Process Industry Informer July 2015

www.processindustryinformer.com

JULY 2015 Volume 11 No. 4

THE UK’S LEADING PUBLICATION SERVING THE PROCESS INDUSTRIES

ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR BULK HANDLING

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SEE PAGES SP12-13

In print | Online | Mobile - The UK’s No.1 Media for the Manufacturing Process Industries

CONTENTS. 4-6 News & Events

36 Lifting & Materials Handling

6-8 Applications

Solutions

10 In-Plant Monitoring Systems

36 Intermediate Bulk

10 Cable Glands

Containers

10 Enclosures

55 Suppliers Directory

14 Compressed Air

24

TIME TO REFRESH YOUR WASTEWATER THINKING

31

INTEGRATING ROBOTICS INTO OUR SYSTEMS

14 Calibration 15 Test Measurement

37 SHAPA News

18 Network & Communications 18 Data Loggers 18-22 Fluids & Liquids Handling (incl. Pumps & Valves) 25 Water & Wastewater 25 Drives & Motors 25-28,30 Process Measurement 32,35 Health & Safety 35 Energy Efficiency Solutions 36 Tank Mixing Systems 36 Welding Equipment

11

PRACTICAL CONTAMINATION MANAGEMENT

EDITOR Phil Black: philblack@piimag.com PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING MANAGER Peter Ullmann: peterullmann@piimag.com SALES & MARKETING MANAGER Guy Ullmann: guyullmann@piimag.com SUPPLEMENTS MANAGER David Harling: davidharling@piimag.com OFFICE MANAGER Diane Ullmann: dianeullmann@piimag.com ART DIRECTION Talita Soncini talita@piimag.com

12

QUANTIFYING COSTS IN COMPRESSED AIR

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16

CONDITION MONITORING USING OPERATING EQUIPMENT

33

TAMINCO: NO TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN QUALITY & VOLUME

23

ENHANCE SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH WATER REUSE

34

PREVIEW TO THE ENERGY EVENT

All product announcements published in Process Industry Informer are paid for. All copy submitted for publication in Process Industry Informer must be legal and must comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice and is accepted for publication, or not, at the publishers’ absolute discretion. When deemed necessary all copy may be edited and classified at the publishers’ discretion. All material contained in Process Industry Informer is published in good faith, but it is emphasised that the publishers do not in any circumstances accept responsibility for the accuracy or otherwise of any advertisement or message published (nor is any kind of warranty 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, 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.

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Copy supplied over length will be cut to the amount paid for. Units and abbreviations will be standardised in accordance with house style.

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

03

EDITOR’S COMMENT IS THE ‘TWIST IN THE TAIL’ WHY WE DON’T HAVE A REASONABLE PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN IN ENGINEERING? S

ince I included an article relating to ‘Women in Engineering’ in our May issue I have been inundated with press material supporting the need for more women engineers in UK industry.

Having said ‘need for’ perhaps I should say ‘women would like more females in engineering’. No this is not a bias against the obvious fact that engineering is a male dominated industry, it’s a cry for greater encouragement from schools, colleges & universities to suggest girls consider investing in engineering careers.

There are engineering apprenticeships available that over 5 or 6 years, subject to determination, offer an occupation in an ever developing industry to be proud of.

There is no reason why women should not have a decent percentage of the skilled engineers in the UK, it’s a fact that we lag behind other nations, according to the IET & Engineering UK we have the lowest number of female engineers in Europe at 6% in comparison to other leading countries with 30%.

Should we ask ‘is there a bias against women in what, in the main, is considered a male only domain?’ or do I dare to suggest that the vast majority of women ‘don’t want to get their hands dirty’ in the misguided belief that engineering is still just an ‘oil & rags’ job or is it the fear that employers have that once they give birth they won’t return and a finical investment becomes a loss?

Let me know your thoughts on this via Twitter @piimag

NEWS & EVENTS WHITE PAPER: ENSURING RAPID POWER PLANT START UP

Phil Black - Editor LINDE WINS PRESTIGIOUS INTERNATIONAL PRODUCT DESIGN AWARD FOR PIONEERING CYLINDER VALVE EVOS™

Changes in power generation demands mean that fossil fuel power plant cycling is becoming increasingly more common.

Download METTLER TOLEDO’s latest white paper and find out how advanced conductivity and dissolved oxygen measurement technology can help improve the speed of start-ups and contribute to the bottom line in power generation.

Specific, cation and degassed cation conductivity as well as dissolved oxygen can affect the speed of plant start-up so having fast responding analytical instrumentation to monitor these parameters is critical.

Download the whitepaper and discover how you can accelerate your plant start-ups with fast responding analytical instrumentation: www.mt.com/uk-power-startup

Linde Gases, a division of The Linde Group, has won the prestigious Red Dot Award: Product Design 2015 for its technologically advanced, ground-breaking gas cylinder valve, EVOS™ Ci. The EVOS™ valve range represents a significant leap from standard gas industry valves - not only in its striking, state-of-the-art ergonomic design - but also in terms of safety and productivity benefits delivered. Linde partnered with German design firm Indeed Innovation GmbH to create a unique and evolutionary valve design blending form and function for safety and ease of use.

“We are delighted to receive this award from such an eminent product design jury,” said Colin Haden, Head of Linde’s Centre of Excellence for Packaged Gases. “Linde has always played a pioneering role in terms of technology development within our industry. The Red Dot Award recognises EVOS™ as a true breakthrough in valve design and a leap forward in performance, safety, ergonomics and efficiency.”

Linde will formally receive its award for EVOS™ on June 29 at the Red Dot Gala in Essen, Germany.

Alternatively call 0116 234 5095 or Email: enquire.mtuk@mt.com

For more information on EVOS™, visit www.linde-gas.com/evos

04

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

NEWS & EVENTS PILZ APPOINTS A NEW BDM FOR MOTION CONTROL PRODUCTS Pilz Automation Ltd has appointed Ross Fenion as the new Business Development Manager for motion control products. This is a new role within the business and one which will cover all of the UK. Ross brings with him over eight years of experience specialising in servo motion control specification both for bespoke applications as well as OEM products. As an experienced motion control applications engineer, with a degree in Physics, Ross is equipped to assist customers in calculating motor and drive requirements for specific applications.

Ross stated “I am delighted to have secured this new position and look forward to bringing Pilz’s tried and tested motion control products to market in the UK. I am particularly excited about helping businesses to understand the benefits and features of Pilz’s PMCprimo DriveP, which brings our well established experience in the safety arena to the area of motion control.”

He added “Thanks to our innovative safety card, our technology enables our drive to achieve PLe without the need for an additional sensor.”

For more information contact Pilz Automation Technology UK Ltd Tel: 01536 460766 Mobile 07753 911166 E-mail: r.fenion@pilz.co.uk

BPL CONTRACT FOR HADEN FREEMAN Manchester and Redcar-based process engineering design consultants, Haden Freeman Ltd, have announced a three year alliance with Bio Products Laboratory (BPL) Ltd, the Elstree-based producer of human plasma products, for engineering consultancy services.

Haden Freeman’s services which will include project management, FEED studies and full EPC contracts on new infrastructure projects to complement their current software support, DSEAR studies, HAZOPs and process studies. The projects will also include taking the role of Principal Designer for implementation of the recently revised CDM regulations.

Wayne Baxter, Managing Director of Haden One of BPL’s Cohn Vessels used to Freeman Ltd, commented, “We’ve enjoyed fractionate blood plasma. a very good long term relationship with BPL over many years and this three year alliance, which covers projects potentially worth some £5m within the period, is the latest stage.”

Steve Price, Engineering Director of BPL added, “We opened this £60m manufacturing facility in 1987 to provide self-sufficiency for plasma products for England and Wales. Since then we have continually invested in R&D, technology and manufacturing methods to ensure we deliver to the very highest standards and quality. Haden Freeman are an extremely important partner providing a complete scope of engineering consultancy services ranging from the day to day monitoring of our safety systems to the design and commissioning of new production equipment.”

Haden Freeman Ltd is a major process engineering consultancy and multidisciplinary resource for the process industries. Established in Manchester since 1984, the company now has offices in Southampton, Qatar and Redcar, which enables them to provide a local service to clients in these areas with a number of their engineers based at client sites, supported from headquarters by a fully integrated digital infrastructure.

For further details contact Joe Gunton-Jones, Business Development Manager by email: jgunton-jones@hadenfreeman.com

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

HBM EXPANDS SALES TEAM HBM – a market leader in the field of test and measurement - is pleased to announce the appointments of Omer Mir, Field Sales Engineer for the North of England and Rob Farnell, UK Applications Engineer, to its rapidly increasing Sales Team.

Omer brings to HBM a wealth of experience in the electronic test and measurement field which has involved providing test equipment solutions for a number of high profile companies including BAe, Babcock, Rolls Royce, Nissan, Pace, Echostar, Alstom and ST Microelectronics Responsible for sales in the North of England, Omer will be directly focusing on the Genesis HighSpeed range of Transient Recorders and Data Acquisition Systems available from HBM. No stranger to the industry, Rob has 24 years of engineering experience from both sides of the fence, with a background in research and development, material testing and quality. Rob, is specialising in strain gauge applications at customer sites on components, structures, machines and materials, and measurement of values for experimental stress analysis. Rob will also be focusing on data capture and monitoring and interpretation and reporting of test results and providing valuable customer support and training.

Rob made the decision to apply for the RSM post at HBM as he was familiar and impressed with the products which he initially used as a customer, prior to joining the HBM team. Rob explains: “I’ve always had a keen interest in engineering testing so joining the HBM team was the obvious way forward for me. I hope to offer HBM enthusiasm and a problem solving approach to process improvement and validation, in addition to resolving any customer issues which may arise. I’m confident that my BSSM Level 2 qualification and strain gauge and sensor experience will not only serve existing customers but also capitalise on all the new and exciting opportunities emerging in our industry”.

Rob and Omar will also be working closely together on the calibration service offered by HBM. Founded in Germany in 1950, HBM is a market leader in the field of test and measurement. In 1977, the first accredited German Calibration Laboratory was based at HBM. Since then, it has become one of the best known and most capable calibration labs of its type.

For more information contact HBM on Tel.:+44 (0) 208 515 6000 E-mail: info@hbm.com Web: www.hbm.com

AUMA UK ACHIEVES WESSEX WATER APPROVED SUPPLIER STATUS AUMA UK, which has been an established supplier of electric actuators to Wessex Water for over a decade, achieved approved supplier status from the utility on 3rd March 2015.

As part of the authorisation process, the supplier of modular actuation technology was comprehensively evaluated for its products, training support and service.

Wessex Water plants supported by AUMA include Charmouth STP where the company supplied products from its sister company SIPOS Aktorik to support Sequencing Batch Reactor technology.

AUMA has strong roots supplying the water industry which date back over 50 years. AUMA Actuators Ltd, the group’s UK subsidiary, supplies the majority of UK utilities: the company’s credentials include a number of frameworks and approved supplier agreements.

Wessex Water’s Charmouth Site Sequencing Batch Reactor

For more information contact Auma Actuators Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1275 871141 E-mail: mail@auma.co.uk Web: www.auma.com

05

NEWS & EVENTS SPIRAX SARCO UK ACQUIRES VALVE AND CONTROL ENGINEERING LTD (VCE) Spirax Sarco UK, the leading steam system specialist, has completed the acquisition of Valve and Control Engineering Ltd (VCE) based in Carluke, Scotland.

VCE provides steam users throughout Scotland with a complete service to manage their annual boiler insurance inspections and recertification. Under Spirax Sarco UK’s ownership, VCE’s services will be made available to all Spirax Sarco customers in Scotland and its valve service capability will be extended to include control valves and other steam specialty products.

Sheldon Banks, Regional General Manager at Spirax Sarco UK, says “VCE has a very good reputation amongst its customers and its services are already in demand beyond its current capacity. We are positive that this acquisition will help VCE realise its growth potential and look forward to many years of strong performance by VCE as part of the Spirax Sarco Group”.

For more information contact Spirax Sarco, Cheltenham, Glos.

Tel: 01242 521361 E-mail: UK.Enquiries@spiraxsarco.com Web: www.spiraxsarco.com/global/uk

APPLICATIONS NOV EQUIPMENT UPDATED AFTER OVER 40 YEARS OF RELIABLE SERVICE Mono™ macerating and pumping equipment from NOV that has operated for over 40 years has been replaced with new equipment from the same company at a Yorkshire WWT plant. NOV provided Mono Munchpump™ packaged systems to replace the original equipment, which had provided outstanding service at the Langthwaite plant.

“The original Mutrator units were installed prior to 1970,” says NOV’s Gerald Muldoon. “They had proved to be rugged, reliable and long-lasting, so the plant was happy to replace them with our modern equivalents.”

Energy efficiency was a key factor in the decision. “The original macerators required 7.5kW motors, whereas the replacements need only 1.5kW motors,” adds Gerald. “Energy efficiency is increasingly important as water and utility companies begin to focus on a more holistic total expenditure approach. It underlines the fact that by combining NOV’s energy efficient products with our ability to provide complete customized solutions, NOV is ideally placed to help utility operators align their operation with TOTEX principles.”

For more information contact: Mono Pumps Ltd, Tel: 0161 339 9000 Web: www.mono-pumps.com

06

JOHN MARTIN TO HEAD UP DANFOSS VACON John Martin, a long-time employee of Danfoss with an enviable track record of successes in the variable speed drives market, has been appointed to head up Danfoss Drives UK, the new combined business of Danfoss and Vacon. In his role as UK Country Manager for Danfoss Drives UK, John Martin will oversee the merging of Danfoss and Vacon operations to form the UK’s largest dedicated drives team, which will provide an unsurpassed level of customer service.

“Combining the Danfoss and Vacon businesses in the UK will undoubtedly be challenging,” said John, “but it’s a challenge I’m really looking forward to, particularly as I can see that it also creates an incredible opportunity to establish Danfoss Drives UK as the undisputed leader in the UK drives sector.

Currently, I’m fortunate enough to have two strong teams and my key objective is to develop individual staff competencies so that I create one even stronger team that will make it possible for us to achieve our ambitious objectives.”

In addition to the provision of unsurpassed levels of customer support, other goals that he has set for the new Danfoss Drives UK organisation include gaining specification as preferred supplier for VSDs with major organisations by delivering outstanding customer value, and becoming a renowned provider of system solutions for applications ranging from the simplest and most cost sensitive to the most complex and demanding.

John joined Danfoss in 1995, initially working as HVAC Manager for Ireland and Scotland. His notable achievements in this and successive roles with the company led to the continual expansion of his responsibilities until, in 2009, he was appointed UK Sales Director.

In his time with Danfoss, John has been a key contributor to a 300% growth in sales, and to boosting Danfoss sales in the HVAC sector from an initially modest level to become 50% of the company’s UK business.

For more information contact Danfoss Ltd, Uxbridge, Middlesex.

Tel: 0870 608 0008 Web: www.danfoss.com

HBM WAVES TO SUCCESS WITH TIDAL POWER PLANT HBM – a market leader in the field of test and measurement – has been successfully awarded the contract to install strain gauges inside Deep Green, the latest tidal power plant from Minesto, which is the largest marine energy company in the Nordics.

As part of the rigorous development work undertaken by Minesto, HBM was able to play a key role in verifying how the plant behaved in the water and how it measured the forces to which it was exposed.

Although relatively protected inside the power plant, the most important issue was to ensure that the moist environment in no way compromised the measurement result but thanks to HBM’s installation and sizing technology for offshore environments, this was successfully achieved.

The restricted space inside the prototype presented another challenge in terms of installation. HBM addressed through gluing the strain gauges directly onto the plant components before they were assembled in Minesto’s laboratory.

Deep Green is a relatively small power plant designed to extract marine energy even at slow water currents, which makes it more cost effective than previous techniques. Designed to move under the water in a figure eight pattern, Deep Green reaches a speed that is ten times higher than the currents in the surrounding water. Deep Green is currently undergoing long-term ocean trials in quarter scale in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland.

HBM is able to offer a range of strain gauges for a wide range of different applications in the fields of experimental stress analysis, strain measurement and component testing, to provide accurate measurements which are critical to ensure a project is on the right track.

For more information contact HBM on Tel: +44 (0) 208 515 6000 Web: www.hbm.com

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

APPLICATIONS SIPSMITH SPECIFIES STEAM FOR TRADITIONAL STILL SYSTEM

RILEY SURFACE WORLD WINS LARGE ORDER FROM SPECIALIST MEXICAN PRODUCT FINISHING COMPANY

Established in Hammersmith in 2009, Sipsmith Distillery is a small, independent business that, using the first copper still to launch in London for almost 200 years, crafts truly artisanal gins and vodkas of uncompromising quality.

The distillery originally used electricity to power elements in the steam jacket surrounding their first still but, as their export market grew and production increased, Sipsmith’s realised additional stills were required to meet demand. The company’s second still was another 300 litre still that also used electric elements to heat the steam jacket. But it wasn’t until a third and larger 1,500 litre still was required that the company decided to switch from an electrically-heated process to one using a steam boiler.

Commenting Fulton’s sales and marketing manager Doug Howarth says: “We visited Sipsmith Distillery when they were using German electrically-powered stills but wanted to install a gas-fired steam boiler for their new, larger premises and an order was placed for a Fulton 20J vertical boiler and associated ancillaries.

We supported Sipsmith throughout the installation and during commissioning.”

As Doug goes on to explain, many craft breweries and distilleries start off using electric but, as they reach the right size and output, quickly move to steambased systems such as those from Fulton. “While electric systems can be quite efficient, they only heat the water required for the steam jacket, so are not as manageable or controllable as steam boiler based systems.” says Doug.

Felix James, Head of Operations at Sipsmith Distillery says: “For us, the difference is the same as cooking using electric or gas. With steam, once it’s turned down or off, the stills are very quick to shut down or respond to the temperature change.”

Riley Surface World has recently won a six-figure order for the supply of pre-owned nickel plating, anodising, cleaning and water treatment plants from a specialist metal finishing company in Mexico.

The equipment had all been declared surplus to requirements by a large, international provider of safety products to the nuclear power generation sector.

Riley Surface World was selected to dispose of the plants due to its specialist knowledge of the global surface finishing industry. The various items have now been shipped from their original home in Birmingham, UK to their new location in Toluca, near Mexico City.

The new owner is Ecoplating SA, part of a group of eight companies that comprises the largest metal finishing organisation in Mexico.

It supplies the automotive, electronics, oil and gas and consumer products sectors. Future expansion plans include new factories in Monterrey and Queretaro to support the expansion of the Mexican automobile industry.

The equipment supplied by Riley Surface World comprised an 8-stage nickel plating line with two rectifiers, four modern 4-stage anodising lines with rectifiers, fume extraction and product suspension, two cleaning lines including transporters and drying ovens and a 5m3 demineralised water generation plant.

All of the machinery is in immaculate condition and can be easily re-configured for other process finishing and cleaning applications.

The CEO of Ecoplating SA, Ramon Pages Jnr., says that the purchase of such valuable and versatile equipment will make an important contribution to his company’s future expansion plans, as it stands to benefit from the expected upturn in the Central and North American economies over the next few years.

He also paid tribute to the professionalism and technical expertise of all the staff at Riley Surface World, who worked very hard to complete the project on budget and on time.

For more information contact Fulton Limited, Bristol, Avon.

Tel: 0117 972 3322 E-mail: doug.howarth@fulton.co.uk Web: www.fulton.co.uk

For more information contact Riley Industries Ltd, Aldridge, West Midlands Tel: +44 (0) 1922 45 8000 Email: helen@rileysurfaceworld.co.uk Web: www.rileysurfaceworld.co.uk

SPIROFLOW’S CONVEYING SYSTEM IS AN INSTANT SUCCESS FOR COFFEE BRAND Providing food and beverage manufacturers with high quality conveying solutions that are easy to operate and maximise production – backed up by great customer support – are key factors if suppliers are to get repeat business, just ask the Eight O’Clock Coffee Company.

Spiroflow – a world leading manufacturer of dry ingredients conveying and bulk bag handling equipment – has recently won additional orders from Eight O’Clock Coffee after it initially designed a customised conveying solution to support a new high-speed packaging system at its plant.

Eight O’Clock Coffee was so satisfied with the efficiency and increased productivity that resulted from the automated Cableflow® Tubular Drag Conveying system supplied

by Spiroflow for transferring coffee from multiple roasters at the touch of a button, it purchased two more of the conveyors. Maintaining the quality and consistency of ingredients while in transit through a factory environment is vital to ensure that the end product is in mint condition for packaging and distribution, which is why the hot beverages supplier turned to a conveying system from Spiroflow.

It gently moves whole bean and ground coffee to the packaging line at a rate of over 4.5 tonnes per hour – a key attraction for Eight O’Clock Coffee Plant Manager, Richard Holiday. He said: “Tubular drag conveying is a slow moving system that allows us to gently convey a lot of coffee. It’s very reliable and dependable and our operators love it. Spiroflow is also very service-oriented with great support and resources.”

Previously, Eight O’Clock Coffee had been using mechanical and dilute-phase pneumatic conveyors to move whole bean and ground coffee from roasters to the packaging equipment. The addition of the new packaging equipment required an additional conveying system that could transfer coffee from 11 roasters to bagger hoppers above the packaging equipment while minimising material degradation. Designed to fit into the existing plant footprint, the conveying system runs with minimal operator interaction for optimum productivity, eliminates dust in compliance with OSHA, improves sanitary operations with advanced handling techniques and provides Eight O’Clock Coffee with a rapid return on its investment. Spiroflow has supplied six tubular drag conveyors to Eight O’Clock Coffee. All utilise 304 stainless steel cables with UHMW polyethylene discs and are fitted with Spiroflow’s patented Dynamic Automatic Rope Tensioning system (DART) which maximises cable life and minimises operator maintenance.

The conveyors and process equipment are fully automated and integrated with a central controller, allowing remote control and monitoring of the entire process from one location. Using the controller interface, an operator enters the code for one of the company’s coffee products and pushes the start button. The controller then automatically opens and closes the necessary valves, and the conveying system moves the beans or ground coffee through the production process from the roaster to the packaging system. In addition to Cableflow Tubular drag Conveyors, Spiroflow also manufactures flexible screw conveyors, aero mechanical conveyors, chain drag conveyors, bulk bag dischargers, bulk bag fillers, and ingredients batching and weighing systems. The company’s technical and engineering expertise has led to it developing an international reputation for an unrivalled range of products with state-of-the-art control systems.

For more information on the company’s products and services visit www.spiroflow.com or call +44 (0) 1200 422525.

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

07

APPLICATIONS VEOLIA’S RECO SOLUTIONS IMPROVES SUSTAINABILITY FOR HEINEKEN AND HELPS SAVE THEM £100,000 ANNUALLY

SUN VALLEY ARE NUTS ABOUT AXIUM PROCESS’ FILTERS

Reco Solutions helps globally renowned cider and beer maker, HEINEKEN lead the way in water recovery.

Veolia Water Technologies has supplied a bespoke water recovery system to HEINEKEN’s Hereford Cider Mill. Looking to reduce their water consumption by 25% by 2020 and as part of an overall environmental assessment, HEINEKEN identified a potential saving from the water loss in the concentrate stream from their borehole water treatment reverse osmosis system.

Approximately 30m3/h of water was not being utilised and, using Veolia’s RecoBLUE online calculator, they found that they could recover approximately 50% of the reverse osmosis losses, at a quality of better than 120µS/cm conductivity, which would be suitable for use as boiler make-up.

It was essential that the recycling process should not increase energy and chemical consumption, so Veolia provided a specially configured SirionTM Mega Recovery RO Unit. Veolia’s system uniquely requires no additional chemical dosing for conditioning prior to recovery. With low pressure, high rejection membranes, the SirionTM Mega Recovery system has low energy consumption which minimises its carbon footprint and operating costs.

The new system is performing as predicted by the RecoBLUE calculator and is reducing the Cider Mill’s water footprint by more than 130,000m3 per year of water. The resulting annual saving of more than £100,000 will repay the system’s capital cost in under four years.

Sun Valley, a market leading supplier of quality processed and raw nuts to Europe’s most successful retailers and major blue chip manufacturers, has recently purchased a number of bespoke filter systems which have been designed and manufactured by filtration specialist, Axium Process and which are providing Sun Valley with improved process efficiencies and reduced downtime.

The company, which traditionally used a sheet filter system for removing nut shell debris from oils, was looking for a flexible system capable of filtering from 2000 micron down to 50 micron that would require only a small footprint as well as being easy to maintain and clean.

Working closely with Sun Valley, Axium’s engineers designed and built a stainless steel duplex and triplex filter system using Axium’s Pure-Screen WedgeWire Filters which have a proven track record for their reliability, robustness, versatility and are also very simple to clean. The system, which is manufactured in 316L stainless steel, was delivered complete with frames, gauges, isolation valves and fittings and was supplied with full materials certification to BS EN 10204 3.1.

Axium’s Pure Screen wedge-wire filter range, which is being used across a wide range of industries for a diverse range of duties, has no moving parts, does not require tools for cleaning and can provide filtration levels from 10 micron up to 6000 micron as standard.

