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As shown in the below graph the M&A activity in the industry slowed somewhat in 2013 versus 2012 with 45 transactions compared to 49 transactions in 2012. However, the anomaly in this comparison is that a number of transactions were pulled forward into Q4 2012 due to the pending change in the US capital gains tax rate from 15% to 20% that was effective 1 January 2013. Setting aside the impact... of that outside force the deal activity trend line is showing a modest increase in transaction activity over the last three years. The reduced deal activity in 2013 was primarily in the number of transactions involving distribution and service businesses while we saw an uptick in transactions that were focused on the water end market sector. There was a noticeable increase in Australia as a targeted geography in 2013, which is likely to continue to be a targeted area going forward due to their upstream oil and gas and mineral processing industries. The median industry transaction multiple (total value/EBITDA) was 9.2. A breakdown by transaction size is shown below. Generally the transaction multiples in the industry lagged the overall M&A market and the middle market multiples which both had a median EBITDA of 11.2 for the trailing 12 months ending September 2013. [read more]

When incompatible parts are used together and hoses come loose from their fittings, the result can be devastating on workers and the surrounding environment. Add a confined space to the mix and it can become fatal. An end blowing off causes the remaining portion of the hose to ‘whip’ about until flow stops and allows the medium being conveyed through the hose to escape. If the medium... is a gas, its expansion can cause this to be extreme. Where the medium is a liquid it can be hot or corrosive, leading to further risks. The mediums being carried in them are often hot and flammable. Failures can result in injuries such as oil injection, burning, fire. There’s also the environmental damage from the escaping medium. Whipping hoses can cause serious injury or death. Since the landmark incident in Sanford, North Carolina, to the more recent tragedy in Riverview, Michigan, reliance upon excess flow valve technology to stop the potentially catastrophic consequences of hose and line failure has been eroding. Through legislation requiring ‘passive device’ technology to formal warnings against this reliance issued by all of the major regulatory agencies in the US, to special permits that provide regulatory relief for users of passive device technologies, a growing trend has commenced toward eliminating this over-reliance upon excess flow valves in the event of transfer line failure. [read more]

Infrastructure for the water and wastewater industry is the keystone market for continuous ultrasonic level devices (ULD) and its importance is only expected to grow. Global investment in this infrastructure is predicted to be enormous as emerging economies attempt to meet their water needs, while the developed world’s rapidly aging water infrastructure is upgraded. A shortage of quality... water is not just a problem for the world’s population but also for many industries requiring it to be able to produce their products. In heavy process industries for example, water is needed to manage temperature of equipment. The oil and gas industry requires water to recover oil from deep within the earth or to release gas trapped in rock. The mining, paper and textiles industries also consume large amounts of water. These and other industries must increase investment to manage the environmental impact of any wastewater produced, thus creating opportunities for ULD suppliers beyond the traditional water and wastewater industry. [read more]

Limit switches, also known as point level sensors, are based on old but reliable technology. Level, switching and pressure instrumentation supplier Vega has re-engineered this technology and developed a sensor for extreme situations: the vibrating level switch VegaSwing 66. Fluid Handling Magazine talks to Holger Sack, head of product management at Vega, about this new step.

The Petit Camargue lies in the Languedoc- Roussillon Region of southern France between the Mediterranean Sea and the right side of the Petit Rhône, one of the two arms of the Rhône River Delta. Covering an area of 55,000ha, of which 38,000ha comprise wetlands, the Petite Camargue is largely given over to agriculture and fisheries, whilst its very special flora and fauna make it a... haven for wildlife and tourism. With large areas of the Petite Camargue lying some two metres below sea level, it is prone to regular flooding resulting from the rising levels of the rivers Vistre, Vidourle and Rhône, and sometimes by breaks in the dykes. The earth of the wetlands is naturally saturated so in the event of great floods, when water courses rise above river and drainage channel banks, some 300km² of the Petite Camargue can be transformed into a massive overflow area. Basically, this means that the water gathers here until it flows or drains off again, a process that can take a considerable amount of time and at a considerable cost to the local communities. As land reclaimed from the sea, the Petite Camargue has been drained, both manually and by drainage structures for several centuries. In the more recent past, pumping stations have eased the burden, with the flood water being initially pumped from the flooded areas and then fed into the Rhône where it flows into the sea. However, in the past 20 years, these pumping stations have proved to be inadequate when put to the ultimate test. [read more]

