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Date Published:
21 November 2014

Volume 2, Issue 4


Ultrasonics in Uerdingen

Feature
It seems as though the flow rate could be miraculously measured by simply laying a hand on the pipe. However, the times of skepticism towards non-invasive ultrasonic flow measurement technology are over. Clamp-on ultrasonic technology is now extremely popular. In saying that, not every measuring task is a standard practice. High temperature applications and non-invasive flow measurement of gases... [read more]

Positively precise

Feature
Positive displacement flowmeters (PD meters) have been utilised among important applications such as petroleum trading for many years, since PD meters, in principle, can measure the volumetric flow directly with high accuracy. The recent concerns about energy conservation and environmental issues have made it imperative for companies working in these applications to seek highly accurate... [read more]

The importance of flow monitoring

Feature
No matter how sophisticated a fluid analyser system may be, it will be ineffective if a sample flow fails to reach the analyser sensor or if the sample is contaminated or stale. The most advanced systems in the world cannot provide accurate results without a valid fluid sample. Gas chromatographs (GCs), mass spectrometers, optical spectrometers, and photometers are a few examples of analyser... [read more]

Calibrating profitability

Feature
Global oil production now exceeds more than 90 million barrels per day (bpd), an increase of more than 1 million bpd over the 2013 average. For an industry that regularly communicates and tracks progress in millions of barrels and billions of dollars, a calibration error of just 0.5% seems insignificant at best. However, such calibration errors are adding up to billions in potential profit lost... [read more]

Gearing up for change

Feature
Pumps and flowmeters are no strangers to the automotive industry, having been used in various production processes for years – most notably for painting and coating. However, new demands for advanced lightweight materials mean manufacturers are now turning to special resins, carbon fibres and plastics to meet production goals. Advanced pumps – notably gear pumps – and flowmeters... [read more]

The proof is in the pump

Feature
With operating efficiency and cost reductions being a major focus of businesses today, AODD pump manufacturers have introduced new technologies in ADS to increase pump efficiency and meet these demands. The new ADS technologies that are utilised range from electronic controls to mechanical innovations. However, the resulting savings in compressed air usage and increase in pump efficiency varies... [read more]

Pumping fluid through piping systems

Feature
There are a wide variety of pump designs to aid flow through piping systems, but they fall into two general categories: kinetic and positive displacement. Centrifugal pumps, which fall into the ‘kinetic’ category, are the most common in industrial applications. A centrifugal pump is characterised by the use of a rotating impeller to increase the pressure and flow rate of a fluid, and... [read more]

Putting pumps into practice

Feature
In the modern industrial world, it is becoming more common to move increased volume of chemical and acids around by ship, lorry and in Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBC’s) for use on sites, and so the chemical distribution market has seen massive growth and investment to utilise ‘best practice’ to ensure the safe and efficient handling of toxic and corrosive liquids. Continued... [read more]

Feeling the pressure

Feature
In complex processing environments, operational safety, reliability and economic performance are intertwined. Any industrial process that operates under conditions of significant heat and pressure is challenged to meet strict safety codes. But finding a way to implement standards-compliant overpressure protection can result in operating efficiencies that reduce pressures on other areas of a... [read more]

No compromise

Feature
Man-made valves have been around for thousands of years. The first examples were discovered in Roman and Greek ruins and were used to regulate the flow of water in aqueducts and public fountains. Modern valves were developed in the years following WWII as industrial productivity grew rapidly and more efficient facilities were required. Many new valve types were put forth; the cream that rose to... [read more]

The ball and the butterfly

Feature
Skid mounted heat transfer systems represent a growing segment in the commercial, institutional and industrial markets. Heat media fluids, from water to oil to glycol, are stored in insulated tanks on the skid and moved through a process heater by pumps designed to operate at high temperatures. The heated fluid is then used to heat a process system and returned to the insulated storage vessel in... [read more]

Benefitting from change

Feature
Due to the cyclical nature of the range of temperatures handled by shell and tube heat exchangers, engineers have tolerated poor performance, particularly with regards to leakages. Available sealing options have previously been unable to effectively operate across the entire temperature spectrum, which has led to plant operators instigating processes to mitigate leakages rather than be able to... [read more]

Best practices for bearing protection

Feature
Bearing protection is particularly important in many fluid handling applications where downtime can be extremely costly due to product spoilage or lost revenues. These critical fluid handling applications include refrigeration systems; evaporators and condensing fans; data centre CRAC units and rack cooling; water cooled chillers and circulating pumps; form, fill, and seal systems; tray... [read more]

Improving fluid-transfer connections

Feature
The ongoing surge in oil and natural gas production in the US has not only led to record levels of production and supply, but also had a positive effect in many other areas. One group involved in the oil and gas industry that has specifically benefitted from the increase in production are oilfield equipment manufacturers. It goes to reason that an increase in the amount of production and the... [read more]

Replacing the brain

Feature
The word ‘automate’ has been around since 1945, about 20 years before the introduction of industrial robots. It implies the replacement of a human operation with an automatic one, either through the application of hardware, software, or a combination of the two. True automation requires a control system, or ‘brain’. For a dispensing system, the robot usually acts as the... [read more]

Temperature troubles

Feature
The Ameren Sioux Energy Center Unit 1, part of the expansive supercritical coal-fired plant located in St. Louis, US, was experiencing progressively worse temperature control problems into year 2012 with a circulating cooling water system. The circulating water system provides cooling water to the condenser, low and high pressure raw water systems, condensate cooling system and auxiliary cooling... [read more]