Axium’s engineers work closely with its customers to fully understand their processing requirements so that the optimum filter is supplied for a given application. Filters can be customised to suit customer requirements and special options include a high capacity 6” body design, a jacketed design for product heating or cooling as well as duplex, mulitplex and stand-alone options.

For more information contact Veolia Water Technologies, Tel: +44 (0) 1628 897000 E-mail: Emma.Passmore@veolia.com Web; www.veoliawatertechnologies.co.uk

For more information contact: Axium Process Ltd, Hendy, Swansea Tel: +44 (0) 1792 883 882 Email: info@axiumprocess.com Web: www.axiumprocess.com

FORGINGS MANUFACTURER IMPROVES EFFICIENCY WITH AZZURE IT A company which manufactures premium metal components for world leading organisations such as Rolls Royce, Siemens, BAe Systems and Airbus is improving efficiency across the business, thanks to innovative IT. Independent Forgings and Alloys, based in Sheffield, enlisted the help of local expert Azzure IT to transform its operations with a fully customisable Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software solution.

The Microsoft Dynamics NAV software provided by Azzure IT has streamlined Independent Forgings and Alloys’ business processes across manufacturing, planning, purchasing and accounting, saving the company both time and money.

The forging manufacturer operates from a four acre site and creates high specification components for global markets including aerospace, defence, energy and nuclear power.

Daniel Rodgers, accountant at Independent Forgings and Alloys explains: “Our old system simply couldn’t keep up with the speed of change within an advanced engineering environment like ours. We were having to enter information in duplicate onto various spreadsheets and use different systems for recording different processes.”

“The Microsoft Dynamics NAV solution provided by Azzure IT has changed all that. It allows business critical information to be shared and stored easily, and allowed our different departments to work collectively in much more efficient ways and brought everything together seamlessly.

“Our business is a unique one, which requires the management of a high volume of technical information, worldwide deliveries and large quantities of metals varying from titanium to stainless steel to copper. Craig and the team at Azzure IT did a superb job in providing us with an ERP system that works to our own, specific needs.”

Craig Such, managing director at Sheffield-based Azzure IT, added: “Microsoft Dynamics Nav is the ideal solution for forward-thinking businesses like Independent Forgings and Alloys. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software gives businesses greater control and increased information, meaning companies quickly start reaping the rewards, both financially and in time savings. We’re looking forward to supporting the team at Independent Forgings and Alloys to ensure they get the best results from their new system.” Azzure IT is the UK’s leading provider of Microsoft Dynamics NAV software solutions and a Microsoft Gold Partner.

For more information contact Azzure IT, Sheffield.

Tel: 0114 299 7270 E-mail: sales@azzure-it.com Web: www.azzure-it.com

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

05

IN-PLANT MONITORING ENCLOSURES SYSTEMS

ITT RELEASES I-ALERT 2, BREAKTHROUGH EQUIPMENT MONITOR WITH BLUETOOTH® SMART CAPABILITY ®

We are excited to officially have recently launched the i-ALERT®2, a BluetoothSmartenabled machine health monitor that allows customers to identify potential problems before they become costly failures. It tracks vibration, temperature and run-time hours and wirelessly syncs the data with a smartphone or tablet through the iALERT2 mobile app.

The i-ALERT2 combines the latest in Bluetooth low-energy and sensor technologies commonly used in the newest consumer health and fitness trackers and smart watches such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit®. The i-ALERT2 is the first to successfully integrate these technologies into an industrial package. It is engineered and rated for use in a wide range of industrial environments. It is chemical resistant, rated for extreme temperatures (-40 to 84°C, -40 to 183°F) and is rated to operate in environments with explosive gases, dust and fibers. With 24/7 monitoring, a wireless range of up to 100 feet (30 meters) and the ability to scan multiple i-ALERT2 devices at once with a mobile device, customers will be able to quickly and safely inspect multiple pieces of equipment and be alerted of potential problems before they become critical failures.

Through the i-ALERT2 mobile app, customers can now view real-time and historical data, diagnostic information and machine records. This provides them with the data necessary to make informed ITT’s i-ALERT®2 is available three ways: · Retrofitted to any rotating equipment in the field · Included with an equipment repair or upgrade through ITT PRO Services, or · Added to newly purchased ITT pump equipment.

The i-ALERT2 is available globally to major industrial markets.

Shipments will start in early July and the iOS mobile app will also be available for download then on the App Store on iTunes with an Android version to follow.

For more information contact Goulds Pumps a Division of ITT Industries Ltd Tel: 01297 639100 E-mail: Axminster.Sales@itt.com Web: www.gouldspumps.com

CABLE GLANDS

RUGGED PANEL MOUNTING INDICATORS MAY BE SAFELY INSTALLED IN Ex e CABINETS Thanks to a new range of BEKA intrinsically safe and Type n rugged panel mounting indicators, it is now possible to safely install 4/20mA loop powered indicators in Ex e increased safety and Ex p pressurised cabinets located in Zones 1 or 2 and in Ex n cabinets located in Zone 2 without invalidating the cabinet’s certification. Housed in a 316 stainless steel case with an impact resistant IP66 front, these IECEx and ATEX certified indicators significantly reduce installation complexity and cost. The instrument certificates define in which certified cabinets and in which Zones the indicators may be installed.

The Ex nA non-sparking certified indicators do not require a Zener barrier or galvanic isolator and may be installed in Zone 2 cabinets. For Zone 1 applications the intrinsically safe models should be used. Both are supported

by Application Guides, AG310 for Ex nA and AG300 for Ex i applications.

These new rugged indicators include models with four 15mm high digits and five 11mm high digits plus a 31 segment bargraph. All have an operating temperature between –40ºC and +70ºC and include a square root extractor, sixteen segment lineariser and a tare function. Optional accessories include a backlight and dual alarm outputs.

For further information contact BEKA associates Ltd, Hitchin, Herts.

Tel: 01462 438301 E-mail: chrisb@beka.co.uk Web: www.beka.co.uk/rugged

RITTAL’S NEW Ri4POWER 185MM POWER DISTRIBUTION BUSBAR SYSTEM

Walter Logan offers industry’s smallest cable gland – the UNI Dicht M4 from PFLITSCH GmbH. Specialist German component supplier, Walter Logan, now offers the industry’s smallest cable gland, the PFLITSCH UNI Dicht cable gland system from PFLITSCH, the German industrial cable gland and cable routeing manufacturer.

Responding to demands for smaller cable glands, the PFLITSCH UNI Dicht M4 cable gland has a mounting height of just 8.8mm (max) with a connection thread length of 2.7mm.

The PFLITSCH UNI Dicht cable gland is particularly suitable for use in cable and pipeline routeing for sensor systems and in projects where space is a premium. It offers a compact construction with maximum sealing range, from 0.9 to 1.6mm, ensuring it can be used with a wide variety of cable types.

Offering protection against dust ingress the PFLITSCH UNI Dicht M4 cable gland is certified to IP68 and up to 10 bar / one hour. Additionally, an O-ring in the gland provides a seal to the enclosure wall. A wide operating temperature of -40 to +130C makes the cable gland suitable for use in harsh and extreme environments. This latest cable gland is offered with brass nickel plating, and a stainless steel version is available on request.

Rittal, a leading global provider of solutions for industrial enclosures, power distribution, climate control and IT infrastructure, has launched a new modular Ri4Power busbar system with a 185mm busbar centre distance.

The Ri4Power 185mm busbar system is ideal for configuring compact, secure power distribution within Ri4Power switchgear systems or Rittal’s renowned TS 8 enclosure range. Offering current ratings of up to 1600A and a short time withstand rating of 50kA for one second, the Ri4Power system meets the current switchgear standard IEC 61439-1. It is easy to install with no drilling required and integral contact hazard protection, making the system both safe and secure and a quick fix to a punched rail system. The busbar has adaptors ranging from 800A to 1600A for the safe use of standard compact air circuit-breakers available from leading moulded case circuit breaker manufacturers. The circuit breaker can therefore be fitted directly onto the busbar which in turn reduces the amount of space needed within enclosures to accommodate Ri4Power systems.

NH slimline fuse-switch disconnectors are available in single pole or 3-pole versions enabling a very compact busbar distribution system. The new design maximises heat flow for optimum heat dissipation within the enclosure.

For more information contact Walter Logan & Co Ltd, Tel: 0044 (0)208 446 0161 E-mail: glands@walterlogan.com Web: www.walterlogan.co.uk

For more information contact Rittal Ltd, Hellaby, Rotherham Tel: 01709 704000 E-mail: information@rittal.co.uk Web: www.rittal.co.uk and

SMALLEST CABLE GLAND MEETS CONSTANTLY CHANGING MARKET NEEDS

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

FEATURE

PRACTICAL CONTAMINATION MANAGEMENT FOR HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS Integral to plant and equipment operation, hydraulic system failure can be catastrophic, resulting in unplanned downtime.

By far the most frequent cause of system failure is contamination of fluid, which accounts for 70 to 80 per cent of failures.

Preventative action should therefore be a top priority for maintenance engineers to prevent hydraulic equipment suffering premature component failure, extended downtime – and the costs associated with both. Additionally, as contamination can increase wear and shorten machinery and lubricant service life, any action to minimise contamination will have positive effects elsewhere in the system.

Iain Hanson of Brammer looks at the types of contamination that occur, and how each can be minimised.

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ontamination can be broken down into three categories – gaseous, liquid and solid (particulate). Gaseous contamination can impair the hydraulic medium’s lubricating properties, increasing ‘metal to metal’ contact, creating wear and a likely increase in other contamination types. Air can also cause cavitation and impact on pump performance.

Liquid contamination in the form of water can drastically reduce the lubricating properties of the hydraulic fluid, and also cause rust. Cross-contamination can also be an issue – for example, mineral oil-based hydraulic fluids are incompatible with water glycol hydraulic fluids and interfere with their antiwear properties, which can result in the ‘varnishing’ of system components.

Similarly, mineral oil also reacts with fatty acids contained in water glycol products, forming a ‘white soap’ effect which can block filters and strainers.

Particulate contamination can be further divided into three categories. Soft particles, like fibres, gasket or seal abrasion particles, rubber and paint, are likely to cause only minimal damage. However, both hard particles – iron, steel, bronze, brass and aluminium – and extremely hard particles, like corundum, scale, rust and furnace dross, are highly abrasive and can cause significant surface degradation.

Particulate contamination can also cause spontaneous outages, including valve blockages, substantial pump damage, and blown seals and gaskets.Once any contamination occurs, a chain reaction of wear can result. Gaps grow larger, oil leakages increase in size, component operating efficiency decreases, blockages can occur, and metering edges are worn away. Many ‘sudden’ failures are actually the result of cumulative damage over time, meaning that even soft particulate contamination must be constantly countered.

The usual causes of contamination are, however, avoidable. Using incorrect fluids, inadequate oil drum and container marking, storing oil drums in contaminated environments or using unclean or contaminated containers to transfer oil, or an incorrect filter trolley to transfer fluid, can all be prevented with simple control measures and training for operatives.

In order to determine ‘how clean is clean?’, ISO 4406:99 has been developed to provide a standard for measuring and reporting particulate contamination in fluids. This is based around the number of particles of three different sizes per unit volume of fluid, and helps engineers understand how equipment performs at different cleanliness levels through evaluating the level of contamination protection needed in each application, based on operating pressure.

THE CORRECT CLEANLINESS LEVEL CAN BE ESTABLISHED BY LOOKING AT EACH OF THE FOLLOWING SEVEN STEPS IN TURN: - Duty/intended usage - Component sensitivity - Life expectancy - Cost of component replacement - Cost of downtime - Safety - Environmental considerations

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

Once each of these is weighted and the required cleanliness level established, an appropriate filtration system can be implemented.

Two main types of filtration system can be specified depending on the needs of the application. A dedicated off-line filtration system operates at a constant flow, maximising filter life and performance, while trolleys can offer a secondary filtration system if connected to the power unit. The likelihood of contaminant introduction can also be reduced by using flat face couplings in conjunction with offline filter trolleys.

Any filtration system is only as good as its filters, which have either a nominal or absolute pore size rating. A nominal rating describes the ability to retain the majority of particulate at the rated pore size, while the absolute rating refers to the filtering media’s capability to retain all particulate of that size. Beta ratios can also be used to determine if a filter is designed for highly efficient removal.

Once installed, the filler breather life indicator must be clearly visible, enabling easy checking for when the unit should be changed. If the unit isn’t changed when indicated, contamination can result – particularly water ingress. Off-line filtration systems should be kept clean, with QRC couplings wiped with a clean, lint-free cloth before connection to minimise the risk of contamination between QRC faces.

To assist in contamination prevention, oil drums should be stored in clean conditions and clearly labelled stating whether they contain clean or dirty oil and what type of oil is contained. Drum tops should always be kept clean.

Taps should be fitted correctly, with the tap at the bottom of the drum pointing downwards. The bung should be slightly unscrewed when filling from the drum and immediately tightened to prevent contaminants entering.

When topping up hydraulic power units, the suction pipe should be wiped with a clean, lint-free cloth before lowering into the drum. Spare parts should always be stored in a clean, dry, dust-free environment, with packaging checked to ensure it is intact to prevent contaminant ingress.Each filter trolley should be clearly marked stating which fluid or oil type it is suitable for, while dust caps should be fitted in all ports of hydraulic cylinders and valves. Any filters which appear damaged should be replaced.

Once the management system is established, regular sampling should be undertaken to establish any changes in the fluid’s physical or chemical properties and excessive water or particulate contamination. The latter will indicate that the filters are not keeping the system clean, either because they are not suitable for the task, not maintained properly, or the system is subject to excessive ongoing corrosion and wear. Samples should be taken at least monthly.

Contamination management is just one aspect of best practice in hydraulic system maintenance and should be combined with other functions including hydraulic hose inspection and power unit temperature testing as part of a complete maintenance regime.

A specialist maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) service provider can advise on implementing complete hydraulic systems maintenance regimes and provide all necessary consumables.

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FEATURE

QUANTIFYING COSTS COMPRESSED AIR C

ompressed air – similarly to tap water – has traditionally been regarded as a ‘free’ resource within the factory. However, compressed air is effectively another utility and just as gas, electricity and water prices have risen, so the cost of compressed air has increased.

There is a growing awareness that compressed air is a precious utility. In order to best manage the cost of compressed air, it is first important to understand where these costs come from.

The largest single one-off cost will be the upfront investment of installing the system and its associated pipework. There will, however, be significant costs to keep the system running – particularly energy bills – meaning that energy efficiency will be a critical factor in cost control.

The cost of maintenance may also be substantial, but when done properly will help to reduce more expensive problems like breakdowns and downtime. Add to this expenses such as oil disposal, and it becomes obvious that cost control is critical.

This all adds up to a total cost of ownership (TCO) – and the aim is to keep this as low as possible. Understanding TCO is critical in ensuring that that there are few unexpected financial surprises throughout the system’s lifespan.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

The main expense throughout a compressed air system’s lifespan is the associated energy costs and output. Typically, this accounts for approximately 75% of total costs across the life cycle, usually being five times more than the original purchase price of the system.

But energy is not always used efficiently and this is certainly the case for compressors: it’s estimated that more than half the energy used to power compressors is wasted. Because of typical system inefficiencies – such as leaks or supercharging – only about 45% of the input energy is used to compress the air. The other 55% is typically wasted.

However, easy alterations can be made to help cut the energy needs of compressors by up to 50%. This is just as well, considering that compressed air typically accounts for nearly onethird of a site’s total electricity usage.

In total, it takes the output of one and a half power stations – around 10TWh of energy – to run all the UK’s compressed air applications every year. Energy efficiency measures could begin to start reducing that enormous demand, whilst also cutting utility bills.

One approach is to use an intelligent energy management system, which can makes savings of 30-50%. This provides a transparent and current picture of how efficiently the compressor is performing, helping to control costs.

At the same time, a high proportion of the energy used for air compression is converted into heat – up to 94% of which can be recovered and used elsewhere in the plant, such as for heating water. A heat recovery system such as the BOGE Duotherm can recover up to 75% of the electrical power, thus reducing utility bills as well as environmental impact.

An energy audit can identify whether a compressed air line is running at excessive pressure. Lowering system pressure can mean that fewer compressors are needed – with consequent reductions in energy and service costs.

Maintenance is cheaper with fewer compressors – and is a key part of the strategy.

A new standard called ISO 11011 has been introduced to control the use

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of compressed air, in an attempt to lessen its huge demand on energy resources. Its guidelines include the need for energy audits, to establish the amount of compressed air that a company uses – and how much it costs to generate.

MAINTENANCE AND AFTERCARE

Maintenance and aftercare will cut the likelihood of more expensive problems down the line – which are caused by malfunctions such as oil or air leaks. Regular maintenance makes a system as cost and energy efficient as possible, and there is more than one option when selecting a maintenance schedule.

A fixed maintenance is pre-set, meaning many components are repaired, serviced or replaced after a certain amount of time, whether or not it is needed.

The main disadvantage is the replacement of parts that are still in good working order, or parts that are problem-free at the time of fixed maintenance – but fail before the next check.

Status-based maintenance, however, uses diagnostic tools to carry out continuous monitoring. This will pick up on a variety of potentially damaging processes, such as high temperatures and vibration. It goes hand in hand with a robust aftercare programme. While this has proven to be more cost-effective and reliable across the lifespan of a compressed air system, these tools must be used properly, and data gathered must be correctly analysed.

LEAK DETECTION

One of the biggest fault areas is air leakage. The Carbon Trust estimates that a 3mm hole in a compressed air line could cost a business as much as £700 per year in wasted energy. But this cost could easily be avoided by conducting regular leak detection surveys as part of a maintenance programme.

As air escapes through a leak hole it creates a tiny sound that is inaudible to the human ear but easily detectable by specialist ultrasound detection equipment – which transforms it into an audible sound and indicates it optically.

Leaks can be detected from a long distance – up to 15m – which is useful in places that are not easily accessible or visible.

An energy audit can help to identify leaks. Some newer compressor models feature an in-build leakage monitor that calculates wasted energy consumed during no production periods.

However leaks are identified, a maintenance schedule must then be put in place to plug them – otherwise the benefits of detection will be short-lived.

Oil leakage is another challenge, and can be highly damaging to the performance of a compressed air system when undetected. As well as compromising efficiency it can – in the case of food production – have potentially serious consequences, if oil traces come into contact with the product or even the packaging. Fixing an oil leak can be expensive; fixing the consequences of it contaminating food is potentially catastrophic.

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

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When installing or updating a compressed air system, having a clear idea of all the costs will minimise the likelihood of financial surprises, says Mark Whitmore, General Manager at BOGE. condensation caused by compression, an extra dryer is often needed to eliminate downstream water vapour.

It should be recognised that different applications require different levels of compressed air treatment. The ideal compressed air for use in the textile industry, for example, may be totally unsuitable for the food or surface-coating sectors. So it is important to match the air treatment system to the specific needs of the application, including factors such as volume air flow and air quality.

Compressed air is a critical resource in a factory, and there is no doubt that it requires major investment. By looking carefully at upfront costs – and running costs such as energy and maintenance – manufacturers can ensure that they run their system as cost effectively as possible.

COMPRESSED AIR COSTS

PURE PERFORMANCE

Many unwanted substances can easily be drawn into compressed air systems.

These contaminants include dust, pollen, micro-organisms, moisture and compressor oil, which can all have an adverse effect on air quality and the operation of valves, cylinders and ancillary devices.

The biggest threat is from airborne particles of dust, grit and pollen. In a factory, where product and manufacturing by-products and dust are generally denser, each cubic metre of untreated ambient air can contain up to 180 million particles of dirt as well as 50-80% suspension of water vapour and oil. During compression, the concentration of these particles increases: at a pressure of 10 bar, for example, the effective density of contaminants will increase to around two billion particles per cubic metre.

Particles can combine with moisture, compressor oil or other lubricants to form an abrasive or corrosive solution. This can accumulate and stick to stationary and moving surfaces inside pneumatic devices, causing valves to stick and seals and moving parts to wear, leading to machine failure and downtime.

Water vapour can condense when the warm air emitted from a compressor comes into contact with the cooler surfaces of downstream equipment. Drains can remove condensate, but will not effectively eliminate vaporised droplets of moisture suspended in the air flow. Problems can occur as moisture eventually breaks down lubricating oils, leading to corrosion on exposed metal surfaces, and increased friction and wear between moving parts.

Compressor oil, emitted as an oil vapour, can condense as a film within valves and cylinders, acting as a trap for particles of dust and other contaminants.

The heat of the compression process can oxidise the oil, making it acidic. If transmitted downstream, this can affect other lubricants and the integrity of rubber seals and gaskets.

There are various solutions to these problems. One is to attach a filter to the compressor intake, which will normally remove larger airborne particles.

However, there are limitations on the size of filter, as it must not impede air flow to the compressor. As a result, downstream air preparation devices will also be required to remove smaller particles, together with oil and moisture.

Many filtration devices use a mechanical coalescing system that removes aerosols of water and oil, as well as solid particulates. Ideally, these should be installed in pairs and in series: the first unit acts as a general-purpose filter, to protect the second high-efficiency filter from bulk contamination.

While most air compressors include an after-cooler, which removes the

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

Capital outlay: initial consultation and design, pre-purchasing, pipeline, purchase and installation, repayment or rental cost.

Energy: electricity and fuel costs needed to run and heat or cool the compressor mean that efficiency is critical.

Maintenance: servicing and aftercare, parts, labour costs (such as fitter’s and operator’s wages) and lubrication.

Oil: disposal and storage costs (Note: not relevant if using an oil-free compressor) Downtime: fixed maintenance breaks, unexpected failure or leaks that interrupt production – leaving employees with little to do. On a smaller scale, breakdowns eat into time and add cost.

System renewal and replacement: even a properly maintained system will not last indefinitely, so the cost of an entirely new one must be considered at some point.

BOOSTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY 1. Demand analysis/leakage measurement Considering the energy demands of compressors is not enough. Leaks have a huge effect on energy consumption – and reducing them offers massive saving potential. To do this, the optimal running of the compressors must be determined, based on demand analysis and regular leak measurements.

2. System design Efficient operation of individual components is only the first step towards energy savings. Optimal interaction of these components – and aligning the entire system to specific needs – has a positive effect. Intelligent design of the process chain helps optimise both energy and resources.

3. System Renewal For older compressed air systems, a complete overhaul can be useful – depending on the technical state of the system and its energy efficiency.

Modern compressors have high-efficiency motors and airends, with modern fans and heat recovery. Investing in new plant – often supported by government – can quickly pay for itself.

4. Intelligent control An optimal ratio for load and idle times can be achieved through intelligent control systems, which select the most efficient air compressor combination according to demand. This keeps idle time and pressure at an optimum level. In addition, the parameters of your system become more apparent.

5. Heat Recovery During air compression, much of the energy is converted into heat.

Modern, efficient systems ensure that this energy is not wasted. Up to 94% of the heat generated in a compressor can be recovered – then routed to where it is needed, or used in the form of hot water.

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COMPRESSED AIR CLEARPOINT® COMPRESSED-AIR FILTERS - NEW STERILE AND STEAM FILTER FOR THE HIGHEST HYGIENIC DEMANDS The compressed air system provider BEKO TECHNOLOGIES has further developed the range of CLEARPOINT filter technology.

With the innovative 3E filter elements (3E = Energy Efficient Element) and a flow-optimised, corrosion-protected housing construction, CLEARPOINT filters offer safe and reliable compressed air filtration with long service lives and significantly reduced operating costs.

Now, BEKO TECHNOLOGIES has extended the successful CLEARPOINT product line by the addition of sterile and steam filters for the highest hygienic demands.

An increasing number of industries require the use of sterile compressed air or particle free saturated steam such as the food and beverage industry, breweries, dairies, pharmaceutical and chemical. In addition to achieving maximum filtration efficiency with regard to bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms, another key aspect of the process is ensuring high flowrate at low differential pressures. Filter separation performance has to be guaranteed, even at minimal loads. Compressed air that is filtered with these filters is suitable for food contact in accordance with FDA and EC 1935/2004.

For more information contact BEKO Technologies Limited Tel.: 01527 575778 E-mail us at info@bekotechnologies.co.uk Web: www.beko-technologies

FILTERS PROVIDE PURE COMPRESSED AIR WITH OPTIMUM EFFICIENCY The need for quality compressed air filtered to a range of purity levels in accordance with standards such as ISO 8573-1 is an essential requirement for many manufacturing applications. Furthermore, the additional challenges of meeting minimal pressure differentials along with demands for improved energy efficiency, are other important factors. The latest generation of high performance FILTERS developed by HPC KAESER are the ideal solution providing efficient filtration for flow rates from 0.60 to 14.20 m³ /min (21.2 to 501.5 cfm) and with minimal pressure differential.

The efficiency of a compressed air filter largely depends on minimising pressure loss which is why HPC KAESER filters are characterised by generously dimensioned housings and filter surfaces along with innovative flow-through and high performance filter media. These features result in up to 50% less pressure loss in comparison to other typically available filters and an overall performance which remains constant throughout their service life. The recently introduced deep-pleat KE (KAESER Extra) aerosol filters achieve a residual aerosol content of 0.01 mg/m³ and a saturation differential pressure of no more than 200 mbar.

