Process Engineering articles from December 2002

Process Engineering archives from December 2002

Sterile sealing for food and drink duties. (Process Equipment).
December 1, 2002... Aimed at sterile and hygiene-critical applications in the food and drink industry, John Crane's new Saflex H pump seal has been tested and certified by the European Hygienic Equipment Design Group (EHEDG). The seal itself has an 'ultra-clean'...

Extreme pumps for extreme duties. (Process Equipment).
December 1, 2002... Ultrachem's ANSI-dimensioned magnetically-driven pumps are designed to withstand the toughest process applications. Available in the UK through Michael Smith Engineers, Ultrachem pumps use a ductile iron casting with a Tefzel (ETFE) lining for...

Latest approvals for butterfly valves. (Process Equipment).
December 1, 2002... Designed for handling corrosive and abrasive materials, Gar-Seal butterfly valves from Garlock Sealing Technologies meet both the EC Pressure Equipment Directive and the TOV Sealing Certification requirements. Valve linings are moulded...

Instrumentation fittings save time and resist high pressures. (Process Equipment).
December 1, 2002... Parker Instrumentation's tube fittings for gas and liquid instrumentation systems are able to operate at pressures 50 per cent higher than other fittings, but can be installed in seconds by simply tightening a nut. This removes the need for...

New lobe pumps carry old name. (Process Equipment).
December 1, 2002... SSP Pumps--a 'premium' brand of Alfa Laval Pumps that has recently resurfaced (see PE, November, p2)--has introduced its new Series S range of stainless steel rotary lobe pumps. The pumps feature a host of features to optimise them to...

Optimum control for sensitive fluids. (Process Equipment).
December 1, 2002... Designed and manufactured to 3A hygiene standards, the SCV85 Badger Meter control valve is said to be ideal for critical process applications involving highly sensitive or extremely valuable fluids, such as can be found in the biotechnology,...

Open protocol for safety communication. (Safety & Environment).
December 1, 2002... Rockwell, Omron and Sick are to collaborate on developing an open protocol for safety communications. Based on the existing Control and Information Protocol (CIP) found in DeviceNet, ControlNet and EtherNet/IF, the CIP Safety has been approved...

Genesis begins to cut emissions. (Safety & Environment).
December 1, 2002... Fugitive emissions from valve flanges and packings are becoming increasingly worrying for petrochemical plant operators. Sealing specialist Garlock is now providing consulting and repair services to curtail fugitive emissions -- also known as...

Direct connection increases safety equipment reliability and cuts cost. (Safety & Environment).
December 1, 2002... Schmersal has launched a range of safety equipment which connects directly to the yellow AS-i cable without the need for an intermediate input module. The AS range uses embedded chip technology, making it possible to connect emergency stop...

Award-winning press for sewage sludge. (Safety & Environment).
December 1, 2002... Initially developed by a Canadian government agency for dewatering paper pulp, Fournier's rotary press is now available in Europe for removing moisture from sewage sludge. The press, winner of the US Water Environment Federation's Innovative...

Intelligent actuators for quarter-turn valves. (Process Automation & Control).
December 1, 2002... Drawing on the expertise of its EI-O-Matic and Hytork subsidiaries, Emerson Process Management last month introduced what it says is the first intelligent actuator series for automated on/off and modulating pneumatically operated quarter-turn...

Heavy duty loadcells. (Process Automation & Control).
December 1, 2002... Designed to work in harsh environments found in chemical and pulp and paper applications, Variohm's 3270 Lebow loadcells are made from stainless steel and sealed to IP67. The 13 models in the 3270 series range from 25-200 000lb. They have a...

Vortex meter shuts out the noise. (Process Automation & Control).
December 1, 2002... Adding digital signal processing to its proven vortex flowmeter range, Yokogawa's DigitalYEWFLO can isolate the flow signal from the noise caused by pipe vibration, pumps, valves and bends. The meter uses dual piezoelectric sensors to produce a...

Small, but very fast. (Process Automation & Control).
December 1, 2002... Mitubishi Electric's Q plc series is designed with OEMs and machine builders in mind. Small and fast, with high connectivity levels, the plcs use an open network platform which can act as a hub for any fieldbus or data network. The low-end...

Manifold bus benefits. (Process Automation & Control).
December 1, 2002... What is claimed to be the first integrated fieldbus manifold system for controlling pneumatic actuators in hazardous environments has been launched by Parker Hannifin's Fluid Control Division Europe. The ExePress bus manifold marketed under the...

