Process Heating articles from February 2006

Process Heating archives from February 2006

It all comes down to the bottom line: more ways to save.(Commentary)
February 1, 2006... Since I wrote my last commentary, the weather in Chicago has moderated, thankfully. My gas bill hasn't, of course--the additional increases expected in home heating costs are mentioned so often in the media that they're reacted to as though...

Parker boiler aids rebuild, recover efforts.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... As soon as hurricane Katrina left the area and conditions were safe, Barry Jackson of Mississippi Polymers Inc., St. Louis Bay, Miss., began efforts to rebuild his business with a call to Parker Boiler Co., Los Angeles. His 2002 HT395 high...

Minco launches online heater configurator.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... An online heater configurator engineering tool designed to help users specify, evaluate, select and order Thermofoil and wire-wound flexible heaters has been developed by Minco Products Inc., Minneapolis. The tool, available at www.minco.com,...

Heat transfer fluid newsletter offers tips and more.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... Safely operating and troubleshooting thermal fluid heating systems is the focus of an e-mail newsletter from Duratherm Extended Life Fluids, Lewiston, N.Y. A recent edition covered "Dealing with Water in Your Heat Transfer System," and...

Combustion workshop in March.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... Combustion workshop includes a comprehensive program addressing combustion fundamentals, equipment, applications and problem-solving as well as a plant tour and lab demonstration. Organized by Eclipse Combustion Inc., Rockford, Ill., the...

Bekaert combustion technology NV becomes 100 percent Bekaert.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... Bekaert and Belgian Shell have reached an agreement on the purchase of the 25 percent stake held by Belgian Shell in the Bekaert Combustion Technology NV joint venture, which means that Bekaert becomes 100 percent shareholder. The takeover...

Temperature control manufacture outsourced to California.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... Op-Test, a Redding, Calif.-based high-tech firm that designs and manufactures production and engineering test systems for photonic semiconductor devices, was chosen by Yamatake Sensing Control to make its temperature control assemblies. ...

Fluid bed dryer used in cheese manufacturing plant.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... Castle Importing, a company with a cheese plant in Fontana, Calif., chose to use a fluid bed dryer to change how it dehydrated cheese and to maintain quality standards. The dryer, made by Ventilex USA, West Chester, Ohio, was chosen based on...

Network installation simplified with new interoperability guidelines.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... LonMark International, San Jose, Calif., released a new version of Interoperability Guidelines--Version 3.4--that includes support for self-installed devices and networks in industrial automation and other machine-to-machine applications as...

Heat exchangers help candy-maker.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... Processing sticky, viscous or particulate products is a little simpler for one candy-maker thanks to a scraped-surface heat exchanger. Alfa Laval's Contherm is used in Astra Sweets' candy paste and dough products to heat dough to...

Corn processor employs predictive condition monitoring.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... Canadian corn processor Casco Inc. employed ProSmart, a technology for maintaining uptime on rotating equipment from ITT Industries, White Plains, N.Y., to improve the predictive monitoring of the pumps used in its operation. [ILLUSTRATION...

Low-N[O.sub.x] retrofit helps refinery meet performance, emissions goals.(Inner Workings)
February 1, 2006... After plans to decommission one of its gas-fired power boilers changed, engineers at a refinery found themselves required to meet stringent emissions reductions on the 500,000 lb/hr Riley Turbo boiler. If the company wanted to continue...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
February 1, 2006... February 16-17 -- Cleaning Validation Practices for Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Production Seminar, Las Vegas, Nev. Sponsored by University of Wisconsin Madison. Call (800) 462-0876 or visit epdweb.engr.wisc.edu. 20-21 --...

Let's get organized, part 2: maintain for performance.(Energy Notes)
February 1, 2006... I'm doing a detailed rundown of the steps you should take to wring the best oven and furnace efficiencies out of your high-priced energy supply. The first major step is getting the best performance you can from your existing equipment, before...

Temperature control equipment: power feedback; Troubleshooting extruders, Part 6.(Heating Highlights)
February 1, 2006... In my last column, I began to review how the controller varies power to the heater. I'll conclude this series with power feedback, heat and cool cycle times, balancing heat and cool, and controlling cooling zones. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

3 processes, 1 solution: oxidizers addressed emissions concerns and brought processes into regulatory compliance in silicone and pharmaceutical processing as well as in a petrochemical facility.
February 1, 2006... Thermal treatment, including regenerative thermal oxidation. of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other air pollutants works by a simple reaction of the harmful air pollutants with oxygen and heat. In this environment, the VOCs are...

Check burner air-to-fuel ratios: periodically checking and resetting the air-fuel ratios is one of the simplest ways to get maximum efficiency out of fuel-fired process heating equipment such as ovens, heaters, boilers and furnaces.(Burners)
February 1, 2006... Most high temperature direct-fired ovens, boilers, furnaces and radiant tubes operate with about 10 percent to 20 percent excess combustion air at high fire to prevent the formation of dangerous carbon monoxide and soot deposits on heat...

