highlighting any assembly errors on the display monitor. Assembly instructions and manufacturing data could then be downloaded to the system from a central database as required.

This approach would also allow various safeguards to be introduced such as linking an operator ID to training competency so that the system could check whether an operator logging in to begin a particular assembly was trained for that product. Similarly all inspection data including images could be transferred back to the database to provide a complete audit trail for every component assembled. The availability of more sophisticated vision tools also allows the system to accommodate new requirements as new products are brought on stream.

Stage 3: Automated inspection Automated inspection systems are used in QC applications in an enormous range of industries and processes. Whilst configurations can vary enormously, the basic premise is that the vision system is integrated into the process, where it is linked to a reject mechanism.

Products or components are inspected, often at high speed, and accepted or rejected on the basis of the measurements made. Vision systems can vary from a single-point selfcontained smart camera, where all of the processing and measurement is carried out in the camera itself and a pass/fail result sent back to the reject

mechanism, to PC-based systems that may feature multiple cameras and/or multiple inspection stations. Key to the success of this approach is the ability to integrate the vision system into the process, taking into account space and other environmental considerations.

Vision systems can be retrofitted into existing processes, designed from the outset into new ones, and with the emergence of embedded vision systems, are increasingly being incorporated into OEM equipment.

Stage 4: Process control using vision The use of automated vision as a QC tool significantly reduces the possibility of ‘out of spec’ product reaching an end user, but by using it in conjunction with statistical process control and feedback methods it can not only check critical measurements but also analyse trends in these measurements and make changes to the process. In this way, interventions can be made to adjust the process before any out-of-tolerance product is produced.

There is therefore a logical extension from this into Industry 4.0 where the objectives are to optimize the process using big data analytics based on the feedback from many different types of sensors that are monitoring the process. These, of course, will include simple and smart vision sensors as well as more sophisticated vision subsystems or systems.

Assessing the possibilities The four stages of vision described above give only an overview of the way that vision systems can be deployed, without doing justice to the extraordinary capabilities that the machine vision has to offer.

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Machine Vision codes, alphanumerics or even braille for tracking and tracing applications in industries as diverse as aerospace, automotive, food, healthcare and pharmaceutical. Human readable onpack data, such as batch, lot numbers, best before or expiry dates are also critical for products such as food, pharmaceutical, medical devices and cosmetics.

Applications range from the measurement of product and components during manufacturing, to the inspection of the integrity of packaging to the reading and verification of print, barcodes and labels. Measurements fall into 3 categories: 1D, 2D and 3D. 1D measurements are typically used to obtain the positions, distances, or angles of edges. 2D measurements provide a host of measurements including area, shape, perimeter, centre of gravity, the quality of surface appearance, edge based measurements and the presence and location of features.

Pattern matching of an object against a template is also an important part of the 2D armoury. Reading and checking of characters and text, and decoding 1D or 2D codes is another key activity. 3D measurement methods add height information, allowing the measurement of volume, shape, and surface quality such as indentations, scratches and dents as well as 3D shape matching.

Materials produced in continuous rolls (web) or sheet, such as paper, textiles, film, foil, plastics, metals, glass, or coatings are generally inspected using continuous line scan vision systems to detect and identify defects.

Vision plays an important role in end of line inspection by reading unique identifiers in the form of 1D or 2D

Vision is also becoming increasingly important in robot applications.

Industrial robots are already used extensively and with the emergence of collaborative robots and rapid developments in 3D machine vision, they are being used much more in combination, for example in visionguided robotics or random bin-picking.

The vision system identifies the precise location of the object and these coordinates are transferred to the robot. Massive strides in vision-robot interfaces make this process much easier.

Making it happen Machine vision technology encompasses all of the component parts of a machine vision system such as cameras, optics, lenses, frame grabbers, computers, software, cables etc. Most important is the expertise to be able to select the most appropriate components and create a solution for the specific application.

Selecting a supplier with extensive knowledge and experience that can offer tailored solutions, from configured components to vertical application sub-systems for systems integrators or the development of customerspecific solutions for OEMs, is a major consideration.

This is increasingly important when considering the development of vision systems embedded into other equipment and manufacturing processes. Many of the leading machine vision libraries and toolkits can now be ported to small, embedded processing boards, usually based on ARM architecture, offering a lower cost for higher volume applications.

Combining these processing capabilities with low cost cameras, including board level cameras, means that vision systems could be incorporated into a wide variety of products and processes with comparatively small cost overheads which were previously not viable.

In addition the exploitation of deep learning and machine learning techniques in vision applications are opening up more possibilities for organic and varying products which can also run on inexpensive embedded systems, making extremely cost-effective systems possible.

LOMA EXPLAINS HOW INCORPORATING FUNCTIONAL ‘FAILSAFES’ IN INSPECTION EQUIPMENT IMPROVES FOOD SAFETY

Helping to avoid costly product recalls, damage to brand reputation and downtime Loma Systems is stressing the importance of incorporating functional fail-safe measures into metal detectors, checkweighers and X-ray inspection equipment typically installed at Critical Control Points (CCP) in food manufacturing facilities. The company’s innovative fail-safe features are specially designed to improve safety and help avoid product recalls, plus prevent damage to brand reputation and costly downtime.

Food manufacturers play an essential role in the implementation of safety policies, processes and machinery to ensure protection against contaminants such as metal. Even with today’s regulatory controls

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and retailers’ increasingly stringent Codes of Practice, safety can still be compromised. However, potential foreign bodies can be detected and stopped at CCPs with the correct functional fail-safe solutions.

To help with the detection of contaminated products and ensure corrective measures are taken, Loma’s advanced inspection technology has been developed to offer smart and reliable additional functionality or ‘failsafe’ features which check the integrity of the inspection system, often used as a CCP.

Designed to fail-safe in the event of a problem and provide a secondary back up to ensure manufacturing working practices are operating correctly, Loma IQ4 Metal Detectors, CW3 Checkweighers and X5 X-ray inspection systems incorporate a wide range of fail-safe features to help ensure a food plant is commercially viable, ethical and keeps everyone safe.

For example, sensors will detect failure of the compressed air supply

as part of a reject mechanism.

If there is no air, the mechanism would not actuate and then remove the rejected product from the line.

Other fail-safe features include sensors to count and confirm that a pack has been successfully rejected into the reject bin and that a reject bin is actually closed so the conveyor can be operated.

Reject bins are locked ensuring only authorised personnel can handle rejected product whilst sensors detect when they are full.

Loma machines also boast the latest system security with multi-level user access management, passwords and conveyor guards to prevent operators tampering with the product and risk of injury once it has passed the CCP. In addition, Loma has reporting abilities that document products rejected for aiding management of the line and for having robust audit processes in place.

Toby Kemp, Global Marketing Manager at Loma comments: “Everyone benefits from fail-safes being in place

at CCPs as the food manufacturer strives to mitigate safety issues in the factory. Where a contaminant problem occurs, these fail-safe features are essential and industry best practice for demonstrating a zero tolerance attitude to foreign body contamination. It also provides optimum product integrity so both retailer and consumer safety expectations are met, and no harm is done.”

He adds:“Fail-safes featuring at CCPs are important for ensuring manufacturers meet retailers’ Codes of Practice and secure new business opportunities in the future.”

Loma has decades of experience working with retailers helping to develop meaningful Codes of Practice.

With this knowledge, Loma offers consultancy on suitable functionality and the right fail-safe solutions to ensure compliance.

For product enquiries please contact: Lisa Stevens, Telephone: +44 (0)1252 893300 Web: www. loma.com Email: lisa.stevens@loma. com

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Feature Article

By Emil Eifrem, CEO of Neo4j

Can We Make the

Supply

Properly Transparent?

Graph technology could be crucial for achieving the detail needed, says Emil Eifrem

Today’s supply chains are vast and wide-ranging, which makes them incredibly useful – they’re the main lubricant of global capitalism, after all.

But – they are also fertile ground for vulnerability like fraud, contamination, insecure production sites and unknown product sources. These are all factors that make transparency more vital and more complex. For example, a mere six years on from the horse meat contamination scandal that shook the UK, a recent investigation discovered that a shocking one in five supermarket meat products still contain cheaper cuts from different animals, contrary to their official labelling.

This demonstrates the need for manufacturers to have precise information about the products being used to create the finished product, as well as on all participants in the supply chain. In fact, most brands only know their direct suppliers, leaving them with poor visibility into the wider network of their primary partners.

Let’s consider the deeply regulated pharma industry. In this intensely scrutinised industry, pharmaceutical companies must be able to identify where any individual medicine item is in the supply chain in the event a safety issue or recall is flagged. In such a scenario, it is imperative that items can be quickly removed from the market to minimise the risk to consumers and the cost of redress.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Regulators also demand that individual medicine products are clearly verifiable as authentic. As of February this year, the EU’s Falsified Medicines Directive specifies that medicinal products must carry a unique product identifier code, and that manufacturers and distributors must demonstrate detailed recordkeeping, while all products must be logged via a central database of drugs sold in EU countries.

There are also social issues in the supply chain discussion. Increasingly, consumers want ethically produced goods – they want products to be sourced and manufactured sustainably and to understand their provenance so they can make informed choices. Supply chain transparency helps pharma businesses meets corporate social responsibility requirements, and with greater visibility into their supply chains, businesses can ensure their practices respect animal rights in drug testing scenarios, for instance.

How a relationship-centric approach could help So supply chain visibility is a problem. How do we address it? What seems to be required here is for manufacturers and brand owners to be able to share detailed information about all products, suppliers and facilities in their common ecosystem. Plus, companies need to be able to search for every product affected by specific raw

materials or facilities issues, across thousands of products with no performance problems.

The technical challenge of meeting these targets can be onerous. With hundreds of thousands of product lines produced across multiple sites and sold into hundreds of markets, keeping track of every stock unit exceeds the scope of the standard way businesses have to organise data, namely using relational database systems – think Oracle or Microsoft SQL Server. The numbers of unique serial codes alone can run into billions, and CIOs need a highly scalable way to manage the vast volumes of serial numbers.

The problem is that if the data is stored on SQL-based database technology, a simple and fast navigation through all the data in order to recognise how a production line or particular pallets and their contents are connected proves impossible. And with increasing connectivity and a move to the Internet of Things, this complexity is unlikely to decrease. Relational databases, which store information (product, pallet, production site, serial number etc.) in rows and columns, are poorly-equipped for identifying relationships within datasets. It’s these same connections, however, that are essential for identifying a specific product’s whereabouts, or to monitor, analyse and search 48

Feature Article the supply chain, and to share significant data about production sites and products.