Eccentric disc technology has gained legendary status in western Europe as the pump style that measures its success over decades rather than just years. One specific eccentric disc pump style that was introduced in 1965 boasts the type of robustness that has led to tens of thousands of units sold in western Europe alone. Many of these units have provided 30 or 40 years of service with virtually... no maintenance. Eccentric disc pump technology was originally tailored specifically for the western European oil and chemical markets due to its unique design, which enables the pump to transfer viscous, non-lubricating, volatile and delicate materials without any risk of shearing. This includes the safe handling of emulsions, inks, adhesives and resins in the chemical industry; and crude oil, waste oils and many different types of traditional or alternative fuels in the petroleum markets. Over time, food manufacturers in western Europe began implementing these types of pumps to handle molasses, cooking oil and cocoa butter, to name a few. While this technology has forged a readily acknowledged reputation for unmatched durability in these markets, that reputation remained somewhat of a western European secret for many years. But over time, word has spread about the value of this technology in a variety of applications, and as commerce traditionally dictates, supply eventually needed to meet growing global demand. [read more]

A Rhode Island company in the high performance alloy business had a problem with its current pumps. Frequent repairs, lack of space, and energy inefficiencies plagued their operations. By nature, their application is a difficult one. The company pumps water lime concentration containing trace nickel, copper and other metals. Water lime concentration is highly akaline, with a pH between 8-9,... sometimes as high as 11. The fluid also contains a high percentage of abrasive solids. Both of these fluid characteristics are tough on pumps, especially if those pumps are not well-suited to the application. At the time, the company was operating with a Vanton polypropylene frame-mounted pump that took up a large chunk of the factory floor space and could not withstand the harsh properties of the water lime concentration it was handling. The constant wearing on the plastic pump parts caused premature failures, breakdowns and maintenance headaches. The pump and motor for this pump type were also attached by a drive coupling that needed to be realigned quite frequently. Without a better alternative, the company was required to repair its frame-mounted pumps at a very high cost. [read more]

Choosing the correct design and specification of valve for a process can save money, reduce downtimes and minimise product loss or contamination. From choosing the most effective seat material, to the correct mounting considerations of an actuator, there are many different factors that can affect the wear and tear on a valve and in turn create problems with contamination and reduce a... valve’s life cycle. In one instance a paint manufacturer required a solution for moving paint which was accumulating in the void behind the ball on its non-encapsulated SVF ball valves. On being presented with the problem European valve supplier Dixon Hygienic investigated and found that the titanium dioxide additive within the paint was causing premature failure of the standard ball valves being used. [read more]

The pharmaceutical industry requires dedicated pump techniques for pumping cells and other sensitive products. Unfortunately there are very few process pumps available for small flow rates because the preferred rotary lobe pumps for these small flow rates have not been built yet. This is mainly due to the construction of the synchronisation gearbox of the rotary lobe pump, which proves a... challenge, particularly with small flows. Next to this, the requirement for a hermetically sealed pump is another obstacle in the design of a rotary lobe pump. The magnetic drive gear pump from German manufacturer Gather Industrie is one of the most flexible and reliable hermetically sealed dosing pump systems available on the pump market. The requirements for this application are not simple. In principle a magnetic drive gear pump causes high shear. This is caused by the small clearances between the pump parts and the high motor speeds. These design characteristics are mandatory in order to be able to pump low viscous liquids in a reliable way. This characteristic of this multipurpose pump is very important for reliable and reproducible dosing tasks in the classical chemical industry. The pharmaceutical industry has additional requirements for their process pumps. The industry needs smooth dosing with low shear. It is also necessary that the pump parts have smooth cleanable surfaces in order to keep them germ-free. In order to fulfil the requirements of the pharmaceutical industry it is important to start with investigating the influence of these requirements on the construction and specifications of the pump. [read more]

DRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). The company was established in 1995 as a lynch pin supplier of transport and associated services to the nuclear industry and has successfully extended its service offerings into a number of new and exciting rail market sectors. When DRS wanted to upgrade and extend its fuel holding facility at their major depot in... Daventry the company asked Scotland-based James Blake & Co (Engineers) to help. James Blake & Co turned to UK-based fuel handling specialist Alpeco, to design and build part of the turnkey project for the Daventry fuel storage and dispensing facility. The Alpeco ‘made-to-measure’ unit was integrated into a purpose built enclosure on the side of the Blake & Co-manufactured storage tank. The Alpeco supplied dispenser comprises two electric motor driven pump units, one of which is a back up for the other should there be a problem, or should the main duty pump be shut down for routine maintenance. Part of the equipment included a Liquid Controls 2” meter with counter, which monitors the amount of fuel which is dispensed to each train, printer and pre-set along with a Bobbin type electric rewind hose reel carrying 150 foot length of delivery hose. Liquid Controls’ M7N1 2” meter is capable of handling fuel oils at flow rates up to 380 LPM. The meter is equipped with strainer, air eliminator, Veeder-root mechanical counter, ticket printer, pre-set and 2 stage shut off valve. [read more]