Tag: processing control

Avoiding Common Risks in a Propane Transfer

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

Avoiding Common Risks in a Propane Transfer | Flowmetrics

In terms of energy usage, propane makes up less than 2 percent, but it is still a potential source of danger if you are not exceedingly careful when handling it. This hydrocarbon is used commonly for cooking and heating, but it is one of the most flammable chemicals. This makes it easy to use for such activities, but it also means that it should be handled cautiously. A propane transfer is something you might need to do for several reasons, but when you do, there are a number of risk factors you should be aware of before you begin. This guide can help you avoid some of the mistakes that most often lead to injury and accidents.

Understand the Risks Propane Can Pose


 Propane has no odor nor no color, so you will not have a way of immediately identifying it. It does, however, pose risks that you need to be aware of. Propane acts as an asphyxiate. This means that it can deprive your body of oxygen and result in any of the following injuries:

  • Suffocation
  • Cardiac arrest
  • Seizures
  • Frostbite
  • Migraine
  • Damage to nerves

These are the symptoms that may occur after highly concentrated quantities of propane are released. Signs of lesser exposure include numbness, nausea, congestion, hallucinations and hyperventilation among other various symptoms. It is important to understand these risks so that you can seek immediate help if you begin to suspect you have poisoning from the propane.

Consider Whether It Is a DIY or Professional Job

Depending on what purpose you are attempting a propane transfer for, you may or may not need to call a professional to complete the task for you. It is never a bad idea, but many people do propane transfers in order to move the chemical from a large and unwieldy tank into a smaller and more compact one. Since propane can take the form of either a gas or a liquid, you can heat the larger tank so that the propane vaporizes and cool the smaller tank so that it liquefies, transferring the chemical through a hose connecting the two containers.

Use the Right Tools


 If you have decided to attempt a propane transfer, you will need the following supplies:

  • Two tanks of different sizes
  • POL fittings
  • Dual-sided hose
  • Warm and cold water to control temperature

These supplies will allow you to attempt the propane transfer at home, but as is noted above, you should proceed with caution. The process may take a long time.

Trust Professional Expertise When Necessary


 Even if you use all of the right tools and precautions, you will likely not be able to perform a basic propane transfer the way a professional can. If the project surpasses your expertise, a professional with a flow meter can help you. What function does a flow meter serve in this context? It provides information regarding the flow and pressure of the propane, so any risks such as leaks can be detected early. This can be an invaluable resource for people who need to transfer a chemical but don’t want to take the risk of personally attempting it at home.

 

 

If you are reading this on any other blog than Flowmetrics it is stolen content. Follow us on Twitter@Flow_metrics. Come and visit our blog at https://flowmetrics.com/blog/.

Upgrade to Radio-Frequency Quadrupole Linac

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

Upgrade to Radio-Frequency Quadrupole Linac | Flowmetrics

After a successful test of the Radio-Frequency Quadrupole Linac, RFQ, engineers and physicists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will be upgrading this superconducting linear accelerator. On its first trial run the RFQ accepted nearly 100% of the source beam without failure, a remarkable feat with so many complex control systems.

This upgrade plans to adapt the front end of the accelerator producing high-intensity proton beams for experiments.

The lab’s current RFQ, which sits at the beginning of the laboratory’s accelerator chain, accelerates a negative hydrogen ion beam to 0.75 million electronvolts, or MeV. The new RFQ, which is longer, accelerates a beam to 2.1 MeV, nearly three times the energy. Transported beam current, and therefore power, is the key improvement with the new RFQ. The current RFQ delivers 54-watt beam power; the new RFQ delivers beam at 21 kilowatts – an increase by a factor of nearly 400.

Innovation on the new upgrade hinges on a waveform cut out of positioning vanes within the accelerator. The waveform is designed with longer distances between peaks and troughs as the beam travels along the accelerator. This lengthening accounts for increased speed as the beam accelerates, keep the time between peaks and troughs equal the entire journey through the RFQ.

Click here for the full article on Phys.org.

Bearing Life from Materials and Design

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

Bearing Life from Materials and Design | Flowmetrics

Rotating process machinery depends on bearings, either rolling element bearings or fluid film bearings. These parts counteract gravity to keep the shafts moving as freely as possible without wear or excessive maintenance. The characteristics of each type of bearing leads to the maintenance, life span, and type of load possible for the application.

Babbitt is a widespread material for bearings. It allows for smooth start-up and shut-down while offering conform-ability and embed-ability reducing damage to the spinning shaft. Babbitt bearings must be limited to a maximum temperature of 130°C or warping may lead to misalignment. Bronze can be a substitute for Babbitt bearings for higher temperature applications but can be damaged more easily by contaminants.