Making traditional databases work in real time is also problematic, with performance suffering as the dataset size grows. The good news is that a software called graph database technology is emerging as a solution, because of its ability to record complex data interdependencies. The idea is that when you track something, you create a hierarchy or ‘tree’ of data: if you scan the code of a particular pallet, it will automatically recall its contents.

Graphs therefore offer a tremendous advantage over traditional relational databases when it comes to mapping complex, interconnected supply chains, maintaining high performance even with vast volumes of data as they do. And instead of using relational tables, graph databases use structures better at analysing interconnections in data, and they also adopt a notational formalism closely aligned with the way humans think about information. Once the data model is coded, a graph database is highly efficient at analysing the relationships between a large number of data points.

This kind of relationship-centric approach enables the manufacturer to better manage, read and visualise their data, giving them a truly trackable and in-depth picture of all products, suppliers and facilities and the relationships between them. Using a graph database, manufacturers can typically demonstrate 100 times faster query response speeds than that enabled by SQL RDBMS software.

As Chris Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of one of our graph customers, Transparency-One, which matches together consumer products and supply chain expertise with cutting edge technology, notes, “We tested graph with dummy data for several thousand products, and there were no performance issues. As for the search response time, we didn’t have to worry about taking special measures, since we got back results within seconds, something that we would not have been able to calculate without this solution.”

That sort of response time is critical when you need to provide second or sub-second responses or to identify a specific product’s location.

It’s also going to be critical in helping you comply with the latest global regulations of traceability and to manage that time-critical and reputation-critical product recall effectively.

So graph database technology is a great enabler for any manufacturer or supply chain stakeholder today that needs to adequately tackle complicated, interconnected and real modern-day supply chains.

The author is CEO and Co-Founder of Neo4j, the world’s leading graph database company

Materials handling

Demag KBK extending cranes for optimum use of workspace »» Optimum height utilisation »» For lifting and positioning loads beyond the crane runway Demag Cranes & Components has added overhung and extending configurations to its KBK Aluline light crane system. Such solutions are designed for applications where there is a requirement to move loads beyond the crane runway span dimension. They enable operators to perform lifting and positioning tasks between pillars and columns or deposit loads in aisles and free areas between assembly zones and lines. Depending on the load capacity, design and profile section size, the range can be extended by up to 3,100 mm. Crane extensions to either side of the track runway span dimension may also be specified, creating an even greater range of crane coverage.

Compared with Demag’s conventional KBK crane kit, this configuration has a lower headroom dimension, allowing users to benefit from 120 to 220 mm more hook path, dependent on profile size, for improved utilisation of space below the crane girders. Extending and overhung components may be added easily and quickly to existing KBK installations to improve productivity, without the need to install additional crane runways.

The KBK Aluline system is suitable for a wide range of operational requirements in production, assembly and shipping applications. The system is based on aluminium sections and smooth running trolleys. The result is a system that provides the operator with hands-on support for the movement and positioning of loads, improved ergonomics and reduced physical effort for material handling. It also facilitates an increased lifting path for enhanced operation of gantry mounted hoist units.

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Extending KBK cranes enable loads to be handled beyond the crane runway.

The extension length, maximum load capacity up to 500 kg and the crane girder length can be easily selected when designing KBK crane installations.

Systems may be designed by Demag’s dedicated engineering team or user specified via the company’s on-line KBK Designer tool.

Sales Director, Paul Bartlett, stated: “The KBK lightweight crane system was first introduced over 56 years ago and the fact that it is still used today in a wide variety of workshop and assembly environments is testament to its inherent versatility and efficiency.

We have continued to develop the system and this latest innovation will allow us to provide increasingly bespoke material handling solutions for an even broader range of industrial applications.”

Demag Cranes & Components, Beaumont Road, Banbury OX16 1QZ bnb-help@demagcranes.com Tel: 01295 676100 www.demagcranes.co.uk

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Materials handling

QV Foods Fuels up FLTs with Flogas Potato and vegetable production company, QV Foods, has switched its forklift truck (FLT) LPG supply to Flogas, in a move that will save it a significant 30% on its bills. This saving has meant the company has also been able to fund a brand new, centrally located gas hub – providing a convenient and safe refuelling station for its LPG FLT fleet.

presenting a potential health and safety risk.

Now we have one central site that looks great, meets all safety requirements, is convenient for all drivers, and means we can be even more efficient with operations – we’re delighted.”

Flogas worked closely with QV Foods to install three two-tonne LPG bulk tanks at the new central gas location. These tanks include stateof-the-art telemetry systems, which remotely monitor usage levels and automatically arrange a top up when needed, so they never run out. The FLTs are each fitted with their own LPG cylinder, and drivers can easily refill them in just 30 seconds using electric dispensing units. This means heavy lifting is avoided, it reduces costly downtime and improves safety for employees too.

QV Foods is a fourth-generation, family-run business in Spalding, Lincolnshire, and is responsible for producing 1,600 tonnes of potatoes each week, a wide variety of vegetables (including sweetcorn, garlic, onions, salads and brassicas) as well as freshly prepared, ready-to-cook products. Its farm and four factories are situated on a large 40-acre site, and require 29 forklifts to transport produce daily.

“Switching suppliers after 15 years has made a huge impact on our bottom line,” says Scott Bird, operations manager for potatoes.“Our FLT fleet is central to everything we do, so it was vital we secured a consistent, reliable supply. But it was equally vital that we benefited from competitive rates too.

Switching to Flogas ticked all the boxes for us, and made real business sense.”

“In fact, we made such big savings, that we’ve managed to fund an entire relocation of our gas site – something we’d been hoping to do for a long while. Our LPG tanks were previously located at the far end of the site, which meant long refuelling journeys for many of our forklift drivers. The tanks were also starting to get in the way of where lorries unloaded,

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Committed to reducing its carbon footprint, QV Foods continues to invest in LPG-powered forklifts instead of diesel, in a bid to reduce carbon emissions, as well as PM10 particles for improved air quality. As well as being cleaner, LPG doesn’t leave soot on valuable food produce and eliminates any risk of costly spillages. It is also more powerful than electric vehicles, making it the perfect choice for FLTs managing heavy lifting.

“Another major driver for our move, was the one-to-one customer service we’ve received from Flogas,” adds Scott.

“The team listened to our needs, and provided a tailored solution that really works for us. The best bit is, we know we’re in safe hands and we have continued support that we can rely on, which is what you need in a business like ours.”

“We’re so pleased with the results of our recent switch and the customer service we’ve received; we’re actually now looking to convert our food production area to Flogas too,” adds Scott.“This area of the business has a large cooker, that needs 1,500 litres of LPG a week to part-cook potatoes for ready meals. The idea is to have a Flogas-only supply!”

For further information, please email newbusinessenquiry@ flogas.co.uk or visit here

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Health & Safety

COMFORT, CUT RESISTANCE AND DURABILITY FEATURE IN NEW SHOWA DURACOIL RANGE The new multi-purpose DURACoil glove range by SHOWA combines high-level comfort with cut resistance, durability and exceptional grip performance, protecting workers in medium-low cut risk environments.

Introduced into the UK, Ireland and Middle East by Globus Group, the new safety glove range features SHOWA’s innovative DURACoil technology. This specialist process sees the liner engineered by tightly wrapping tenacious multifilament polyester around a cut resistant fibre, which is then reinforced with

High-Performance Polyethylene (HPPE).

As a result, these high comfort gloves can be worn for extended periods of time, offering increased resistance to snags and abrasions and cut protection in line withEN 388:2016 cut level C. Available in four different polymer coating finishes – Nitrile, Foamed Nitrile, Natural Rubber (Latex) and Polyurethane – the DURACoil range also offers exceptional grip performance in particular for component handling and assembly tasks in both wet and dry environments.

Key benefits of the new range include: »» Good resistance against cuts, snags and tears »» Upgraded mechanical risk

protection for general purpose activities - EN 388:2016 cut level C »» Soft, lightweight and ultracomfortable with no skin irritation »» Excellent fit and dexterity »» Increased productivity with durable protection for multipurpose and cut risks »» Consistent high quality and unmatched level of service »» Unique SHOWA ergonomic hand shape design »» Launderable and re-usable »» 13-gauge seamless-knit liner The series of seven cut C/A3 gloves is SHOWA’s direct response to the revised PPE regulations 2016, which saw a market-wide downgrade in EN388 and ANSI 105 cut level scores for re-certified products.

“Since the revision of the PPE regulations in 2016, there has been

a significant shift in the landscape of gloves intended for cut protection.

A major result is the market-wide downgrade in cut level scores for products re-certified under the new norms of EN 388:2016 and ANSI 105-16. This is especially apparent in the general-purpose category, with a surge of focus and attention to the cut C/A3 product group.”

“The new SHOWA DURACoil range helps organisations across diverse industry sectors requiring multipurpose, mechanical risk hand protection solutions, meet their needs in a simple, proven and costefficient way,” said Globus Product Development Manager for Hand Protection, Gregory Tessier.

To find out more about the new SHOWA DURACoil range visit here or call Globus Group 0161877 4747 where you can request a trial sample.

Filtration

MEWA industrial wipes for the circular economy cleaning cloths essential to everyday processes could just do that.

A clean, practical and economical solution for firms of all sizes Super absorbent, high performance industrial wipes are on hand for use wherever and whenever with MEWA’s full-circle textile-management system. UK businesses across the printing, automotive, engineering and manufacturing sectors can now enjoy German efficiency and better focus on their core function knowing all wiping material needs are taken care of to the highest standard. With more than 111 years of experience, MEWA delivers the service expected of the world leader in textile management since 2011.

Birmingham, May 2019: Safeguarding employees, the environment and the bottom line are the chief priorities of modern firms across industry, but what if one of the tools vital to their operation has the potential to disrupt all three? For businesses in the printing and converting, automotive, engineering and manufacturing sectors, something as small as the 51

Oil-smeared towels, scraps of fabric and reams of soiled paper wipes lying around the workshop not only create an unprofessional image, but also present a danger and are costly to dispose of because of their classification as hazardous waste.

However, this no longer needs to be a problem with the launch of a proven German system in the UK developed by MEWA, the global leader in textile-management.