Low pressure differential means lower energy consumption. However, this in itself is of limited benefit if the corresponding filter cannot deliver the required compressed air quality. HPC KAESER filters are designed to deliver both, with their performance characteristics determined in accordance with ISO 12500-1 and the quality standard for their filters being tested and verified by an independent body.

The range covers four different element grades for effective filtration of aerosols, dust and oil vapours so that compressed air can be treated to suit the needs of the specific application in accordance with ISO 8573-1 purity classes.

An important part of the design brief for these new filters was the ability to achieve tailored compressed air purity combined with maximum efficiency and this has been achieved thanks to the completely redesigned element head. The innovative new HPC KAESER design gently redirects the air flow so that it is evenly distributed across the filter media. This is a patented inhouse development and the result of decades of compressed air engineering expertise.

Further information is available from: Mark Sharman, HPC Compressed Air Systems Tel: +44 (0) 1444 241671 E-mail: mark.sharman@hpcplc.co.uk Web: www.hpccompressors.co.uk

CALIBRATION NEW FLUKE DUAL-RANGE PRESSURE CALIBRATOR FOR GAS CUSTODY TRANSFER MEASUREMENTS IN INTRINSICALLY SAFE ENVIRONMENTS Fluke has introduced a new ‘Ex’ Dual Range Pressure Calibrator for use in classified environments, offering ranges, accuracies and capabilities that make it ideal for gas custody transfer measurements. The Fluke 721Ex, with IECEx and Atex Ex ia IIB T3 Gb (Zone 1) ratings, is available in 14 models and can be used with a Fluke 720RTD probe for temperature measurement. Fluke has also introduced 700 series pressure test hose and pump kits which minimise the difficulty and leaks when connecting a pressure calibrator or pump to a device under test. Their quick installation, without the use of tools, increases efficiency, saving time and money.

The rugged 721Ex Dual Range Pressure Calibrator, featuring two isolated, stainless steel, pressure sensors with accuracies to ±0.025% Full Scale, provides measurement of static pressure, difference in pressure and (optional) temperature of gas flow. It is configured by choosing either a 1.1bar or 2.48bar low-pressure sensor, together with one from seven high-pressure ranges up to 345bar. The large backlit display will show two pressure readings and a temperature reading simultaneously. Up to five frequently used setups can be stored.

For more information contact Fluke (U.K.) Ltd. Tel: 0207 942 0700.

E-mail: industrial@uk.fluke.nl Web: www.fluke.co.uk

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

TEST & MEASUREMENT HBM OFFERS AN UPLIFTING SOLUTION

HBM OFFERS A PRECISE SOLUTION FOR HIGH ROTATIONAL SPEEDS

Now available from HBM – a market leader in the field of test and measurement – is the battery powered direct-display SLS Lifter Scale, which can be easily integrated into existing lifters and suspension.

Approved in accordance to ISO 13485 and 93/42/ECC, the SLS Lifter Scale is available in both a legalfor-trade version, which is approved for medical applications and a non legalfor-trade version, which is suitable for use in private care.

In line with European law which requires that legal-for-trade lifter scales be used in hospitals, the legal-for-trade SLS Lifter Scale from HBM provides precise measurement results to ensure exact dosages of medication are administered, corresponding to the patient’s weight.

Suitable for use in private care, the non legal-for-trade enables a counting function to be activated in addition to weighing of components for consignment and is therefore optimally suited for stock-taking by units.

The SLS Lifter Scale from HBM provides protection from moisture and humidity to IP54, therefore fulfilling a significant condition of DIN 10535, which defines the requirements and test procedures for moveable and free standing lifters when transporting persons with limited physical mobility.

In addition, the SLS Lifter Scale meets all the requirements of the RoHS Directive, which guarantees minimum amounts of lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium VI or certain brominates (flame retardants) are used.

As requirements for torque measurement increase in terms of speed and precision, the T40B torque transducer from HBM – a market leader in the field of test and measurement – now offers a precise solution for high rotational speeds with EtherCAT gateway.

Previously available with a maximum continuous rotational speed of 20,000 rpm in the standard version, the T40B is now also available in a high speed version which features a rotational speed measuring system, which can be used, without restrictions, at the torque transducer’s maximum rated rotation speed up to 24,000 rpm.

Providing a measurement accuracy of 0.03% in terms of linearity deviation, including hysteresis error, the latest version of the T40B torque transducer guarantees maximum precision and accuracy.

Supporting the TIM-EC EtherCAT interface module, both the torque and the rotational speed signal of the measurement flange can be integrated into EtherCAT networks using the same front error, for increased flexibility.

The T40B torque transducer is optimally protected from external influences such as dust, grease and moisture, making it suitable for use in adverse industrial environments, such as motor, transmission or brake test bench applications in the automotive industry and for testing electric or hybrid drive systems.

For more information contact HBM on Tel.:+44 (0) 208 515 6000 E-mail: info@hbm.com Web: www.hbm.com

For more information contact HBM on Tel.:+44 (0) 208 515 6000 E-mail: info@hbm.com Web: www.hbm.com

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

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FEATURE

CONDITION MONITORING USING OPERATING EQUIPMENT PERFORMANCE MONITORING

By Peter Brown - Lifetime Reliability Solutions Global (LRS Consultants Global) The data gathered from operating condition inspections and performance monitoring trends will increasingly appear alongside process plant performance data and be used to assign maintenance priorities and maximise plant uptime and equipment reliability.

CONDITION MONITORING AND PROCESS ANALYSIS

Most machine and process characteristics which affect quality, availability, capacity, safety, risk and cost can be continually evaluated throughout an asset’s lifetime. This is essential in identifying impending failure and will be applied to critical areas identified in the reliability plan.

The current state-of-health of process plant is important information related to current information, diagnosis and prognosis of various defects, and predicted useful life in the optimisatuion of safety, quality and high production rates. There are the obvious functions of monitoring and controlling the process for reasons of safety and product specification. Additionally, there is invaluable information to be gained from the process parameters that can give an understanding of the current health of the asset.

Condition Monitoring has historically focussed on the acquisition and analysis of measurable parameters that would give useful information as to the condition of machine components and, hence, a forecast of the likely serviceability of the machine.

The wider view of Condition Management must take into account the performance of the machine, or the system of which it is a part, and report on excursions away from previously defined acceptable tolerances.

The definition of Condition Monitoring embraces the concept of Performance Monitoring also: The process of systematic data collection and evaluation to identify changes in the performance or condition of a system or its components, such that remedial action may be planned in a cost effective manner to maintain reliability.

THE PURPOSE OF PERFORMANCE MONITORING

There is the classic story of the condition monitoring technician who completed a vibration survey on a pump after it was reported as running erratically. He

reported that the pump had the lowest vibration levels ever measured and it was therefore in perfect condition. Shortly after receiving this advice the plant operator noted that the pressure gauge was much lower than usual and further investigation showed that the pump wasn’t pumping at all!

The pump was isolated and opened up and it was found that the impeller had sheared off! Of course it had a beautiful vibration signature; it wasn’t doing anything! This illustrates one dimension of why performance monitoring is needed to make sense of some situations.

The technology of Process Control allows access to much of the the information needed to trend machinery and system performance parameters. These parameters are monitored and alarms set for out-of-tolerance conditions. This is particularly true for systems more so than individual machines—unless they are process critical and individual monitoring can be justified.

There are still many situations in industry where it is not immediately apparent that performance of a particular machine has dropped off. Sometimes systems are self-compensating without identifying the reason why, for example, three pumps are now needed to be running to do the work formerly handled by two. There are other situations where, in the normal course of events, there is quite insufficient data to enable any accurate judgement on performance to be made. An example would be the fuel efficiency of a heavy-haul vehicle.

The only way to determine the specific fuel consumption of one vehicle compared to another doing similar work would be to install instruments and data logging to record fuel flow, throttle position, brake usage, vehicle speed and the like.

With continuing advances in sensor technologies and a growing trend for on-board mounted machinery sensors permitting on-line monitoring, the performance montoring of machines and the systems in which they work will give people real-time information on equipment health and condition and let them fine-tune the process to maximise uptime and machine reliability.

APPLICATIONS FOR MACHINERY PERFORMANCE MONITORING

Machines and Systems for which Performance Monitoring surveys may be required on a routine basis include the following items:

• Pumps – due to impeller wear, seal ring wear (re-cycling) or blockage.

• Fan Systems – due to filter blockage, blade fouling or re-cycling.

• Boilers – due to loss of thermal efficiency for many different reasons.

• Heat Exchangers – due to fouling or blockage.

• Steam Turbines – due to blade fouling and numerous other reasons.

• Air Compressors – due to wear, filter blockage, valve leakage (reciprocating), etc.

• Diesel or Gas Engines – due to loss of compression (rings or valve leakage) etc.

• Electrostatic or bag dust filters – due to fouling, shorting or leakage.

Note that electric motors are not included on the list because fall-off in performance is usually measurable by standard condition monitoring processes such as vibration and thermography. Perhaps the most useful parameter for performance measurement of an induction motor is speed in relation to load. This should always be a constant and variations are measurable with vibration analysis. Therefore, generally speaking, special purpose performance monitoring surveys for electric motors are not required.

Though the final decision to performance monitor motors should consider the risk associated with their failure.

COUNTING STRESS AND OVERLOAD CONDITIONS

One great benefit of performance monitoring electric motors is to identify the frequency and number of times that they are overloaded. Each overload causes stressess to the electric motor components and to those in the machinery it drives. Each overload stress destroys operating life of the parts and causes the motor and the attached machine to fail sooner. By monitoring the extent of the overload and counting the number of times overloads occur we can develop a relationship between operating conditions and operating life. Below are some proposals for performance monitoring of pumps and fans – two of the most common machines in industry and with much potential for savings in power costs through routine efficiency studies.

PERFORMANCE MONITORING OF PUMPS

Pump manufacturers extensively test every pump on a calibrated test tank and produce accurate performance curves. A typical diagram giving the correct names for the parts of a centrifugal pump is also given.

For any given liquid the variables shown on these performance curves are as follows:

• Total Head (discharge minus suction) expressed as a vertical dimension (eg metres) or as pressure differential.

• Power Consumed (shaft power).

• Efficiency • Flow • Impeller Type • Shaft Speed

Apart from the last two variables – which are usually specified or known – any three of the first four can be used to identify with reasonable accuracy the ‘duty point’ for an operating pump. Better still if all four can be measured to minimise errors of measurement. In particular ‘power’ is not easily measured without taking into account motor and coupling efficiency. This is often an estimate rather than a measurement. Likewise ‘efficiency’ can vary due to wear and recirculation and therefore this is also not a directly measurable parameter. Therefore the only two reliable parameters which can be directly measured and applied to the charts are head (pressure) and flow.

Head is easily measured using pressure gauges. These are often installed and should be calibrated if any serious measurements are required. Calibration

facilities are usually readily available.

Flow is less easily measured if no flow meters are installed. The only practical option in this case may be to use ultrasonic flow measurement. In most cases this can be applied and give results of between +/- 1% to 5% depending on the method used. Ultrasonic flow meters can be hired and are relatively easy to use. They come in two kinds, Doppler and Transit-time, to cover dirty and clear liquids respectively.

Some ultrasonic transit-time flowmeters also offer the capability to measure temperature rise across the pump (or heat exchanger) and calculate thermal power. This termed ‘Absorbed Power’. For liquids other than water a ‘calorific coefficient’ constant needs to be applied but, for relatively inexpensive equipment, an accuracy of within +/-5% can be expected. A much more sophisticated instrument called the Yates Meter is now available with claims of overall accuracy better than 1%.

When all the data has been measured and applied to the appropriate pump curves it will be obvious as to whether there is good correlation or significant apparent errors. If all the data, both measured and estimated, fits together comfortably then there can be good confidence in determining the duty point and efficiency of the pump in the system. If the data does not fit well then it is likely that there is a problem that could be one or more of these:

• Impeller wear has reduced the effective diameter.

• Leakage around the seal ring is causing significant recirculation.

Flow drops.

• The ‘system head’ is different to expectations due to blockage or leakage.

Further investigations must be made until there is confidence that the fault is identified and then appropriate maintenance actions should be planned.

Potentially the most valuable outcome of pump performance testing is optimisation of efficiency and hence power usage. Often a change in impeller size will allow optimisation of the duty point and very significant power savings can result.

PERFORMANCE MONITORING OF FANS

Centrifugal fans are very simple machines but they can be extraordinarily troublesome in typical industrial applications. Firstly, they are sometimes poorly built or built to a price with inadequate structural stiffness, cheap bearings, design short-cuts and little consideration for the operational and maintenance demands of a long service life. Induced vibration of duct panels from gasses flowing by have been known to cause premature bearing failure.

Secondly, many fans have to handle gases that may be corrosive, dirt-laden, abrasive and wet. This means very harsh duty conditions that may demand significant maintenance. Often that maintenance is neglected resulting in significant efficiency reductions.

Like pumps, fans are usually supplied with duty curves which, depending on the quality of the fan, may be actual test results or just estimates from design.

The measurable parameters for a fan are as follows:

• Motor current and hence, an estimate of shaft power.

• Shaft speed.

• Pressure differential – using a manometer or electronic differential pressure device.

• Flow – if flow transducers are fitted.

Identify which of the three common methods of flow control, namely downstream damper control, inlet-vane control and variable speed, are used on the system under measurement. Note that fans fitted with dampers allow a variety of test conditions and this can help to provide a variety of conditions from which a characteristic curve can be estimated.

There are a variety of ways by which flow may be measured but pitot-tube installations are probably the most common. Note that transit-time ultrasonics can also be used very effectively but the transducers must be installed in the duct looking directly at each other from one side to the other. It is not possible to make reliable measurements through the duct wall as for liquids.

Again, it is desirable that that the manufacturers test curves be available for any such test. However, reasonable estimates can be made from on-site tests and using text-book formulas for efficiency.

www.lifetime-reliability.com

NETWORK & COMMUNICATIONS INDUSTRIAL CONNECTOR SERIES IS OPTIMISED FOR HYGIENIC SAFETY REQUIREMENTS IN FOOD & BEVERAGE INDUSTRIES The new Han® F+B connector series from HARTING features a design that is optimised to meet the hygienic requirements of the food, packaging and beverage industries.

The new range has been developed specifically to withstand the ambient conditions encountered in the splash zone (Zone 2) as specified by the EHEDG (European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group) guidelines. In particular, it meets the requirements for large radii and smooth surfaces free of spaces or gaps which might trap dirt or food particles and contaminate the plant with bacteria.

A polypropylene plastic coating is used which provides protection to IP level class IP69K. It is approved by the FDA (US Food & Drug Administration) and is resistant to ECOLAB certified cleaning materials and processes, which include high-pressure and steam cleaning using aggressive acid or alkaline cleaning agents.

The Han® F+B connector is offered with a choice of 25 different contact inserts for interfacing bus systems, signals and power contacts at currents of up to 40 A. For power transmission, contacts terminated by crimp, Quick Lock, axial screw and normal screw terminals are all available.

For more information contact HARTING Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1604 827500 Email: gb@harting.com Web: www.harting.com/en/foodandbeverage

DATA LOGGERS AXION LAUNCHES SPECIALIST DATA LOGGER FOR PROCESS PLANTS Engineers at resource recovery specialist Axion Consulting have developed a data logger specifically for continuous process plants that helps operators understand and eliminate causes of downtime, potentially saving them thousands of pounds of year.

The monitoring device has cut downtime by 50% at Axion’s Shredder Waste Advanced Processing Plant (SWAPP), which produces high-quality recycled polymers from end-of-life vehicles (ELV). Although developed for the waste industry, the data logger is suitable for a wide variety of other continuous processing industries with similar characteristics.

Capable of working with existing programmable logic controllers (PLC) from different manufacturers, the data logger provides hard data of a plant’s downtime and its causes, enabling operators to analyse faults and focus on systems improvements. A key feature prevents an operator restarting the plant until a stop cause has been inputted.

For a multi-site operation it makes it possible to compare sites and performance of sites or shifts, with the added benefit of accessing data remotely when logged in. Installing the data logger on four PLCs at their Trafford Park plant is already delivering benefits for Axion, which offers bespoke versions configured to individual client requirements.

Axion Director Roger Morton explains: “Since using the data logger our downtime has dropped by around 50%, so it’s been a very worthwhile investment for us. It could also be of huge benefit to others; that’s why we have decided to share our expertise with external clients”.

For more information, contact Axion Consulting, Tel: 0161 426 7731 Web: www.axionconsulting.co.uk

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INDUSTRIAL ETHERNET SWITCHES WITH POWER OVER ETHERNET PLUS (POE+) POWER TRANSFER HARTING has extended its Ha-VIS eCon range of industrial Ethernet Switches by incorporating high-performance Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) for the supply of power to industrial devices such as vision camera on production lines.

The new devices offer a complete integrated solution for stable, high-bandwidth data communication and reliable power transfer in a single device, while reducing cabling effort and costs at the same time. With a data transfer rate of 1000 Mbit/s simultaneously on all ports and with the support of PoE+, the Ha-VIS eCon series enables the efficient and future-proof design of equipment, systems and plants.

Over and beyond the PoE/PoE+ standard, HARTING is also offering the new switches with an integrated DC/DC voltage converter. In this case the switches can be supplied with 24 V instead of the 48/54 V usually required. This provides users with more flexibility in the connection of end devices and the expansion of the network, saves on components such as power supplies, and reduces assembly time and space.

Thanks to their compact dimensions, the Ha-VIS eCon family of switches of will fit into any user application. The eCon 2000 range of flat switches has up to 16 Fast Ethernet ports while the eCon 3000 slim design range has up to 10 Fast Ethernet ports to offer economical and industrial options to expand network infrastructures. Full Gigabit switches are available with up to 7 ports for applications with high data throughput. With over 200 switch models, users can select the combination of performance characteristics and port configuration that fits their particular requirements.

Additionally, HARTING stocks a complete range of mounting brackets for the eCon 3000 range that provide vibrationand shockproof installation.

For more information contact Harting Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1604 827500 Email: gb@harting.com Web: www.harting.com/en/unmanagedethernet-switches-ha-vis-econ/

FLUIDS & LIQUIDS HANDLING inc. Pumps & Valves

GENTLE & RELIABLE PUMPING OF DELICATE INGREDIENTS The CSF range of progressive cavity pumps is ideal for transferring a wide variety of products and ingredients or those with suspended solids and particles which often occur in the food, brewing, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Available from liquids handling specialists PUMP ENGINEERING, the CSF range includes the eccentric screw, positive displacementMAN series of pumps.

CSF MAN hygienic series progressive cavity self-priming pumps are extremely versatile and ideally suited to transferring low viscosity products like soups or sauces, high viscosity products such as jams, creams, pastes and pie fillings or delicate ingredients such as fruits and vegetables, with a gentle pumping action which does not damage these sensitive ingredients.

The positive displacement pumping action from the rotor and stator arrangement delivers a consistent flow, without the need for pulsation dampeners or non-return valves. When used in conjunction with a variable speed drive they can be used for dosing or proportioning applications and where applications involve high viscosity products the pumps can be fitted with a hopper or wide throat inlet.

Stators are available in white rubber for food use or other elastomers to suit the application.

MAN Series pumps are available with a single mechanical seal as standard with double seals, or packed glands if required.

For more information contact Pump Engineering Ltd, Tel: 01903 730900 E-mail: sales@pumpeng.co.uk Web: www.pumpeng.co.uk

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FLUIDS & LIQUIDS HANDLING inc. Pumps & Valves HYDRA-CELL G25 AND G35 PUMPS AVAILABLE WITH TRI-CLAMP FITTINGS

RSWT RANGE IS EXTENDED TO CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS

Wanner International has added Hydra-Cell G25 and G35 pumps to its list of models available in 316L stainless steel, with Tri-Clamp ferrules and polished internals, for sanitary applications.

Tri-Clamp fittings are easy to assemble and breakdown, making them ideal for short term process lines and equipment. Used extensively in food, drink and pharmaceutical processing, their smooth crevice and pit free interiors offer noncontaminating, superior corrosion resistance and long service life.

In order to meet clean-ability requirements these Hydra-Cell pumps have completely new manifolds with redesigned galleries that allow access for polishing to a certified surface finish. All wetted parts (Tri-Clamp ferrules, manifold, valve plate, valves, valve seat, springs, retainers) are polished to either Ra 0.4 or 0.8 Âľm and come with TSE, Passivation, & Weld Procedure certificates as standard.

Designed for the transfer, metering, dosing and spraying of a wide range of materials, including those that are abrasive, viscous or shear sensitive, Hydra-Cell pumps are completely enclosed units with no bearings or rotary seals to come into contact with the product stream.

As threaded connections are not considered acceptable in these applications, drain ports, using Swagelok VCR components, have also been included.

These pumps are true positive displacement pumps, and meet or exceed API 675 metering performance requirements in terms of accuracy, linearity and repeatability.

Carlo Gavazzi has recently launched a new range of RSWT 75mm soft starters for centrifugal pumps up to 30kW; specifically designed for efficient water distribution. The need to build tall buildings and the reduction of mains pressure to reduce leakages by water authorities has increased the necessity for alternative methods to provide high water pressure.

The self-learning algorithm is easy to setup and increases pump lifetime by minimising vibrations in the pump and pipes during starting and stopping whilst ensuring the pump starts and stops as close to the user setting as possible. The RSWT up to 25A (11kW @ 400V) comes in a compact 45mm housing thus facilitating replacement of contactors and star/delta starters.

The traditional three knob setting has been refined to just a single knob setting for the softstarting/ soft-stopping time of the pump which improves setup time, reduces human errors and tampering in the field.

RSWT is equipped with a number of integrated diagnostic functions including phase sequence, over- and under-voltage monitoring, locked rotor protection and also shorted SCR for improved pump protection in case of abnormal conditions. At just 75mm the RSWT can save vital panel space and reduce wiring time. Soft starter status indication is provided by means of three LEDs (green, yellow, red) for supply, ramping, and alarm indication. On top of the integrated overload, the PTC input can be used as further protection to ensure the pump does not overheat.

For more information contact Wanner International, Fleet, Hants.

Tel +44 (0)1252 816847 Email: NHerrington@wannerint.com Web; www.hydra-cell.eu

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

For more information contact Carlo Gavazzi UK Ltd, Tel: (0) 1276 854110 E-mail: alison_stevens@ carlogavazzi.co.uk web: www.carlogavazzi.co.uk

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FLUIDS & LIQUIDS HANDLING inc. Pumps & Valves ROTORK LAUNCHES 3RD GENERATION IQT INTELLIGENT PART-TURN VALVE ACTUATOR The introduction of the new Rotork IQT electric valve actuator brings the advanced functionality and asset management capabilities of Rotork’s 3rd generation intelligent technology to the direct-drive operation of part-turn valves. Proven in the field by thousands of IQ3 multi-turn actuators, new functionality brought to the compact and robust IQT includes an unrivalled range of advanced data logging and communication capabilities that have been increased in response to the end users’ desire to access more data, both in the field and in the control room.

Diagnostic graphics present a window into the process, showing the valve torque, usage profiles and service logs, facilitating real-time analysis directly at the actuator. The information-rich backlit display is the focus of attention for non-intrusive wireless communication and multi-functional indication, including user-friendly multi-lingual menus for configuration and commissioning. Local position indication, valve and actuator status, asset management and diagnostic operating information is available to download and can be viewed directly at the actuator on the large LCD display. The display provides real-time status data, positional and warning icon information; actuator setup and operating menus along with detailed diagnostic and operational data screens are clearly displayed in dot matrix format.

Using the Rotork Bluetooth® Setting Tool Pro, commissioning and configuring the actuator is faster and simpler than ever. The setting tool can also be used to securely transfer data from the actuators to a PC for analysis using Rotork Insight2 diagnostic software. Insight2 can further streamline actuator set up by pre-defining complete sets of instructions and settings. Each collection of settings can be saved as a ‘mission data set’ and quickly applied to multiple actuators requiring the same configuration.

Valve maintenance requirements can be identified and anticipated, eliminating unplanned interruptions to the process or over-cautious planned maintenance outages. The actuator’s powerful datalogger provides comprehensive data capture for planned maintenance and troubleshooting. Data includes valve torque profiles, operational start profiles, vibration and temperature trend logs and an event log. Specific asset management information includes running time, average torque and number of starts. Service or maintenance alarms are selectable from configurable menus including open and close torque levels, total starts and vibration levels.

Torque sensing is reliable and accurate over the life of the actuator. Similarly, reliable valve positioning is critical. A patented absolute encoder with only one moving part tracks valve position without the requirement for a battery even when there is loss of power. In addition, as all configuration and datalogger data is stored in a non-volatile EEPROM memory, all settings are retained. If an actuator is manually operated during a power outage, the local display and remote indication is kept updated by the use of a battery which also facilitates data logging and power-off commissioning.

The IQT’s double-sealed IP68 watertight and temporarily submersible enclosure is universal to all Rotork actuators, including those with explosion proof certification. It permanently protects internal electrics from the ambient environment, even during site wiring with the terminal housing cover removed. The double-sealed design, in which the terminal housing is separately O-ring sealed from the rest of the actuator, has been a standard feature on Rotork electric actuators for over forty years. It is proven to increase long term reliability and durability in the harshest of climates.

