Vitalii Prokopiv, Author at Flowmetrics

Graphene-Based Film Close to Pilot Production

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

Heat is a severe bottleneck in electronics and the progress towards bigger and better things. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology have applied graphene nanoflakes to efficiently cool electronics, and this feat is bound for small initial productions in the near future.

From their studies on the heat transfer enhancement of graphene films, the researchers found that different functionalized amino acids added to the film can increase already improved heat transfer properties.

Click here for the full article from Science Daily.

Miniature Burst Disks Problems

Posted on April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

Rupture disks have been the go-to system for protecting vessels from over-pressurization. Miniaturization of these rupture disks has brought new setbacks in materials and designs.

Burst disks are widely chosen over safety valves due to their quick response and evacuation of the vessel. These disks are produced to “fail” at a predetermined pressure difference between both faces of the disk. It is when they fail at that pressure that they protect the vessel from failing in a more disastrous manner.

As rupture disks are made smaller and smaller, low rated disks must use paper-thin metals easily broken during handling, assembly, and operation. It is recommended to use these disks when operation pressures are 75% or less of the rated burst pressure.

Click here for the full article from Product Design and Development.

Chemical Processes to Change the World

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

15% of the global energy consumption is spent on chemical processing. These processes aim at purifying certain substances out of mixtures, and the most common method is through heating and distillation. The vast majority of these purifying processes are done on crude oil to separate the various useful hydrocarbons. Alternatives exist for accomplishing this goal while using only 10% of the energy of distillation practices. Little research has been done to fully flesh out these alternatives, though.

Nuclear power is crucial for future generations, and crude oil is running out. Current estimates on the lifespan of our uranium reserves have them expiring within a century. To better fuel our need for energy well into the future, we will need to establish a cost-effective process to separate uranium from seawater. The amount of uranium in the oceans is roughly 0 times the amount we have left in our geological reserves.

Click here for the full article from Nature.com.

GE Provides Water Treatment For Chinese Chemical Plant

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

GE is taking over waste-water treatment processes for a Chinese coal-to-chemical plant in light of new regulations. The goal of this project is to eliminate any liquid discharge and allow the plant to reuse all water for production.

Under China’s new regulations, including the Water Pollution Action Plan, the New Environmental Protection Law and China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, these plants must eliminate the liquid discharge of waste-water into the environment, and a ZLD system must be installed to obtain a permit for these plants.

The advanced Zero Liquid Discharge technology from GE combines a vapor recompression brine concentrator and a crystallizer for cost-effective environmental protection.

Click here for the full article from Hydrocarbon Processing.

New Process Control FLP

Posted on April 25, 2016April 25, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

Dr. Babu Padmanabhan, inventor of the Fractional Lobe Processor, looks forward to the benefits of his new product. The teams expect improvements in temporal control and spatial control throughout the engineering process. The FLP removes hot spots and dead zones while retaining process continuity, by focusing on regulating input and output flows.

Greater control over the processing speed and timing safeguards sensitive input resources from adverse conditions before production.

“The FLP has also opened new, hitherto unexplored vistas in the field of material transformation owing to wide range of unit operations that can be seamlessly designed in the FLP. It has an immense potential to design, create and manufacture different types of products with highly-controlled physicochemical attributes making it a true versatile continuous processor.” -Dr. Himadri Sen of STEERLife.

Click here for the full article from PRNewswire.

Flow Meters to Get ‘Drive-by Data’

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

The NPNRD, North Platte Natural Resource District, has been awarded $750,000 for research and development on a new telemetry system for faster access to flow meter information.

The new system will allow for remote access to flow meter data with a historical view. A small camera will sit above the meter face and take pictures of the display, these pictures will be uploaded to a website, converted to a digital record, and be available to District staff and the landowner.

“Producers and landowners will benefit from being provided real-time information to aid in their management decisions,”-General Manager John Berge from NPNRD

Click here for the full article on Star Herald.

Solenoid Valves Improving Temperature Range

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

The operational temperature range for solenoid valves is increasing with the release of the new ASCO 327. This updated model is suitable for use in temperatures as low as -60°C, previously the lowest rated temperature was -50°C. The upper bound for this solenoid valve is 90°C.

This new-found lower temperature rating will result in much wider arctic and polar applications for this valve, an increasing likelihood in oil and gas explorations. Other new features include a higher spring force and a power consumption of 5.6 watts AC, and is available on a range of 37 series valves.

Click here for the full article on Control Engineering.

Steam From Water Without Boiling

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

Other projects have used plasmons to heat water, but this new test has increased the efficiency with “black gold.” A new material produced by the scientists uses gold particulates in a variety of sizes, a few “tens of billionths of a meter wide,” so small that the gold looks black. This mixture absorbs 99% of all visible and infrared light, and up to 90% of that light is converted to heat.

While the efficiency of this material is not record holding, carbon nanotubes are more efficient at converting light to heat, this material is much less expensive to produce and more readily applied to current uses of steam.

Click here to read the full article on Student Science.

Radar Level Gauge for Liquids

Posted on April 21, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

The VEGAPULS 64 is a contactless level transmitter that uses radar to detect the level of a container up to 30 meters away with an accurancy of +/- mm. This level of accuracy is unparalleled and due in fact to a tighter beam angle. Other comparable radar liquid level transmitters have an average beam angle of 10°, but the VEGAPULS 64 has a beam angle of 3° allowing for better readings.

The new radar level sensor VEGAPULS 64 is not only ideal for wide use in the chemical and petroleum sectors, but also in the pharmaceutical and food industries, because of its hygienic materials and design. The relevant approvals for this sector, such as 3A and EHDEG, are available at launch. Thanks to its small antenna – the diameter of the smallest version is no larger than a 1-euro coin – it results in very compact process fittings, which means the sensor can offer an interesting alternative for confined spaces in small vessels.

Click here for the full article on Control Engineering.

We Will be at the Offshore Technology Conference!

Posted on April 21, 2016April 21, 2016 by Vitalii Prokopiv

Coming up this May 2 through May 5 is the Offshore Technology Conference. The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) is for energy professionals to meet to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters.

This is a great opportunity for you to come out and meet with manufacturers for the industry’s largest equipment exhibition. You’ll get to see the newest innovations, get the most technical information on designs and applications, and meet knowledgeable and experience professionals.

We will be located in space #2406 with Hydraulics International Inc. Join us in expanding science and technology!

Click here for more information on the Offshore Technology Conference.