The full-circle system means clean, safe, high performance industrial wipers are always available when required without the need to purchase, process and store them on site. Staff need simply to use them and put them into an airtight MEWA Safety Container, SaCon®. MEWA then picks up the full container as part of a pre-agreed schedule, washes the textiles in accordance with hygienic, sustainable and environmentally friendly methods and returns them clean to the workshop for further use.

Introduces Latest Innovations in Respiratory Protection 3M, the science-based technology company, has added a 10” filter cartridge and housing (referred to collectively as a filter system) to its High Flow Filter System range, extending its capability to lower process flow applications, including modular water treatment systems and filling lines.

The new High Flow 10” Filter Cartridge from 3M uses the same proprietary high efficiency polypropylene microfibre filter media as the existing 40” and 60” length versions. The compound radial pleat structure and large diameter core offers the same significant advantages: high flow rates per filter cartridge in a compact design, allowing fast and easy filter change-outs.

The full range of High Flow Filter Systems from 3M offers a broad spectrum of use across many industries including food and beverage, chemicals, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals and electronics in applications such as

condensate treatment, RO prefiltration and process and blending water.

The key benefit of High Flow Filter Systems from 3M is their high filtration efficiency in a small footprint. This is mainly down to the large diameter, compound radial pleat design of the filter cartridge itself, which maximises surface area within each cartridge allowing for higher throughputs and increased service life.

This results in up to a 90 per cent reduction in the number of filter cartridges required, compared with conventional 2.5” (63.5mm) outer diameter (OD) filter systems. Fewer filter cartridges mean that 3M High Flow Filter Housings are up to 50 per cent smaller than filter housings for conventional filter cartridges which can reduce up-front capital requirements.

For further details on this product range, visit 3M.co.uk/highflow or 3Mireland.ie/highflow

www.mewa.co.uk Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Filtration

3M™ Personal Safety

Introduces Latest Innovations in Respiratory Protection To help enhance worker safety and further aid in worker compliance, 3M has introduced the all new 3M™ Secure Click™ half facepiece respirator platform, offering nextgeneration breathability, comfort, and simplicity. The new Secure Click connection works just like a seat belt, enabling workers to confidently connect filters and cartridges to the facepiece with a simple click.

The 3M™ Secure Click™ platform includes a half facepiece reusable respirator with the world’s first quad-flow cartridge system.

Two dual-flow cartridges on each respirator combine to create four air flow paths for easier breathing.

The Secure Click™ platform introduces 3M’s first speaking diaphragm in a half facepiece (optional in some models). The speaking diaphragm is designed to

help provide easier communication while working.

A one-touch user seal check gives workers increased confidence that their respirator is worn properly.

Additionally, the low-profile facepiece design features a silicone faceseal with a flex-joint nose bridge for greater comfort, a wide field of view and compatibility with certain welding and grinding shields.

Click™ platform,” said Dr. Nikki McCullough, 3M global application engineering and regulatory affairs manager. “From an intuitive filter and cartridge connection and easier breathing filters and cartridges to the optional speaking diaphragm designed to make communication easier, this fully-loaded facepiece is the next generation in respiratory protection from 3M.”

The HF-800 respirator may be used with 3M™ Secure Click™ D8000 Series gas and vapor cartridges and D3000/D7000 Series particulate filters against a variety of gases, vapors and particulate hazards, according to European Standard (EN) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approvals.

Introducing the enhanced 3M™ Maintenance-Free Reusable Half Mask, 4000+ Series

“We listened to our customers while developing the new Secure

Studies show that in addition to safety considerations, comfort and convenience are two of the most important factors for workers when choosing the right breathing protection. Research also indicates that comfortable respirators are essential for ensuring workforces comply with regulations and maintain high performance levels.

At 3M we recognise this and have applied our proven skills in respiratory protection to significantly improve the wearing experience of the 3M™ Maintenance-Free Reusable Half Mask, 4000+ Series.

Since its introduction, the 4000 Series has been the first choice 3M Reusable Respirator by health and safety managers across Europe*.

Engineered for improved breathing ease, this evolution of 3M’s most popular maintenance-free reusable half mask is convenient to use, reassuringly reliable and now provides newly engineered improvements in comfort.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

The half mask now features a redesigned valve assembly that helps reduce exhalation-breathing resistance by over 30 %**. In combination with the tried and tested 3M electret particulate filter media, 4000+ offers users improved exhalation breathing resistance at higher work rates.

3M™ 4000+ Series Respirators are made from unique bonded carbon technology which allows the respirator to sit close to the face and fit well under many other types of protective equipment.The integrated cartridge and filters mean they’re ready to use and convenient, with no parts assembly or maintenance required.

They’re designed for effective and comfortable protection against many gases, vapours and combination particulate hazards found throughout industry. Unique filter technology allows for a lowprofile, providing an undisturbed view that helps to make your work life more comfortable.

Four variants are available with varying protection levels, allowing users to choose a mask with their required Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL). *Based on sales of 3M reusable respirators in Europe, Middle East & Africa between 2010 and 2013. **Exhalation breathing resistance of 3M™ 4000+ reduced by >30 % for 120 lpm peak exhalation flow and >35 % for 160 lpm compared to 3M™ 4000 Series. Results measured by 3M in 2017 under laboratory conditions. Breathing rates shown as an example only. www.3M.com

52

Feature Article

By Matt Doyle, Commercial Director of Wescott Industrial Services

Green What’s All The Fuss About?

Currently, hydrogen is mainly used as a raw material in industry but is increasingly in focus as a medium for storing energy and as a fuel in the transport sector. Matt Doyle, Commercial Director of Jarrow-based Wescott Industrial Services, Offshore Wind Farm coating specialists, explains exactly what Green Hydrogen is and how we’ll probably be hearing lot more about it in the future.

Hydrogen, without going too much into the Chemistry lesson, is used extensively in the petro-chemical industry, particularly in the production of ammonia for fertilisers and methanol for the plastics and pharmaceutical industries. It’s also used to remove sulphur from fuels, as a welding gas and as rocket fuel to name just a few uses, but the exciting new technology is using Hydrogen as a clean fuel for transport, emitting only water as a by-product. If this technology develops as many seem to feel it will, demand will increase vastly, especially for hydrogen produced by green technology.

In essence, there are three ways to produce hydrogen.The vast majority of bulk commercial hydrogen is currently ‘Blue’ Hydrogen, produced by mixing steam (water vapour) with natural gas which reacts with the methane and breaks down the gas into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. An alternative means is ‘Brown’ Hydrogen produced by the gasification of coal – coal is mixed with oxygen under high pressures and temperatures to again produce Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen.

The third means is ‘Green’ Hydrogen, whereby hydrogen is produced by running an electric current through water using an electrolyser powered by renewable energy. Whilst the technology has long been around, the viability of the process depends on the demand for hydrogen as a fuel and the price of electricity for production.

Enter the growth in offshore wind farms, in particular, and the resultant fall in price of the electricity they 53

produce. When the increasing requirement for energy storage technology to take advantage of electricity produced at times of low demand is also factored in, the production of ‘Green Hydrogen’ becomes viable and increasingly popular as environmental pressures for low carbon and energy efficiency increases on power companies.

It’s early days for sure with very few large scale PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane) electrolysers actually in production as yet, but the signs are all positive for the new technology whether the resultant hydrogen is used in the chemical sector or as fuel.

Japan, for example, plans to have 5.3m household using hydrogenbased fuel cell micro CHP (Combined Heat & Power) systems by 2030.

Australia, which has become a world leader in the production of ‘Brown Hydrogen’ through its vast reserves of ‘brown’ coal, particularly in the Latrobe Valley to the east of Melbourne in Victoria, is also investing in Green Hydrogen production with the first export of green hydrogen, albeit a small trial amount, going to Japanese energy giant, JXTG, in March this year to prove the technology was possible.

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) used solar energy to convert Toluene into a substance called methyl cyclohexane (MCH) using JXTG’s process powered by QUT’s solar arrays - Toluene is used due to being a liquid hydrogen energy carrier with the advantage of high hydrogen capacity at ambient temperature. MCH looks like and feels like oil, which means it can be shipped using conventional road tankers, pipelines and super tankers.

Once shipped to Japan, the MCH was converted back to toluene and the hydrogen extracted for use in

a suitable fuel cell or vehicle. The toluene is then available for re-use in the transportation cycle.

In 2017, the EU awarded the H2FUTURE consortium the contract for the construction of one of the world’s largest PEM electrolysis plants at Linz in Austria powered by hydro-electric green power. Construction is now complete and the facility is now under test, producing hydrogen primarily for use in the steel industry.

In May this year, Spain’s Balearic Islands unveiled the Power to Green Hydrogen Mallorca project, promoted by the regional government and four private companies. The project involves what has been described as the largest renewable hydrogen plant in Europe intended for transportation fuel as one of eight regeneration projects in the Lloseta area of the island of Majorca.

Set to be operational in 2021, the green hydrogen production plant – powered by solar – will supply 10 MW worth of non-polluting energy to sustainable mobility vehicles, hotels in the bays of Alcúdia and Pollença, and to the industrial estate of Inca. The new facility will provide sustainable fuel for public and private transport, in the form of public transport buses and privately owned fleets such as rental and courtesy cars.

Closer to home, the ‘Building Innovative Green Hydrogen systems in an Isolated Territory” (BIG HIT) has carried out the first refueling of five hydrogen-powered Renault Kangoo vans in the Orkney Islands with hydrogen produced via a 1MW PEM electrolyser with electricity from the wind turbines on the nearby islands of Shapinsay and Erday.

Scotland, particularly, is looking very closely at the new technology as part of their Electricity and Gas Network Vision for 2039.

In London, 20 of the world’s first

hydrogen-powered double-decker buses are due to be on the streets early next year in a £12m project, £5m of which is funded, ironically given the current chaos of Brexit, by European funding.

European power companies such as the German power giant, TenneT are now seriously researching the viability and practical engineering required to create artificial islands off the North Sea coast to house PEM’s, using offshore wind farm-generated electricity. This not only gets around the cable power losses or drop, especially high in the armoured cables required due to the extra heat coming from the residual current flow, and expense of transmitting large amounts of energy to the coast, but also uses up electricity produced at times of low demand. The hydrogen and synthetic methane can be transported through the existing mainland pipeline system.

One of the latest developments in the field is Norway’s ‘Deep Purple’ project which takes the electricityto-gas concept a stage further by investigating the viability of solutions which allow the energy from OWF’s to be converted to hydrogen but stored on the seabed. This would enable a stable supply of renewable electricity to offshore oil and gas platforms (which currently generate their own electricity through carbon-emitting gas turbines) and hydrogen for other uses.