A plug and socket connector option is available which also retains the double-sealed design.

On the actuator’s compact and robust enclosure, local Open/Close and Local/Stop/Remote selectors are coupled magnetically to internal switches without penetrating the actuator body, further enhancing non-intrusive environmental protection. Emergency handwheel operation with motor preference is provided as standard.

IQT actuators are suitable for three phase, single phase or DC power supplies, with a torque output range of 50 to 2000Nm available for No side splitting comedy guaranteed isolating, regulating and modulating duties. The motor always runs in the High-volume manufacture means high-quality pipework correct direction, irrespective of supply type and connection. In addition, the output speed can be non-intrusively adjusted over a 4:1 range without that’s reliable, flexible and easy-to-maintain but costs affecting the output torque. All valve interface bases conform to ISO5211 less than custom-built sheetmetal ductwork. or MSS SP 101 and are fitted with removable couplings.

Hazardous area actuators are fully approved to the latest ATEX standards.

Network connectivity options include Foundation Fieldbus®, Profibus®, HART® and DeviceNet® open systems, as well as Rotork’s own dedicated Pakscan wired or wireless systems.

The Serious Pipe*

*

Jacob (UK) Ltd T: +44 (0) 1694 722841 E: sales@jacob-uk.com W: Jacob-uk.com

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For more information contact ROTORK PLC ,Bath, Avon.

Tel: +44 (0)1225 733200 E-mail: information@rotork.com Web: www.rotork.com

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

FLUIDS & LIQUIDS HANDLING inc. Pumps & Valves BREDEL’S NEWLY EXPANDED APEX HOSE PUMP RANGE DELIVERS IMPROVED PROCESS UPTIME AND SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCES PUMP MAINTENANCE · Seal-less, valve-less design of two new hose pump models lowers total cost of ownership · More reliable than air-operated diaphragm pumps and progressive cavity pumps in chemical or abrasive applications · Newly expanded flow range to 6,200 litres/hour at 8 bar Bredel Hose Pumps (part of Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group) has added two new models to its APEX range of sealless, valve-less hose pumps.

Widening the APEX performance envelope to 6,200 litres/ hour at pressures of up to 8 bar, the new APEX28 and APEX35 pumps offer significant capex and opex savings compared to other pump technologies in chemically aggressive or abrasive applications.

USER FEEDBACK Recent international product trials across a range of applications have put the new APEX models to the test in process-critical abrasive slurry transfer operations.

User feedback has demonstrated that, when compared with existing pump technologies such as air-operated diaphragm pumps and progressive cavity pumps, the new APEX models can extend the time between scheduled maintenance intervals dramatically.

PROVEN SAVINGS The most notable feedback relates to significant reductions in abrasive wear on the previous pumps. For example, one of the trials undertaken in the USA showed that, while the user’s existing air-operated diaphragm pumps need to be maintained every 7 or 10 days, the APEX35 ran continuously for over three months without maintenance. Additionally, there was no requirement for compressed air which equated to another significant saving.

The impressive results in the USA were not in isolation: a brine dosing application in Germany showed that during the first six months of the trial, the APEX35 required no maintenance whatsoever and the operator made huge savings over the downtime previously experienced each month with a progressive cavity pump.

UPTIME AND PROCESS CONTINUITY In addition to the financial benefits associated with reduced maintenance, APEX pumps have been engineered to deliver additional cost savings through increased uptime and process continuity.

Precision machined hose elements and optimised hose compression, combined with medium pressure operation, enable the pumps to meter or transfer fluids reliably and accurately for long, uninterrupted periods of time.

The trials in Germany demonstrated that project payback periods for APEX are expected to be extremely short; as the only wear part in APEX pumps is the hose, which can be replaced quickly and easily, without removing it from the process line.

REDUCED SPARES INVENTORY With no internal valves, Bredel APEX hose pump technology also helps users improve their processes by eliminating troublesome ancillary equipment such as anti-siphon valves, back-pressure valves, degassing valves or run-dry protection.

Finally customers can simplify spares inventory and need to keep just a single part – the hose - in stock.

GRUNDFOS SP THE SUBMERSIBLE PUMP YOU CAN FORGET ABOUT It has almost been 50 years since Grundfos produced the world’s first submersible pump made entirely of stainless steel. Since then the SP pump family has continued to evolve and to maintain its leading edge reputation within a wide range of abstraction applications.

The nature of these pumps means that they will spend their working life in underground applications, so nothing is more important than reliability and these pumps are renowned for their trouble free operation.

In addition, all SP pumps undergo thorough testing to ensure that each pump will operate optimally in the many differing applications. including private and public water supply, irrigation and dewatering. With control and monitoring options such as Grundfos Remote Management (GRM) that offers 24-hour system monitoring and a communication interface unit that enables connection to standard field bus networks, this Grundfos SP range, offers a reliable submersible choice you can install and trust.

For more information contact Grundfos Pumps Ltd, Tel: 01525 85000 Email: grundfosuk@grundfos.com Web: www.grundfos.co.uk

For more information contact Watson-Marlow Fluid Group Ltd, Tel: 01326 370370 E-mail: info@wmfg.com Web: www.wmfg.co.uk

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

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FLUIDS & LIQUIDS HANDLING inc. Pumps & Valves LOW FLOW, HIGH ACCURACY INTERNAL GEAR PUMPS The extensive MZR range of low flow, miniature, positive displacement micro annular gear pumps provide precise, accurate and smooth, low pulse pumping and dispensing of a wide variety of liquids, including low and high viscosity fluids. Designed and manufactured to the highest standards by HNP Mikrosysteme in Germany and distributed in the UK by MICHAEL SMITH ENGINEERS, the ultra-compact size and low mass of these pump and motor units ensure that they can be easily incorporated into the designs of many systems and are well suited to OEM applications.

The range comprises six series of pumps, all of which provide smooth, accurate, virtually pulse-free liquids pumping and dispensing, along with additional features and benefits depending on the model.

For example, the High Performance Series constructed in stainless steel are for pumping low and high viscosity liquids of 0.3 to 1,000,000 cP at capacities from 0.0015 to 1152 ml/min at differential pressures up to 100 bar.

As the name suggests the Low Pressure Series, also in stainless steel, are designed for handling low viscosity liquids from 0.3 to 1,000 cP covering capacities from 0.0015 to 1152 ml/min at differential pressures to 5 bar. These are ideal for less demanding applications, such as transferring low volumes of non-lubricating liquids.

The Hermetic Inert Series which feature leak-free magnetic couplings, Hastelloy-C construction with SiC and Tungsten Carbide wetted parts, are designed to withstand the challenges of more aggressive liquids.

They can handle liquids with viscosities from 0.3 to 1,000 cP, capacities from 0.024 up to 1152 ml/min at differential pressures to 60 bar.

Pumping applications requiring a wider choice of chemically resistant wetted materials will appreciate the Modular Pump Series which handle capacities from 0.0015 to 299 ml/min at differential pressures to 40 bar. They are suitable for liquids with viscosities from 0.3 to 10,000 cP. Where applications require pumps for an environment with an explosive atmosphere, MZR’s High Performance Series and Hermetic Inert Series with ATEX motors are the best option.

For more information contact Michael Smith Engineers Ltd, Tel: 0800 316 7891 E-mail: Info@michael-smithengineers.co.uk Web: www.michael-smithengineers.co.uk/products/ hnpm

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

FEATURE

ENHANCE SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH WATER REUSE With such high volumes of water involved in food and beverage production, and the cost of raw water and wastewater disposal on the rise, manufacturers are looking to more advanced and innovative solutions to meet water treatment obligations. Here, Paul Winnett, General Manager - Speciality Industries at Xylem, explains how water re-use can ensure reliable and cost-effective water management.

A

ccording to a report by The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, 70 per cent of water used annually by humans is consumed by the global agriculture sector. With statistics like this, it is easy to see why food and beverage manufacturers are deploying water re-use methods which ultimately help to alleviate business risk, enhance sustainability practices and safeguard water quality standards by decreasing the plant’s dependency on external water sources.

One way of reducing Mogden Charges is to treat or re-use water before discharge. Water re-use is the practice of re-using suitably treated wastewater from one process in another industrial process and can significantly reduce the demand on potable sources of freshwater and the volume of water discharged to the sewer. The food processing industry is ideally suited to this process.

As a result, re-use is a way of meeting discharge standards, reducing cost and as an aid to helping food processing businesses who have maximised their daily demand for water, particularly if the business is metered.

Crucially, water re-use technology is included in the government’s Water Technology List which promotes the use of technology for water re-use and more importantly, rewards businesses, in the form of the Enhanced Capital Allowance Scheme (ECA), who invest in them via tax relief.

RE-USE IN MANUFACTURING

There are two ways to re-use water in manufacturing. The first, direct water re-use, feeds water back into the production process, but this isn’t a popular choice within the food and beverage industry as the re-used water supply will come in direct contact with the end product.

However, the second, indirect water re-use, can provide a cost-effective supply for machine wash-down, cleaning floors, boiler feed or similar duties. The question is how do food and beverage manufacturers implement these measures which are not only beneficial to the environment but also the bottom line?

The truth is that the cost of water as a raw material is not high. Manufacturers can develop proposals to recover process water, but this could be costly and the payback may be several years. For example, from an environmental point of view, a scheme to recover process water is a positive step, but the additional equipment and space required to house the re-use water may not be commercially viable to implement.

To avoid the hidden costs of water usage, you need to look beyond the cost of the water itself and evaluate the processes used to treat it. But with the market saturated with available solutions, identifying the right treatment option can be difficult.

IDENTIFYING THE RIGHT TREATMENT OPTION

There are a wide variety of technologies available for wastewater treatment in re-use applications. From conventional treatment processes, which can remove solids, and adjust pH and chlorine levels, through to advanced processes which filter and oxidise water resulting in a higher quality product.

A conventional treatment process removes solid waste found in water. This provides minimal disinfection and include the use of screens, dissolved air

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

flotation and primary clarifiers, filters, chlorination and pH adjustment, reducing solids and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).

When a conventional treatment process isn’t adequate for meeting required treatment standards, advanced treatment technologies can be implemented.

These technologies go further to remove contaminants than conventional treatment processes and are implemented for specific needs. These include the removal of trace contaminants and pathogens via oxidation and disinfection through to the removal of dissolved organics and contaminants via an adsorption process.

In addition to the biological and disinfection techniques, there are other advanced treatment technologies such as membrane filtration and reverse osmosis that can be used either separately or in conjunction with one another to fulfill wastewater discharge requirements.

What is important to remember is that treating water is only the first step to ensuring wastewater is recycled and reused efficiently and effectively within a plant. It is important for organisations to also consider the transportation and storage of water re-use.

PUMPING SYSTEMS

The treatment and transportation of water or wastewater within a system will require the biggest source of energy. Therefore it is vitally important that the system is not only correctly sized, but the right equipment selected in the first instance, to ensure specific re-use requirements are met as well as maximising energy savings over the life of the equipment.

Pumps serve two purposes in a re-use system: transporting and pressure boosting. Water needs to be moved from one location to another for treatment, storage purposes, or for use. Pressure boosting is required for some treatment technologies, including reverse osmosis, where specific pressures are required to move water through a membrane. Many reuse applications, such as equipment washing, also require boosting capabilities.

CONSIDERATIONS

To implement an effective water re-use system, it is important to address the following three key areas: - Define objectives: When deciding what type of water reuse system is needed in a facility, a plant must define its objectives both from sustainability and cost perspectives and in-line with water treatment obligations.

- Select applications: Plant owners and/or operators should define the applications for which the water will be used. It is advised to start with highvolume re-use applications that have lower water quality requirements, therefore requiring less treatment. By following this approach, the facility will achieve the greatest return on investment, as higher levels of treatment drive costs up.

- Determine treatment levels: Finally, determine the treatment levels required for the selected applications by measuring current wastewater quality to establish a baseline, and then compare that to the quality level required for the selected applications. This gap in water quality will determine the treatment intensity.

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FEATURE

TIME TO REFRESH YOUR WASTEWATER THINKING Dr Richard Coulton, CEO of Siltbuster Process Solutions, the UK’s leading providers of effluent treatment solutions, explains why companies should review their wastewater treatment process, and shares some advice on how to go about it… ith corporate investment normally driven by production requirements it is easy to overlook the importance of investing in wastewater treatment. As a result many effluent treatment plants have suffered from under investment, with old poorly maintained plants operating over capacity. Plants operated in this manner are prone to breakdown and run an increased risk of causing an environmental incident.

With the potential fines for such environmental lapses now likely to be much higher, thanks to new guidelines introduced last year, most organisations would benefit from reviewing how they manage their wastewater disposal operations.

Especially as such an exercise would not only reduce risk, but could also reduce operating costs.

Such a review involves a three pronged approach that looks at: - The risk of a plant failure resulting in an environmental incident - Contingency planning to mitigate those risks - Options for reducing effluent treatment costs.

The process starts with a risk assessment that critically appraises the type of effluent received by the plant and operation/condition of the effluent treatment plant. The assessment should: - Review the characteristics of the effluent under current and future production regimes, including planning for peak and seasonal production.

- Review the performance of the effluent treatment plant and consider the implication of production changes.

- Identify critical pinch points on the effluent plant and assess the practicality of installing standby equipment at these points. The cost of such systems is likely to be small compared to stopping production and the implication of an environmental prosecution.

- Develop a list of critical spares to be held on site.

- Assess whether the balance tank is sufficiently large to homogenise the water quality thereby minimising the risk of shock loading the effluent plant and providing emergency storage for when things go wrong.

- Review whether a “Divert or Calamity tank” to temporarily store strong/ difficult to treat waste would be benefit. It can then be bled back into the water treatment plant at a manageable rate or tankered off site.

- Raise awareness of effluent treatment within the organisation by educating production personnel and managers on how the effluent plant works and its limitations thereby reducing the risk of Production causing an incident.

CONTINGENCY PLANNING

Having critically reviewed the performance of the effluent plant the next step of the process is to put in place a contingency plan to mitigate the risk of an environmental incident in the unlikely event of incident. This should include checks for changes to effluent volume/characteristics and/or records of any incidents – plus other changes such as new shift patterns or a transient workforce, unreported spillages, changed production methods/ cleaning agents can all affect the waste discharged.

A good plan will set out what to do should there be a plant failure – such as who to notify, whether the plant can be repaired without out stopping production, how to stop production if it cannot be repaired and so forth.

It will also indentify where to mobilise emergency treatment from, be that temporary storage tanks, tankering off site to the nearest suitable waste acceptance site, or the hire of replacement effluent treatment technology.

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COST REDUCTION

Beyond reviewing the performance of the existing plant and contingency planning, a more strategic approach to waste management can often lead to a reduction in wastewater disposal costs, particular where the discharge is to sewer. The charge levied by the receiving Utility Company is calculated using the Mogden Formula which takes into account not only the volume of wastewater discharged but also the pollution load (i.e. the suspended solids content and biological oxygen demand). In many instances cost savings in trade effluent charges can be achieved by: - Improved solids and fats oil and grease removal prior to discharging the effluent to sewer (depending on the nature of the wastewater savings of up to 40% are not untypical) - Changing the product mix away from one that makes a disproportionate contribution to Mogden charges.

- Weighing-up the effect new product streams have on effluent volume and characteristics.

For example, a jam producer who starts producing pickles will generate a completely different effluent which could significantly increase trade effluent charges unless the existing treatment plant is modified.

THINK ENERGY

Legislation aside, there are plenty of good commercial reasons why companies should take a closer, and more strategic, look at how they manage their effluent.

For the food industry, addressing this can prove to be not just a cost saving exercise but a revenue generator, with the biodegradable by-product from the water treatment plant forming a suitable feedstock for a waste to energy plant.

For instance Ballyrashane Creamery found that the high concentration of fat in wastewater generated from its milk and cream processing operations made the effluent treatment process less efficient. So it needed a way to recover the fat and was also keen to see if it could get some benefit from the recovered fat.

By deploying a DAF (Dissolved Air Flotation) Plant, integrated into the existing treatment system, it ensured a more consistent feed to the plant, with none of the issues previously associated with high fat concentration. DAF units are designed to remove suspended solids and FOGs (fats, oils, greases) from wastewater. Micro-fine air bubbles (white water) encourage the fat to float to the surface of the unit, for removal by an automated mechanical scraper. Up to 20m3/hr of wastewater is continuously fed through the unit, with removal of the fat making a tremendous difference to the efficiency of the effluent treatment process downstream.

In this instance the company then uses the recovered fat as part of its energy strategy. The recovered fat is mixed with other sludges from the plant, before being pumped to their new offsite Anaerobic Digestion facility. Due to its high calorific value, the fat is ideal for producing energy. Indeed, over twelve months, the facility will generate more than 7 million kWh, which equates to about 2% of the power used on the site.

CONCLUSION

Clearly, by taking a holistic approach to wastewater treatment most operators can reduce the risk of a plant failure causing an environmental incident.

However, beyond this, many can also achieve cost savings through reduced off-site disposal costs and potentially diverting waste to energy.

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

WATER & WASTEWATER TREATMENT SENSOREX ADDS THE UVT-LED MONITOR LOVIBOND® BOD MEASUREMENT SYSTEM: TO WATER INSTRUMENTATION OFFERINGS BD 600 Portable, highly efficient UV-C LED monitor now available exclusively from Sensorex Sensorex is now the sole supplier of the UVT-LED Transmittance Monitor, formerly known as the PearlSense T254. The UVT-LED is the first instrument of its kind to use highly efficient UV-C LED technology. The compact monitor delivers fast, accurate transmittance readings in the field, water treatment facilities or industrial settings.

Transmittance measurement with the UVT-LED ensures proper UV dosing and efficient operation. The use of mercury free UV-C LED bulbs results in a compact design, easily used as either a handheld portable meter or an in-process instrument. The LED light source is ready for instant operation with zero warm up time. Capable of battery and solar-powered operation, the UVT-LED offers long lamp life with little maintenance and low operating costs.

Simple to operate, with a clear backlit LED display, the UVT-LED takes automatic measurements every 60 seconds. Integrated wiping prevents fouling and buildup in all water conditions, with a self-calibration check to ensure continual accuracy. The handheld model comes with battery power and convenient carrying case for use in the field and lab. The continuous model for in process use runs on 24 VDC power, and can be used in an open channel configuration or directly in a pressurized pipe. The ultra-small instrument is ideal for retrofit installations.

UV transmittance values are used to track changes in water quality, as well as detecting the presence of organic compounds and other issues. From municipal water treatment facilities to food and beverage applications, consistently accurate measurements can save energy and ultimately provide superior water quality.

To learn more about the Sensorex UVT-LED Transmittance Monitor Tel.: +1 714-895-4344 Web: www.sensorex.com E-mail: sales@sensorex.com

DRIVES & MOTORS ABB LAUNCHES EXPLOSIVE ATMOSPHERE MOTOR FOR USE IN UNDERGROUND MINING APPLICATIONS

The Lovibond® team has announced the latest instrument for BOD measurement for wastewater samples based on the manometric method. Manometric respirometers relate oxygen uptake to the change in pressure caused by oxygen consumption while maintaining a constant volume. Thanks to the modern integral pressure sensors, it is no longer necessary to use mercury for pressure measurements.

The new system has been specifically designed for use in laboratories, treatment and purification plants with automatic BOD measurement at customizable intervals (over 2 to 28 days). Results are continuously monitored and displayed on the large screen with easy-to-monitor graphical representation of measured values.

Flexibility is paramount with individual programming of each of the six sample bottles and data transfer via USB or SD Card. Designed to work with the Lovibond® TC Series of thermostatically controlled incubators, the remote control functionality enables adjustments to be made even through a closed glass door.

For more information contact The Tintometer Limited, Tel: + 44 (0)1980 664800 Email: e.wilkinson@tintometer.com Web:www.lovibondwater.com

PROCESS MEASUREMENT

& INSTRUMENTATION

NEW 4-20mA DC CLAMP METER ADDED TO FLUKE CONNECT FAMILY OF WIRELESS TEST TOOLS

An extension to ABB’s low voltage IEC mining motors range is now available with Ex d flameproof protection for use in underground mine (group I) applications such as conveyors, air handling fans and water pumps.

Rated from 0.55 to 710 kW in frame sizes IEC 80 to 450, the cast iron motors are an evolution of ABB’s long-life explosive atmosphere range. This range has been used for decades in group II and group III surface industries such as oil & gas and marine. The hazardous area motors are certified to IECEx and ATEX. The motors operate to the latest IEC standard efficiency levels, IE2, IE3 and IE4.

Available from two to eight pole pairs, higher pole combinations or two-speed motors are available on request. The motors feature an IP66 enclosure for maximum protection against the ingress of high pressure water, dust and volatile substances and are insulated to class F.

Fluke has introduced a Current Clamp Meter measuring 4-20mA DC that wirelessly relays measurements to other Fluke Connect™ enabled master units or the Fluke Connect mobile App. The Fluke a3004 FC Wireless DC Clamp Meter is a fully functional current clamp meter which measures 4mA to 20mA signals without “breaking the loop”. It is ideal for use by process control technicians and for industrial technicians maintaining PLCs and controls.

The Fluke a3004 FC Wireless 4-20mA DC Clamp Meter features a detachable clamp with extension cable for measurements in tight locations and can be used as a standalone meter or as part of a system. A logging function enables the recording and saving of up to 65,000 measurements. It is suitable for measurement of 4-20mA control loops, 4-20mA signal measurements, testing analog input/output signals and other low level DC current measurements.

The Fluke Connect app can be downloaded free from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

For more information contact ABB Ltd, Warrington, Cheshire Tel: 01925 741 111 E-mail: energy@gb.abb.com Web: www.abb.co.uk/energy

For more information contact Fluke (U.K.) Ltd. Norwich, Norfolk Tel: 0207 942 0700.

E-mail: industrial@uk.fluke.nl Web: www.fluke.co.uk

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

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PROCESS MEASUREMENT

& INSTRUMENTATION

NEW PRECISION ROUGHNESS, CONTOUR AND FINISH INSTRUMENTS ADDED TO TAYLOR HOBSON RANGE OF SURFACE MEASUREMENT TESTERS Surtronic Duo and Intra Touch provide wider cost-benefit options for users.

Intra Touch contour and finish measurement system from AMETEK Taylor Hobson provides high accuracy measurement with shop floor durability.

AMETEK Taylor Hobson has broadened its comprehensive range of surface measurement testers with the addition of two new products: • Surtronic Duo portable surface roughness tester for shop floor and on-site measurement of multiple roughness parameters, and • Intra Touch contour and finish measurement system for precision machining and many other applications.

The Surtronic Duo uses a long-wearing diamond stylus that is drawn across a part with a precision motorized traverse mechanism. Vertical movement of the stylus is detected by a piezo-electric pickup that converts mechanical movement into electrical signals. The signals are digitized and sent to a microprocessor for instant calculation of surface parameters.

Simple one-button operation produces a full set of traceable measurement results including a detailed profile graph. Display and traverse modules can be operated as one unit or separated for difficult access applications; Bluetooth connectivity allows wireless communication between them. The instrument is suitable for incoming and pre-shipment inspections, manufacturing process control and wear monitoring during product use.

Intra Touch provides all important surface finish capabilities, including fundamental roughness and waviness parameters, contour and form error analysis, feature exclusion, zoom tool and full programmability. Its simple user interface assures effective shop floor operation.

The instrument’s 1mm vertical range and 16nm resolution deliver high-accuracy contour and surface finish measurements. Its contour-only 28mm gauge option is ideal for form measurement and its 50mm horizontal traverse accommodates the majority of shop floor applications. With 0.5 um horizontal data spacing, small components and features can be measured more effectively than before.

A manual column is available to provide a stable work station for large or tall components.

Wide Application Coverage With a continuum of capabilities from the Surtronic series to Intra Touch and higher precision instruments, AMETEK Taylor Hobson offers users the capability to meet all surface measurement requirements at appropriate budget levels. In addition to the new Duo and Intra touch, the series includes • Surtronic R-Series roundness and form tester for bearing parts • Surtronic S-100 portable roughness tester with extensive USB connectivity Tablet-based Talyprofile software allows uniform reporting of results from all of Taylor Hobson’s surface measurement instruments.

Applications include: Manufacturing Process Control • Automotive • Shipbuilding • Pipelines • Sheet Steel • Aerospace • Turbines • Print Rollers • Flooring • Glass • Bonding • Quality Control Taylor Hobson is a leading manufacturer of ultra-precision measurement instruments for a wide range of markets, including optics, semiconductors, manufacturing and nanotechnology research. It is a unit of AMETEK, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with annualized sales of US$4.0 billion.

For more information contact Taylor Hobson Ltd, Leicester Tel: +44-0116 246 3016 / Email: graeme.foulds@ametek.co.uk

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

PROCESS MEASUREMENT & INSTRUMENTATION COMPACT TRIAXIAL VIBRATION ALICAT ADDS COLOUR DISPLAY OPTION TO MONITORING FROM HANSFORD SENSORS RECHARGEABLE PORTABLE MASS FLOW METERS AND CALIBRATORS

Hansford Sensors, the leading designer, developer and manufacturer of high performance industrial accelerometers, has launched a new compact and lightweight 100m/Vg triaxial vibration sensor.