Taking monitoring in hand. (Process Automation & Control).
December 1, 2002... Eurotherm's 5000 series data acquisition products can now be remotely monitored and controlled using an HP/Compaq iPAC Pocket PC, allowing PDA users to configure instruments and view all the displays available live, including bar graphs,...

Faster route to drive designs. (Process Automation & Control).
December 1, 2002... Traditionally, drive systems have been designed and built as bespoke projects. The typical components, such as isolation and protection elements, switchgear, meters and indicators and so on, all have to be individually specified and sourced....

Stronger signals. (Process Automation & Control).
December 1, 2002... Flowline's new Ultraflow Minisonic P ultrasonic flowmeter boasts 0.1ns resolving power, the company says, thanks to a feature called echo shape control. This functions as an ultrasonic auto-focus, giving the meter three times the resolving...

PE electronics puts Profibus and foundation fieldbuses in one unit. (Advertisement Features).
December 1, 2002... PR electronics is the first company in the world to develop a temperature transmitter with two bus protocols. The transmitter is dedicated to temperature measurement and level measurement in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries as well as...

Vega has it all in the head. (Advertisement Features).
December 1, 2002... VEGA's new range of hydrostatic level and pressure sensors VEGABAR 50 and 60 sets the standard for the future. VEGA's fittings range has increased, flush diaphragms at 1/2" hygienic, aseptic and 'ultraflush' paper fittings, EHEDG, 3A, FDA...

Sensible sensor advice from Variohm Eurosensor. (Advertisement Features).
December 1, 2002... Variolan Eurosensor will provide the initial technical support and advice required to onsure that the best sensor is used for the application in question, taken firm their wide range of industrial sensor used to measure Position, Pressure,...

Rotaflow swivel joints. (Advertisement Features).
December 1, 2002... ROTAFLOW FV LTD manufacture a range of Swivel Joints and Loading Arms used to transfer fluid from a static point to a moving container. * Robust, easy to strip and assemble * 360[degrees] rotation under pressure without leakage *...

Is it a PLC or a PC? A new breed of industrial control systems emerges. (Advertisement Feature).
December 1, 2002... It is easy to understand why in the past decade there has been a heightened interest in PC-based control for Industrial Automation. The PC offers powerful software tools, a floating point processor, plenty of RAM and a graphical terminal...

ABB wins major repair contract. (What's New in Process Engineering).
December 1, 2002... ABB Motor Service Partners has secured a contract to repair, replace and maintain low voltage ac motors for Severn Trent Water over the next three years. A single point of contact has been provided through a new company, MSP Network. Severn...

Three in one from one meter. (What's New in Process Engineering).
December 1, 2002... Designed for pH measurement to an accuracy of [+ or -] 0.02pH, Kalestead's hand-held PH2 also offers equally accurate mV and [degrees]C ranges to facilitate redox and specific ion measurement, and automatically adjusts for changes in buffer...

Piezo-based pressure sensor. (What's New in Process Engineering).
December 1, 2002... The HPS Series 902 Absolute Piezo sensor from MKS Instruments allows a wide range of absolute pressure measurement, from [10.sup.-1] to 1000Torr. Featuring a simple modular design, high reliability and low cost, the Series 902 is said to...

Versatile heat exchanger. (What's New in Process Engineering).
December 1, 2002... The versatile Platecoil prime surface heat exchanger from SWEP offers an efficient and economical heat transfer solution to a wide variety of industries. A cost-effective alternative to Pipecoil heat exchangers, Platecoil units can provide...

Coating solves sticky problems. (What's New in Process Engineering).
December 1, 2002... Poeton Industries has launched a new generation of thermal spray technology. It uses an infused matrix of metals, ceramics, polymers and/or dry lubricants to create structural integrity and non-porous moisture-proof surfaces that solve the...

Customised data acquisition. (What's New in Process Engineering).
December 1, 2002... National Instruments FREE DAQ Designer[TM] 2002 CD takes users through a step-by-step configurator to select the optimal software and hardware products for their custom data acquisition (DAQ) systems. Users answer questions about their...

Fit in minutes, not hours. (What's in New Process Engineering).
December 1, 2002... BTL's detachable belts can save hours of downtime. Unlike endless belts, they can be fitted without having to dismantle equipment. The range includes Super-T- Link for Wedge SP drives, Nu-T-Link for classical drives, and Powertwist for...

Tanks for all. (What's New in Process Engineering).
December 1, 2002... For three decades, Allibert Helix has provided expertly designed and precision manufactured plastic storage tanks, using its unique helically-wound extrusion process. Helix Tanks have become the industry standard for a wide range of bulk...

