News

U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk has been confirmed as a speaker at the Downstream USA 2022 conference and exhibition in Houston, Texas. Turk will lead one of the strongest downstream speaker lists ever at the event, on June 8 and 9.

Alongside Turk will be Bob Maughon, executive vice president and chief sustainability officer at SABIC; Shelley Porter, executive director of sustainability and circular solutions at Eastman Chemical Company; and Chemours chief sustainability officer Sheryl Telford.

Elsewhere, the Reuters Events conference will feature Christopher Guith, senior vice president of policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Energy Institute, and Dipankar Das, group vice president and head of digital for commercial and value chain operations at Marathon Petroleum.

Rounding off the stellar cast of speakers will be Venki Chandrashekar, vice president for research and technology at Chevron Phillips Chemical, and Suresh Padmanabhan, senior vice president, chief technology officer and global manufacturing head for PET at Indorama Ventures.

Explosion isolation is absolutely essential for comprehensive explosion protection. Without isolation, an explosion safety concept is not only incomplete, but is also a waste of money for operators as:

In almost every production facility, individual plant components are interconnected by means of pipelines. The purpose of explosion isolation is to seal these pipelines in the event of an explosion to prevent the propagation of pressure and flames, thereby protecting the adjacent plant components. Precompression and flame jet ignition increase the severity of the explosion in the connected vessels. This leads to secondary explosions that can cause even more catastrophic damage.

Isolation systems prevent an explosion from propagating, thereby reducing the effects of the explosion to a minimum. Adjacent system components are optimally protected.

A distinction is made between active and passive isolation systems:

Active systems use sensors or detectors to detect an explosion as it occurs by registering the rising pressure or flames as they form and activate the associated isolation device, e.g. a quench valve.

Due to their structural design, passive isolation systems react purely mechanically to a propagation or loss of pressure. The latter also applies to explosion isolation flap valve. They are kept open during normal mode by means of the currents present in the pipeline. In the event of an explosion, the valve closes due to the propagating pressure front, effectively preventing the further propagation of pressure and flames.

Explosion isolation using quench valves: EXKOP system

The EXKOP system offers safe, economical and simple isolation of explosions, sparks and flames. By closing within milliseconds, quench valves protect interconnected system parts. In the event of an explosion, the EXKOP control system receives a trigger signal.

The entire system is fail-safe thanks to an integrated pressure accumulator and a self-monitoring control system. After triggering, the quench valves are ready for use again at the touch of a button. Plant downtimes can thus be reduced to a minimum. The compact design from DN 80 to DN 600 enables flexible integration into your production process.

Fig. 1: Quench valves open and closed

Explosion isolation due to slide valves

The slide valves RSV and REDEX Slide enable silos, mills and extraction systems to be safely isolated and are also available for challenging CIP, dust or gas applications. Both slide valves are suitable for abrasive media.

Explosions are reliably detected by pressure and/or infrared detectors installed in the plants to be protected and a signal is sent to the slide valve. This activates one or more gas generators, which close the slide valves. Flames and pressure waves are thus unable to propagate.

Explosion isolation flap valve Q-Flap RX - Isolation of raw gas lines to filters and dust collectors

The explosion isolation flap valve Q-Flap RX is offered in three different designs. The nominal widths from DN 140 to DN 710 have an inspection flap, while the largest nominal widths (up to DN 1000) have a modular structure to make maintenance as easy as possible. The Q-Flap RX is suitable, among other things, for the aspiration lines of filtering dust collectors and the suction lines of mills.

Alongside the stated features, the non-return valve Q-Flap RX allows for high K_St values, flexible installation distances and the highest strengths.

Fig. 2: Explosion isolation flap valve Q-Flap RX

Explosion Isolation with chemical barriers

The explosion isolation system Q-Bic registers the emerging explosion and extinguishes the developing explosion flames within milliseconds by applying the extinguishing powder. The extinguishing powder is optimally distributed in the pipeline via a nozzle system and guarantees reliable isolation. The chemical barrier is particularly well-suited to applications in elevators and spray dryers. 

Fig. 3: Explosion isolation system Q-Bic

Conclusion

Explosion isolation systems form part of the measures for explosion protection and are a must in every safety concept for process engineering plants such as silos, mills, filters and conveyors.

The experts from REMBE GmbH Safety & Control will be happy to help you to select the “right” measures at any time. 