PEM’s and hydrogen storage tanks would actually be integrated within the turbine installations in one scenario.

Where the new technology will go to is anyone’s guess and depends on a mix of economics and politics – what will Green Hydrogen and the resultant uses cost and how committed will local and national governments become to a green economy but there’s little doubt we’re going to hear a lot more about Green Hydrogen in the very near future.

Process Industry Informer • August - September 2019

Summer 2019

NEWS

Introduction

By Ian Birkinshaw, General Secretary - Solids Handling & Processing Association

THE

PICTURE

The last 18 months has been a period of uncertainty and subtle change â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at least for many parts of the UK economy, as we all await the outcome of the Brexit divorce negotiations and indeed the future trade deals not only with the EU but with our other trading partners throughout the world. For many of us at an individual level according to the mainstream media are viewing this uncertainty as frustrating and leading to disillusionment in our political system.

However, businesses have to look forward and plan for the future whatever that may be, and SHAPA Member companies are making plans for both a deal and no deal Brexit. However one area of concern for many of our members is the situation regarding harmonised standards and the requirements going forward relating to notified bodies and manufacturers of machinery where CE marking is required, and we all hope that this area of uncertainty can be resolved quickly in the upcoming negotiations so that we can put this matter to bed.

But we have to look ahead, almost everything that is manufactured or a sold as a processed product, for example foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, plastics, chemicals etc. has some materials that are supplied and used in bulk solids form, which is where SHAPA plays its part. Indeed, the Solids Handling & Processing Association was initially set up nearly 40 years ago to help likeminded companies share knowledge and increase their sales and marketing effort.

For all of these 40 years a wealth of knowledge and experience has been accumulated and disseminated by SHAPA within the solids handing industry.

SHAPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Technical page on its website www.shapa.co.uk offers advice on technical standards, legislation, equipment as well as sound commercial and marketing information. Of course, all this vital material is regularly reviewed and updated to ensure it keeps up to date with the latest changes and innovations in the bulk solids sector.

Collective expertise Clearly no single person or even company can be expert at everything, but within the manufacture and use of solids handling equipment a vast range of expertise is needed. SHAPA offers valuable resources to enable to enable all members to widen their knowledge and experience.

Within any major solids handling project, the supplier of each individual component within a process will most likely have both inputs and outputs from other components within the process, making the manufacturer potentially a customer and supplier in the total process. In order to achieve a successful outcome each supplier will need to know the characteristics, mass, volume and desired flow rate of the materials delivered to their part of the equipment.

Similarly, they will need to pass on appropriate information about the discharge of their product to the next part of the process. Such communication is essential and coincidentally, many SHAPA member companies are either suppliers to or customers of each other, within the same project.

56 | SHAPA Newsletter

Disseminating expertise SHAPA is well known for holding regular interactive seminars for members and the wider solids handling community and increasingly, for other industry professionals. Speakers include experts from member companies as well as key figures from third party organisations such as HSE, standards institutions, bank of England, legal and commercial. This year two such seminars have been held, again the Digital Marketing workshop was held in March for the 11th successive time with the topics including Content Marketing and Digital Strategy, B2B Social Media, Forms, Cookies, Voice search, E-Privacy law and what is SEO and how does it improve a website.

The second workshop of the year was Safety of Machinery and CE Marking for Machinery this seminar was organised with the current political situation in mind and how members could and should prepare for the future, the main topics covered were; Europe and Directives, CE marking under the Machinery Directive, Assemblies of Machines, European Harmonised Standards and Design of Safety Related Control Systems.

Both workshops attracted large attendances and the delegates left knowing considerably more and how they can use the knowledge and information provided to assist and benefit their own organisations.

Celebrating Success Once again SHAPA held its 2019 AGM and Awards Dinner in an iconic venue, this being the Royal Armouries in Leeds. The evening started with a presentation of knights in armour and concluded with the presentation of the solids handling industry awards. The below video is an overview of the evening; There were five awards presented during the evening to the following companies and individuals

Introduction Newcomer Award –

Innovation Award –

Lontra Ltd, designed and tested a new type of Low-pressure air compressor which can be used widely for bulk transport in pneumatic conveying systems - delivering materials around factories to processing, packaging or transportation points.

Company of the year –

Export Award –

Vortex Global Ltd, during 2018, expanded into markets in Finland and revised their strategy in the Middle East, contracting with new equipment representatives in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar – as well as nearby Egypt with significant increases in sales.

Technical Papers Total cost of ownership has been a major theme throughout the first part of 2019 for SHAPA and will continue to be over the coming years. This is a very important area that needs to be considered when looking to procure solids handling equipment. This principle applies to not only all SHAPA members, but their clients and the whole of the industry at large. It is well known and documented that the capital cost of equipment is only a small part of the overall cost. Therefore professional engineering purchasers probe operating, planned maintenance and repair costs, all set against the costs of unplanned downtime.

Total life span and depreciation are obviously part of the mix too. All of these areas have been addressed by the SHAPA technical committee and a new paper has been produced to give assistance to suppliers and purchasers in navigating the processes involved to ensure that the installed plant operates in line with the overall expectations. This paper

Tom Bullock (Prospare Ltd) has become a central figure in the Prospare business, overseeing, and being involved in more than 500 individual engineering projects over the last 30 months.

is now available has been uploaded to the SHAPA website and can be downloaded here.

Commitment to the future So, SHAPA may well have celebrated nearly forty years’ valuable service to our industries, but our drive to educate, advise and celebrate the successes all around us is as strong as ever, our dedicated and innovative members will ensure that the future is assured and therefore any company involved in the supply of solids handling equipment and services should really consider membership of the association, on the other hand if you are considering investing in new plant and equipment it would be advisable to headfirst for the Equipment Finder on our website – just a click or two away at www. shapa.co.uk , or email info@shapa. co.uk.

Spirotech York Ltd, part of the Spirotech SRD group started its operations in York, 5 years ago and has steadily grown its workforce and turnover. From starting with a single employee, they now have 10 people working out of the York office and contribute significantly to the group and recently moved into new purpose-built premises with a workshop facility.

SHAPA Arkwright Student – Georgina Edwards

SHAPA presented a special award to Georgina following the completion of her time with SHAPA as part of the Arkwright sponsorship scheme.

During the evening Georgina gave a presentation and demonstrated some of the engineering projects she has been working on with the help of SHAPA. As she now moves on to university, we wish her well and look forward to hearing about her successes in the future.

Ian Birkinshaw info@shapa.co.uk 01904 373040

SHAPA Newsletter | 57

DEVELOPMENTS IN MAGNETIC SEPARATION AND METAL DETECTION. Magnetic separation is widely used in various industries such as mining and recycling for the removal of ferrous metals. Although not widely known, powerful rare earth magnets are also used in process industries to remove small metal contaminants from product streams.. As designs and magnetic strengths have improved over recent years with the introduction of rare earth magnets, magnetic separators are now considered to be critically important process equipment in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.

Typically magnets are used in the primary (raw material intake) and secondary processes (production)

while metal detectors are used a final check at the end of the process.

As well as helping to eliminate batch rejection, magnets also have the advantage of protecting high value machinery from costly repairs and act as an alert to possible damage by collecting broken parts of the process equipment. Magnets are not considered to be an alternative to metal detectors but as an additional control mechanism.

Bespoke Solutions Greenwood Magnetics design and manufacture bespoke magnets for a wide range of industries including »» Food processing and production »» Pharmaceuticals »» Powder handling »» Ceramics »» Glass »» Plastics »» Recycling »» Textiles »» Wood »» Oil and gas »» Animal feed

New general manager at British Rema Processing

With our primary area of expertise in high-specification magnetic separator solutions for the food and pharmaceuticals industries, Greenwood Magnetics are developing an enviable reputation as leaders in our field.

Greenwood are preferred suppliers to the many of world’s largest food corporations and we export worldwide.

Ongoing Research & Development We are also proud of our R & D capabilities. Below is a recent example of our Semi Automatic Grid Box for gravity fed free flowing granules and powders.

Benefitting from an easy clean facility the magnets are tested and certified to 12000 gauss: National Standards Requirement Magnetic separators are now deemed so important that the BRC (British Retail Consortium) requires that all food companies test and document their magnets on a

58 | SHAPA Newsletter

will consolidate the unique role our team and technologies play in transforming high-performance materials for use worldwide in aerospace, chemical, mineral and medical applications. +44 (0)1246 269 955 knowhow@britishrema.com www.britishrema.co.uk

Gauss Test underway

Greenwood Magnetics offer these services and are the UK leader in magnet testing to BRC requirements.

If you require bespoke magnets, manufactured to requirements or you would like us to test and certify your existing magnets, please do not hesitate to contact us : Greenwood Magnetics Tel : 01706 645824 Email : sales@greenwoodmagnetics. com

Self-Aligning Couplings

British Rema is pleased to announce Mark Sale has assumed responsibility for British Rema Processing Ltd. Mark joined British Rema group in May of this year bringing to the team extensive experience of managing supply chain quality and leading business development and commercial activities, gained principally in the automotive sector working for international companies including Bentley, JCB and Cummins. He has extensive experience in the application of manufacturing process improvement techniques such as Six Sigma and Kaizen.

Mark’s appointment as general manager of our processing division

regular basis. Procedures should be put in place for the inspection, cleaning, strength testing and integrity of the magnets.

Tuf-Lok ring grip couplings are low cost, heavy-duty self-aligning couplings for either high pressure, to 150 psig, or full vacuum rated applications. Utilized in all industries where pipe ends need to be connected, they are ideal for pneumatic conveying systems as well as gas and liquid applications.

These couplings install quickly and easily, reducing installation costs. They are available in 2-inch (50mm) through 10inch (250mm) pipe sizes and are made for use on plain end pipe or tube, regardless of pipe

or tube wall thickness..Other features include self-grounding, vibration resistant, leak-proof, with an extremely high end pull for difficult applications.

No machining or grooving is required to maintain pipe integrity.

Every coupling becomes a union, providing easy, low-cost maintenance when piping components need replacement.

Standard gasket materials are available to meet special design conditions, such as food grade, higher temperatures or special chemical resistant applications. http://www.tuflok.com/primary/ products.html Tuf-Lok UK Phone: +44 (0) 1706.822512 E-mail: sales@tuflok.co.uk www.tuflok.com

Consultancy and Short courses for the Process Industry: Bulk solids handling technology

We support industries that are seeking to resolve process problems, develop design schemes for plant expansion, or simply improve product quality.

