Industrial Factory Automation

Emerson has added the Fisher EZHSO Regulator and Whisper Trim Cage options to the EZH and EZHSO Series. The EZHSO design incorporates a spring cartridge that offers a fail-to-open alternative, ensuring gas delivery and maximising uptime. The Whisper Trim technology provides efficient noise prevention at the source, while the cage can be easily retrofitted in the field. The Type EZHSO and EZHSO-OSX (slam-shut) regulators are available in 1, 2 and 3in sizes and provide the same benefits as Emerson's Fisher Type EZH regulators. This includes a 103bar (1500psig) inlet/outlet rating to meet higher system requirements and an environmentally friendly, no-bleed design that eliminates emissions for higher-pressure pipelines. Top-entry maintenance reduces the time and expenses required for training, installation and maintenance, and the bubble-tight shutoff reduces cost of ownership by precisely regulating high-pressure transmission lines, providing consistent reliability of gas delivery an...

The next technical lecture from the London Section of the Institute of Measurement and Control (IMC) is entitled 'SIL Compliant Fire and Gas Systems' and will be presented by Rob Pashby of ABB . At the lecture, which will be held at 18:15 on 9 February at the EIC in London, ABB will discuss the 800xA HI system that it has developed to meet the functional requirements of fire and gas systems and SIL compliance and what this means. The company hopes to provoke some discussion on why fire and gas systems, traditionally classified as post-event mitigation controls, are increasingly being specified as part of SIL-compliant safety systems. The presentation will highlight some of the work carried out by ABB specifically for fire and gas systems in the oil-and-gas sector and will introduce some of the new-range SIL-compliant detectors being used. Pashby is currently the UK safety execution manager for ABB, based in St Neots, and is a TUV-certified functional safety engineer. He works w...

Parker Hannifin is currently showcasing its latest analytical gas generation systems at the Arablab exhibition in Dubai, which runs until 12 January 2010. The products being shown include high-performance hydrogen, nitrogen and dry-air generators, which have been developed to improve the productivity and profitability of laboratories working in areas such as life sciences, chemical analysis and spectroscopy. In particular, Parker is exhibiting its latest range of high-purity analytical nitrogen generation systems, which incorporate the latest pressure swing adsorption and membrane fibre technology and which reduce the cost of gas in the laboratory. The compact, self-contained generators, each with a small footprint, are fully automatic, simple and safe to set up and use; they incorporate reliable, low-maintenance technology, giving a long, trouble-free operating life, according to the company. Systems provide an optimum range of flow rates and purities suitable for LC/MS applications,...

Flow Dynamics will conduct liquid and gas flow measurement training classes during April 2010 at its facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The classes are intended for managers, engineers, technicians and QA/QC personnel seeking a greater understanding of basic flow measurement principles and application considerations. A three-day liquid flow measurement training class will be offered on 14-16 April and a three-day gas flow measurement training class will be held on 19-21 April. These courses were prepared with the job requirements of system design and production personnel in mind and offer practical, hands-on instruction in a range of flow-related disciplines. Students attending a Flow Dynamics training course will learn how to apply the latest flowmeter designs in industrial applications. Classes include an overview of flowmeter selection, with advantages and disadvantages of each technology, as well as guidelines for meter usage. In particular, attendees at the liquid course will gain ...

The International Society of Automation Analytical Division (ISA-AD) has awarded Servomex second place in its Best Technical Paper category, and given it the 2009 Gilmer/Thomason/Fowler/Konrad award. Servomex's winning paper was titled 'A Comparative Analysis of the Errors in the Measurement of Oxygen Between In-Situ and Extractive Methods'. Following the presentation to a peer group of more than 200 professionals working in multiple industries, including hydrocarbon processing, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and power generation, the paper was voted second out of 32 submissions and was invited by ISA-AD to be presented again at the ISA EXPO conference in Houston in October. Co-authored by Servomex technical experts James Hobby, Ian Gaskin, Richard Kovacich, Martin Lopez and Bahram Alizadeh, the paper reviews the emergence of new techniques for in-situ oxygen measurement that increase the range of methods available to the user - but for which there has previously been limited ...