About REMBE – the REMBE Alliance introduces itself

Most people associate REMBE with REMBE GmbH Safety + Control, the specialist for explosion safety and explosion venting worldwide. The company offers customers cross-industry safety concepts for plants and equipment. All products are manufactured in Germany and meet the requirements of national and international regulations. REMBE customers include market leaders in various industries, including the food, timber, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.

The company’s engineering expertise is based on more than 45 years of application and project experience. As an independent, owner-managed family business, REMBE combines expertise with the highest quality standards and is involved in various specialist committees worldwide. Short coordination paths allow for quick reactions and customer-specific solutions for all applications, from standard products to high-tech special designs.

In addition to REMBE GmbH Safety + Control (www.rembe.de) with approx. 280 employees worldwide, headquartered in Brilon (Hochsauerland, Germany), and numerous subsidiaries worldwide (Italy, Finland, Brazil, USA, China, Dubai, Singapore, South Africa, Japan), four other companies operate under the REMBE umbrella brand:

Manufacturing operations are faced with many challenges in today’s marketplace. With Global energy prices soaring, many industries are being impacted in the form of rising production costs, supply chain issues and lower output.

With this in mind, now is the time to think about reducing your business’ energy costs.

The British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) estimate that that pumping systems account for almost 20% of the world’s electrical demand and the cost of energy represents 95% of the cost to run pumping equipment (1). It is clear that solutions developed to increase pump performance would be of great benefit to industry.

Fluid handling equipment can suffer from several physical and mechanical problems, including general and/or localised corrosion, cavitation or reliability linked with poor efficiency or performance. All these parameters may affect the power consumption of the equipment, increasing considerably its lifetime running cost.

One effective way to reduce the loss of equipment performance is to protect pumping systems using erosion/corrosion resistant coatings. In this area, Belzona Polymerics Ltd has provided coating technology solutions for over 70 years within all industry sectors.

Belzona 1341 offers a unique hydrophobic surface coupled with high erosion/corrosion resistance, which reduces friction losses and thus the energy input required. Belzona 1341 (Supermetalglide) can also be used on new equipment to enhance pump efficiency and reduce electrical consumption. Its unique system provides gains in hydraulic efficiency from 3% - 8% on new pumps as well as up to 20% on those already in service.

Pump Efficiency Coating - Case Study

The Situation

A car manufacturer had four long-coupled end suction pumps that had been deemed beyond economical repair by another third-party repairer. Each new replacement pump would cost £18,000 and had an expected lead time of up to five months from the USA,

meaning an expensive and drawn-out process for the Customer.

Hayley 24/7 Industrial Pumps team were given the opportunity to offer a second opinion.

One of the pumps was sent to the Hayley 24/7 facility, installed on the state-of-the-art test rig and its performance was analysed. Its hydraulic efficiency was down at 38.3%. Work began on a strip and inspection with reports of both processes submitted to the Customer.

The Solution

The Customer was keen to proceed, and the team set to work. This started with the heavily eroded volute casing being repaired with Belzona 1111 (Super Metal), a metal repair composite.

The volute casing was then re-profiled to suit the impeller vane tips and Belzona 1341 (Supermetalglide) was applied to improve the units’ hydraulic efficiency, flow rate and head characteristics.

Flow rate was an important factor in the Customer’s operation, and this was identified as a key metric for improvement prior to the refurbishment.  

The pumps’ seals were also upgraded to the latest EagleBurgmann SN Single cartridge seals, with bearing isolators installed to help eliminate bearing contamination.  

Reassembly of the unit was completed, and the pump was re-tested before being shipped back to the Customer’s facility.

The Result

The refurbishment and upgrade cost the Customer significantly less than what they had been quoted for a new replacement pump, from the American OEM. By providing this service, Hayley 24/7 enabled the Customer to secure a capital expenditure saving of £11,500 and cut the delivery lead-time down to just 2.5 weeks.

It was calculated that the refurbished pump would deliver an annual energy cost-saving of £14,500, based on the following performance test results:

• Hydraulic efficiency: increased to 48.3%
• Flow rate: increased from 77.3% to 85.1%
• Motor absorbed power: reduced from 42.6kW to 40.8kW
• Pump differential head: increased from 20.6m to 23.5m

The Customer is now looking to roll-out a comprehensive programme of pump refurbishments at their site, including all 12 active pump assets. By doing this, the Customer will benefit from an annual energy cost-saving of around £173,000. The reduction in energy consumption will also have a positive impact on the company’s current environmental initiatives.