Predicting temperature controller maintenance: developments in temperature controller technology are providing process and equipment diagnostics.(Temperature Control)
February 1, 2006... As technology improves, products continue to evolve. For example, the cost of electronic devices has fallen, even as they became smaller in size and offered improved performance. There is no reason to believe that this trend will slow any time...

Equipment overview: infrared heaters.(Cover Story)
February 1, 2006... Infrared heaters are used to transfer heat through a process or to a product via radiation. Use the data we have compiled in this bullet chart to find potential infrared heater suppliers by comparing products and narrowing your search. ...

The spray way.(Dryers)
February 1, 2006... Spray drying is the most widely used industrial process involving particle formation and drying. It is highly suited for the continuous production of dry solids in either powder, granulate or agglomerate form from liquid feedstocks as...

Fused silica composites.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Type RSLE-57 is a low-expansion, high-strength reinforced-silica-matrix composite product. It exhibits good nonwetting properties when used in contact with molten aluminum, zinc, lead, tin and other non-ferrous metals, making it useful in...

ANSI chemical process pumps.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Series pH is stocked as ready-to-ship inventory, allowing the company to offer a 48-hour commitment on pump shipments with no premium. Used in developing the ANSI/ ASME B73.1 process pump standard in 1958, the chemical process pump continues to...

Microwave module.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... AMTek is added to new or existing oven lines and preheats the entire product quickly and uniformly, so cooking takes less time. The oven-microwave combination system is for preheating, tempering, drying and cooking. It uses rotating antennas to...

Infrared thermometer with variable-target focusing.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Marathon MM Series enables users to adjust the focus of measurement targets, either by pushbutton at the rear of the instrument, or remotely via an RS232/RS485 PC connection, where adjustments can be seen real-time through video. Users can...

Gas-fired heaters.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... High-efficiency indirect gas fired heaters are more than 90 percent efficient and capable of 1,000[degrees]F (537[degrees]C) temperature rise with a 1,200[degrees]F (648[degrees]C) discharge temperature. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Des...

Strip chart recorders.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Series RD-87 consists of six models for monitoring Type J thermocouple readings, temperature, temperature/humidity, voltage, current, or 4 to 20 mA input. All have an LCD display and record on a 4"-wide strip chart using a single pen, except...

Heat transfer fluid systems.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... HTF System offers temperature control with heating capacities up to 96 kW per zone and temperatures up to 600[degrees]F (315[degrees]C). The system is available in single-, dual- or triple-zone configurations and has microprocessor control...

Truck-in/walk-in ovens.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Series TA can be used in aging, drying, curing, bonding and finish baking applications. The ovens are suited for use in industrial environments and clean rooms. The ovens operate at up to 650[degrees]F (343[degrees]C) and are suited for...

High-temperature duct heaters.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Model IDH is used where high temperature air is required in applications such as ovens, dryers, and rotary gravure presses. The heaters are available from 6 to 480 kW with flange lengths from 5.625 to 15.625". Incoloy heating elements allows...

Corrosive waste piping system.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Piping system is suitable for handling corrosive waste drainage systems where acids, bases and solvents are present such as those found in industrial, food and beverage and water treatment applications. The system includes a full size range of...

Sticky tape.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Capable of temperatures up to 1,500[degrees]F (816[degrees]C), Thermeez 397PS is woven from durable, flexible, industrial-grade ceramic fibers that resist thermal shock, corrosive attack, mechanical vibration and stress. Applications include...

Gas ignition, digital temperature combination control.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... System One combines automatic gas ignition with the company's Series 59 digital temperature controller. The duty-matched components communicate to provide easy access to setpoint, actual temperatures, setup parameters and system status and...

Cartridge heaters.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Watt-Flex offers options of flexible stainless-steel hose or braid, straight or right-angle headers, extra-long leads, high-temperature leads, threaded post terminals, fiberglass or silicon-rubber sleeving, an internal ground wire and a Quick...

Liquid injection vaporizer.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... MSP Model 2800 uses fine-droplet technology to vaporize temperature-sensitive liquid precursor chemicals. Turbo-Vaporizer, a direct-liquid-injection (DLI) vaporizer, uses two Brooks mass-flow devices to solve many of the quality and yield...

Infrared heat tool.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Hand held Glo-Ring is suitable for heat shrinking, plastic tube bending, soldering, adhesive curing, solder preforming and butt welding. It uses quartz-encapsulated heating elements that open and close to surround the piece for quick, even...