Witt has launched a next-generation synthetic air-gas mixer for medical applications. Medical applications require high-purity air as natural ambient air includes impurities such as dust, germs, viruses, oxides and, at worst, toxic particles that could adversely affect the care of the patient. As an alternative to the common use of compressors, Witt mixers can be used for the sustained, reliable production of synthetic air. Using a mixture of pure oxygen and nitrogen with a similar composition to the atmosphere, hospitals and other medical facilities can achieve a high air-purity level for the protection of their patients. This gas mixer offers safe operation using a touch screen, low investment and maintenance costs, easy integration into existing systems and a low energy demand. It meets all the required standards regarding construction, material and manufacture and all components have built-in safety features to ensure full functionality, even when external factors such as barometr...

Exxonmobil has brought out the Mobil SHC Pegasus oils, which maximise natural-gas engine-component reliability, but with additional energy-efficiency opportunities. Developed for optimum engine protection in natural-gas engines, Mobil SHC Pegasus oils exhibited average energy savings of up to 1.5 per cent in independent university laboratory testing and statistically validated field tests. The energy savings will also result in an equivalent reduction of CO2 emissions from gas engines operating with Mobil SHC Pegasus. The Mobil SHC Pegasus formulation delivers the potential for reduced fuel consumption, increased oil-drain intervals and exceptional engine cleanliness and component protection. Controlled field testing in demanding gas-compression applications has indicated that Mobil SHC Pegasus drain intervals can exceed 12,000 hours, or three to four times that of standard natural-gas engine oils. Extending oil-drain intervals can help reduce the amount of downtime the engine experie...

In several development steps with cutting trials, Precitec has increased the flow rate through the cutting nozzle while keeping the cutting gas pressure constant. The KT B CON ceramic part and the nozzles now have no 'hard edges' and have a conical geometry. Thus, the cutting gas pressure can be reduced while giving the same cutting edge quality and the input pressure directly on the processing head can be reduced. The company said that field tests with the new design have also shown an increased working range for the focal position. Dirt on the focussing lens and the associated focus shift can be detected with the larger process window and increase the operating life of the optics. With CO2 cutting heads without a protective window in particular, this leads to cost advantages.

Dome-loaded 797 LE-HD gas-controlled pressure regulators from Witt can provide an economic and safe solution to ensure gas cutting systems receive a constant gas supply, according to the manufacturer. The company said this system of gas regulation is more economical than using a full electronic control system. In one application the three inlet lines for oxygen and propane are supplied via Witt pressure regulators to optimise the automatic gas supply. The gas control was regulated using proportional valves with changes in the gas pressure being adjusted by pressure changes, thereby controlling the cutting process. Witt pressure regulators can be used for numerous applications with a range of flow rates and gases. They are used as a primary pressure regulator, which can be installed in any orientation, in gas supply pipeline systems to ensure a consistent stable pressure up to a flow of 2300m3/h and are independent of any inlet pressure fluctuations in the gas supplies, including gas w...

Sound Dead Steel (SDS) was contacted by the Industrial Noise and Vibration Centre (INVC) to assist with a noise reduction programme for Scottish Power. The power station's main gas pipe work is 400mm diameter, with a reduction to 150mm at the metering section Close microphone measurements indicated noise levels as high as 100 to 110dB(A) with the dominant energy at frequencies >500Hz. SDS clad the pipeline with Sonphonon sound dead steel, fabricated and fitted split boxes to encase the valves. After the final snagging was completed, the attached noise survey was carried out to determine the overall noise reduction for this project. The average noise reduction achieved within the GRF compound was approximately 8dB(A). The maximum reduction achieved was 16dB(A); this was adjacent the metering flow meter area. INVC noted that noise from adjacent cooling fans masked the full noise reduction benefits. Noise reductions on plain pipeline measured 19dB(A), which clearly shows the ef...