Fluid film bearings depend heavily upon their design, and application specific designs can be highly specific. An operating pressure must be developed in the fluid to counteract gravity. Bearing clearance, the difference between the bearing bore and shaft diameter, greatly affects dynamic performance from temperature changes and power loss. Even the manner in which lubrication is introduced into the bearing can drastically change the performance. A flooded bearing will have higher power losses and operating temperatures than a directed lubrication bearings.

Click here for the full article from Processing Magazine.

New Compressors Breathe Life into Water Treatment Plants

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

New Compressors Breathe Life into Water Treatment Plants | Flowmetrics

Air supply is critical in many industries, sometimes surprisingly. Water treatment facilities are not the first buildings where one would expect air supply to vastly affect efficiency.

In water treatment plants for the Rubiera system, the process is built into four parallel pipelines, and compressors are used during the oxidization and nitrification portions of the process. The initial setup used compressors rated for much more capacity than was required by the facility, and as such the process was over-supplied for long periods of the day.

“The first step was to change the set-up, linking all the machines together. It was seen, in fact, that it would have been sufficient to use only one compressor for generating the process air during the period of less demand, but that compressor had to be very versatile and offer a wide range of capacity variations.”

Click here for the full article from Process Worldwide.

Precision Volume Pumps

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

Precision Volume Pumps | Flowmetrics

For when you need an exact amount of fluid moved from one spot to another, precision pumps will disburse exactly what you need when you need it. The two categories of precision dosage pumps are piston and diaphragm pumps.

Piston Pumps

These types of pumps are designed for continuous flows against a multitude of pressures, even upwards of 1000 Barg. A piston inside the pump recirculates up and down with seals to prevent leaks and create suction.

Diaphragm Pumps

Diaphragm pumps utilize a plastic membrane or multiples of membranes to create a vacuum and discharge the fluid. Because there is no direct contact with the pumping mechanics, these pumps are situated well for toxic, harmful, or abrasive fluids.

 

Click here for the full article by Amin Almasi.

Valve Flow Characteristics

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

Valve Flow Characteristics | Flowmetrics

In selecting a valve for use plenty of characteristics  must be suitable for your desired application. Readers recently asked Béla Lipták some questions regarding control valves and their characteristics. Some of the questions and answers are presented below. The complete list can be found at the link below.

 

  • What are the definitions of wide and small ranges in terms of flow turndown?

A control loop will be stable if its gain does not change with variations in the load. The loop gain is the product of four gains (process, controller, sensor, valve) and, ideally, it should stay constant at about 0.5. If the process gain varies with load and the sensor and controller gains are constant, the ideal valve characteristic is one that will compensate for the variation in process gain, so that if the process gain rises with load, the valve gain drops (equal percentage); if the process gain drops with load, the valve gain rises (quick opening) and if the process gain remains constant, the valve gain should also be constant (linear).

 

  • How would I go about measuring flow of hydrocarbons with 1% sand by mass included?

Either Coriolis or vortex can wear at a rate proportional to the percentage of sand in the flow, and both meters could have a short lives. Sharp-edge orifices are similarly vulnerable. The choice is affected by flow rate and pipe size.

I would worry about any Coriolis flowmeter with a relatively thin metal wall. Magnetic, ultrasonic and flow nozzles have been recommended. With a sufficiently high flow rate, an elbow meter will also work. Any DP meter might need a chemical seal or liquid purge to avoid plugging.

 

Click here for the full article on Control Global.

Fluid Flow Determines Pumps and Fittings

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

Fluid Flow Determines Pumps and Fittings | Flowmetrics

Given a specific set of characteristics for a fluid and the flow requirements of the system, pumps and fittings can easily be selected. Each pump is designed for a specific flow rate and head pressure, and fittings are built for specific applications. These optimized points are called best efficiency points, BEPs.

Common practice is to select a pump with a BEP slightly higher on a system pump curve than the situation calls for. While this practice is conservative, and avoids pumps stresses from impacting longevity, systems can use pumps slightly underrated for the application without worry. If the operating requirements are too far away from the pump BEP, vibrations can cause early failure.

“Selecting a pump that will operate near the minimum flow limits is just as risky as choosing one that will operate at the end of the curve.” –Pumps&Systems

 

 

Click here for the full article by Jim Elsey.

Is Flow Meter Calibration Worth the Cost?

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

Is Flow Meter Calibration Worth the Cost? | Flowmetrics

Maintenance – what is it good for? Some companies invest the very least, or in some cases no time or funds at all in shutting down equipment for servicing. Other businesses have robust maintenance programs, making it part of their regular working schedule. Which is better? The following will discuss some of the reasons why flow meter calibration should be included in your operations.

 

For Long Life

 

Keeping equipment in excellent working order extends its life. When components are well-maintained, it saves your business money in the long run. The following are some of the industries that rely on flow meter calibration:

  • General Industry
  • Chemical and Petrochemical
  • Energy
  • Laboratory
  • Aerospace and Aviation
  • Pharmaceutical and Food

In each of the above sectors, well-made equipment and infrastructure can last many years beyond the manufacturer’s warranty, but because fabricated parts do not take care of themselves, they must be maintained.