Called the HS-173, the new accelerometer is a side entry device, can be used in both on- and off-line applications and has been introduced to enable OEMs, vibration analysts and end users to measure vibration in three axes simultaneously. This makes it ideal for use across a range of industries, including process, mining and quarrying, automotive, paper and metals manufacture.

With an operating sensitivity of 100mV/g and a transverse sensitivity of less than 5 percent, the HS-173 is one of the most compact triaxial accelerometers on the market and ensures measurement time can be reduced due to the simultaneous reading of three axes. This, combined with its excellent frequency response of 6 Hz to 6 kHz, makes it ideal for monitoring vibration in a variety of machines, from fans, motors, pumps, compressors and gearboxes, to conveyors, process equipment and spindles on machine tools.

The HS-173 is a robust and reliable industrial accelerometer, weighing just 250g, protected by a stainless steel casing that is sealed to IP67, and capable of operating at temperatures ranging from -55 to +140 ºC. Installation is quick and simple.

For more information contact Hansford Sensors, High Wycombe, Bucks.

Tel: 0845 680 1957 E-mail: sales@hansfordsensors.com Web: www.hansfordsensors.com

SPIRAX SARCO WATER FLOWMETER SIMPLIFIES BOILER EFFICIENCY MEASUREMENT Spirax Sarco has extended its range of flowmeters with the launch of an electromagnetic flowmeter for measuring water and other conductive liquids.

The Spirax Sarco ELectroMagnetic Flowmeter (ELM10) is aimed primarily at boiler feed water and cold makeup water monitoring applications. Its launch means a steam system operator can now source all its steam and condensate loop meters from a single supplier, saving them time and money and ensuring the most suitable meters for the requirements of this specialist field.

The ELM10 is also suitable for process applications to identify ways to cut water consumption, and can be used in the wider plant to meter slurry and other conductive liquids such as waste water.

The ELM10 can be integrated with Building Management Systems (BMS) or Spirax Sarco’s new B850 Flow Computer to provide accurate data on all aspects of boiler operation.

By using ELM10 to meter the energy into the boiler (in the feed water) and compare it with the useful energy leaving the boiler (in the steam) boiler operators can gain a true picture of the actual energy efficiency of their boiler. This enables any drops in boiler performance (for example due to inefficient boiler blow down procedures or degradation of insulation) to be spotted quickly, helping to reduce maintenance costs and minimising downtime.

This compact, single component meter is easy to install and cost-effective to run. The ELM10’s smooth internal surfaces allow liquids to flow freely, reducing wear on pumps and cutting running costs. The meter can be sized to installed pipework for fitting to existing boiler plant.

For more information contact Spirax Sarco, Cheltenham, Glos.

Tel: 01242 521361 E-mail: UK.Enquiries@spiraxsarco.com Web: www.spiraxsarco.com/global/uk

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

Backlit colour TFT display for handheld flow meters ideal for fast, accurate flow verification in low light conditions.

Alicat Scientific has added a backlit colour display to its rechargeable portable gas mass flow meter options. The handheld meters offer laboratory-class +/0.8% reading accuracy for field flow verification and validation. The new backlit colour display provides 6 hours of continuous operation for fast and easy flow verification in applications such as ambient air monitoring inside air station enclosures, and any other low-light setting in environmental, manufacturing and metrology industries.

Alicat’s rechargeable portable flow meters provide fast flow validation with multi-parameter measurement, wide operating ranges and multiple true gas calibrations. These durable meters have no moving parts and no warm-up time requirement for reliable service with minimal downtime and process interruption.

Alicat’s mass flow meters feature fast 5-ms meter speeds and live readouts of mass and volumetric flow rates, pressure and temperature. Rapid and easy access to this information makes Alicat’s rechargeable meters ideal for validation of environmental analysers, verification of flow rates in industrial manufacturing and field flow calibration as a secondary transfer standard.

Portable meters come loaded with Alicat’s Gas Select™ firmware. Its library includes up to 130 preloaded gases and gas mixes, referenced to NIST Prop 9. The integrated COMPOSER™ utility allows up to 20 personalized gas compositions to be quickly programmed and stored directly on the Alicat device. All Alicat instruments are backed by comprehensive technical support and a lifetime warranty.

For more information contact Alicat Scientific, Tucson, Arizona Tel: +1 520 290-6060 Email: info@alicat.com Web: www.alicat.com/portables

LEADING MANUFACTURER TO OFFER ITS MOST COST-EFFECTIVE EXPLOSION PROTECTION SOLUTION ON EXPRESS LEAD TIMES It is now a statutory requirement in many industries handling volatile materials in pressurised silos or vessels to take protective measures against potential industrial explosions. Elfab has developed its most simple and cost-effective explosion vent to prevent such disasters.

While continuing to offer reliability, high performance and corrosion resistance, the economical, non-fragmenting Single-Skinned Explosion Vent range covers a full spectrum of specifications to suit individual applications.

As a result of Elfab’s market-leading manufacturing capabilities, these lowcost Single-Skinned bursting panels are also offered with Express lead times to minimise costly down-time and contribute to a more efficient supply chain. The introduction of an in-house Stocking Programme means that Elfab customers receive their order within 7-days, without additional cost*.

Contact your local Elfab representative for more information, or visit the Elfab website www.elfab.com *Applicable to Single-Skinned vents of certain sizes, burst pressures and temperatures - Ask for details.

For more information contact Elfab Ltd, North Shields, Tyne & Wear Tel: 0191 293 1234 / E-mail: sales@elfab.com / Web: www.elfab.com

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PROCESS MEASUREMENT & INSTRUMENTATION THE NEXT QUANTUM LEAP FOR GAS FLOW MEASUREMENT & CONTROL Bronkhorst® has successfully supplied gas, liquid and vapour flow/pressure measurement and control instrumentation to numerous industries for over 34 years. This success, entirely based upon close collaboration with their customers, has resulted in countless industry-changing advances in both measurement technology and its implementation within continuous process improvement. The latest generation El-Flow Prestige thermal mass flow meters and controllers represents a truly ground-breaking shift in versatility and user-friendliness.Whilst further technical details can be seen below, the principal customer benefits are based upon: - Further advances in flow-signal processing - Highly stable flow control regime virtually impervious to process fluctuations - Advanced control valve design - An on-board gas conversion model - Significantly reduced power consumption - A user configurable device with a multitude of additional features and benefits These benefits were developed in answer to the specific needs of industry to constantly improve both the technological and commercial basis upon which economic success is based. The close collaboration mentioned above highlighted very clear requirements to increase – yield, profitability, process stability, quality, flexibility, lifetime and MTBF. At the same time, these benefits would be required to decrease – waste, energy, re-work, inventory, cost, down-time and complexity.

The Bronkhorst El-Flow Prestige has answered each and every one of these needs and a few more besides!

A fundamental corner-stone of the Bronkhorst ethos is constant improvement in all that we do and this dedication to excellence has, over many years, realised a number of world class innovations.

Within the field of thermal mass flow measurement, Bronkhorst has applied its vast R&D capability to further technological advances based upon the following five core developments : The Sensor: Now benefits from the enhancement of the Differential Temperature Balancing technique whereby the two sensor windings are power regulated to the same temperature above the gas stream ambient. Upon flow, the difference in power between these two windings to maintain the same measured temperature is directly proportional to the mass flow. This technique, and the sensor design, provides significantly increased reproducibility, linearity within the calorimetric flow regime, insensitivity to humidity fluctuation and the eradication of signal fold-over upon flow saturation.

The PC-Board: Whilst being completely re-designed for increased speed and processing power also includes an on-board EEPROM for data storage and enhanced temperature measurement for sensor signal steering and optimization, together with the support of multiple fieldbus communications and user selectable in/out options accessible via a dedicated pin on the electrical connector. These improvements have been achieved whilst also significantly decreasing the power consumption of the device.

The Laminar Flow Element: At the very heart of the Bronkhorst El-Flow Prestige is the LFE or “shunt” that determines the proportion of flow between the bypass sensor and the main flow channel. Engineering improvements have been applied to enhance the empirical instrument accuracy as well as further improving flow-pressure drop linearity.

The Control Valve: Advanced re-engineering has resulted in smooth and frictionless control characteristics that have a direct positive impact on stability, longevity of response and MTBF. The Electrical Housing. The solid metal housing is now more user friendly than previously, has yet further increased EMF stability, is now UL approved and is common across all fieldbus options Further technical advancements include an extremely fast dynamic response, an on-board gas conversion model, 25 selectable gases together with the on-board calculation of mixtures with up to five components, user selectable full-scale flow range-ability within 40% and 120% of the nominal capacity, downturn of 150:1 in digital mode, user configurable control characteristics, various onboard alarm and counter functions and an optional integrated shut-off valve.

The Bronkhorst El-Flow Prestige Series has been developed to meet the ever more stringent needs of industry for greater process precision, stability and cost control whilst eliminating down-time, waste and re-work. Close working relationships and collaborations have been seen within applications for the Compound Semiconductor, Nanotechnology, Glass Coating, Optical Fibre Manufacturing, Specialty Gas, Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Analytical, R&D and University Research industries to name but a few.

For more information contact Bronkhorst UK Ltd, Newmarket, Suffolk.

Tel : 01223 833222 Email: sales@bronkhorst.co.uk Web: www.bronkhorst.co.uk

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

PROCESS MEASUREMENT & INSTRUMENTATION EMERSON PRESENTED UNRIVALLED PROCESS EXPERTISE AT ACHEMA 2015 Leading process industry solenoid valve experts, Emerson Industrial Automation showcased its comprehensive range of high performance ASCO Numatics solenoid and pressure operated valves and accessories at Achema 2015 at the Messe Frankfurt, Germany over June 15th – 19th.

At the core of the on-stand process presentation was a DeltaV system from Emerson Process Management. Designed specifically to deliver intelligent control in process applications it automated an ASCO Numatics Valve Island which enables dependable control of pneumatic and electrical devices and easily integrates into existing systems. Displayed in a cabinet mounted solution, the valve island controlled a number of key ASCO Numatics products, including compact angle-seat valves in motorised and proportional configurations; a safe and reliable direct-acting solenoid valve; and an innovative spool type solenoid valve offering an extended life cycle of up to 1 billion cycles.

Peter Evans, Business Development Manager for the Process Industry at ASCO Numatics, comments: “The process industry is core to our business, we’re dedicated to helping our customers achieve the most efficient and reliable solutions.”

For more information about Emerson or the ASCO Numatics product range, please visit www.asconumatics.eu

NEW 3-D INSPECTION SOFTWARE FOR INTUITIVE CONTACT & NON-CONTACT MEASUREMENT VXinspect from Creaform supports first article inspection and quality control AMETEK Creaform (www.creaform3D.com) has introduced VXinspect, a powerful and intuitive 3-D inspection software that includes all the tools for first article inspection (FAI) and quality control. VXinspect provides simple integration for contact (probing) and non-contact (scanning) measurement in numerous manufacturing applications. The dimensional inspection software is designed to be used in combination with the company’s HandyPROBE, MetraSCAN 3D and HandySCAN 3D portable measurement devices.

The software features all the functionalities required to set up a high-efficiency measurement sequence to inspect multiple parts. Its intuitive interface assures efficient inspection workflow with no compromise in measurement quality or Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) requirements.

Applications include: Manufacturing • Quality Control • Automotive • Aerospace • Shipbuilding • Appliance • Defense • Government • Foundry • Machine Shop • Power Generation • Recreational Vehicles • Metal • Plastics • Rubber VXinspect supports rapid part-to-CAD inspections for pre-production adjustments and production part approval to control critical part dimensions. It is fully integrated in VXelements, Creaform’s 3D software platform and application suites.

New Workstation and Robust Stand Creaform also has released two products to enhance performance and reliability of its dimensional inspection solutions on the shop floor.

• The Shop-Floor Workstation is a dedicated work and secure storage unit offering increased mobility with on-the-go access to 3D scanning, probing and photogrammetry systems.

• The C-Track Shop-Floor Stand facilitates the mobility of the C-Track dual-camera sensors around the part to be inspected.

Creaform develops and manufactures 3-D portable measurement solutions and engineering services. It is a unit of AMETEK Ultra Precision Technologies, a division of AMETEK, Inc., a leading global manufacturer of electronic instruments and electromechanical devices with annualized sales of US$4.0 billion.

For more information contact Annick Giesen, Regional Marketing Manager at Ametek T: +49 711.1856.8048 E-mail: annick.giesen@ametek.com

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NEW FIELD MOUNTED HART TEMPERATURE TRANSMITTER FROM PR ELECTRONICS Signal conditioning specialist, PR electronics introduces the 7501 – an innovative field mounted Ex d explosion- and flame proof temperature transmitter with local operator interface for easy programming, review and diagnostics of process values in the field.

The new field mounted transmitter builds on PR electronics’ vast experience in innovating state-of-the-art temperature measurement devices and is the first new product in an extensive revitalisation of the company’s temperature portfolio.

Unique technology Using unique technology, the user can easily configure the transmitter from the front of the housing in any environment by simply touching the optical buttons – even when wearing gloves. Chief Technology Officer, Stig Lindemann says:“The optical buttons combined with the 10 mm explosion proof window is a patent-pending technology. It enables the user to access the LOI in all operating environments without opening the housing. The optical buttons are immune to interference of ambient light sources and false triggering caused by shadows and reflections and it dynamically adapts to accumulation of dust and moisture.”

The user can also perform advanced HART programming from the front, and as a result, significantly reduce the need for handheld communicators (HHC). The easy-to-read 60 mm high definition display provides a clear indication of the process magnitude, supported by a radial bar graph in real time.

The transmitter delivers HART 7 functionality with HART 5 compatibility and can be configured to measure 2, 3 and 4 wire RTDs, 13 different thermocouple types as well as bipolar mV and resistance signals, and it provides an analog output.

Easy configuration and operation The transmitter has three mounting options: on the temperature sensor, on a pipe, or on a bulkhead. Configuration is easy and logical with scrolling help texts and three optical buttons: up arrow, down arrow and OK. Thanks to the user-friendly PR Menu Guide, it is possible to configure the device in less than 1 minute.

Chief Sales Officer, Simon Bisbo says: “We have high expectations for the 7501.

The product fills a gap in the market for high quality, intuitive temperature signal conditioning solutions in the field. It offers high accuracy data monitoring and diagnostics as well as intuitive programming in the field at a low cost compared to competitive solutions.”

For more information contact PR Electonics, Denmark Tel: +45 8637 2677 E-mail: tje@prelectronics.com Web: www.prelectronics.com

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

FEATURE

INTEGRATING ROBOTICS INTO OUR SYSTEMS

& OUR THINKING

Omron’s Robert Brooks (Product Marketing Manager Motion & Drives) argues that robotics should be thought of as just one of many ingredients in the ever-richer recipe behind automation.

F

or managers in those parts of consumer goods manufacturing where robotics have not made significant inroads, the idea of ‘a robot’ is likely to conjure up images of a huge standalone system.

Of course, this type of robot has its place in a ‘heavy lifting’ role such as palletising. But increasingly, robot systems are being integrated into other operations and processes, sitting among multiple functions on a single operating platform. So, while the popular image of a robot may be a six-axis giant working in the automotive industry, there are many opportunities for them to play a role dovetailed into complex handling scenarios helping to automate food packaging lines.

This is especially true of a Delta-style robot, the fastest picking system capable of performing on-the-fly pick and place operations at up to 150 cycles per minute. These robots, often washdown certified, have been developed to fit seamlessly into a single operating control platform, alongside servo drives and motion control, PLCs, safety, vision, temperature control – and more – all linked by the same software. Despite their lean looks and compact shape, these Delta robots can handle the vast majority of food products (both primary and secondary packaging applications) and are able to handle payloads of up to 3kgs. Fast and efficient handling of foods with irregular surfaces, like raw meat or unwrapped bakery items, or delicate items including confectionary and cookies, is now a breeze for delta robots with integrated vision. Coupled with adaptive grippers, which imitate a human’s grasp using force control functions, placement of cookies into trays or tomatoes into a shelf ready punnet can be completed in a gentile manner without waste.

Maybe it is time we saw robotic systems as just one more component in the mix of automation solutions – albeit a highly flexible one.

That flexibility can be a huge benefit for end users and machine builders who embrace Fig. 1: A single controller can robots as an integral part of their automation run up to eight robots platform, especially when they are used to replace less flexible – or perhaps more complex – electromechanical systems. In many cases, they can form a vital part of the link between two processes or machines. With robotics and vision systems, a versatile packaging solution can be created with automatic changeover functions, reducing maintenance and machine downtime. These technologies are now much easier to integrate. So no matter how many different package shapes or sizes are required, often a single machine can handle them all – without sacrificing speed and productivity.

Thinking differently about robotics can have other benefits. For instance, a few in the food industry have seen this sort of investment as being difficult to justify on the basis of returns, given the unpredictability of many retailer relationships.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE…

The other side of this story is that, for those able to invest, robotic components allow manufacturers not only to respond flexibly to changing retailer demands, but to be proactive about plugging a gap in the market. They are likely to permit a far wider range of options for new product, pack formats or size options.

There are precedents for this sort of shift in thinking. Only a few years ago, the use of servo drives in food, pharma and packaging equipment was thought of – in some quarters – as an overspecified and indulgent luxury. Today, they are an essential component in any high-speed line aiming to combine compact design with precision and repeatability.

Within an optimal automation platform, robots

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

share the same communications system as other servo drives and connect to the same controller. Line managers and operators who are comfortable with servos are likely to feel the same way about integrated Delta robots.

Set-up and operation are straightforward. The latest controllers will run up to eight robots, synchronising up to 64 axes of motion and a single controller makes for simpler operation, co-ordinating motion for the entire machine and reducing space requirements.

The synchronisation of multiple machines or lines can be fully programmed thanks to a powerful command set developed especially for pick and Fig. 2: Robotic systems – just another place applications that use delta robots. component in the mix of automation Programming to IEC 61131-3 standards can solutions be carried out within an intuitive software package with access to a comprehensive robotics library to make it simple to set up sophisticated robot motion profiles.

Further to this, integration with other components can be completed via onboard EtherCAT, with an EtherNet/IP port also included for communications with higher level systems.

ON SECOND THOUGHTS…

Meanwhile, it is not only end users – and potential users – who are rethinking the contribution made by robotics. In the past, parts of the food industry have at times felt there was a poor fit between robots (often automation in general) and its own requirements, particularly before the packaging stage. A huge amount of work is currently going into both washdown versions of pick-andplace systems and end actuators – grippers and other tooling – which take account of the variable size and shape of food components.

In many of these applications, the ability to combine robotics with integrated vision is already proving invaluable in high-accuracy pick-and-place, for instance, where randomly-spaced product presents itself on an infeed conveyor.

Gripper technologies mean that even potentially fragile products can be safely manipulated this way.

What is the most important factor of a successful packaging line? We believe that the answer is know-how; having the knowledge about all of the handling, filling, wrapping and other advanced processes that, when fully understood, can be harmonised to truly create the optimum machine design. Any project, from those handling simple packed foods through to delicate fresh foods, can all benefit in terms of operational flexibility by utilising robotic systems, especially when combined with vision systems and compliant actuators.

Fig. 3: Placement of tomatoes into a shelf ready punnet can be completed in a gentile manner without waste

ROBOTS ON THE MOVE…

Robot technology is as varied and fast-developing as the other elements contributing to improved, more streamlined automation: a multi-bit tool in a wider, ever-growing toolbox.

But if there remains a stubborn feeling that robots are in fact qualitatively different from all the other automation options on offer, there might be a reason for this. Just as the programmability of robots offers more options, it also offers more benefits.

So yes, robots are different. There can be few other single components which offer reliability, consistent product quality, greater flexibility, reduced wastage, improved efficiency and safety – as well as the potential cost benefits of a redeployed workforce.

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HEALTH & SAFETY INDUSTRY LEADING RUPTURE DISC BURST DETECTION FURTHER ENHANCED WITH SIL RATING - Greater rupture disc reliability for high integrity hazardous applications With ever increasing safety standards and environmental considerations for process plants in today’s demanding climate, the need for burst detection alongside rupture (bursting) discs is vital to quickly identify when a disc has burst. Customers are now seeking increasingly advanced systems to provide this detection without stretching budgets.

For over a decade Elfab’s unique Flo-Tel™ technology has offered customers across a wide range of industries precisely that; a cost-effective ATEX Zone 1 compatible, non-invasive, failsafe and re-useable burst detection system. At a time when stringent safety standards are of utmost importance, Flo-Telä offers unprecedented advantages, from triggering alarms to the shutting down of a process. IECEx approval also certifies the Flo-Telä system for use internationally in the most hazardous of environments. Following the success of this original Flo-Tel™ technology, Elfab successfully launched its Exd-approved version, negating the need for intrinsically safe barriers and interfacing directly with the customer remote terminal unit to significantly reduce installation costs.

In line with recent developments within high integrity industries, Elfab has further quantified the reliability of its detection systems in hazardous processes by attaining Safety Integrity Level (SIL) ratings for its Flo-Tel™ and Flo-Tel™ XD products. Using generally recognised models for risk assessment and risk reduction such as SIL, engineers are now finding this an effective way to improve a systems overall safety. The oil and gas, and chemical and pharmaceutical industries in particular have seen the advantage of replacing traditional burst detection systems with their non-invasive, SIL-rated counterparts. When upgrading their pressure relief devices and associated detection, many plants have witnessed an end to the spurious alarms and subsequent downtime previously caused by unreliable or easily-damaged membrane-type burst detectors. Cost savings of tens of thousands of pounds are now being made using Elfab’s reliable magnetic Flo-Tel™ technology.

Elfab offers a wide range of pressure relief solutions to safety-critical industry sectors across the globe.

For more information contact Elfab Limited, Tel: +44 (0)191 293 1234 E-mail: pr@elfab.com Web: www.elfab.com

THE FUTURE OF GAS FLOW CONTROL

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Visit: www.bronkhorst.com/prestige

Bronkhorst (UK) Ltd - T 01223 833222 - I www.bronkhorst.co.uk - E sales@bronkhorst.co.uk

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

FEATURE

TAMINCO: NO TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN

QUALITY & VOLUME WITH BETTER PROCESS MANAGEMENT

By Peter Van Hauwermeiren, Vice President at Hitachi Consulting

With 25% Overall Equipment Effectiveness growth resulting in a 20% volume/output increase within 32 weeks, the Taminco example shows how business challenges can be met through behaviour oriented operational and enterprise performance management change. he first step to business transformation must be a methodical assessment of the issues facing a business. This may sound like stating the obvious, but the issues, and the hierarchy of importance of these issues, are often not shared or similarly understood across an organisation. Deeply ingrained behaviours also present a significant challenge, and focusing on behavioural change is key to affecting lasting change.

Prior to being acquired by Eastman in a $2.8 billion deal in 2014, specialty chemical company Taminco was facing serious challenges delivering a consistent level of quality in its products for a wide range of end markets including crop protection. This was the result of ongoing diversification in its chemicals offering, which is shifting from solid to more liquid, multi-component and thus more complex formulations. An assessment of business processes over a four-week period revealed four key issues: a broken performance management structure; lack of standard ways of working; assets not used to maximum capacity and ‘fire-fighting’ behaviour. A 32-week programme was launched with distinct work-streams to deliver improvements in these key areas, with changes implemented over three phases: Phase 1) ‘Stabilisation’ – designing and installing the foundations of a new ‘way of working’ Phase 2) ‘Improvement’ – implementing the new ‘way of working’ to drive and realise defined improvements; and Phase 3) ‘Sustain/Implementation’ – sustaining improvements in the long term.

FROM ‘FIRE-FIGHTING’ TO PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE

DELIVERING WORLD CLASS MANUFACTURING: THE IMPORTANCE OF WAYS OF WORKING

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

A key area where Taminco experienced losses was in product changeover. In this case, Single-Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) - a lean production method for reducing waste in a manufacturing process - was used to reduce changeover times.

The issue Taminco, and many chemicals companies face, is that equipment needs to be thoroughly cleaned between processing different materials. The amount of time required to clean equipment after different raw materials have been processed varies.

A visual example would be considering the different raw materials in terms of colours.

Switching directly from black to white would take longer than switching from black to white through gradations of grey. In order to achieve the most rapid changeovers, this was factored into planning the ‘running’ order of changeover operations.

In addition, an analysis of which activities were ‘online’ versus ‘offline’, and where efficiency improvements could be made, was completed. To ensure all factors were considered, the shop floor was physically observed during the full changeover period, including preparation time. Cross-team workshops were also held to determine how one activity in the production line truly affects the other, in terms of time on the shop floor. This end-to-end balancing was of significant importance in order to reduce line downtime. Fairly simple changes such as ensuring all tools and personnel required for the next step are up front before switching off the production line, and identifying and working the key path, can critically reduce changeover times. In the case of Taminco, changeover times reduced on average 30-40%; in one line the changeover time reduced from 58 hours to 18-19 hours, in another, the changeover decreased from 81 to 41 hours. Standardised ways of working are paramount to delivering world class manufacturing. Significant efficiency improvements can be made by implementing operational excellence tools for the rigorous identification, analysis, and management of all losses by cross departmental teams at shopfloor level.

Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) is one hierarchy of metrics that can be used to evaluate how effectively a manufacturing operation is being run. If we take the example of installed equipment, there is a critical mass capacity: the ‘volume tonnage ideal’ versus the ‘actual’. The ‘volume tonnage ideal’ is the maximum possible capacity achieved by operating twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. Of course, this is rarely if ever the case as the ‘actual’ capacity depends on the type of industry and planned downtime, as well as other considerations such as major overhauls.

However, businesses often think that it is not possible to impact ‘actual’ capacity, when in fact it is. World-class facilities have an OEE of 85-90%, compared to the norm of 40-65%. One of the key ways to reach world-class OEE is by challenging assumptions of ‘actual’ capacity.

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

The second work stream of the Taminco programme focused on tackling ‘fire-fighting’ behaviour in the maintenance department. The problem here was identified as being one of prioritisation and is a key example of where changing workforce behaviour is equally important to having the right infrastructure systems in place.

Before the programme, work orders were regularly rated as high importance, leading to an inability to prioritise correctly. Employees thought that labelling work orders as ’high priority’ would speed up maintenance. But rather than doing so, this led to a backlog of notifications, and poor maintenance planning. In addition, there were often cases where specific detail on the maintenance work order notifications had been omitted, leading to unnecessary back and forth between departments.

The tactic here was to set clear criteria for the fields that team members needed to complete within the SAP notification system. For instance, the specific type of replacement parts required and their intended location on the faulty equipment. The team was also helped to correctly prioritise maintenance tasks and create maintenance plans. Constructive feedback and coaching on the shop floor for several weeks was key to changing these previous deeply ingrained ways of working. Increasing empowerment and ownership through collaborative change is critical to achieving results.

The programme also tackled the siloed nature of Taminco’s performance management processes by installing an efficient MCRS® performance management system as the backbone. KPIs should be the starting point in performance management change.

By refining existing KPIs and creating new ones to build an integrated KPI tree, and discussing these at all levels in the organisation with appropriate frequency, a drastic focus shift towards end-to-end performance was achieved within Taminco. In order to provide maximum value, KPIs need to be cascaded from top to bottom, i.e. to have an obvious link to the root cause of an outcome. They also need to be complementary, which would seem self-evident, but is a real issue when different departments set KPIs without consulting each other. When this happens, it is common to find competing KPIs within a company, which essentially leads to a company competing against itself for opposing goals, a hugely unproductive activity.

In Taminco’s case the fundamentals were in place, but with a large number of KPIs, only 50% were being utilised fully. To address this, daily meetings as well as workshops with shop floor staff were established to identify and discuss issues and root causes. KPIs were then honed down and focused on key production, maintenance and planning KPIs. These KPIs were designed to interlink and ‘cascade’ from top to bottom, forming ‘KPI trees’. For example, KPIs were cascaded from customer delivery performance level and customer complaints up to schedule compliance. The trees were presented on visual management boards, giving an overview of daily performance and leading to better involvement by the workforce on shop floor level.

RESULTS

The project helped Taminco to structurally tackle issues with a clear KPI system that looks for real root causes, and ways of working that analyse and define clear and efficient actions and follow-up. Overall, the programme resulted in 20% volume/ output growth. Feeding into this, were a 25% increase in OEE and improvements in maintenance efficiency and planning rates. The quality of work order notifications rose from 32% to 82%, and as a result, scheduled maintenance compliance increased from 43% to 86%. The redefinition of planning processes also led to an improvement in planning rates from 50% to 70%.

All of this was made possible by the involvement and engagement of the teams, at all levels, throughout the process. Sustainable change cannot be top-down as significant business transformation hinges on tackling deeply ingrained behaviours starting on the shop floor. Everything within a business is interconnected, so everything within a change programme should also be connected.

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FEATURE

PREVIEW TO THE ENERGY EVENT - GETTING TO GRIPS WITH ENERGY With a majority Conservative Government at the helm, the country is set for a fresh direction in a number of key policy areas. According to Amber Rudd, the newly appointed Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, speaking after the Queen’s Speech, “DECC’s priorities are clear: keeping the lights on and powering the economy; keeping bills low for families and businesses and getting a climate deal in Paris this year.”

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ut what will the new Government mean for industrial end-users as they grapple with energy security issues, ESOS compliance, planned deregulation in the water industry and the drive to reduce energy costs and improve their sustainability performance?

The Energy Event, taking place at Birmingham’s NEC on 15-16 September 2015 from 9.30 – 17.30, is the first post-Election industry event for this audience and visitors will be best placed to find the answers to these and other questions.

Organised by i2i Events, the Energy Event, is co-located with the Renewables Event and the Water Event and together provides the UK’s largest and most comprehensive exhibitions focusing on energy, renewables and water procurement and management for large scale industrial and commercial end-users.

The landscape for energy, renewables and water management and procurement is shifting and set to see further changes ahead,” comments Russell Bacon, Portfolio Director at i2i Events Group. “With this is mind, it’s important for end users from industry and commerce to attend and hear what Government Ministers have to say. These events will also provide a source of practical information on the key industry issues likely to impact on their business in the months and years ahead and offer a great opportunity to discover new ways for buying and managing utilities more efficiently in the future”.

For 2015, The Energy Event is introducing a brand new feature called Energy Connect. Energy Connect is a facilitated networking service, providing exclusive one to one meetings between the shows visitors and exhibitors. Launching in midJuly, Energy Connect will be hosted by Sector Marketing, a specialist in integrated marketing services. Visitors will be able to log in to an online portal and arrange 121 meetings with exhibitors allowing them to plan their day in advance and ensure they have a productive day at the show.

Formulated in close partnership with key industry and event stakeholders to address the important issues, the popular conference programmes at each show are a strong focus for 2015. More than 60 free-to-attend CPD sessions are scheduled to feature at the event across four show theatres in what will prove to be one of the major attractions for visitors.

The Energy Event and its two co-located shows will feature headline presentations from Government together with sessions from a range of large blue-chip companies, including Marks & Spencer, Bentley Motors, Greggs, Land Securities, Nestle and Tesco. The Renewables Theatre, supported by headline sponsor GE Intelligent Platforms and associate sponsor Lightsource RE, will host a special keynote talk from Jem Stansfield, Engineer and Presenter of the BBC’s science show, Bang Goes The Theory.

Jem Stansfield’s keynote in The Renewables Theatre, taking place on Wednesday 16th September, will outline his thoughts on the future for renewable energy and assess the likely impact of these changes for the business world. Also on Wednesday 16th September in the Water Theatre, sponsored by Business Stream, Fred Pearce, environment writer and celebrated author of When the Rivers Run Dry: Water--The Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century, will be delivering

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the keynote address on looking ahead to the local, global water challenge and disrupters to instigate change.

Among the headline sessions delivered by thought leaders in commerce and industry will be: - Chris Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, News UK discussing a holistic approach to carbon management: Key considerations across energy, water and waste; - Indeer Poonaji, Head of Sustainability at Nestle, will talk about the company’s renewable strategy, including its onsite anaerobic digestion plant, the largest in the UK; - Lydia Hopton, Property Project Manager (Plan A) at Marks and Spencer will outline how solar is an integral part of the retailer’s approach to business; - Gerd Kortuem, Professor of Computing, Open University will conduct a keynote seminar on demystifying big data and the internet of things - realising energy savings in the future of smart infrastructure; - Andrew Robertson, Head of Site Planning at Bentley Motors, Neil Pennell, Head of Sustainability and Engineering at Land Securities and Paul Rhodes, Group Safety, Health and Environment Manager at Greggs will debate how to successfully implement large scale solar projects; - Richard Clothier, Managing Director at Wyke Farms and Bernd Leven, Group Energy Manager at Tesco will discuss how on-site renewables can meet the heating needs of a business.

The full seminar programme will also feature Government presentations on future policy for the UK renewables sector and championing the UK’s low carbon economy. There will also be a number of panel discussions including one with Gareth Williams, Energy and Environment Manager, Northern Rail speaking about making the business case for energy efficiency. The Energy Leaders Theatre, sponsored by Anglian Water, will also host a supplier panel looking at energy procurement and sustainability of supply.

The Energy Event will also provide access to the services, products and advice of more than 190 exhibitors including Corona Energy, Philips Lighting, BIU British Independent Utilities, British Gas Business, Haven Power, Dart Valley Systems Limited, Schneider Electric Ltd, Severn Trent, Airedale International Air Conditioning Ltd, InTouch - IS Ltd, Lucy Electric, Clarke Energy, Water Direct, Business Stream, Airedale International Air Conditioning Ltd, Kelda Water Services Retail Ltd, ASL Holdings Ltd, Lark Energy, Lightsource RE, Business Stream, Siemens Financial Services, Thames Water, Waterscan Ltd, Wingas, SSE, Source for Business, United Utilities, Anglian Water, National Grid, Carlo Gavazzi, AriArmaturen and many more.

To receive your free ticket please visit: www.theenergyevent.com For more information and Visitor enquiries call Tel: +44 (0)203 033 2500 or E-mail: visitor.help@i2iassist.com

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

HEALTH & SAFETY EXCLUSIVE PPE RANGE LAUNCHED BY BRAMMER AND BUCK & HICKMAN Q-Safe, a comprehensive range of personal protective equipment (PPE) which provides a ‘head-totoe’ solution for manufacturing and industrial environments, is now exclusively available through Brammer and Buck & Hickman.

Compliant with all relevant European health & safety and quality standards, Q-Safe comprises more than 80 different products, covering head, hand, eye, ear and respiratory protection as well as short-life clothing including coveralls, overshoes and aprons.

Representing great value for money, Q-Safe combines guaranteed, qualitycontrolled protection with a wide range of ergonomic PPE products to ensure wearability and a suitable fit for each user. With a number of different size, fit and colour options within each product range, Q-Safe provides health & safety managers with the confidence that the individual needs of each employee can be catered for. Q-Safe products are also fully compatible with Invend™ dispensing via vending machines (industrial vending at line side) for a complete audit control of stock levels and PPE consumable usage.

For more information contact Brammer UK Ltd Web: www.brammeruk.com or www.buckandhickmanuk.com

NEW SAFETY INTERLOCK RANGE RESISTS SHOCK AND VIBRATION Hercule rated IK08 and complies with IEC 600682-6 Industrial safety specialist SERV Trayvou Interverrouillage (STI) has developed a new trappedkey interlock that is highly resistant to external impacts and vibration.

Rated IK08 and IP40, the Hercule range is mainly used in the energy sector for applications including switchgear, substations and wind turbines. The product range is compact and offers more than 1.7m key code combinations.

The Hercule’s bolt lock and door lock can withstand a minimum of 60daN, and the whole range complies with IEC 60068-2-6. Hercule is constructed from black anodised aluminium, aeronautical composite (65% glass fibre), brass, and 303 and 304 stainless steel. Two types of cylinder are available: an allaluminium version or a mixed aluminium stator / composite rotor option.

Schneider Electric, Siemens, ABB and General Electric are among the low- and medium- voltage switchgear manufacturers who rely on the Hercule range.

The bolt lock is typically used to mechanically lock off switches and earthing switches. An enclosure can be added, with the switch’s status being altered by the bolt when the key is turned. The bolt’s position (in or out) determines the key status (trapped or free). Bolt locks can be fixed either from the cylinder side or the opposite side of the cylinder.

A new electromechanical solenoid lock which traps one or several keys is now available.

For more information contact SERV Trayvou Interverrouillage S.A.S. 1 Ter rue du Marais 93106 Montreuil CEDEX France Tel: +33 (0)1 48 18 15 15 Email: pr@servtrayvou.com Web: www.servtrayvou.com

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015

MAKE WATER COMPLIANCE EASY Download the Latest Guide to Meeting Pharmacopeia Regulations.

Ensuring your water system complies with Pharmacopeia requirements doesn’t need to be difficult.

In this step-by-step guide we will walk you through all the important topics that need to be considered to achieve compliance including: • The production requirements for bulk waters • Recommended test/calibration methods for conductivity and TOC • How to effectively remove contaminants in water and water sources • The three stages of water treatment METTLER TOLEDO Thornton offers accurate and reliable analytical instruments for continuous, on-line measurement.

To download the free guide: www. mt.com/pro-water-compliance Alternatively please contact Mettler Toledo Ltd, Beaumont Leys, Leicester Tel: 0116 234 5095 Email enquire.mtuk@mt.com

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

SOLUTIONS

LOOKING FOR ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY? ASK ARI Be sure to visit the ARI-Armaturen stand (F29) at The Energy Event this year, where they will proudly present a range of economical solutions to help plants make greater savings in both energy and cost.

Energy efficiency is a hot topic in any industry and with many companies under pressure to adopt demanding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce spend, ARI has prioritised development in energy efficiency offering products with zero leakage, devices to eliminate steam loss and systems to improve energy management of the whole site.

ENCOsys, steam-to-water plate heat exchanger, has been a major solution for sites looking for a proficient heating and hot water system and will be one of ARI’s key products featuring at The Energy Event 15-16 September at the NEC, Birmingham.

CONA Control - a smart device designed to test all onsite steam traps and eliminate unnecessary energy/steam loss - will also be exhibited along with the ZETRIX valve (premium triple offset process valve boasting zero leakage and emissions), an innovative fabricated steam trap station and a range of other products.

Find out how you can benefit from the ARI range TEL: 01684 275 752 EMAIL: enquiries@ari-armaturen.com Web: www.ari-armaturen.com

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LIFTING & MATERIALS

HANDLING SOLUTIONS

TEREX PORT SOLUTIONS INTRODUCES FOUR NEW EMPTY CONTAINER HANDLERS Terex Port Solutions (TPS) has followed up the recent launch of its Liftace™ 5 31 reach stacker with the introduction of four new generation lift trucks. The Terex® Stackace™ E 5 8, E 6 8, E 6 9 and E 7 9 empty container handlers replace existing TPS models, combining the strengths of their respective predecessors with many new features. The Stackace™ lift trucks are cost effective, easily serviced and ergonomic.

The compact container handlers feature a user friendly cab design and offer ease of manoeuvrability. The machines have a maximum load capacity of 8 or 9 t. They offer low fuel consumption and simple access to all maintenance points.

Up to 30% higher lifting speed for increased productivity.

With a wheelbase of 4,000 or 4,500 mm, the Stackace empty container handlers achieve stacking heights of between 1-over-4 and 1-over-6 standard empty 8’ 6” containers. The maximum lifting speed has been increased by almost 30%. Klaus Peter Hoffmann, Vice President & Managing Director TPS stated: “The improved lifting speed is only one example of the added value, which we are offering customers. Our productive Stackace machines help terminal operators accelerate processes in terminals and handle containers even more efficiently than before.”

For more information contact Terex Port Solutions, Banbury, Oxon.

Tel: 01295 676100 E-mail: bnb-help@terex.com Web: www.terex.com

WELDING EQUIPMENT NEW RANGE OF GAS APPARATUS AND PRESSURE CONTROL PRODUCTS ESAB Welding & Cutting Products announces the launch of a new range of gas equipment to expand its brand portfolio offering in the UK. The new product line combines leading Victor® and ESAB gas apparatus and pressure control products in the most complete selection offered from any manufacturer.

The new line includes gas regulators, torch handles, oxy-fuel cutting tips and attachments, flow meters, welding and cutting outfits, cutting equipment and more. These products cover the full range of needs from general industrial to heavy duty mill and foundry requirements. They represent the most modern of gas apparatus technology providing superior quality, reliability, safety, and performance. With the new line, ESAB will phase out the Murex Saffire, Elite and Sabrecut brands.

The new gas apparatus products combine the proven, time-tested quality of global market leaders with the latest enhancements in oxy-fuel cutting and gas control technology. The products are available from any ESAB distributor.

ESAB Welding & Cutting Products is a recognised leader in the welding and cutting industry. From time-honored processes in welding and cutting to revolutionary technologies in mechanised cutting and automation, ESAB’s welding filler metals, equipment, and accessories bring solutions to customers around the globe.

For more information contact; ESAB Group (UK) Ltd. Upshire, Essex Tel: 0800 389 3152 E-mail: info@esab.co.uk Web: www.esab.com

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INTERMEDIATE BULK

CONTAINERS

WASHING IBCS JUST GOT GREENER! Washing Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs), used extensively in the BioTech, Pharmaceutical and Food processing sectors, can mean high energy and water consumption. For more sustainable washing, IBC cleaning specialist Suncombe has introduced a new version of its IBCWashBooth™ which can recirculate the washing solutions for less critical applications, reducing water consumption by up to 80%, plus offering additional benefits.

Users can choose to recirculate washing solutions or maintain single pass cleaning. This choice can be switched on or off within every step of every wash programme (recipe), allowing companies to achieve a fully repeatable, validatable recipe while, at the same time, minimising water usage without affecting the washing quality. Suncombe has also incorporated its Spurge Bar™ technology to minimise liquid flow-rates.

Built to ASME BPE, GAMP, ISPE and 21CFR11, the IBCWashBooth™ and DuoBooth™, for 1 or 2 simultaneous IBC cleans, are available as single door or pass-through versions.

For more information contact Suncombe Ltd, Enfield, Middlesex Tel: +44(0) 208 443 3454 E-Mail: mail@suncombe.com Web: www.suncombe.com

TANK MIXING SYSTEMS MAXIMISING THE AD PROCESS IS ALL ABOUT THE MIX The drive for maximising efficiency, producing high yields and generating the best returns from the AD (Anaerobic Digestion) process is very much the focus for those who have invested in these renewable energy plants and is often a source of comment and opinion.

However, it is widely acknowledged that regardless how many various technologies are used within an AD process, a thorough and efficient tank mixing system is absolutely fundamental to the success of its operation and output.

The reality for AD operators today is that not only is it vital to achieve maximum gas yields by perhaps reducing sludge foaming issues, or plant maintenance downtime, they also need to fully maximise the sustainability of their process. This means every section of the system is becoming the subject of ever closer scrutiny.

SYSTEM MIX LTD are the sole UK suppliers of their bespoke design ROTAMIX (Digester Mixing) and STM (Small Tank Mixing) tank mixing systems using the integral VAUGHAN chopper pump. These are operating successfully throughout the UK waste water industry, especially in Southern Water where they are now mixing in excess of 90% of their digesters.

More recently the burgeoning market of private sector food waste AD plants are benefitting from their technology and experience and are involved in many ‘retrofit’ projects where existing mixing systems (or lack of them) were contributing to operational and biological issues. High grit deposition is commonplace which is reducing active digester volume and threatening a significant reduction in output, failing compliance requirements.

Andy Parr, Director at System Mix comments: “Many AD operators now need to maximise the sustainable credentials of their plant and equipment even further and we are confident that the benefits of our mixing systems are becoming even more important”.

For more information contact: Andy Parr, System Mix Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1487 830123 E-mail: andy@pumpmix.co.uk / Web: www.pumpmix.co.uk

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Solids Handling & Processing Supplement

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July 2015

A STEADY COURSE IN A SEA OF CHANGE

By Gus Bishop – Solids Handling & Processing Association It goes without saying that this year - as yet only half spent - has seen many changes.

Politically we can hope for a few years of stability on the home front, but a large question mark hovers over continuing EU membership.The uncertainty surrounding the General Election may have faded into the past, but issues raised, demands tabled and difficult promises have all had their effect on trading conditions. The strength of the pound both in the Eurozone and across the Atlantic provides challenges for exporters that will not go away. The flipside of this is cheaper imports which add a further twist to the business plans of UK based manufacturers and suppliers. In order to eliminate the UK trade deficit and start to reduce national debt, we cannot rely solely upon the City and financial markets. All product manufacturing and indeed farming and other food and drink production must raise the bar of efficiency and productivity. It may be somewhat trite to say that we should manufacture goods and provide services that people actually want to buy.. However, achieving this noble aim requires innovation, research and development to be practised remorselessly month by month, with a close ear to changing and evolving needs across markets at home and worldwide.

AWARDING ENTERPRISE AND ACHIEVEMENT

So, what of the year so far? SHAPA and its member companies have been very much in tune with the industrial (and political) zeitgeist. In particular the need to encourage and promote innovation, enthusiasm and excellence has been at the heart of the Association’s planning and activities. The recently introduced SHAPA Industry Awards have been very well received and will, we hope, become part of the annual body of events. Why not trumpet success when it has been hard won by teams of dedicated people playing upon frequently decidedly wobbly playing fields?

The Innovation Award , won this year by Process Link for their intriguing FIBC discharger, was closely contested, with AJAX and VEGA in hot pursuit. It demonstrated that what is often regarded as a steadily evolving industry is nevertheless peppered with innovative, game changing, new products. This sort of consistent effort is vital to British industry in general and for the future efficiency of the solids handling and processing industries.

We need a successful exporting base. Right now this is easier said than done but is especially required to counterbalance the efforts of those promoting imported goods - a balance flow would be ideal.

Export earnings demonstrate a level of persistence, foresight and achievement in a hugely competitive arena and SHAPA realises the importance of winning export orders with the presentation of the Export Award. Many member companies put a great deal of effort into this endeavour and the quality of the entries reflected this. Russell Finex were finally judged the winners in this category.

With 75% of their sales now overseas, utilising local language tools and local representatives and also having increased their strength by 60 employees in the last three years, they demonstrated the spirit that impressed the selection panel.

The final award was aimed at consistent progress on all fronts, building upon accumulated success to AL wi with ith optional BTD BT TD Ball Type Diverter deliver continuously to a high standard - the Victor ventbox ntbox box and dropoutbox dropoutb Ludorum of awards. SHAPA Company of the Year was awarded to Spiroflow - again a very close decision because of the commitment of so many of the Association’s member companies. Spiroflow When handling abrasive materials, the use of abrasion resistant rotary and impressed with their new technology centre, solid diverter valves for replacement or re-adjustment regular increases in sales volume, their commitment to training and steady structural expansion.The of worn parts, the and thus the . quality of entries in all three categories deserve high Also the valves have a more , praise and the whole SHAPA team congratulate all who participated. making preventative maintenance schedules easier to establish.

reduces the downtime refurbishment costs cost of ownership predictable and reliable performance

PEOPLE

Not only have companies been recognised. At the recent General Meeting, outgoing chairman Peter Guttridge presented Mike Slack of H+H Services with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Mike has worked tirelessly for SHAPA, steering the Marketing Committee for many years. All this work has been voluntary, fitted in between a very busy business life and we thank Mike heartily for his efforts.

Peter Guttridge himself has served the Association as a particularly dynamic Chairman of the General Council for the past two years, plus several years of service to the council previously. He was presented with a Silver Salver by new chairman Mike Bradley.

Professor Mike Bradley of the Wolfson Centre in Greenwich has now taken the reins. Continued...

DMN-WESTINGHOUSE abrasion resistant ceramic coated or Ni-hard rotary valves and the specially designed, rugged BTD ball diverter can help you

strengthen your process.

AIRLOCKS • BLOWINGS SEALS DIVERTER VALVES • SLIDE GATE VALVES MORRIS COUPLINGS

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

COMPONENTS FOR BULK SOLIDS HANDLING

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Wolfson are well known for their academic excellence and work particularly on the flow properties of solids in bulk, assisting many process engineers with handling and storage issues. It is well known that solids in bulk are far less predictable than pure solids, liquids or even gases, with properties that change according to how they are being handled or processed. One of SHAPA’s long standing aims has been to turn what was once regarded as a “black art” into a well researched science, with reliable, accessible data for all. Huge cost savings are available to those who

really know their materials - manufacturers, vendors, processors and end users can all benefit. So, as ever, SHAPA remains in good hands as we look ahead.

SHAPA lives and indeed thrives on the valuable voluntary input of its members.

Only the General Secretary is on the staff and in this role Ian Birkinshaw is doing sterling work in coordinating the wide ranging activities of the Association.

His long management, engineering and contracting experience in the past with York based member company Portasilo is being put to profitable use with SHAPA. Long may he continue this work!

The General Council, the steering group for the Association, has some new members, in addition to Mike Bradley as new Chairman; Steve Brown of Thameside Sensors as vice Chairman, together with new council members Declan Barry of ATEX Explosion Hazards and John Harrison of Procon. We are delighted to welcome all of them and look forward to further expanded insight and progress for the benefit of all members.

EVENTS

Digital marketing, a rapidly evolving and nowadays vital sales tool was once again promoted to members with the 7th annual Digital Workshop held earlier in the year. Providing comprehensive bang-up-to-date data and guidance, this is an event not to be missed - a firm favourite now on the SHAPA calendar.

Equally important is taking care of succession, enthusing emerging engineering managers working up through the ranks. With this in mind there will be another Engineering the Future event on October 15th at the National Heritage Centre - further details to be available shortly.

Many other focused events and ideas are at the discussion and planning stages to provide information, insights and initiatives to drive productivity throughout our sector. If you are not already a member, or are not making use of members’ facilities via the website Product Finder, we are sure that the contents of the following pages will provide compelling reasons to consider the Association and its members. Don’t forget to visit our website at www.shapa.co.uk.