Consultancy services

Some of our Consultancy services include advising on: Storage and Discharge of bulk materials Pneumatic Conveying of bulk solids Spoiling of materials in storage and in transit Plant and Equipment design/redesign Ship Unloading/ quayside operations Control of plant wear Dust control Bulk Materials characterisation ATEX/DSEAR compliance Expert Witness services

• • • • • • • • • •

Short courses for Industry

We also provide a range of short courses to help delegates identify potential bulk materials handling problems and advise on how to avoid and/or overcome these issues.They fall under 4 main categories Pneumatic conveying:

storage of bulk materials:

•Pneumatic Conveying of Bulk Materials • Pneumatic Conveying System Design • Rotary Valves; Design, Selection and Operational Issues • Commissioning and Troubleshooting ‘Hand’s On’ Pneumatic Conveying Systems

general bulk materials handling:

• Storage and Discharge of Powders and Bulk Solids • Design of Equipment for Storing and Handling Bulk Materials • Biomass Handling, Feeding and Storage (can be adapted to

other materials such as waste, recycled goods, pellets)

sPecialist areas of concern:

•Overview of Particulate Handling Technology • Dust Explosions - How to demonstrate DSEAR/ATEX Compliance • Port and Terminal Operations for Bulk Cargoes Measurement of the Properties and Bulk Behaviour of Particulate Materials • Introduction to Processing Dry Solid Materials

• Caking and Lump Formation in Powders and Bulk Solids • Undesired De-blending and Separation in Processes and Equipment • Electrostatics in Powder Handling • Numerical Modelling of Solids Handling and Processing • Dust Control in Processes Powder Handling and Flow for Additive Manufacturing

bulksolids.com

SHAPA Newsletter | 59

Süleyman Salihler, General Manager, Polimak Process Solutions Inc.

Designing Storage And Conveying Systems

For Problem Free Dosing Of Bulk Solids Depending on the process requirements, a wide range of bulk solids batching, dosing and weighing systems are available in the market. It’s a fact that, properly selected weighing systems will provide many years of a problem free service with minimum loss of raw materials due to improper measurement.

In general, end users are focused on the determination of proper configuration of dosing systems. Consequently storage and conveying systems that supply raw material to dosing systems are generally ignored or overlooked. As it is essential to achieve the most appropriate configuration for minimum budget and shortest return of investment, these systems should be investigated in depth.

Raw Material Storage Systems The main points to decide initially are: »»How much raw material is to be stored in the site? »»How the raw materials are to be stored? »»How the raw materials are to be conveyed from storage to dosing system? »»How to protect the dosing system from disturbances of conveying systems?

The amount of raw material to be stored in a site depends on the throughput of production line, ingredient delivery logistics, site location and operating budget. Dry bulk materials can be stored in silos, small temporary hoppers, octabins, sacks and FIBC / big bags. Silos and big bags are generally preferred for major ingredients for ease of use. If brought by a bulk tanker truck or inside a liner bag, raw materials are directly transferred to storage silos with minimum effort.

If brought inside big bags, there should be a system for unloading big bags and filling the silos.

There arise some questions about big bag handling: Are the big bags to be stored in a warehouse for some time?

Are the silos to be filled as soon as possible?

Is there enough space in the warehouse?

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How are the big bags to be handled? For example, by forklift or overhead crane?

What about safety issues?

Plant managers should be very careful about answering these questions.

The next question is determining the big bag discharging system. Big bag discharging systems are used for the safe unloading of big bags and filling the silos. The conveying capacity of big bag dischargers is a very important aspect here. Equipment suppliers generally state the capacity on conveying systems between the big bag discharger and silo, however operator efficiency is much more important. Total time of handling a big bag includes big bag delivery from warehouse, lifting it, putting it on the big bag unloader, untying or cutting the discharge spout, waiting for the product to be discharged and removing the empty bag. Therefore, selection of a big bag unloading system should be made carefully.

The same questions arise for ingredients brought in sacks or octabins. There are a wide range of sack and octabin emptying systems connected to pneumatic or mechanical conveyors in the market. Integration of these systems should also be studied in detail in order to have problem-free production.

In addition to big sized storage silos, small temporary hoppers could also be used for storage. These hoppers are generally preferred if the total capacity of a plant is relatively low. Again, loading systems for these hoppers are to be designed accordingly.

Conveying Systems All dosing and batching systems incorporate loss in weight and / or gain in weight units. These units generally

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+44 0208 502 8122

matt.kilgarriff@aerzen.co.uk

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02.01.2019 08:05:07

have hoppers on the top to temporarily store the ingredient. Mechanical or pneumatic conveying systems are needed here to transfer ingredients from silos, sacks, big bags or octabins. The capacity of conveying systems are to be determined carefully to supply needed material whenever required. Next, we go through the details of calculations to achieve a simple way of determining proper conveying capacity.

Let’s look at a simple dosing system that has both loss-in-weight and gain-in-weight units (Fig 1.) There are two major ingredients filled to the gain-in-weight hopper, which are then transferred to the mixer. And two minor ingredients directly fed into the mixer. Mixing starts after all ingredients are loaded into the mixer.

The system works as follows (Fig 2.): > Mixer starts mixing of raw materials of previous batch. > Major ingredient 1 is fed into the weighing hopper (gain-in-weight). > Major ingredient 2 is fed into the weighing hopper (gain-in-weight). > System waits for the mixer to finish mixing and then discharges the mixed product.

SHAPA Newsletter | 61

> Weighing hopper discharges ingredients 1 & 2 together with minor ingredient 1 & 2 at the same time to the mixer. Cycle finishes. > New cycle starts, mixer starts mixing again.

Therefore the total duration of one dosing and batching cycle can be written as follows: (T = time consumed, Q = quantity) Case 1: If (Tmixing + Tmixerdischarge) < (Tmajor1 + Tmajor2) and Thopperdischarge < Tminor2 and Tminor1 < Tminor2 Tcycle = Tmajor1 + Tmajor2 + Tminor2 Case 2: If (Tmixing + Tmixerdischarge) < (Tmajor1 + Tmajor2) and Tminor1 < Thopperdischarge and Tminor2 < Thopperdischarge Tcycle = Tmajor1 + Tmajor2 + Thopperdischarge Case 3: If (Tmajor1 + Tmajor2) < (Tmixing + Tmixerdischarge) and Thopperdischarge < Tminor2 and Tminor1 < Tminor2 Tcycle = Tmixing + Tmixerdischarge + Tminor2 Case 4: If (Tmajor1 + Tmajor2) < (Tmixing + Tmixerdischarge) and Tminor1 < Thopperdischarge and Tminor2 < Thopperdischarge Tcycle = Tmixing + Tmixerdischarge + Thopperdischarge

62 | SHAPA Newsletter

Tmajor1, Tmajor2, Tminor1, Tminor2 are the times needed to finish the dosing of each ingredient.

Thopperdischarge is the time needed for discharging of the weighing hopper.

Tmixing is the time needed for mixing all the raw materials.

Tmixerdischarge is the time needed for discharging the mixer.

In a wide range of applications, dosing can be done during the mixing process. Some materials can be mixed first and some additives can be added whilst the mixer is working. Time is also required for stabilising the weighing hoppers after filling or discharging. Calculations are to be done accordingly.

Now we can calculate the time available to fill each ingredient hopper. For example the time available to fill a hopper with one ingredient is: Tfilling1 = Tcycle - Tmajor1 Capacity of a conveying system can be calculated as: Capacity = Qingredient1 / Tfilling1 Where Qingredient1 is the amount of material to be used in one batch.

As an example; if 50kg of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and 100kg of PVC is to be used in a mixing process; TfillingCaCo3 is 5 minutes and TfilingPVC is 8 minutes; Tcycle is 12 minutes

Capacity of a CaCo3 conveying system = 50kg / 5min = 600 kg/hr Capacity of a PVC conveying system = 100kg / 8min = 750 kg/hr Number of cycles = 60min / 12min = 5 cycles / hour = 120 cycles / day If the plant runs 24 hours in a day: Daily consumption of CaCo3 = 120 x 50 = 6.000 kg Daily consumption of PVC = 120 x 100 = 12.000 kg Assuming that CaCo3 is delivered by 25-tonne bulk trucks, one truck of CaCo3 is enough for 4.2 days of production. So there is a need for a bulk truck delivery every 4 days. A 25-tonne capacity silo is required for this operation. There should be some amount of reserve in the silo to prevent any production loss in case of any delay in logistics operation. Therefore 30 tonnes of capacity will give approximately one day of extra time. Depending on site conditions, plant managers could decide on purchasing higher capacity silos to decrease the truck traffic.

If PVC is brought in 500 kg big bags, there will be a need for handling 24 big bags per day.

At this point, there are two options for PVC handling: First, big bag discharge stations could be directly connected to a dosing system so that the PVC can be transferred directly from the big bags to the hoppers (Fig 3.).

Pro-Phase Watch in Action The following points are to be taken into consideration:

An operator should put a full big bag on the discharger unit and remove empty big bags every hour. The capacity of the conveyor installed between the big bag discharger and the dosing system would be 750kg per hour as stated above.

The other option is connecting a big bag discharge station to a storage silo and using higher capacity conveyors, e.g. 6 tonnes per hour. (Fig. 4.) 12 big bags are to be discharged per hour and two hours of loading would be enough for daily production.

The importance of determining the capacity of the PVC silo is the same as calcium carbonate.

Small sized sacks or bags are widely used for minor ingredients.

These bags are generally kept close to weighing systems so that operators can fill the hoppers manually whenever needed. A good automation system should warn the operator before the hopper is empty. Therefore level sensors or similar equipment are needed to monitor the level of product inside the hopper.

Preventing Errors To have problem-free weighing, all upstream and downstream equipment should be isolated from the weighing system.

»»Mechanical vibrations coming from conveying systems are to be isolated. Flexible couplings, vibration dampers might be used, the production line is to be designed accordingly. »»Air pressure effect is another issue. Powdered materials can be loaded by pressure or vacuum conveying systems. Any pressure difference between the weighing system and connected equipment might cause measurement errors. Venting the air and using a flexible connection between chambers would decrease the negative effects of air pressure. »»Inlet port of weigh bin should not absorb any of the load the scale is trying to weigh. It is important to check how the material is loaded onto the scale.