Quiet mills require less energy. (What's New in Process Engineering).
December 1, 2002... Netzsch Condux Jet Mills are taking the place of spiral mills, unidirectional jet mills and wet grinding systems. This is because they require less energy and have a more favourable price to performance ratio. The machines also produce less...

Customising for hygiene. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Focusing on engineering for hygienic applications, Axium Process works with 304, 316 and 3316L stainless steels and nickel alloys, the firm offers full certification to ensure that materials are traceable--a vital requirement for pharmaceutical...

Heat cables are ATEX certified. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Isopad FHT from Tyco Thermal Controls is a family of constant wattage parallel circuit heating cables designed for industrial trace heating applications. Carrying full ATEX compliant certification, the cables can be cut to length and terminated...

Manifold minimises leaks. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Parker Instrumentation has introduced a novel style of double-block-and-bleed valve manifold, based on a one-piece construction that eliminates numerous leak paths compared with traditional assemblies. The Pro-Valve manifold requires just two...

Serial to Ethernet interfacing. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The RG2-1TX is a new Rail Gateway product from Hirschmann Electronics that allows most electronic products with a serial interface to be connected to an Ethernet network at low cost. It conforms to all relevant industrial standards and...

'One size fits all' valve lockout. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... A specialist in lockout/tagout equipment, Reece Safety has introduced the new one size fits all' Hybrid Valve Lockout. This device, designed to fit on to any type and size of gate and ball valve, allows the valve to be padlocked in either the...

Multipurpose controllers. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The new modular FMT-400 programmable controllers from Colter Systems feature very fast processing times and are capable of controlling over 2500 analogue and digital I/O signals. The basic system consists of a rack into which is plugged a power...

Heating up the drum contents. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The CF/B base drum heater from trace heating specialist Flexelec provides an even spread of heat to the contents of 45gal plastic and steel drums--ideal for applications where low temperature and slow heat-up rates are needed. Four versions are...

Cooling it with Rocol. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The new Refrigeration Compressor Oil from Rocol Lubricants is a high performance product designed specifically for low temperature applications. It has been long-term tested at -45[degrees]C where it outperformed the requirements of cooling...

Looking inside pipes. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The Pearpoint flexi-cam from Radiodetection's Inspection Division is ideal for checking pipes for dirt and blockages. It is a flexible, lightweight and compact system comprising a high sensitivity 25mm colour camera on 15m of flex-rod that can...

Wall to wall filtration. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Parker Filtration Division Europe has produced an 8-page process filtration overview brochure that also folds out to become a useful reference wallchart. The brochure is supplied with an accompanying CD-ROM containing full technical details of...

Custom-built mixing solution. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Alpharma, a Devon-based manufacturer of generic pharmaceuticals, is using model L4RT laboratory mixers from Silverson for assay of pharmaceutical products. This type of assay requires faultless repeatability of test results and Alpharma...

Make mine a pint, precisely. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The Titan beer flow meter gives a low cost pints totaliser with anti-tampering features. Monitoring flow from 0.5 to 10 1/min and accurate to 1.5%, the display shows pints delivered, zeroed only by using the manager's key fob. Any tampering, or...

Improved powder charging. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... PSL has added two new features to its ChargePoint range. The Extraction Ring annulus has a 360[degrees] perforated plenum to extract any airborne particles into a safe HEPA filter; while the Vortex System injects a mist between the two faces of...

Steam trap maintenance cut. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... With the release of the UFT14 stainless steel ball float trap, Spirax Sarco has completed the launch of its range of Quick-Fit steam traps. Quick-Fit steam trapping stations cut the time to replace a steam trap from up to two hours to as little...

Lab toolkit for validation. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Thermo LabSystems has released a Validation Toolkit for the latest version of its Atlas CDC chromatography data system. Comprising software and documentation, the toolkit features an automated test driver which allows users improved control...

Valve advice in your pocket. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... A 28-page, pocket-sized guide from Dairy Pipe Lines (DPL) contains information and advice on maintaining the company's single-seat valves. The user manual includes: information on pneumatic valve operation; dimensioned drawings and tables with...

Dusty solids on radar. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The Sitrans LR 400 radar instrument from Siemens Process Instruments offers relaible continuous level measurement for difficult applications on dusty solids, such as cement, flour, fly ash, carbon black and petroleum coke. It has 4-wire power...

Displaying the rate for the job. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The Alpha from Sensors UK is a multi-mode, intelligent display instrument, providing a cost-effective solution to the problems of measuring and displaying variables such as rotational speed, production rate, frequency, counting and elapsed...