One of the biggest challenges in maintaining a safe facility is information management. There are Lockout/Tagout procedures, confined space permits, maintenance schedules and other important documents. They all need to be regularly updated and reviewed. Discover how you can easily manage your safety procedures with LINK360 Software from Brady!

At Brady, we provide personalised consultation services to improve employee safety, productivity and equipment reliability, both today and down the road.

Link360™ Software is the first software to give you a complete view of the activities associated with creating, reviewing and updating visual information.

Link360 Software enables users to create, scale, update and validate visually instructive safety procedures. The software provides an easy way to keep safety procedures accurate, compliant and sustainable in multiple facilities.

• Create clear and easy-to-follow, visually instructive safety procedures
• Quickly scale and deploy standardised and approved safety procedures across facilities

Interested? Go for free 30 day trial!

Easily complete procedures using a smartphone

The Smart Lockout App sends the most recently approved, and relevant Lockout/Tagout procedures from LINK360 to the smartphones of coworkers servicing specific machines. Via their smartphone, coworkers receive one lockout instruction at a time and can confirm its completion before receiving the next step. The smart lockout app can send a report back to LINK360 including all lockout procedure steps marked as completed.

Watch the short video and discover benefits of LINK360 Software >>

Critical on-site inspection and removal of roller conveyors for ski-slope chairlifts high in the Italian Alps is being made easier and safer using a battery powered, Enerpac XC-Pump and torque wrench kit. Ensuring the smooth running of the roller conveyors used to support steel wire cable is essential to the safe operation and movement of chairlifts between the departure and arrival stations via intermediate pylons.

Inspecting the 16 pylon roller conveyors ahead of the skiing season involves checking the integrity of the conveyors bolting through torque checking and visual inspection.  A W2000X Enerpac Torque Wrench fitted with a hexagonal cassette in a range of sizes up to 46 mm is used, in combination with the XC-Pump battery pump. When inspecting the pylon roller conveyors, where the engineer is working at heights up to 25 m, the portability of the XC-Pump is vital.

“The XC-Pump is ideal for this kind of application in remote, and often difficult to access locations and where power may not be readily available,” says Silvio Di Matteo, Enerpac

Account Manager Tools – North Italy. “The combination of Enerpac torque wrench and XC-Pump allows both inspection and removal of the roller conveyors to be accomplished with a single tool set. It is also much safer for the operator by avoiding the use of manual wrenches with extensions to generate high torques (over 1200 Nm), especially when working at height.”

Typically, every five years the pylon roller conveyors assemblies are removed completely for detailed workshop inspection and maintenance, here too the Enerpac torque wrench and XC-Pump are used. In the workshop, the roller conveyors are disassembled to check the components that cannot be seen during interim inspections, especially the pins. Both visual checks and NDT (non-destructive testing) are carried out on the pins. Then, the pin bushings and the roller bearings are changed. In addition, all welds are checked with magnetoscopic and ultrasound examinations.

For more information on Enerpac Torque Wrenches and the battery-powered, XC-Pump, visit www.enerpac.com.

Leading global provider of mission critical air and gas handling products, technologies and services, Howden, has won two awards in the annual Hydrogen Future Awards: Hydrogen Rising Star Company of the Year and Hydrogen Transport of the Year.

The awards were presented at Connecting Green Hydrogen MENA 2022 on 30 March. The Hydrogen Rising Star Company of the Year award honours Howden’s role over the past year in providing reliable hydrogen compression solutions to a number of global projects. These major milestone developments are supporting key industries reduce their consumption and reliance on fossil fuels, including the world’s first green steel plant, the world’s first eFuels plant, Europe’s largest bio-fuels refinery, and one of the world’s first green oil refineries. A number of the projects were developed with the highest levels of safety considerations and are already in operation, working to reduce carbon emissions.

The Hydrogen Transport of the Year award recognises the solutions Howden provided to the world’s largest hydrogen refuelling station (HRS) for HyPower: the Beijing Daxing HRS in China. 

The installation, which was completed safely in January 2021, has enabled the HRS to compress 4.8 tonnes per day of hydrogen and refuel up to 600 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, including large vehicles such as trucks and buses. This flagship facility is a crucial part of the Beijing International Hydrogen Energy Demonstration Zone, an innovative ecosystem that that integrates research & development, test and production related to hydrogen energy. Howden’s role for the HRS project confirms the company’s position as a leading provider of cost effective, reliable and safe hydrogen compression solutions in direct support of projects that address climate change.