Although a good weighing scale compensates errors caused by off-centre loading, it is good practice to distribute the load evenly. »»Storage and conveying systems are to be cleaned easily in case of recipe changes. Mechanical design of these systems should be done accordingly. »»There should be minimum tension

on connected electrical cables, compressed air hoses and similar utilities. »»Being the most important component of weighing systems, load cells are designed to compensate temperature changes, but there are minimum and maximum temperature limits for load cells.

Maintaining relatively constant air temperatures would prevent reading errors.

Achieving optimal dosing Determining the configuration and system selection are typically budget-driven and the return on investment provides the justification for both supplier and equipment selection. A wide range of engineering solutions are available in the market and plant managers have to choose the most appropriate ones in terms of expandability and flexibility.

Solving a technical problem at hand is not an option for this type of investment. A good and detailed study at the beginning allows for future growth and many years of problem free service.

SHAPA Newsletter | 63

Spiroflow conveyor solution improves workflow efficiency at Chemique Adhesives A conveying solution from Spiroflow, the leading manufacturer of dry ingredients conveying and bulk bag handling equipment, has provided West Midlands-based Chemique Adhesives with a new automated system for batching product.

Spiroflow Solution: Spiroflow introduced a conveyor system to automate the batching of the product.

more accurately judged the machine running time has been reduced from 90 minutes to 60 minutes.

A sack tip hopper is located on ground level where the bags of raw materials are loaded into. Connected to a hopper is a model 80 screw conveyor which feeds a 75mm (3”) aeromechanical conveyor, elevating the raw materials past the mezzanine and into the mixer. A full electrical control included in the system.

The Result: Simon Cashmore - Operations Manager at Chemique Adhesives commented: “The solution presented by Spiroflow has allowed us to more accurately load bags of raw materials into our manufacturing process. The whole system has resulted in a cleaner working environment and every batch now runs for the same amount of time. This was my first experience in dealing with Spiroflow but I will definitely be using them again!”

The new Spiroflow system allows raw materials to be safely loaded into the hopper on the ground floor, eliminating the need for staff to climb the mezzanine.

Customer Requirements: A global leader in the manufacture and supply of high performance industrial adhesives, Chemique Adhesives, supplies premium bonding solutions for virtually any industry, including construction, transportation, marine, commercial production and more.

Spiroflow has been a Global leader in the field of powder handling and dry bulk solids processing for more than 45 years. To learn more visit spiroflow.com, email sales@spiroflow.com or call +44 (0) 1200 422525.

64 | SHAPA Newsletter

Chemique Adhesives produces a range of products using powders which had historically been ripped and tipped from sacks into a mixer on a platform by an operator. This has led to inconsistencies with the rate at which raw materials were fed into the mixer. Furthermore, the raw materials were unloaded from a platform which was reached with a fork lift truck. This resulted in an unclean environment as raw materials often spilled out when being loaded.

System objectives: 1. Improve batch consistency 2. Improve hygiene 3. Improve safety

After Sales: Spiroflow fully commissioned the equipment at the Chemique Adhesives factory. The Spiroflow in-house service technician checked the equipment and tested the raw materials running through the system to make the necessary adjustments. Spiroflow has also supplied spare parts for the screw conveyor and provided technical support when an issue occurred.

Simon Cashmore added: “The after sales team at Spiroflow were outstanding. When they commissioned the equipment the whole team received training on how to get the system running efficiently for our product. When we did have a small issue an engineer was sent out to us very quickly and solved our problem in a matter of minutes.”

As a result the system is cleaner with the dust tight conveyor transferring the product up to the mixer.

The key benefit of the system is that the loading speed of the raw materials is governed by the conveyor, so the management team can determine how long it takes to make a batch. Previously they were relying on manpower to load the bags and the loading speed varied depending which team was on shift.

Because the loading time can now be

Baghouse performance monitoring for reduced operating costs and maintenance times to be scheduled saving time and resources by highlighting which bags require changing prior to potential emission limit excursions.

For optimum performance, fabric filter baghouses require correct and timely maintenance.

ENVEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s UK business (formerly PCME) manufacture a range of particulate monitoring systems, from simple leak to QAL1 certified measurement instruments providing Process Operators with an improved understanding of their baghouse operation.

Designed to monitor dust releases from single or multiple filter compartment baghouses, sensors installed in the clean gas output of each filter chamber are able to detect leaks as they develop, even down at very low emission concentrations. Knowing where leaks are developing enables process stoppages

In addition, ENVEA now provide sensors to warn of hopper blockages, often a cause of bag filter abrasion and which can potentially result in explosions within the filter. For Combustion applications which require sorbent injection such as lime or activated carbon, PicoFlow sensors are available to measure the quantity of injected sorbent. Ensuring the correct amount is injected maintains acidic conditions in the filter at the desired level preventing costly damage to the baghouse and also helps to prevent sorbent over usage and consequent wastage.

Further details of ENVEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s range of Particulate Emission and Solids Flow instrumentation can be found at www.enveauk.global For further information contact Linda Furnell, l.furnell@envea.global

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SHAPA Newsletter | 65

By Dr Robert Berry, Senior Consultant Engineer for The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology

Hoppers;

how they work and general advice on how to avoid gravity flow problems As a consultant engineer to the bulk solids handling and processing industry, problems relating to unreliable flow from storage vessels (hoppers, silos, bunkers) are a regular occurrence. This paper sets out to explain how hoppers work, how design for reliable flow for a new vessel and retrofit techniques that be used to improve the discharge from existing vessels.

Flow patterns When a silo is discharging material, there are two distinct flow patterns that can occur; core-flow (funnel-flow) and mass-flow as illustrated in fig 1a, b & c. The core-flow pattern is the default pattern that most vessel operate in (unless mass-flow has been specifically designed for) where by material flows down a preferential flow channel above the outlet and the material around the walls remains static. If the product is free-flowing and the silo has a tall parallel section the flow channel can expand to the walls in the upper silo as shown in fig 1a. If the material has a degree of cohesion, the flow channel expansion angle will be very steep, so the flow channel will extend to the top surface of the inventory in the silo. This core-flow pattern gives a first in last out form of stock rotation, can lead to;

â&#x20AC;˘ flushing of aeratable materials, i.e. freshly loaded aerated material passes straight into the flow channel, â&#x20AC;˘ caking (unwanted agglomeration) of time sensitive materials, i.e. static regions around walls can harden over time and take up permanent residence in the silo, â&#x20AC;˘ segregation of materials with a wide size distribution, i.e. if centrally loaded, an angle repose forms in the silo, coarse particles roll to the base of the pile (wall) and the fines are less mobile and collect in the centre of silo. When discharged in core flow fines come out first followed by an increasing proportion of coarse particles.

The alternative and desirable flow pattern for difficult to handle materials is mass-flow (shown in fig 1c) where the hopper has

much steeper walls so that material slip occurs at the walls and all the material is in motion when discharge occurs. This gives a first in first out discharge pattern and all material has a consistent residence time, minimising chances of agglomeration and flooding. While segregating material separate within the silo during loading the uniform draw down causes them to remix on discharge. Mass-flow also gives a gravity discharge rate that is more consistent over time and independent of inventory level.

The key disadvantages of mass-flow are the potential for wear of the walls if product stored is very abrasive (either core-flow or a wear allowance must be made), the higher pressures on the wall during discharge (because all contents is live) particularly at the transition from the parallel to converging sections of the silo, and a greater head room requirement to store a given volume of material due to the steeper hopper.

Fig 1 Silo flow patterns

a) core-flow (free flowing material)

66 | SHAPA Newsletter

b) core-flow (cohesive material)

c) mass-flow

Wall Friction measurement The determination of whether a material will mass-flow or core-flow requires a measurement of the friction between the hopper wall and the stored powder.

This can be done by shearing a cell of consolidated powder over a sample of wall measuring the shear force whilst controlling the normal force. The shear force is plotted as a function of normal force, the wall yield locus, the angle of which represents the wall friction angle, i.e. the angle at which the wall must be inclined to cause slip of the powder down the wall. The relationship between mass-flow hopper half angle and the wall friction angle is presented in fig 2a&b and shows that as the wall friction angle reduces the limiting hopper angle for mass-flow becomes shallower. I.e. the higher the friction between the powder and the hopper wall, the steeper the hopper required for mass-flow. Two extremes of hopper shape are presented a conical hopper and plane or wedge shape hopper. The latter gives mass-flow at larger half angles because material converges in only one direction rather than two for a cone.

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Fig 2 Mass flow limits for conical and plane (wedge) shaped hoppers

Flow obstruction When a silo fails to discharge under gravity there are a three primary types of flow obstruction namely mechanical arching, cohesive arching and rat-holing, see fig 3a, b & c respectively. Mechanical arching is the relatively trivial case where the particles are too big, relative to the size of the outlet, and several particles can mechanically jam over the outlet. To avoid this the diameter of a circular outlet (or diagonal of a slot outlet) must be approx. 10 times greater than the maximum particle size.

Fig 3 Silo flow obstructions a) mechanical arching

b) cohesive arching

c) cohesive rat-holing

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Cohesive arching and rat-holing are where the material gains strength when consolidated due to cohesion as a function of either a fine particle size typically below 100microns (where van-der-Waals forces dominate over gravity forces) or presence of surface liquid where the surface tension binds the particles together. With cohesive material if the size of the outlet is too small then an obstruction will form, and gravity flow will only occur when outlet diameter/ width is sufficiently wide that the weight of the bulk solid in the arch exceeds the unconfined strength of the material.

Cohesive arching is the flow limiting condition in a mass-flow silo, rat-holing is the flow limiting condition in a core-flow silo.

Fig 5

a.) Incorrect belt interfacing

The rat-hole occurs because for the diameter of the core, the hoop stress is insufficient to overcome the strength of the material, so as before the outlet diameter must be increased thus increasing the hoop stress until failure occurs.

For a mass-flow silo, the critical outlet dimension is largely independent of the size of the silo, however for a core-flow silo the critical rat-hole dimension can increase significantly as the vessel gets larger (of diameter and height) and the consolidation stress in the pipe increases.

Flow function To size the outlet of a silo to overcome cohesive arching or rat-holing, the cohesive strength of the material is measured and represented as the flow function (fig 4a) which is a blue print for the flowability of given material. The flow function measurement is best illustrated by the concept a sand castle test (see fig 4b).

In the first stage of the “sand castle” test, the bulk solid is compacted uniaxially in a mould (bucket) to a given normal stress.

