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Date Published:
21 September 2014

Volume 2, Issue 3


Fluid handling industry market report: M&A transactions - first half 2014

Feature
As can be seen in the graph below, there was a significant spike in market activity with 23 transactions – including company and asset acquisitions – in Q1 2014. Q2 returned to what has been a more normal level going back to Q3 2010 with 10 transactions. The deal activity included seven divestitures as several companies took steps to focus their businesses on their core strategic... [read more]

New standard for switch and control systems

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

Understanding the basics

Feature
Coriolis mass flowmeters use the properties of mass to measure mass. In an analogy, when a fixed mass is rotating on a turntable, centrifugal force pushes the mass outward, but there are no forces pushing the mass in a plane tangent to the rotation. However, if the mass is moving inwards or outwards from the centre of the turntable, the radius of rotation changes, and a force (the coriolis force)... [read more]

Coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters: competitive or complementary?

Feature
Coriolis and ultrasonic flowmeters are widely used to measure liquids and gases, and both are just beginning to be used to measure steam. Because both flowmeters are very popular with end-users, it is worthwhile to discuss how they are alike and how they differ. Certain key areas to compare include principle of operation, history, application, line size, and other key points of comparison. By... [read more]

Setting a benchmark

Feature
There are dozens of different types of flowmetering technology applied to the measurement of low liquid flows. Most of these designs are quite old and have moving parts, whilst the market is evolving towards intelligent electronic solutions with no moving components. Titan Enterprises, a UK-based company specialising in off-the-shelf and customdesigned flowmeter systems, sought an alternative to... [read more]

A new breakthrough in flowmetering

Feature
Municipalities that are looking to accurately measure their water flow rates often fall into one of three categories: 1. They want a flow control valve that has the ability to vary flow rates over time but would rather not to have to install a flowmeter, a valve with an actuator and positioner 2. When filling a reservoir they would like to know how many gallons have been used. 3. They would like... [read more]

High pressure triplex plunger pumps for nanoparticle production

Feature
Promethean Particles is aiming to scale up its operations through the development of a reactor plant using high-pressure triplex plunger pumps from Cat Pumps. Promethean Particles has already demonstrated the scaleup potential of the technology with its pilot scale reactor system which has successfully manufactured nanomaterials continuously for 60 hours. A ‘spin-off’ from the... [read more]

A crucial choice

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

The bottom-line benefits of product recovery

Feature
Product recovery is a topic that can critically affect the profitability of food and beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetic manufacturers, from the most basic production-line level on through entire plant efficiencies and even overall corporate performance. As belts are tightened, the operators of these manufacturing facilities have been forced to implement new ways to meet established production... [read more]

Pumps for a paint job

Feature
Suurmond is a privately owned company, headquartered in Nunspeet in the Netherlands, providing engineered solutions for the industrial chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as providing systems and solutions for the plastics extrusion and compounding trade. Its systems range from pump units suitable for processing simple fluids in small volumes to complex dosing... [read more]

Chemical dosing and blending - the role of precision actuators

Feature
Process control actuators have an important role to play in chemical dosing and blending. Constant, precise control of the volume of fluid injected into the process is dependent on the accuracy and reliability of these actuators. Regardless of the environmental conditions, these electromechanical devices must maintain precise control as required by the process demand. In almost every industrial... [read more]

The perfect system?

Feature
Handling and dosing of chemicals is not an easy task, especially making sure that all used materials are compatible with the chemicals and meet fluid handling requirements. This is mainly the case in the production of non-storable chemicals. For example, the chlorine dioxide (CIO2) production needs an elaborate plant set up. Chlorine dioxide, frequently used as a disinfectant in the beverage... [read more]

Familiarity breeds contempt

Feature
The phrase ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ implies that the more one knows about something, the more they lose respect for its characteristics and, in this case, potential hazards. Never has a simple phrase been so appropriate for industrial safety analysis. The more that protocols and safety processes are established, the more human operators are seen circumventing, disregarding, or... [read more]

Putting the spotlight on sealing

Feature
A wide range of industries, including chemicals, refineries, pulp and paper, and many others, rely on sealing devices to keep their piping systems, pumps, valves and other equipment from leaking. Because seals represent a miniscule portion of the total cost of these systems, they often do not receive the attention they warrant, being low-cost but high-consequence components. When they fail, the... [read more]

Speed awareness

Feature
The use of variable speed drives has become more prevalent in industry in an effort to increase the efficiency of pumping systems. The ability to adjust the rotational speed of a rotodynamic pump has been a major factor in the ability to match a pump’s hydraulic characteristics to those of the system in which it operates. Whether the mismatch was due to the variation in required pump output... [read more]

Increasing seal face capability in hard-onhard combinations

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

The flange protection challenge

Feature
The integrity of flanged connections is critical to the containment of fluids in a piping system. Loss of containment, whether in chemical lines such as hydrocarbons and gas systems or water distribution lines, will have significant environmental, operational and commercial impact, and could pose a serious safety risk. Flanges present a unique corrosion protection challenge because solutions must... [read more]