ENJOY THE FOLLOWING PAGES.

Up, down and around For clean, safe, cost effective and dust free bulk handling of products turn to UniTrak Powderflight’s range of reliable equipment: • Bucket elevators • Aeromechanical conveyors

• Flexible screw conveyors • Bulk bag dischargers

UniTrak Powderflight always moving in the right direction!

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NARROW SUCCESS FOR SOLIDS RADAR LEVEL SENSOR UNIQUE SOLUTION PROVIDED WITH CONTACTLESS RADAR LEVEL SENSOR A non contact bulk solids radar sensor with 120m range? You think this would be featuring an application with measurement over many tens of metres.

However, one of the first successful applications for the new VEGAPULS 69 - the latest generation of bulk solids level sensors - demonstrates its great versatility. At a UK Waste processing facility a device is now installed and working in a difficult application over a very short range of just over 2 metres down a very tall nozzle, through a valve and into a confined vessel.

Figure 1: VEGAPULS 69 Radar on waste collector, installed high above the valve and barrel cabinet The application is in a high temperature ash outlet from a gasification process where, via a screw conveyor, the hot waste, at around 400°C and under a vacuum, is deposited into a metal barrel container inside sealed cabinet. The barrel level needs to be monitored for changeover - when this is required, the process vacuum is protected by a valve, which closes while the cabinet is door is open. This valve is also the portal that the level measurement must be made through and, of course the sensor has to be contactless to measure through it. Weighing was not an option, as the ash density varies too much, and the very high temperatures would cause issues for most other technologies considered. Other measurement challenges include; very high levels of dust and fumes, vacuum, changing particle size and density, no ‘air purging or cooling’ allowed due to the combustion method, as well as the falling waste stream as it drops through the same valve into the barrel.

The original radar level sensors used have worked well with no signal loss, but ash build up and sublimation of vapours, in the narrow confines of the mounting tube and around the valve aperture, have caused periodic problems for the operators over the long term. This was because the radar sensors, although carefully installed and set up with ‘false signal suppression’, did not have a narrow enough beam angle to avoid the build up, which was causing intermittent high/full barrel levels. Cleaning the internal structures cured these issues, but it was not an easy task, was time consuming and it interrupted the process.

A new VEGAPULS 69 radar is now installed in its place. It has much narrower focussing (3.5°), the device therefore has no interfering echoes from the nozzle or the 6”/150mm diameter slide valve, which is approximately 0.8m away from the sensor. The set up was quick and simple, virtually no ‘false signal suppression’ required and it is able to measure directly right down into the barrel, with no loss of signal from the prevailing process conditions.

This increased reliability means that the process is now more productive and change-overs only called for when needed. Because the measurements are more accurate and the high levels can be more confidently anticipated, the operators can coordinate more efficient change over sequences, saving time and increasing safety. While this new radar has shown excellent near range performance – remember it has a range of up to 120m, enough for the largest of silos, and it also has a fast responsive output, which means it can be used on conveyors and object monitoring applications too.

Figure 2: Waste Ash in the barrel This new radar technology takes yet another big step closer to a universal solution for solids level measurement. ATEX dust and Gas certified with Profibus and FF outputs are among the available options.

Contact VEGA for a demonstration with a battery powered device or to arrange a trial in your application VEGA Controls Ltd Burgess Hill, West Sussex.

Tel: +44 1444 870055 Fax: +44 1444 870080 E-mail: info.uk@vega.com Web: www.vega.com/uk

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

TRANSPAC: THE CARBON DOSING SOLUTION

The TransPAC is a fully containerised carbon dosing system, utilising a Transvac Ejector.

With no need for building or ground works, TransPAC provides a safe and secure home for your dosing solution.

TransPAC provides once-through inline dosing, meaning no batch mixing tanks to contend with. The fully programmable control panel provides accurate and efficient dosing.

TransPAC has no ‘wet mixing’ moving parts, providing unrivalled reliability and it even flushes the lines clean on shut-down. A bulk bag or silo feed option is available to meet your site needs.

TransPAC offers outstanding value as it can be taken from site to site as required which is ideal for treating seasonal issues such as algae bloom, taste & odour or pesticide contamination, including successful removal of Metaldehyde. Metaldehyde is notoriously difficult to remove; TransPAC has proven to be successful in removing the pesticide from potable water.

For more information contact Transvac Systems Ltd, Alfreton, Derbys.

Tel: 01773 831100 E-mail: sales@transvac.co.uk Web: www.transvac.co.uk or Web: www.carbondosing.com

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

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J. R. BOONE’S MIXER MAKES SHORT WORK OF STABILISING WAC FAILING MATERIALS FOR AUGEAN PLC

J. R. Boone Mixers have supplied a large continuous mixer to Augean PLC to process industrial waste prior to land filling at their Kings Cliffe site near Peterborough, The Horizontal paddle mixer is capable of processing up to 720 Cubic metres of material per eight hour shift, mixing and consolidating the waste to form a stable material, allowing WAC non-complaint materials to become safe for landfill.

J. R. Boone already have a successful track record with Augean, having previously supplied a 6-tonne batch paddle mixer to the company for a similar application. Although Augean did compare J.R. Boone mixers with others, this successful history along with a competitive quote, led to J.R. Boone Ltd being awarded the contract.

The use is a heavy duty application and the materials being processed are, of course highly abrasive, so the contra-flow mixer paddles mounted within the U shaped mixing chamber are made from wear resistant ‘Abro Steel’ Based on their experiences in the previous installation, Augean requested a couple of key additions, particularly by including ‘bomb doors’ to facilitate full discharge of the mixer for cleaning, adding an extra degree of user friendly application to the process.

Commenting on the project, Simon Moyes the site manager at King Cliffe, said “J.R. Boone already understood the principles of our process so we were able to make the project run very smoothly.

Installation was seamless and we are delighted with the way the J.R. Boone mixer has operated”.

JR BOONE BACKGROUND INFORMATION John R Boone Mixers and Mixing Systems are used worldwide in the production of powders, granules, pastes and liquids. Reliable, versatile and economical in operation, Boone mixers and blenders feature in applications as diverse as welding flux, soap powders and heart tablets.

Its projects team draws on decades of mixing data and experience to create the ideal solution for any application. The proven range of mixing, de-agglomeration and conveying equipment includes innovations such as its high-shear Horizontal Delta Blade Mixer, Horizontal Helical Blade (Ribbon) Mixers, Horizontal Paddle Blade Mixers and low-shear Rotary Drum Blenders. The company also provides long-term support through its team of skilled maintenance engineers and its spare parts service.

For more information contact Chris Boone, John R. Boone Ltd, Congleton, Cheshire.

Tel: 01260 272 894 Fax: 01260 281 128 E-Mail: sales@jrboone.com / Web: www.jrboone.com

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

FAST, HIGH CAPACITY PRECISION MIXING The new Bella XN double shafted Fluidized Zone Mixer by Dynamic Air includes access doors which not only increase accessibility but also make it much easier to clean when necessary. The Bella mixer achieves fast, high capacity, low shear, precision mixing of either dry bulk solids or liquids with solids. Regardless of particle size, shape or density, materials are mixed with a fast, efficient, and gentle action - typical mixing times are 60 seconds or less. A weightless zone created by low-speed counter rotating shafts generates very low friction without shear. This makes it ideal for fragile products that cannot tolerate rough handling. Even flakes or spray-dried bodies remain intact. The Bella XN mixer includes twin bomb-bay door openings for fast, efficient discharging and to minimize segregation during discharge. The Bella mixer is available in stainless steel for sanitary applications. Custom sizes, finishes and materials of construction are available upon request.

For more information contact Dynamic Air Ltd. Milton Keynes Tel: +44-1908-568155 E-mail: sales@dynamicair.co.uk Web: www.dynamicair.com

FROM STAND-ALONE BULK HANDLING EQUIPMENT TO INTEGRATED SYSTEMS

Individual bulk handling equipment from Flexicon includes: Flexible Screw Conveyors, Tubular Cable Conveyors, Pneumatic Conveying Systems, Bulk Bag Dischargers, Bulk Bag Conditioners, Bulk Bag Fillers, Bag Dump Stations, Drum/ Box/Container Tippers, and Weigh Batching/Blending Systems. Each of these product groups encompasses a broad range of models that can be custom engineered for specialized applications, and integrated with new or existing upstream and downstream processes and storage vessels.

For large-scale bulk handling projects, Flexicon’s separate Project Engineering Division provides dedicated Project Managers and engineering teams on four continents to handle your project from concept to completion. Working with your engineering firm or directly with your team, Flexicon adheres strictly to your unique standards, documentation requirements and timelines through a single point-of-contact, eliminating the risk of coordinating multiple suppliers.

All equipment is available to food, dairy, pharmaceutical and industrial standards and conforms to ATEX, UL, CSA, CE and other electrical standards.

For more information contact Flexicon Europe Ltd Tel:+44 (0)1227 374710 E-mail: sales@flexicon.co.uk Web; www.flexicon.co.uk

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

THE DESIGN, INSTALLATION, CALIBRATION & ONGOING MAINTENANCE OF PROCESS WEIGHING SYSTEMS Process weighing plays a vital role across a broad spectrum of industries and, with continued pressure on manufacturing performance and profitability, there is an increased focus on reliability, performance and accuracy. Weightron Bilanciai’s Sales Director Emlyn Roberts reviews key issues relating to the design, installation, calibration and ongoing maintenance of process weighing systems. An overview of legislative requirements is also discussed.

Process weighing can be broadly subdivided into the following categories, each with their own specific requirements:

- Basic level control - Stock/inventory control - Batching and blending - Recipe formulation - Loss in weight - Bulk discharge weighing - Filling and decanting

Design parameters have to take into account a wide range of operational, environmental and legislative issues, all of which can have an impact on overall cost and performance. Installations can be divided into new and retrofit.

Although the same fundamental design rules apply to both, retrofit weighing systems may present different challenges, especially relating to structural integrity.

MEASURING CHAIN

Process weighing systems typically consist of primary measuring sensors (usually strain gauge load cells), appropriate mounting hardware and instrumentation.

INSTRUMENTATION, SOFTWARE & DATA MANAGEMENT

Although many of the fundamental mechanical principles of process weighing have not seen quantum changes over the past three decades, advances in electronics, software and, of course, the web have had a major impact on the versatility of process weighing systems. Weighing systems used to operate in ‘splendid isolation’. The collection and transfer of critical weight data from the factory floor was carried out manually and integration with management software systems was virtually non-existent. Effective weight data management now plays a growing role in many applications, both locally and remotely. To achieve this there is now a wide range of dedicated instrumentation, software systems and interfaces.

These bring real time bi-directional communication between the factory floor and essential management systems (ERP, Sage, Navision etc). Versatile colour touch screen weighing terminals that can be readily userdefined have brought significant advantages and removed the need for local PCs in many applications.

WEIGHING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

Accuracy is an important factor in process weighing systems. Unfortunately the term is often misunderstood, mixed up or confused with other measurement parameters, especially repeatability and resolution. Although theoretical accuracy levels can be calculated for weighing systems, these are modified by a number of external factors and it is therefore more important to understand what can be realistically achieved in practice within the everyday working environment. In parallel, accuracy levels are often mixed up with error (or more correctly ‘uncertainty of measurement’). In common parlance it is not uncommon

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

for levels of accuracy to be quoted, for example, as 1 part in 1000 or 0.1%.

What is really meant is that the system has an ‘uncertainty of measurement’ or error of 0.1% and in fact the accuracy is 99.9%.

ACCURACY VERSUS REPEATABILITY AND RESOLUTION

The definitions (courtesy of Institute of Measurement and Control document WGC0496) are as follows: Accuracy: the closeness of agreement between the result of a load measurement and the true value of the load.

Repeatability: the measure of agreement between the results of successive measurements of a weighing system output for repeated applications of a given load.

Resolution: the smallest change in weighing system output that can be meaningfully distinguished.

The time frame over which the weighing process takes place has a major impact on overall weighing performance. Three key factors need to be taken into account:

- The overall long term zero stability of the weighing system - The linearity of the weighing system between zero and full load - Differences between increasing and decreasing load outputs (hysteresis) Different weighing applications can have different accuracy requirements and priorities. The importance and relevance of these are best illustrated by the following examples:

SILO WEIGHING SYSTEM

Such systems are typically used to manage stock control for essential raw materials to ensure processes do not run out of product and to calculate inventory values for fiscal purposes. Required accuracy levels may be relatively low, with errors of ±0.5 -1% usually being acceptable. However achieving these levels long term is not as straightforward as it may first appear and it is important that key weighing elements such as load cells provide good long term stability.

Unlike many weighing installations, once the silo weighing system has been installed and calibrated the zero stability of system may not be checked for

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months or years, especially if the vessel does not become completely empty at any stage. Over time if the zero point of the weighing system changes, then the displayed weight will not represent a true contents value even though any differential weight readings may appear to be consistent.

BATCHING AND RECIPE FORMULATION

By contrast, batching and recipe formulation systems have different fundamental requirements. High quality load cells must be used but the weighing process usually takes place over a defined, relatively short period. This means that the system can be reset to zero before each batch thereby improving short term accuracy capabilities, typically by up to a factor of 10. This allows small amounts of minor ingredients to be added with acceptable precision. The short weighing period also minimises the effects of any temperature changes. Here good repeatability can be more important than overall accuracy.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

The ability for key weighing system elements to provide long term reliability is essential, especially in harsh environmental conditions. Material of construction, surface finish and sealing levels for critical equipment such as load cells play a key role. In the absence of clearly defined sealing nomenclature for load cells, manufacturers adopt the IP rating system (NEMA in the US). Unfortunately the IP system only refers to water ingress and does not give useful information with regard to chemical compatibility. This emphasises the importance of regular preventative maintenance discussed below.

TEMPERATURE EFFECTS

Temperature changes can have important adverse effects on weighing system performance especially for outdoor systems. Key issues are the rate of temperature change and differential heating/cooling. Rapid or excessive temperature changes affect load cell compensation performance and also impacts on load introduction (cosine error) through expansions and contractions.

ATEX WEIGHING SYSTEMS*

Certain weighing applications take place in designated hazardous areas (ATEX), where the presence of dust and gases together with oxygen (air), presents the finite chance of an explosion occurring through sparks or heat sources above critical temperatures. It is of paramount importance that any ATEX weighing system must be designed and installed by fully qualified, competent engineers.

‘normal’ and ‘fault’ conditions. (Note: load cells are classified as non-energy storing devices) This is normally achieved through the use of zener barriers between the instrumentation in the safe area and the load cells in the hazardous area. Alternatively specialist instrumentation is available that can be installed directly in certain hazardous areas, removing the need for separate barriers.

Weightron’s D440IS hazardous area indicator can operate in Zones 1, 2, 21 and 22 without the need for additional zener barrier protection. This minimises installation time and cost.

SYSTEM AND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY

For new installations it is essential that structural design factors are consider during the design phase. If process weighing systems are retro-fitted to existing tanks, hoppers or vessels, the installation will almost certainly involve mechanical changes to the support structure. It is therefore important that this does not adversely affect the structural integrity of the system.

Such considerations are particularly important for large vessels, especially those installed out doors. Key factors can include wind forces and seismic activity. (The UK, for instance, has a surprising number of earthquakes which can test the integrity of weighing systems even though they register relatively low readings on the Richter Scale). Any restraints, such as check rods, used to maintain integrity can have adverse effects and must be carefully designed and installed. It is therefore essential that expert structural advice is taken both during the design phase and installation.

PIPE WORK AND OTHER FORCE SHUNTS

Very few process weighing systems stand in isolation without external attachments such as pipe work, gantries, ladders and other force shunts.

Anything connected to the weighing systems can, to a greater or lesser degree, have an adverse effect on performance. Particular care should be taken with silo weighing systems where several vessels may share a common support structure. So called ‘vessel crosstalk’ can occur whereby weight changes in one vessel are erroneously detected and measured in adjacent ones. However careful design can minimise the problems and ensure any force shunt effects are repeatable.

SELECTING THE CORRECT TYPE & CAPACITY OF LOAD CELL

Load cells form the basis of over 99% of process weighing systems. Selecting the correct type and capacity is a critical issue that needs careful consideration from the outset. The key factors in the decision process must take into account:

- The overall capacity of the weighing system - The ‘dead’ or ‘empty’ weight of the weighing system sitting on the load cells - The working range of the weighing system - Any overload requirements (e.g. wind forces, shock loading, vibration, seismic forces) - Environmental factors (e.g. wash-down, chemicals, temperature changes) - Accuracy requirements - Legislative requirements (e.g. Legal for Trade, ATEX) It should be remembered that in many applications, the actual live working range of the load cell (and hence the available electrical output) will be reduced depending on the dead weight of the vessel and any overload requirements.

This can have an important affect on performance and further endorses the need to ensure load cells are of the highest quality.

Operationally, weighing systems essentially fall into two main categories compression and tension, depending on whether the vessel or similar ‘sits on’ The weighing system must also be made up of fully ATEX certified components.

Hazardous areas are divided into different Zone Classifications – Zones 0, 1 and 2 for gases, 20, 21 and 22 for dusts. The classification of each zone and the methods of ensuring electrical equipment cannot cause explosions are defined through European Directives under the auspices of CENELEC. Directive 94/9/EC covers equipment, whilst a complementary Directive, 1999/92/ EC, is specifically concerned with worker safety and places requirements on employers whose staff may work in an explosive atmosphere. *ATEX legislation is mandatory in Europe and is also accepted in many areas of the world. However the US system is controlled by Factory Mutual (FM). (There is close cooperation between FM and CENELEC) For individual applications, the plant is divided up into so-called hazardous and safe areas. There are a number of ways to provide protection for weighing equipment, depending on the zone classification and working environment.

The most common way is based on intrinsic safety which essentially limitsthe maximum energy that can be applied to the load cell under clearly defined

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

or is ‘suspended from’ the load cells. The main types of load cells used in process weighing are:

- Single point cantilever - Single ended bending beam - Shear beam (single and double ended) - ‘S’ tension beams (bending and shear) - Compression canister - Ring torsion Material of construction includes aluminium, plated tool steel, painted tool steel and stainless steel.

The methods of sealing critical load cell components (strain gauges, cabling etc) range from simple potting up to full weld sealed with glass-to-metal cable entry. The latter can provide sealing levels of IP69K, making them suitable for hot washdown areas. Any final decision in the selection process will almost certainly involve a level of compromise to optimise performance versus system integrity and environmental compatibility.

MOUNTING HARDWARE

In the majority of applications, installing load cells without the use of proprietary mounting hardware can be difficult and very unsatisfactory. Well designed hardware not only plays an important role in terms of load introduction, vessel restraint, lift-off protection and overload protection, but also facilitates load cell fitting and removal.

CALIBRATION PROCEDURES

Calibration is a critical process in ensuring initial verification and ongoing weighing system performance. Essentially, calibration involves the checking of weighing system performance by applying known loads (these may be physical or electrical) over as wide a part of the weighing range as practical. There are a number of recognised methods of applying load, each with there own merits and precision. Clearly the type of weighing system plays a major part in deciding on the method of calibration. For instance, it is quite simple to add relatively small amounts of calibrated weights to a platform scale or small hopper, yet this becomes very difficult with large vessels. The main calibration methods are;

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

- Use of dead loads (calibrated weights added to system) - Substitution (previously weighed load (via weighbridge or similar) added to vessel) - Flow meter (vessel filled with known amount of water measured via flow meter) - Force calibration (known loads applied via calibrated load cells and hydraulic jacks) - Load cell output calculations Where practical, the design of weighing systems should take into consideration how the calibration will be achieved. This may require the inclusion of additional structural components.

MAINTENANCE

It is prudent to utilise the expertise of an external service provider to ensure ongoing reliability, safety and performance for process weighing systems.

Regular checks on calibration and system integrity will prevent expensive and time consuming breakdowns, whilst protecting revenue. In parallel it is also advisable that the user carries out simple regular checks on weighing systems as part of a structured in-house preventative maintenance regime. This can highlight problems including product build up, leakages that can cause component failure, unwarranted structural changes and mechanical damage.

Note: it is essential that electric welding is not carried out on weighing systems without seeking professional advice.

CONCLUSION

For optimum performance and reliability, modern process weighing systems should be based on a blend of sound mechanical design principles and versatile instrumentation. Flexible user-friendly software with inbuilt future proof capabilities will ensure comprehensive weight data management.

Key issues in the design and installation process mandate the use of qualified engineering expertise, especially for hazardous area applications and where structural integrity is an issue. Overall performance will always be affected by a range of environmental and operational factors. Cutting corners through the use of lower quality weighing components and instrumentation is false economy and will result in costly and time consuming ongoing poor performance and questionable reliability.

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HOSOKAWA MICRON USE AIRFLOW DYNAMICS SIMULATION TO OPTIMISE DOWNFLOW BOOTH AND WORKSTATION DESIGN Leaders in containment technology, Hosokawa Micron Ltd, are now offering customers the opportunity, to accurately check, at design stage, how the placement of objects, equipment and operatives in their downflow booth may affect airflow patterns and containment all important to the achievement of critical OELs. This leading edge airflow dynamics modelling package complements Hosokawa Micron’s existing ergonomic modelling to combine to deliver the most appropriate downflow booth solution to meet the customer’s needs and working practices.

Explains Carl Emsley, Hosokawa Micron Ltd, ‘Customers can see for themselves how airflow in the booth can be effected by protective screens, local extract ventilation, ancillary equipment, as well as the presence of an operative. The simulations represent conditions under normal established operations – starting with an empty booth demonstrating the down flow with primary ventilation system running. Further simulations can then be created to demonstrate how airflow would change when equipment or operatives are brought into the booth – this means Hosokawa Micron engineers can optimise positioning of equipment and operations within the booth; right at early design stage.

Using the airflow simulation package allows Hosokawa engineers to produce a proven downflow booth design for both standard and nonstandard units and is invaluable when designing for complex, multiuse operations.

Advanced computer modelling provides a visual demonstration of local extract as part of a downflow system.

With this software not only can we see the clear airflow patterns but workers can also see for themselves how they will be protected when handling potentially hazardous materials, giving them confidence in the task they are required to undertake. We can also say that in installations where downflow booths are placed within cleanrooms, where sometimes the ventilation systems can conflict, this new software is proving invaluable.’

For more information contact Hosokawa Micron Ltd, Runcorn, Cheshire Tel: +44 (0) 1928 755100 Email: info@hmluk.hosokawa.com Web: www.hosokawa.co.uk

TOP THREE REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD USE DUST-TIGHT VALVES

By Jason Marcotte, Vice President of Business Development, Vortex When it comes to selecting the right valve for your dry process application, there are many slide gates and diverter valves to choose from. Process valves are used to control the material flow in powder/bulk material handling systems (bins, hoppers, silos, downspouts, etc) in a variety of industries such as food, grain, milling, plastics, mining, and pharmaceutical. They can be used in gravity flow or low-pressure systems, as well as negative pressure systems, each system calling out for different equipment requirements.

A dust-tight valve can help you mitigate these potential side effects simply by the way it is designed. This can be a challenge when using soft polymers and packing as seals.

Many dust-tight valves designed today feature hard polymers (e.g. nylon, PET) as a sealing surface, because they tend to offer better wear characteristics for mostapplications. Constant force is applied against the valve, compressing the hard polymer into a positive dust-tight seal. It is important to pick a valve specifically designed for dry/bulk processes to control safety hazards, maintenance costs, and profitability in your plant.

SAFETY HAZARDS AND ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

Dust control has been given a higher priority in many powder/bulk processes over the past few decades. That’s because fugitive emissions from a valve into the atmosphere can both be detrimental to the environment and a potential safety hazard. Processing plants have an obligation to abide environmental regulations and prevent environmental contamination and pollution. Employee and plant safety play a large role in dust control, especially when it comes to processing hazardous dust explosive substances.

Dust-tight valves can be required in processing facilities as they can drastically reduce the percentage of fugitive dust. However, when replacing a regular valve with a dust-tight valve, it is important to verify that the connections between the valve and what sitsabove and below are tight.

For example, transition flanges need to be true and flat, with no bow, and gaskets need to be inspected and replaced if necessary. Keeping a good seal on every connection, minimizing the escape of dust from your process equipment, and inspecting and cleaning dust residues at regular intervals are all part of a robust dust control safety plan.

MAINTENANCE COSTS

The seal’s polymer material will eventually wear down and the valve will need to be resealed. Some manufacturers design valves with small slots in the body that let material slowly leak as an indicator that the valve needs maintenance. Choose a valve design that allows routine inspection without

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

removing it from the production line. Side access doors allow you to replace the old seals with new ones and start production back in minutes.

In comparison, valves featuring Teflon® rope require more downtime as the cartridge needs to be pulled out of the valve to remove the old rope and install a new one.

Eventually the valve will have to be taken out of service for seal replacement.

That is why it is important to select the right valve and seal materials for your specific application. The correct choice of materials will extend the valve’s service life by compensating for wear and tear, and provide an excellent material seal across the materials. Cast iron, carbon steel and aluminum are common valve materials for many powder/bulk applications, but more corrosive or abrasive materials require more durable alloy coatings such as hard polymer, stainless steel,or carbide for the material contact points to guarantee a long service life.