In the second stage of the test, the mould (bucket) is removed to reveal the bulk solid “sand castle”. An increasing vertical stress is then applied to the unconfined bulk solid (sand castle) and the peak strength at failure recorded. The horizontal axis of the flow function represents the consolidation

b) Correct belt interfacing

stress,“the stress applied to compact the sand castle in the bucket”, versus the unconfined failure strength “the strength of the free-standing sand castle” on the vertical axis. Although the means of measurement in practice is by shear testing rather than uniaxial action, the meaning is the same.

Time consolidation For both types of silo time consolidation can be a significant factor. This is where the material strength increases as a function of the time-period of static storage, where particles move closer together increasing the strength. Thus, if the material is left static in the hopper over a week-end a large outlet size required to get the material to flow on Monday morning. This can be designed for by characterising the strength over the required time-period. Alternatively, if this time-period is used infrequently discharge aids could be employed from the outlet to the diameter of the time outlet to be used only when reinitiating flow from a long static storage period.

Feeder Interfacing Having got the geometry of the silo correct for reliable gravity flow, it is possible to convert a mass-flow silo back to a core-flow one, through inappropriate feeder interfacing. There are numerous feeder types used to control the discharge rate of products from silo including; screws, belts, chains, vibratory slides, ploughs, rotary valves and for each there is a correct and incorrect way to interface.

A screw and a belt are used below to describe the principal of good interfacing practice. A standard incorrect interface for a screw is a constant pitch and diameter which gives a fixed transport volume. Thus, screw moves material forward from the first pitch, so the only place material in the silo can enter the screw is from the back of the slot. Thus, a mass-flow silo discharges in a core-flow manner because of poorly

Fig 4

a.) The flow function

68 | SHAPA Newsletter

b) the sand castle test

design feeder interface geometry. What is required to support mass-flow is a screw with fixed outer diameter, but an increasing pitch and reducing shaft diameter in the direction of feed. Thus, the volume moved by the screw increases in the direction of feed and material flows along the full length of the slot in mass-flow. Similar principals apply for a belt, a horizontal interface will draw from the font of the slot only see fig 5a. What is required is an outlet that increases in height at approx. 5° so that slot width has taper to give an increasing width in the direction feed, creating a progressively widening and heightening pile on the belt in the direction of flow to support massflow see fig 5b.

Fig 6

Retrofit techniques silo inserts A common approach that can be used to correct discharge problems with a corea.) core flow flow silo are static inserts. Surprisingly, an internal obstruction within the silo (usually an inverted cone) if of the correct size and in the right position Summary can dramatically improve the discharge To adequately design a silo for reliable characteristics of a core-flow silo to flow you need to know your material. something approaching mass-flow. This If the material is free-flowing and technique works by changing the shape always remains so and segregation is of the flow channel from a cone to wedge not a problem than core-flow may be wrapped into an annulus. As shown acceptable for your process. However, if previously the wedge achieves mass-flow your material is cohesive, time dependent at significantly lower angles and is less (prone to caking), fluidises readily, or sensitive to changes in inventory. highly segregable, then a mass-flow Isolator (2019) Ad (130x190)_Layout 1 26/02/2019 15:41 Page 1

b) flow correcting insert

pattern is probably required. To achieve mass-flow you need to measure the flow properties of your material, the; wall friction, flow function, internal friction, bulk density and time flow function so that the critical outlet size and converging angle can be specified to give reliable flow. Finally remember that the feeder interface geometry must be correctly designed to support mass-flow.

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SHAPA Newsletter | 69

Superb Scale-up From Boone Lab Mixer Boone Mixers have supplied Nicholls and Clarke (N&C) with a versatile and accurate Universal Lab Mixer at their factory in Burslem, Staffordshire, along with interchangeable mixing blades to test the full range of products produced by N&C.

N&C produce tile grouts and adhesives in both powdered and ready-made forms, using ingredients including Portland and high alumina cements and graded sand, together with additives, polymers and pigments.

The Boone lab mixer provides N&C with the invaluable ability to guarantee an accurate scale up from an 8kg test mix directly to a full 2.7 tonne production batch.

One of the biggest challenges when manufacturing a wide range of coloured tile grouts is to get the correct ‘dosage’ of pigment when moving from lab tests through to full-scale production, and the

Boone Universal Lab Mixer allows N&C Technical Manager Peter Till to be confident that he can guarantee an accurate scale up, achieving the same colour in production as was approved in the lab. It also enables N&C to maximise the effectiveness of the pigment dispersion which will lead to colour repeatability batch to batch. Key to that is the variable speed drive of the lab mixer that allows the speed to be calibrated to match the performance of the production mixer, which is another Boone mixer installed several years ago.

The Boone Universal Lab Mixer is a compact but robust, bench-mounted device with a variable speed drive and short length to diameter ratio for fast, efficient mixing. To accurately model the range of powders and pastes that N&C produce, Boone supplied both a high-shear delta blade and a horizontal helical blade mixer (HHBM) centre, either of which can be easily mounted in the easy clean stainless-steel mixer shell. The Universal Lab Mixer can be configured to match almost the full range of Boone production mixers, meaning that trace and micro-ingredients can also be incorporated into the mix with as much consistency and accuracy as they would be at production scale.

As Peter Till put it, ‘There are two ways in which the lab mixer saves us time – firstly, I don’t have to develop a separate mix method for the production mixer, I know that the 8kg lab mixer method will translate accurately to the full 2.70 tonne batch. The main thing, though, is that we now have a “pilot” batch piece of plant giving us the opportunity to hone product requirements instead of progressing directly to producing 2.7 tonnes of product from making 600g in the laboratory, thus saving us time, materials and money.’

For more information, contact JR Boone Ltd 18 Silk St, Congleton, Cheshire CW12 4DH, United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1260 272894 email: sales@jrboone.com www.jrboone.com Boone Universal Lab Mixer guarantees N&C an accurate scale-up to their production mix.

70 | SHAPA Newsletter

Understanding Dense Phase Conveying is made easier

by Schenck Process A new collection of insightful animations from Schenck Process are available on their YouTube channel (Schenck Process Group), showing how a dense phase pneumatic conveying system optimally operates; using their ProPhase range.

bottom of the pipeline, using high pressure and low gas volumes.

Dense phase pneumatic conveying is a process for moving material and is used across a variety of light and heavy industries. It transports materials through enclosed pipelines, from one silo to the next; carefully moving the material, along the

Their ProPhase system proudly leads advancements, in dense phase conveying. It offers the ability to provide variable handling techniques, all from one unit.

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This form of pneumatic dense phase conveying, ensures there is no damage to the material and thereby, provides lower wear on the conveying system.

monitoring, as well as to avoid site tampering.

ProPhase has also been designed to have minimal moving parts, low wear, very low maintenance, and low attrition of material.

These animations are available to watch now at the Schenck Process Group YouTube channel, in their dedicated Pneumatic Conveying Playlist!

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provide a conveying solution that fits the process perfectly. Because each and every material to be conveyed reacts differently under a given set of operating conditions, it is extremely critical to match the system operating characteristics to the material to be conveyed in order to achieve the most desired conveying performance and to provide the best value. Dynamic Airâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 16 different pneumatic conveying concepts have the ability to convey at almost any conveying velocity desired to suit a given material to be conveyed.

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SHAPA Newsletter | 71

By Robert Slauson Assistant Sales Manager Advanced Detection Systems

Protection

by Detection Intro

Metal detectors are a common sight in today’s processing facilities, and for good reason. Metal detectors offer protection. They protect processing equipment from damage caused by metal, they protect the products people consume, and they protect brand image against recalls that can arise from contaminated product.

Most products, regardless of the industry, are in constant contact with metal machinery throughout the entire production process. Products are cut, shaped, mixed, packaged, and transported using equipment and components constructed primarily of metal. Modern metal detectors come in many different sizes and configurations depending on the type of product they are inspecting and the methods used to convey the product through the detector. Regardless of the detector used in an application the questions of; why do I need a metal detector? how do I determine which detector to use? and how do I use the detector to meet my requirements? should all be considered to ensure your metal detector is being used in the most effective and efficient way possible.

Why should I use a metal detector?

The goal of just about every metal detector in operation is the same, to detect metal within a product that shouldn’t have metal in it. The reasons why a company will use a metal detector varies.

In the food industry, metal detectors are a key component in many company’s HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) Plans which are required to comply with food safety standards from governing bodies like GFSI (Global Food Safety Initiative), SQF (Safe Quality Food), and the BRC (British Retail Consortium).

Many product retailers have their own food safety standards that require a higher level of 72 | SHAPA Newsletter

contamination prevention and detection before a product can be sold on their shelves. If you want to sell your product on these retailer’s shelves, it will first need to be inspected for foreign contaminants by a metal detector or X-ray system.

Outside of the food industry, metal detectors are often used to ensure product purity and to defend processing equipment from damage caused by metal contaminants.

Depending on the product and process used to create it, a metal detector can be placed at the end of a production line to make sure there are no metal contaminants within the product. A metal detector may also be placed in front of hightolerance production equipment, like an injection mold or extruder, to protect them from damage.

Metal contaminants pressed in a mold or forced through an extruder can damage those components and create imperfections in every subsequent product produced by that mold or extruder die.

Pre-Purchase Considerations

Metal detectors are a very important tool in safeguarding products, people, and equipment from metal contaminants. As with any tool, using the correct one for the job can be the difference between success and failure.

The first things to look at when considering the purchase of a metal detector are your goals and requirements. Are you getting a metal detector to comply with safety standards? do you need a metal detector to prevent damage to processing equipment? or maybe both?

The other main facet to metal detection is determining what steps to take if your metal detector does find a contaminant. Detecting the metal is the first step. Removing the contaminated product from the production line, documenting the

occurrence, and determining how to prevent it from reoccurring are all subsequent steps that need to be taken into consideration. Sensitivity limits also need to be considered when deciding what type of metal detector is best for you. There are a lot of factors that determine the sensitivity of a metal detector but a good general rule of thumb: the larger the detector aperture is, the less sensitive the detector will be.

A small detector will be able to find smaller pieces of metal than a large detector could when running the same product. The type of product being run through the detector and the environment it is in all factor into the detector’s sensitivity to metal.

Most reputable metal detector manufacturers offer product testing services to determine what their detector’s sensitivity to metal within your specific product will be. Product testing generally involves sending samples of your products to a metal detector manufacturer who will then put them through metal detectors in their lab and report back to you with the sizes of metal they can detect within your products. Because there are so many variables that factor into determining a detector’s sensitivity within a single product, product testing is the only way a metal detector manufacturer can guarantee a specific detection level.