 

To Promote Consistency

 

Each industry produces a product that consumers or businesses rely on. Take the energy industry as an example. Refineries and processing plants continuously produce a product that meets certain specifications. Flow meter calibration is one of the ways they can continue to provide a product of the same grade, octane or viscosity. Anything inconsistent in this industry can lead to machine failure or even dangerous outcomes.

 

To Meet Regulation

 

As you can tell from the industry list above, each field comes with its own set of regulations. The pharmaceutical sector is regulated by the FDA, and any failure to meet standards can result in consequences that end in significant profit losses and sometimes even a close of the business. There is no need to fear regulators if your operations are under compliance and in good working order.

 

For the Safety of All

 

Passenger airlines have gone out of business because of safety breaches, and bankruptcy is not even the big issue. Safety does not so much have to do with business as it does with lives. If a cargo plane goes down because of preventable equipment failure and a couple of lives are lost, it may not make as many headlines, but it is still unacceptable.

 

Why Let an Outside Firm Handle Calibration?

 

The best servicers do everything they can to prepare your flow meters for use in your facility. This usually means:

  • Testing and calibrating units under steady state flow
  • Using recognized standards and measurements rather than standards created “in house”
  • Controlling environmental factors such as temperature and pressure to match as closely as possible that of where the equipment normally operates

 

Outside firms perform rigorous inspections on units that can improve calibration results. They are capable of handling industrial cleaning such as removing mineral buildup or corrosion without damaging the equipment. If results still are not satisfactory, they can troubleshoot at a level that exceeds most persons outside of the calibration industry.

 

Maintenance can extend the life of flow meters, prevent unnecessary repairs, and improve safety, quality and consistency. A flow meter calibration company should be able to handle servicing for any brand of unit you may own. No matter the industry you work in, it is clear that keeping equipment in great working order is an investment that is worth every penny.

 

If you are reading this on any other blog than Flowmetrics it is stolen content. Follow us on Twitter @Flow_metrics. Come and visit our blog at https://flowmetrics.com/blog/.

VoicePrint Technology to Improve Network Security

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

VoicePrint Technology to Improve Network Security | Flowmetrics

Human voices are unique to the individual and current technology has been used to restrict access to authorized personnel using voices as authentication. Now by identifying the voices of devices on control networks a possible new defense would filter legitimate signals and attacks. 

“We have developed fingerprinting techniques that work together to protect various operations of the power grid to prevent or minimize spoofing of packets that could be injected to produce false data or false control commands into the system. This is the first technique that can passively fingerprint different devices that are part of critical infrastructure networks. We believe it can be used to significantly improve the security of the grid and other networks.” -Raheem Beyah Georgia Institute of Technology

The security techniques take advantage of the individual physical properties of each unique device. Security devices listening to the grid would differentiate devices that were authenticated to the grid, and identify illegitimate “noise” within the system. Furthermore, the system can use simple physics to flush out spoofing attempts. Depending on the physical configuration of breakers and valves, opening and closing procedures take a minimum amount of time. If a device gets a signal to open or close too soon after the last signal security staff would be notified of a possible attack.

 Because they also include devices with measurable physical properties, Beyah believes the approach could have broad application to securing industrial control systems used in manufacturing, oil and gas refining, wastewater treatment and other industries.

 

Click here for the full article from Control Engineering.

Pump Submergence and Air Entrainment

Posted on by Vitalii Prokopiv

Pump Submergence and Air Entrainment | FLowmetrics

Fluid pumps are specifically designed to optimize the flow of fluids through the systems they are connected to with as little non-condensable gases as possible. Air trapped in the fluids can cause cavitation at higher flow rates that damages pump internals as well as pipe seals and joints. For these reasons the proper depth to submerge pumps is pivotal to prevent as much air from flowing through a pump.

As the velocity of the fluid flowing through a pipe increases the depth required for a pump pushing the same rate of flow increases. Because velocity increases as pipe diameter decreases and flow rate remains static, if the same pump is connected to a smaller pipe, the input source for the pump needs to be deeper to prevent vortices from forming. If the source tank is too shallow to allow for this minimum submergence other methods like suction bells and barriers can be introduced to lengthen the travel distance of the fluid to the suction inlet of the pump.

As a general guideline, 2 percent free air will reduce pump flow by 10 percent, and 4 percent air will reduce the flow by more than 40 percent. The average pump will likely fail to operate at 14 percent air entrainment. Some pump designs that use vortex impellers, recessed impellers, separation chambers or air escapes can handle air entrainment up to 24 percent.

The recommended suction velocity for pumps is between 5 and 8 feet per second, with a suggested maximum of 6 feet per second unless suspended solids or fluid characteristics demand faster flow rates.

Click here for the full article on Pumps&System.