PLANT PROFITABILITY

Dust-tight valves are initially more expensive than other valves but tend to make up for the original cost difference in the long run in several ways. By keeping a tight seal, they limit the risk of material cross-contamination and increase final product quality. Their dust-tight design reduces material leakage in the plant and the atmosphere and directly affects a plant’s bottom line as it reduces concerns about product waste and pollution. Finally, dust-tight valves are easier to maintain and service. Many of them don’t require a production line shutdown longer than a few minutes at a time.

Overall, choosing dust-tight valves for your dry bulk applications will limit maintenance costs, reduce safety and environmental hazards, and reduce downtime. With so many valve options available, it is best to go with a company that has years of application experience and can help you pick the right valve for your specific powder/bulk process.

Many parameters have to be taken into consideration when purchasing a valve, including the type of material being processed, if the material is abrasive or corrosive, the particle size and temperature, and if the material is being conveyed by gravity, vacuum or pressure. Many dust-tight valves can be custom designed to meet your exact application needs and will often provide the best results.

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TOP TIPS FOR THE SUCCESSFUL HANDLING OF BULK MATERIALS

By Kevin Storey, Head of Sales, Portasilo (part of Shepherd Group Engineering) After hundreds of years of manufacturing using solid materials ranging from kitchen cupboard essentials like sugar to complex chemical compounds, mankind has achieved a degree of expertise. But our materials storage and handling skills are still evolving, and in fact, in too many cases there is little appreciation of the importance of understanding bulk material flow properties and handling behaviour.

Every material, including different grades of the same material or even those from different suppliers, have unique handling properties and understanding these is fundamental to the successful selection of processing equipment; its importance should never be underestimated as sourcing the right handling equipment and processes can ensure a plant makes considerable savings in terms of energy use whilst maximising productivity.

While there are numerous examples of plants handling similar materials, and experts describing the correct way to handle specific bulk particles, it always pays to do some homework that’s relevant to your application.

If possible undertake product handling trials at suppliers’ test facilities, visit sites that already handle the product and talk with not just the managers but the operators as they know the equipment and the peculiarities better than anybody. Advice can also be sought from official industry bodies such as the Solids Handling and Processing Association (SHAPA) http://www.shapa.co.uk/ or the universities who study the movement of bulk materials. However don’t follow existing arrangements blindly, processing equipment is continually being updated and there may now be a much simpler solution than those used previously.

COMMON MATERIALS

The handling of dry materials in loose bulk form is an engineering process which spans many industries from food to chemical to construction. The vast array of material grades and suppliers means it is now more important than ever before to test each material to be handled before an effective and efficient solution can be found.

The global marketplace and commercial pressures for more costefficient, sustainable and “green” manufacturing processes and endproducts are directly impacting the bulk material handling industry; engineers are designing ever more complex equipment and processes for handling a diverse and expanding range of materials.

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FOOD

WATER

CHEMICAL

NUCLEAR

ENERGY

Salt

Hydrated Lime

TiO2 (titanium oxide)

Iron Oxide

Wood Pellets

Sugar

Powder Activated Carbon

Gypsum

Magnetite

Dried Sewage SRF Wood Chip Draff

Chocolate Crumb

Quick Lime

China Clay

Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)

Flour

Polymers

Limestone Filler

Pulverised Fly Ash

COMMON PITFALLS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM • Understand the material

You need to first understand the material to be handled; this is fundamental. If possible, it is always best to get a sample, preferably in a clear air tight sample jar, to test whether the product can be tilted to see HOW and IF the product flows at different inclines. This can have a bearing on vessel hopper angles, outlet sizes and type of discharge equipment. Also, gently shake the jar to see if the product retains air, and for how long! If it takes some time for the product to settle then when designing batch and volumetric systems different bulk densities will have to be considered ie aerated and settled can be dramatically different for the same product.

A common mistake, and one that is easily avoided, is considering whether the sample is truly representative of the full range of conditions.

In real life, system design has to account for a range of variables for the material. Will the product have consistent bulk density, particle size distribution, moisture content, temperature? Any change of these parameters could have a dramatic effect on how the product is stored

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

considered. Manual and now automatic ‘pigging’ systems can be builtin to aid this process and reduce downtime.

• Energy use

Energy saving, certainly for larger companies, is also a major consideration under the mandatory energy assessment scheme for larger organisations, the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) https:// www.gov.uk/energy-savings-opportunity-scheme-esos. The amount of energy used now has to be considered as important as the purchase price of handling and processing solutions as financial penalties could be imposed by the regulator if an organisation does not comply.

and handled in a factory production environment.

Be aware that products, ambient and process conditions do change and that handling equipment and systems need to be able to operate throughout.

• Dust management

Providing a safe working environment should be a top priority for plant engineers. Some raw materials have the capacity to become explosive in sufficient quantities so it’s imperative to establish if its dust is combustible. Maybe the material in its original form is not dusty but when handled dust is generated. Bulk handling system design needs to protect against ignition of dust clouds that can cause initial explosions and then, if further dust is present in the workplace, a secondary catastrophic explosion!

• Maintenance and cleaning of equipment

Cleaning of the system and equipment might also be a major consideration either at the end of a batch or when changing recipe.

Can all internal areas of the plant be easily cleaned by hand or using an integral clean in place system (CIP)? Remember to check if this procedure cleans the product transfer pipework, which is normally not

TOP 10 MOST EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS: • Starch • Biomass • Flour • Malt Grist • Powdered Activated Carbon PAC • Coal • Dried Sewage • Polyelectrolyte • Whole Grain Rice Dust • Maize Grits PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

VIRGIN WOOD

ENERGY CROPS

AGRICULTURAL RESIDUES

FOOD WASTE

INDUSTRIAL WASTE & COPRODUCTS

Bark

Short Rotation Energy Crops

Straw

Wet Food Waste

Untreated Wood

Brash & arboricultural risings

Grasses & NonWoody Energy Crops

Corn Stover

Waste Oils

Treated Wood Wastes & Residues

Logs

Agricultural Energy Crops

Poultry Litter

Agricultural Residues

Wood Composites & Laminates

Sawdust

Aquatics (Hydroponics)

Animal Slurry & Farmyard Manure

Paper Pulp & Wastes

Grass Silage

Textiles

Wood Chips Wood pellets & Briquettes

Sewage Sludge

In depth look: Biomass

With many companies converting to using renewable energy resources such as biomass, there is growing demand for bulk materials handling solutions for this new and emerging market.

Biomass raw materials are generally explosive by nature so need to be handled carefully. There are a plethora of different materials and different grades, ranging from wood pellets from sustainable sources to the waste materials used by energy from waste plants.

The Solids Handling & Processing Association (SHAPA) has produced a technical guide “Best practice guide for handling of Biomass” which is a useful resource for design engineers and procurement managers responsible for specifiying or managing equipment for the handling of biomass http://www.shapa.co.uk/technical.php.

The classifications of biomass include: virgin wood; energy crops; agricultural residues; food waste; and industrial waste and co-products.

In all cases, a detailed assessment of the flow and handling properties of the raw material must be made before storage, handling and processing solutions are procured.

Government incentives and tough conditions for UK farmers have driven the huge uptake in biomass boilers at smallholdings across the nation.

While the financial returns and improved heating efficiency cannot be ignored, there’s no doubt that safe storage and handling of a diversity of biomass fuels must be considered by anyone considering switching to this type of energy generation.

Energy from waste processes can use materials from municipal, industrial and even household sources and so any storage and handling solutions must be designed taking all variables into consideration. The potential for blockages and risk of explosions is greatly increased if the flow properties of the materials to be handled are not accurately calculated before the equipment is sourced.

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ECONOMICAL DUST SUPPRESSION FOR LARGE SPACES Any process that handles solid materials is likely to produce dust. Once airborne, fine dust becomes a significant health hazard, especially when it contains silica. The exposure limits for respirable silica are currently 0.1mg/ m3reduced still further. To achieve these levels it is essential to make use of all available dust reduction techniques. Often, in large buildings, vehicle movements alone will cause the limits to be breached.

Generally, the cost of dust collection and / or building pressurisation around common areas can be prohibitive both in capital and energy costs.

A far more cost effective approach is to use

fog to suppress airborne dust.

Respirable dust particles are so small and light that they are supported by air molecules. To eliminate airborne dust, this resistance to gravity has to be overcome. Fog works by using very small droplets of water, typically in the size range 5 to 20 microns. These water droplets are small enough to allow a particle of dust to stick to the droplet. The result is that the dust now becomes heavy enough to fall through the air column and is no longer a nuisance. If the droplet sizes are too large e.g. > 20 micron, then the dust particle just bounces off the water tension and remains airborne. By using a matrix of nozzles, fog is sprayed into the area and settles the dust.

A remarkable feature of fog is that when installed correctly, it does not wet the area.

Renby MicronFog™ is the cost effective solution for airborne dust in large areas.

Power and water consumption are both low. For further reduction in energy consumption, all pump variants are operated on an inverter as standard.

There are many uses for MicronFog™; this ranges from Dust Suppression in solids handling to food process Disinfection and from Humidification to process Cooling.

To find out more about Renby MicronFogTM and other dust containment techniques: Contact Renby Ltd on Tel: 01829 740913 now or Email: info@renby.co.uk Web: www.renby.co.uk

DCS DUST EXTRACTION FOR HUMDINGER FOODS At its manufacturing plant in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, leading snack foods manufacturer Humdinger Foods Ltd has recently invested in new dust extraction equipment from Dust Control Systems Ltd (DCS). Serving Humdinger’s new peanut coating line, the dust extraction system is designed to effectively contain and capture airborne starch dust from within the coating process.

DCS has designed and installed a complete dust extraction system, incorporating custombuilt extraction hoods, and ductwork which runs at high level in the coating room to an externally-sited filter plant. All the ducting and extraction hoods are constructed in stainless steel and the system is configured to ensure optimum extraction conveying velocities. A clean air input system is included, and the main ductwork also incorporates an APEX approved CARZ back-pressure flap valve to prevent the effects of a dust explosion from travelling back along ductwork into the coating room. The high performance pulse-jet filter unit has an airflow capacity of 4,400m3/hr and is fitted with special Dura-Life water-resistant filter media. Waste is discharged into a quick-release collection bin.

Nik Durrant, Humdinger Engineering and Health & Safety Manager, says: “Having a clean and dust-free food processing facility is vital to worker safety and the DCS plant contributes greatly to this end. We were also very impressed with the standard of work and the way DCS handled every aspect of what was a very time-contingent contract.”

For more information: Tel: 0800 040 7116 Web: www.DCSlimited.co.uk

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

DISCHARGE PROBLEMS WITH POWDER? – VENT YOUR FRUSTRATION

By Richard Farnish - Principal Research Fellow Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing & Design Engineering of University of Greenwich.

Reliable handling of powders through processes can give enough of a challenge for many plants, especially if the equipment used is not suitable for the specific need of a bulk particulate. Aside from the more obvious causes of powder discharge instability such as incorrect vessel geometry, poor feeder interfacing and wrong choice of feeding device, the issue of pressure profiles across a packed bed material is an additional problem that often goes undiagnosed when trouble-shooting plant.

The key issues associated with discharge instability where pressure gradient effects are present are; the particle size (and distribution) and the resulting gas permeability characteristic for the powder. Generally, the finer / broader the particle size distribution the less gas permeable the bulk will become – and conversely, th coarser / more narrow the particle size distribution the more readily gas will permeate through the bulk.

The mechanism of the problem lies in the accumulation of gas (that cannot bleed away rapidly enough through the powder) in the region of the outlet.

Such a ‘bubble’ of gas can either make the powder flow irregular (through a ‘raining’ of particles from the roof of a supported dome) or cause a complete cessation of flow through the outlet. If the process is interrupted in order to investigate the stoppage, it is often the case that apparent reason is found – evidenced by a feeder that is full of powder.

Of course what has occurred is that the time taken to halt the process and investigate the issue has allowed sufficient time for the gas ‘bubble’ to dissipate through the static bed of material – allowing the powder to reinitiate flow through the outlet. This type of problem can quite perplexing when trying attain steady state plant operations! Most often this problem occurs in situations where rotary valves feeding into positive pressure conveying lines have been interfaced directly onto the outlets of hoppers. If either the venting provision for the rotary valve is inadequate or absent, then the volume of conveying air leakage past the tips of the rotary valves has the potential of exceed the rate of dissipation through the mass of powder – giving rise to inconsistent valve pocket filling or complete flow stoppages. For some rotary valve installations vent arrangements may be present in a range of configurations ranging from ‘well thought out’ to ‘improvised’. A well designed vent arrangement is unlikely to give many problems, but the greatest risk lies in the use of vent arrangements that have been installed with little or no reference to the duty asked of them.

The most usual error in this respect is to use incorrectly size vent lines, the risk being that unless an understanding of the existing and service limit air leakage rates for the rotary valve are known the vent bore will be either too small or too large. In the event that the bore is restrictive a back pressure could develop to the extent that air egress from the valve pockets is restricted such that some air continues to enter the hopper.

If the bore is too large the risk exists that gas velocity within the vent line will be insufficient to transport the dust (invariably a feature of vented air) and saltation may occur in the line.

In instances where saltation develops, there is ultimately a risk of blocking which will mean that air can, eventually, only exit the valve through the hopper.

Fig 1 shows the effect of excessive air leakage on rotary valve pocket filling efficiency.

The issue of poor rotary valve venting is usually fairly straight forward to rectify through the use of information relating Fig 1 An example of air leakage to the rotary valve and plant operating reducing conditions. Flow problems related to pressure gradients across the hopper can be more difficult to diagnose in instances where poor ventilation of a feed hopper occurs. In such situations the absence of air ingress into the head space of a vessel can reduce discharge rates significantly. An example of this occurrence could be due to the progressive blinding of a vent sock, which is a particular risk where vehicle cartridge type filters are used which will hold dust on the inside – but may appear ‘clean’ on the outside. The common absence

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

Fig 2 Graph showing changes in discharge rates as a function of ventilation of a method for cleaning while in service tends to make ‘blinding’ a regular feature of the use of this vent method – particularly if installed in a relatively inaccessible position. This most definitely should not be considered a ‘fit and forget’ item!.

Fig 2 shows the effects of an absence of ventilation for a small vessel used to store and discharge a blend of alumina and magnesium powders (30/70% wt) through a range of three outlet sizes (diameter 15mm, 30mm & 50mm). This particular vessel operated in core flow (as does the vast majority of industrial equipment), see Fig 3. The blend used for the purpose of this demonstration was very free flowing, had the blend exhibited a degree of cohesion, it is quite likely that the flow of material would be erratic at the larger apertures sizes and halt altogether for the small outlet.

Fig 3 Illustration of core flow discharge – note the presence of a central flow channel.

Depending upon the bulk characteristics of the powder and the specifics of the process that it is being handled through, flow rates from the vessel can be limited to the amount of material that ‘rains’ or detaches from the ‘roof’ of a semi-stable non-flowing arch above the outlet.

Fig 4 Illustration of discharge rate dominated by rate of powder ‘rain’ from a semi-stable arch above the outlet In summary it is hoped that the importance of understanding and incorporating appropriate vent arrangements on feeders and vessels can be understood from the contents of this very brief overview. The basic principles of controlling air ingress to bulk powders can be readily grasped, but the effectiveness resulting from the implementation of such strategies will be largely defined by a consideration of the bulk particulate that is being handled. An investment of time in characterising such bulk behaviour in the context of the handling equipment design and operation at the planning stage of a project will invariably pay dividends later!

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Guest Feature

PUMPING SOLIDS

By Malcolm Walker, Marketing Manager, AxFlow Limited

When it comes to pumping solids in industries such as sewage treatment, mining or food there are numerous pump choices available to the process engineer because solids are relatively common in these sectors.

However, when it comes to the chemical processing sector the options are more limited due to a range of additional factors, including the need for chemical resistance, ATEX, higher temperatures and the financial pressures.

The question that the chemical processing engineer faces is: what is the best pump type and technology for the application? Getting the correct answer can, and will involve a degree of research and detailed discussions with manufacturers and distributors. Pumps designed to handle solids are often not the cheapest option, but when the costs of maintenance, production down time or even cleaning up an escape of corrosive liquids are considered then for many applications they almost always represent the most cost effective option.

The range of pumps that can be considered for handling solids laden liquids, slurries and pastes can be narrowed down to rotary lobe, rotary piston, reciprocating positive displacement, progressing cavity, hose, centrifugal and air-operated double diaphragm (AODD) designs.

Making a decision as to which type to select is dependent on several factors including the corrosiveness of the liquid, the nature of the solid content, the flow and differential head required by the process.

AODD PUMPS

Many engineers resort to AODD (Fig.1) pumps because they can be constructed from chemically resistant materials, while at the same time being extremely good at handling solids; these can be up to 76mm

Fig. 1 Wilden ProFlo

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in size while the inherent action of these pumps make them resistant to abrasives, components can be easily replaced and they are selfpriming. The absence of close fitting parts allows solids to pass through the pump without harm, whilst abrasive and viscous products can be pumped without any damage to the fluid characteristics. In addition, this pump can accommodate dead-heading during filling applications, a task that motor driven pumps are not able to handle effectively.

Unfortunately, AODD pumps have some intrinsic disadvantages.

Compressed air is required, this being a factor that can contribute to their notoriously high running costs, flows are limited to 50 m3/ hr and the flows do pulse even when the pumps are fitted with dampeners. Furthermore, AODD pumps cannot withstand particularly high inlet pressures and there are issues relating to the lack of product containment, should the diaphragms rupture. This particular aspect is being addressed through the development of new robust designs that are manufactured from solid blocks of chemically resistant plastic, and with robust bolting arrangements to improve containment and pressure resistance.

HOSE PUMPS

Hose pumps (Fig.2) are an extremely popular option for pumping slurries with a solids content of up to 80%, and can deliver flows up to 90 m3/hr. The extensiverange of chemically resistant hoses now available has resulted in the pumps being suitable for handling many of the most demanding chemicals.

The hose pump is a positive displacement pump where the fluid is contained within a hose or tube inside the casing.

The fluid is moved into and out of the tube/hose by the action of rotating rollers or shoes which alternatively compress and relax the accurately and without any variation in the volume, making it an ideal proposition dosing requirements.

Fig. 2 realAx RP40 What’s more, where chemicals of a high value are involved, the pump is economic because at the end of the processing cycle or operation, the pumping motion can be reversed and any fluid remaining in the hose/tube can be returned to its source for future use.

Indeed, when faced with a corrosive slurry hose pumps are often the only option capable of handling the combination of corrosion, solids and abrasion. But, like AODD pumps should a problem of leakage does exist as the rupture of the hose can be disastrous. Other factors that come into play when the pumps is being considered relate to the flow, which is far from smooth, the limitations of the inlet pressure and

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

Guest Feature restriction on the maximum temperature.

PROGRESSING CAVITY PUMPS

Another common choice for transporting solids and slurries in chemical industry applications is the progressing cavity pump. They represent a simple and robust design that can deliver flows in excess of 200 m3/ hr added to which they have been around for many years, so giving them an air of credibility.

The key elements of this pump are the rotor and stator, the rotor being a helical worm that moves in an eccentric manner within the nonrotating stator. In this way the fluid is transported through the pump in a continuous low pulse motion. Where the accurate dosing of high and low viscosity fluids containing solids is the goal, then it is a popular choice.

Drawbacks that can be encountered include the rather limited range of materials used for construction and component wear which can be quite fast, resulting in the need for regular replacement. Their susceptibility to many types of failure places an onus on the operator to maintain regular inspection and planned programmes of maintenance.

ROTARY PISTON PUMPS

The rotary piston pump (Fig.3) is a proven alternative to the rotary lobe pump within the chemical processing industry sector. Although classed as a rotary lobe pump, it employs an operating principle known as the external circumferential piston (ECP) where the arc-shaped rotary pistons, or rotor wings, travel in annular-shaped cylinders machined in the pump body. The resulting long sealing path reduces slippage and produces a smooth product flow without destructive pulses or pressure peaks, and without the need for valves or complex parts. However, unlike progressing cavity and rotary lobe pumps, they are not adversely

It is a simple design that allows solids to pass through the pump without choking the impeller, so considerably reducing pump wear and the potential for blockages.

The fully recessed cup-shaped impeller and free passageways within the pump casing offer almost total freedom from blockages where solids and fibrous materials can be encountered in process waste water treatment plants. Suitable for ATEX certification, 316 stainless steel stainless steel impellers coupled with mechanical seals incorporating Viton or FEP are the recommended option for the chemicals industry.

It is important not overlook the small number of manufacturers which manufacture ATEX certified lined ISO 2858 pumps that are designed to pass solids. Taking Wernert (Fig.5) as an example, their pumps can be supplied with open impellers, larger internal tolerances, flushed seals and a hard wearing polyethylene lining if required. Significantly, they can handle liquids with up to 15% solids that can be as great as 7mm in diameter.

Fig. 4 The Wemco.

Fig.5 Wernert pumps Fig. 3 Waukesha U2 affected by slurries which have a propensity to settle in the pump.

Where solids are involved, the large fluid cavities of the rotors, together with the large easy-entry anti-cavitation ports enable efficient pumping.

Maximum service life even under severe operating conditions where fluids are non-lubricating or abrasive can be achieved, because there is no contact between the bearings and the pumped fluid.

The rotary lobe pump provides an alternative to the rotary piston pump, employing timing gears which eliminate contact between the rotors and enables them to handle non-lubricating fluids. There are various designs of rotor, including bi-wing and multi-lobe options. Providing low shear and gentle handling of the liquid, thereby minimising product degradation, rotary lobe pumps are also easy to clean in place (CIP) or strip clean between operations for batching applications.

CENTRIFUGAL PUMPS

The final category to be considered is the centrifugal pump, which is often ignored within the chemical industry when it comes to selecting pumps for handling solids. There is a misconception that there aren’t any chemically-resistant centrifugal pumps capable of handling solids.

It is a situation that does need correcting.

Centrifugal pumps that feature a vortex impeller (Fig.4) in stainless steel provide an excellent and well-proven solution. In operation, a whirlpool effect is formed in the volute by the rotating recessed cupshaped impeller extending into the suction line, drawing the liquid/ solids into the pump and then quickly through the discharge. This motion minimises the fluid/solids contact with the impeller and volute.

PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH

As a result of AxFlow’s experience within the food and beverage sectors, and its large portfolio of pumps, the company takes a more holistic approach to pumping solids and abrasives. This approach attempts to mitigate the problem at source by reducing abrasion, by reducing the liquid’s velocity or smoothing out its flow, and for large solids by using a pump with a more gentle pumping action, or a pump that transfers the solids without taking them too deeply into its chamber.

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NEW AND IMPROVED ‘SLIMLINE’ CHECK SIEVE UNITS FROM FARLEYGREENE Carrying on from their recent updates to the linear conveying sieve and rotary centrifugal sifter units, Farleygreene have updated their already successful ‘Slimline’ straight through check sieve to include new features that have been part of ongoing development by the company.

This range of sieves is primarily designed to pass material straight through a mesh screen to remove any contamination from bags, silos, drums etc… and can incorporate an under screen rare earth magnetic separator to remove any ferrous metal. The unit can fit into existing lines due to its low height profile or into a debagging station which can dispense into containers or can connect to any type of convey line, mechanical, vacuum or pneumatic.

The new ‘SLIMLINE’ unit incorporates all of the features below: - All stainless steel vibrating body as standard - 316 stainless steel mirror polished contact parts as standard - 550, 950, 1250, 1550mm diameter units - Energy efficient electric vibratory motors - ATEX zone 21 II 2 D as standard - FDA approved materials - Metal detectable seals & gaskets - Fits into narrow spaces as low as 350mm - Optional mobile frames & sacktipping station with dusthood - Inline vacuum / pneumatic transfer model All Farleygreene’s machines come with a 24 month warranty, full support for spares and a rapid response remeshing service. Units can be trialled in their new test facilities in Hampshire or the test can be carried out on site.

For more information contact Farleygreene Ltd, Mapledurwell, Hampshire.

Tel: 01256 474547 E-mail: info@farleygreene.com / Web: www.farleygreene.com

A BREAKTHROUGH IN POWDER FORMULATION

The Virtual Powder Blending Laboratory is a breakthrough in powder formulation, allowing formulators in any industry sector to select from powders in a database, experiment with blending them in a virtual laboratory, and predict the properties of the finished blend.

It can also predict the effect of adding liquid to the surfaces of the powders (both oil and water) and the effect of “free-flow” additives such as silicon dioxide and others.

As the development has been funded by the UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and a number of food industry collaborators, the work so far has focused on food applications (for example snack flavourings) but work has also been undertaken with mineral and pharmaceutical powders. It is expected to progress and evolve over time, for use in other groups of powders and industries.

For more details contact Rob Berry on Tel: 020 8331 8646 or E-mail: wolfson-enquiries@gre.ac.uk / Web: www.bulksolids.com

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PROCESS INDUSTRY INFORMER July 2015 - SHAPA Supplement

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