Metal detection systems are generally configured in three different ways: conveyor mount, pipeline, and gravity drop. A quality metal detector manufacturer will work with you to determine which configuration is best suited for your application.

Each configuration of detector can also be broken down into three main components: the detector head which does the metal detecting; head support structure that supports the detector head and components; and a reject device to remove contaminated product from the production line.

Regardless of what configuration is chosen; the functionality of each detector head will be the same, only the way it is constructed for your application changes.

Conveyor: Packaged or bulk product is carried through the detector using a conveyor belt. Conveyor mount systems are the most prevalent configuration due to their versatility in working with both packaged and bulk goods. The metal detector and conveyor will be sized based on the dimensions of your product and the system can be designed with a multitude of reject devices depending on your needs. Common reject methods for packaged goods are stopping the belt upon detection for manual removal of the product or automatic sweep arms/rams

that push the product off the belt without stopping production. Bulk goods are commonly rejected using a retracting pulley or flop gate to divert the product into a collection bin without stopping production.

A conveyor mount metal detector should generally be sized 2 inches taller and 2 inches wider than your largest product.

Gravity Drop: Like pipeline metal detectors, gravity drop systems are configured to inspect flowing, bulk products such as powders or granules before they are packaged.

Gravity Drop systems consist of the metal detector head, automatic reject valve, and a support stand. Gravity drop detectors are often used at the end of a production line, right before

end of production where there is little to no chance of metal contamination after the product has gone through the metal detector. If you are using a metal detector to protect processing equipment or inspect raw ingredients before value is added during processing, the detector should be placed just prior to the equipment it is supposed to protect form metal contaminants.

Installation & Startup

Metal Detectors are extremely sensitive instruments that need to be setup and installed properly to avoid difficulties during actual production.

Metal Detectors are very susceptible to electrical interference generated by other equipment nearby or connected to the same power source. Most metal detector manufacturers will recommend a dedicated power line be ran to the metal detector to avoid interference or power dips/spikes generated by other equipment in the plant. If a dedicated line cannot be installed an inline power conditioner can be used to help create a clean power source for the detector.

Pipeline: These metal detectors inspect liquids and other viscous products that can be pumped through the detector. Pipeline units can be configured with an automatic reject device (commonly a 3-way ball valve) to divert contaminated product out of the product flow tube and into a reject receptacle without slowing down or stopping production. A pipeline detector will be sized based on the required diameter of the product flow tube used to move the product through the detector. Generally, the detector aperture is 1-2” larger in diameter than the product flow tube. One of the major benefits of a pipeline detection system is the ability to inspect large quantities of product using a small aperture. For instance, a company producing 10 gallons of chicken noodle soup would have poor detection level results using a large conveyor mount metal detector to inspect their final 10 gallon container of soup. A more appropriate solution would be to use a pipeline detector placed around the product flow tube that is filling their final container. That way the metal detector is only inspecting a small amount of product at once –as it flows though the detector­– instead of trying to inspect all 10 gallons at one time. In this situation the pipeline detector would be able to detect far smaller pieces of metal.

The detector itself would also be much less expensive, and if metal was detected, a small portion of the product could be diverted instead of all 10 gallons being wasted due to contamination.

final packaging. Just as with pipeline systems, large quantities of product can be inspected over a short time period. As opposed to inspecting all the final product at one time, after it is packaged. Some metal detector manufacturers offer ‘slim line’ gravity drop detectors for use in close proximity to form fill and seal machines. These slim line detectors are often used to inspect small quantities of product immediately before they are packaged in situations where the final package is made of metal or contains a metallic film that cannot be passed through a metal detector.

The location of your metal detector on the production line is an important factor in meeting many safety regulations. If the primary goal of the metal detector is to ensure product purity and keep consumers safe, it should be placed near the

Once your metal detector has been installed, setting the system up for your product and training your employees on how to properly use the detector is paramount to the success of your inspection program.

The functionality of a metal detector can be a difficult concept for many people to fully grasp because you cannot see what the metal detector is doing. The detector is creating an electromagnetic field and measuring the level of disturbance in that field as products pass through it, none of which is visible to the human eye.

Every metal detector manufacturer has created their own way of adjusting and controlling their metal detectors, so it is important that your employees are trained by an expert on your brand of metal detector. That expert should walk you through every facet of your metal detector and make sure you are comfortable adjusting the system parameters. If your metal detector supplier does not offer on-site training, find a different supplier.

Daily Use & Documentation

One of the most important aspects of owning and operating a metal detector for the food industry is documentation. Due to the enormous number of factors that go into determining how well a metal detector will detect metal within a specific product, there is no straight-forward pass/fail rule to judge all metal detectors by. Instead, risk assessment documentation is used to demonstrate that your metal detector is being used as effectively as possible for the application.

Daily Performance Validation is a routinely performed test of the metal detector’s functionality and accuracy done by employees during production. It involves purposely introducing metal contaminants (test pieces) into the product being produced and verifying that the detector is able to reliably detect the test-contaminants within the product. Validation tests are usually performed multiple times per day at prescheduled intervals, such as a shift change or product change. If the detector settings have been incorrectly adjusted or the system is not working properly, it will be discovered during the performance validation. Many food safety programs require a yearly Performance Certification visit by a 3rd party to certify that your daily performance validation tests are accurate. At its root these tests are no different than the performance validation tests your employees are doing on a daily basis, but they are being conducted by a qualified 3rd party such as the metal detector manufacture. Many modern metal detectors are capable of digitally recording and documenting metal detector usage and events. Be sure to speak with your metal detector manufacturer about how these features can be integrated into your production documentation systems.

Conclusion

Metal Detectors offer protection.

They protect your equipment from damage, they protect your product from contamination, and they protect your company image from recalls due to adulterated product. As metal detectors become more advanced the basic guiding principles stay the same. Knowing why you should use metal detection, what you need to consider before buying a machine, how to install and use the system, and what aspects of use you need to document will always be pertinent questions to ask. Every company’s metal detector needs and requirements will have unique aspects to be addressed, and a quality metal detector manufacturer will help you determine what those aspects are and design a metal detector to meet your needs.

SHAPA Newsletter | 73

Croston Engineering partners with DMN for process speed and safety Croston Engineering has developed an innovative and economical answer to the problem of maintaining and monitoring a clean, dry air state in silos used for storing flour by using a DMN-WESTINGHOUSE SPTDS diverter valve and the existing silo intake pipe.

When storing flour and other similar products in bulk silos it is critical to maintain the condition of the air in the silo in order to prevent humidity which can lead to product degradation and contamination. Croston Engineering’s customer was using independent dehumidifiers that were mounted on the top of each silo to provide a constant supply of clean dry air. The installation of the dehumidifiers meant that important monitoring of the dehumidifiers performance and maintenance was difficult and time consuming.

Staff at Croston Engineering have extensive experience in designing bulk flour handling and pneumatic conveying systems. They identified a potential answer to the monitoring problem by using existing equipment

Genesis Process Solutions at PPMA Total Show

and infrastructure and adding a pneumatic conveying diverter valve from DMN-WESTINGHOUSE. The Croston Engineering design uses the fill pipe on each silo. A number of silos were involved which meant that work could start as soon as one silo was emptied. After the dehumidifier had been relocated to ground level, the fill pipe was parted to allow a connection to the dehumidifier.

The DMN-WESTINGHOUSE ‘SPTDS’ Single Pipe Plug Diverter was installed in such a way that a constant supply of conditioned air could enter the silo through the existing tanker fill pipe. Now, when it’s time to refill the silo with flour, the SPTDS diverter diverts to the tanker and allows the efficient filling of the silo. After filling is completed, the diverter valve reverts to conditioned air from the dehumidifier.

125 years of Gericke: A Truly Global Celebration

It’s all about the new products on the Genesis Process solutions stand at this year’s PPMA Total Show at the NEC from 1st to 3rd October.

Genesis is the UK and Ireland distributor for a number of wellknown manufacturers. At this year’s PPMA Total Show just two manufacturers will be displayed, Brabender and Farleygreene.

From feeder manufacturer, Brabender, the new Universal feeder will be displayed for the first time in the UK. In addition to powders, granules and flaked material, the Universal is also able to handle fruit and nuts. Also, on the stand will be a Flexwall feeder fitted with a blue trough which complies with all the worldwide food safety regulations and a Loss-in-Weight vibrating tray feeder that has been designed for pellets and fine-grained materials.

In January this year, UK sieve manufacturer, Farleygreene appointed Genesis their distributor for England and Wales. This was a good move for both companies which provided Farleygreene with a high-quality, extremely

74 | SHAPA Newsletter

knowledgeable sales agency and for Genesis, a BREXITproof distributorship. From the Farleygreene range, Genesis will be displaying three machines. A Rota centrifugal screener for sieving lumpy, sticky and dusty materials, the new Sievmaster Easilift which combines a sack tipping station and vibratory check screener which is idea for large volumes and the new Sievmaster E400 grading sieve which is modular and has been designed primarily for the food and chemical industries.

For more information please contact Phil Cameron at Genesis Process solutions on 01270 766300 or visit www.genesisps.co.uk

Markus H. Gericke, CEO Gericke Group Founded by Walther Hermann Gericke in the year 1894 in the heart of Zurich, the company Gericke evolved into a globally positioned and successful provider full of solutions in the bulk goods industry. With a number of events around the globe, the Swiss Gericke group is now celebrating its 125 years anniversary.

During the celebration year, several customer seminars are organized in all key markets in Europe, Asia and the Americas and are open to the interested audience. These seminars are a great opportunity to learn more about the basic processes in powder handling such as mixing, feeding, size control or conveying.

With a customer conference and an open day, employees and their families, press and business partners had the opportunity to visit the Gericke headquarters in Switzerland, see fascinating demonstrations of powder handling equipment and follow the production steps of a mixer from a piece of metal to a high-end product.

New Web Address To underline the global presence and better integrate the Gericke subsidiaries, all activities are now combined under a new umbrella, www. gerickegroup.com.

When the holiday is over and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to pan your winter training schedule.... look no further than The Wolfson Centre for Bulk Solids Handling Technology for all your Bulk Materials Handling training needs 24-26 September Storage and Discharge of Powders and Bulk Materials 22-24 October Overview of Particulate Handling Technology

www.bulksolids.com

SHAPA Newsletter | 75

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