Salah Mahdy, Global Director, Renewable Hydrogen at Howden, comments: “This is a proud moment for our hydrogen team as we receive global recognition for our achievements and for the investments we have made in innovation to support the energy transition. Our efforts in R&D are bearing fruit as we support the development and use of hydrogen and fuel cells into commercially viable technologies.

“At Howden, we consider every operator experience as unique and for Howden, the technology deployed is just as important as the way it is applied. Of particular importance to us has been the safe and efficient application of technology, enabling us to demonstrate our skills as a market leader in the sector.”

The Howden team in China responded to a short lead time requirement for the project and worked closely with HyPower to provide the solution necessary to keep this important HRS running. Howden has a long history and strong presence in China with over 1,000 employees operating in offices and service centres across seven cities and a large manufacturing centre that serves customers across the country.

Howden recently announced its target to be carbon Net Zero by 2035 through the purchase of renewable energy and carbon free energy; efficiency gains from energy conservation measures; and by renewable energy projects at its manufacturing facilities. The largest impact the business will have on global sustainability will be through its partnership with customers to supply equipment that will make a major impact on their carbon emissions and sustainability.

Connecting Green Hydrogen MENA 2022 (CGHM2022) is the premium conference and exhibition committed to expediting the development of green hydrogen in Middle East and North Africa, gathering international policymakers, power producers, investors, suppliers and technical service providers together to build business partnership. The Hydrogen Future Awards 2022 provide an annual opportunity to recognise excellence and achievement across the hydrogen sector.

Lithium-ion batteries are now an essential part of our everyday lives. They have proven themselves for many years due to their high efficiency as rechargeable energy storage in small appliances such as mobile phones, notebooks, cameras, tools and model making. Lithium-ion batteries have now also made their way into electric cars, bicycles, forklift trucks and battery energy storage systems (BESS).

Biological Service Ensures High Gas Yield of Waste Plant

A biogas plant of WELTEC BIOPOWER recently went live in Saitama Prefecture, 40 km north of Tokyo. The facility – which is equipped with a 450-kW cogeneration power plant – is the fourth project to be rolled out by the German manufacturer in Japan. In terms of substrates, the operator makes use of organic leftovers from the vicinity. Since the raw material mix varies, WELTEC ensures a steady biogas output with its biological service. This special service of the biogas specialist also comprises another plant of the same customer.

Even after the reactor accident in Fukushima back in 2011, Japan continues to use nuclear power. However, renewable energies are consistently expanded and already account for a fifth of the power generated. Above all, leftovers are the preferred substrates in Japan. The biogas plant in Saitama, too, digests some 12,000 t of organic waste into energy. The substrate mix consists of organic waste and cattle manure from a nearby farm that belongs to the operator. The largely liquid organics are introduced to the digester by means of a central pump. Solid feedstocks are transported by a dosing feeder with a capacity of 27 m³.

To ensure efficient digestion of this mixture, WELTEC BIOPOWER has set up a stainless-steel digester with a capacity of 2,823 m³. Its diameter measures 25.34 m, and its height is 6.3 m. The upstream substrate storage tank, which is made of stainless steel, has a capacity of 336 m³, a diameter of 9.31 m and a height of 5.03 m. The 525-m³ digestate storage tank (diameter 11.64 m, height 5.03 m), too, is made of high-quality stainless steel.

Onshore production of Oil and Gas is used for the extraction of Oil and Gas from reserves deep below ground. Responsible for approximately 2% of total UK supply, it is still a vital source of Oil, producing approximately 14000-15000 barrels per day. 

To achieve maximum recovery of oil from wells, water is injected into underground wells, flooding the area, and as oil is less dense than the water, oil is brought to the surface and recovered using Oily water separators.

The water used to undertake this process is known as produced water, where after recovery it is recycled and reinjected back into wells. Often Saline or Brackish in nature, it can contain dissolved solids, silt and other particles present within a wells environment.

The TTS family is getting a new member in the form of a color-customizable variant, called: TTS RGB. All TTS switches use the highly precise Time-of-Flight (ToF) technology. Light is emitted by a transmitter and reflected by one or more objects. The reflected light beams are then detected and the distance is determined from the time of flight.

Colorful ring illumination

In addition to the pre-programmed bicolor switches, which are available in "Momentary" and "Latching" versions, the new RGB variant makes things much more colorful. Depending on the wiring, the customer can easily set the ring illumination color as desired.