Fast weighing indicators. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Applied Weighing has lunched a range of pioneering new weight indicators which, it says, provide an ingenious, totally flexible and cost effective weighing solution for a range of industries. The flagship of the range is the 920i, a fully...

Gentle pumping suits creams. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The new Wilden Saniflo VC range of hygienic air operated, electrically controlled positive displacement pumps is designed to pump foods, creams, pastes and emulsions without causing any structural damage. It can pump solids up to 152mm (6 in)...

Bronkhorst aims at dosing market. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Measure or control fluid mass flow rate at up to 500kg/hr with the new Bronkhorst CORI-FLOW affordable, precision Coriolis meter. With full digital or analogue communications, the P65 unit is suitable for dosing or blending high-pressure...

It's about time--a safe clock. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Following the introduction of BEKA associates' new intrinsically safe battery-powered clock, time can be safely displayed in explosive atmospheres. The BA369 panel-mounting clock is ATEX certified and has a 25mm high, easy to read, digital...

Network diagnostic software. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Hirschmann Electronics has launched version 6.1 of the HiVision network diagnostic software--an SNMP management shell for managing Hirschmann SNMP enabled equipment and also for monitoring all SNMP-capable devices linked to a network. Available...

Quality Analyst aids charting. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Adept Scientific has begun shipping Northwest Analytical's (NWA) Quality Analyst, version 5.2. Said to be the world's leading Windows software for Statistical Process Control charting and analysis, NWA Quality Analyst helps users to maintain...

Bright idea from Castell. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Castell Iso-Lock can now supply a range of different coloured locking-off equipment contained in matching storage cases. Of use when, for example, several maintenance teams are working in the same area, the colour coding ensures that each...

Chill out and save energy. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Coolmation's newly-launched NRG division provides manufacturing companies using water-chilling and process cooling systems with an energy health check. This provides a cost-effective solution to the challenges posed by the Climate Change Levy....

Pigs flying to new levels. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Pig clearing of pipework has been used in industry for many years, but it is taken to new levels by IST Pigging Systems in terms of both cleanliness and the range of fittings available. Pig clearing can now be used in all applications from...

Powder flow measurement. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The patented FT3 powder rheometer from Freeman Tech is the only instrument on the market that measures all the relevant forces needed to give a complete and accurate measurement of powder flowability. Sensitive and reproducible data are...

High temperature compensation. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... A new temperature compensation method is now available on most load cells from Novatech Measurements. All load cells have outputs that change with temperature. The current way of compensating for this is to use nickel or Balco foil resistors,...

Mobile dry ice cleaning. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Industrial Mineral Supplies has launched the Green Tech Range of mobile dry ice cleaning systems onto the UK market. Tried and tested throughout Europe for over a decade, not only does cleaning with Green Tech dry ice equipment offer massive...

Single-stage agglomerate. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Spray drying, agglomeration and granular technology are brought together in a single machine from Hosokawa Micron, reducing the need for multiple step processing and the amount of ancillary equipment used. The new Agglomaster fluidised bed...

Hygienic kibblers from Kemutec. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Kemutec Group has added hygienic models to its portfolio of pre-breaker/coarse grinding KEK kibblers which offer benefits when cleaning or changing grinding screens between batches. The kibblers have a cantilevered shaft, similar to those in...

Versatile diaphragm valves. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... New diaphragm valve systems from fluid control specialist Burkert Fluid Control Systems feature investment cast or forged valve body for use in a wide variety of industrial applications. They can be adapted to any requirement with many...

Particle sizing in the wet. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... The introduction of the new Malvern Insitec L adds particle sizing in wet suspensions to the capabilities of the Malvern Process Systems range of laser diffraction analyser. It uses the proven liquid suspension flow cell design employed in...

Centre for drying research. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... Anhydro, part of Invensys APV, is investing heavily some $4million in extending and rebuilding its test centre in Copenhagen, providing an opportunity to grow its research and development capability for new technologies. The project comprises...

Refurbishment for mixers. (Marketplace).
December 1, 2002... For customers with tight capital budgets, Lancashire-based mixer manufacturer Joshua Greaves & Sons is offering a comprehensive mixer refurbishment and upgrade service for all makes of used mixing machinery. When compared with the purchase of...

Introducing the new high capacity Tetra Centri centrifuge. (Advertorial).
December 1, 2002... Tetra Pak is introducing a new high capacity centrifuge, Tetra Centri 918 HGV, for dairies with large production volumes. The new machine is capable of handling 10% higher volumes than the H818 HGV, currently the largest machine available...