Digital valve positioner.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... PMV D3 has added Foundation Fieldbus support, which means it can communicate via a fourth protocol in addition to 4 to 20 mA analog, Hart and Profibus PA. Also, it has gained ATEX EEX approval as an explosionproof device. It is designed for...

SSR power control assemblies.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Solid-state relay power controller assemblies are offered with phase-fired or time-base-zero-crossing outputs. Selectable control inputs are available, and each unit provides an LED input status indicator. Output is proportional to the input...

Calibrate and verify thermometers.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Triple point of water cells are designed for use by commercial and military laboratories as well as in other settings requiring a check standard or calibration point for thermometers. The high level of accuracy of the triple point of water...

Shaking water baths with universal spring tray.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Universal spring tray allows for the insertion of almost any type of, or combination of, beaker, flask or sample container in the shaking water bath. Model SW22 includes a clear, legible control panel and the ability to control temperatures...

Digital infrared thermometer.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... SOLOnet connects via the Internet or can be used as a four-wire transmitter. It can be set up remotely from a computer without specialist software and monitored on a company-wide network. Each thermometer is accessible by an IP address,...

Compact power supply with built-in alarms.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Model S8VM has an under-voltage alarm that signals when voltage falls and the cause to allow operators to quickly troubleshoot on-site. The unit uses combinations of LEDs to indicate whether voltage loss is due to a momentary power...

Two-component heat-cured adhesive.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... EP45HT MED can withstand long-term exposure from -80 to 500[degrees]F (-112 to 260[degrees]C) and has a glass-transition temperature greater than 365[degrees]F (185[degrees]C). It can withstand exposure to repeat cycles of radiation, steam and...

Point-level switches.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Sitrans LPS200 paddle switch and Sitrans LVS200 vibration level switch provide high- and low-level alarms for bulk solids applications. The paddle switch with-stands temperatures up to 428[degrees]F (220[degrees]C). It performs in environments...

12-channel scanning thermometer.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Thermometer is capable of storing and recalling up to 4,680 sets of data and time-stamped readings where simultaneous monitoring of temperatures during different process steps or phases is critical. It is available in benchtop and wall-mount...

Free-float steam trap.(Product Highlights)
February 1, 2006... Model J3X has CF8 stainless steel construction for corrosion resistance and is designed for use in food processing plants and refineries or petrochemical plants where steel materials are required. The steam trap is rated for 1,740 psig...

Industrial ovens & furnaces.(Free Literature)
February 1, 2006... For nearly 30 years, Epcon Industrial Systems, LP has served the world's industrial heat processing needs through innovative custom industrial ovens and furnaces. We engineer and manufacture a variety of ovens and furnaces for: burn off,...

Ovens and furnaces.(Free Literature)
February 1, 2006... Over 400 standard ovens and furnaces, with temperatures to 2700[degrees]F (1482[degrees]C), are described in this updated catalog from The Grieve Corporation. Custom-designed heat processing systems, too. Grieve offers laboratory, bench,...

Research Inc.(Free Literature)
February 1, 2006... Research SpotIR[R] heaters offer the capability to heat a circular area as small as .25 inches with infrared technology. An air-cooled reflector coupled with rapid response T3 lamps offer users the benefit of a high density heating solution and...

Colmac Coil Manufacturing.(Places & Faces)
February 1, 2006... Colville, Wash.-based Colmac Coil Manufacturing has promoted Joe Fazzari to sales and marketing manager. Fazzari will oversee the sales engineering and marketing departments, as well as the corporate network of manufacturer's representatives....

Maxitrol Co.(Places & Faces)
February 1, 2006... Maxitrol Co., Southfield, Mich., a manufacturer of gas-pressure regulators, gas-modulation valves and electronic controls for gas systems, named Josh Blackmore director of sales. Blackmore is responsible for key customer accounts, researching...

Vulcanium Corp.(Places & Faces)
February 1, 2006... Richard Schulz has joined Northbrook, III.-based Vulcanium Corp. as production manager. Schulz is responsible for all factory activities and the efficient handling of orders. He also coordinates the activities of production and engineering,...

Ascon Corp.(Places & Faces)
February 1, 2006... Ascon Corp., Batavia, III., has revamped www.asconcorp.com. Increased use of the Internet for quick product applications and an ever-demanding need for immediate product overview and technical information helped prompt the new design....

Gencor Industries Inc.(Places & Faces)
February 1, 2006... Marc G. Elliott was appointed president of Gencor Industries Inc., Orlando, Fla. Elliott has been involved in numerous positions and responsibilities within Gencor Industries for the past 17 years, including vice president, marketing;...

Honeywell.(Places & Faces)
February 1, 2006... Minneapolis-based Honeywell acquired Tridium Inc., a privately held software-development company based in Richmond, Va., with subsidiaries in London and Singapore. Tridium will continue to operate as a separate business entity within...