The biennial Plant and Asset Management Exhibition, co-located alongside; Drives & Controls, European Offshore Energy, Air-Tech and Fluid Power & Systems Exhibitions – is once again set to return to Birmingham’s NEC (Halls 3/3A) from 12-14th April 2016, alongside MACH 2016 and National Electronics Week 2016. Collectively the exhibitions will be the largest manufacturing and engineering events of 2016, and will create an unmissable event.

This is part of a series of articles based on guidance provided in the British Fluid Power Association’s newly introduced training course titled ‘Small Bore Tubing Integrity Course – using twin ferrule compression fittings’. This month, we present the third of a short series looking at the problem of incorrect tightening.

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Complying with EU standards is one of the key challenges that wastewater treatment plants face. For this reason, more and more water treatment facilities across Europe are investing in ambitious optimisation projects aimed at enhancing energy efficiency and productivity. One example of this is the new wastewater plant that serves the city of Lille, in France. To maximise the new facility’s efficiency, Veolia Water Solutions & Technologies turned to Atlas Copco’s blowers equipped with WEG’s motors and drives.

This is part of a series of articles based on guidance provided in the British Fluid Power Association’s newly introduced training course titled ‘Small Bore Tubing Integrity Course – using twin ferrule compression fittings’. This month, we present the second of a short series looking at the problem of incorrect tightening.

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One of the largest private electricity generators in Thailand recently experienced a loss of generating capacity in one of its six gas-fired generators which supplies the heavily industrialised area where it’s located. With an urgent need for a swift and reliable repair, the local Sulzer agent was contacted, with a view to getting the 45 MW generator back up and running as soon as possible.

This is the first in a series of articles based on guidance provided in the British Fluid Power Association’s newly introduced training course titled ‘Small Bore Tubing Integrity Course – using twin ferrule compression fittings’. This month, we present the first of a two-part series looking at the problem of incorrect tightening.

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A 200 tonne cooling tower can accumulate in excess of 275 Kg of suspended matter over the course of just one year. Allowing a cooling system to get weighed down by bacterial growth and slime build-up leaves it vulnerable to corrosion and fouling and is not worth the risk to plant operation. But do you know the enemy well enough to effectively keep microbial growth at bay?

Compressed air produced by a compressor is hot, wet and dirty; however compressed air applications require cool, clean and dry air for efficient and reliable performance. Contaminants can be present in compressed air from the outset due to the nature of atmospheric air, but can also enter the system in the form of compressor wear and from the system itself. Effective treatment of the compressed air is therefore vital and only by understanding the various types of contamination which must be reduced or eliminated, can the correct treatment be specified. Peter Fearon of IMI Precision Engineering explains how to plan an efficient compressed air filtering system.

This is the third and final part of a short series of articles based on the British Fluid Power Association’s recommendations and best practice for hydraulic hose assembly cleanliness. This month, we look at some of the main hydraulic hose assembly processes and contamination zones.

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A UK oil supplier was faced with a major dilemma when a transformer oil storage tank began to leak in several places. As the tank was located in a confined space, it would be highly dangerous to repair the damage in-situ using hot work. If the tank was removed and repaired offsite, not only would this incur large amounts of downtime, but the cost of welding alone would be over £15,000.

This is the second part of a short series of articles based on the British Fluid Power Association’s recommendations and best practice for hydraulic hose assembly cleanliness.

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The practical advantages that the new cyber-physical interface of Industry 4.0 brings are acknowledged by engineers across a range of industries. Jeremy Shinton, product manager UK – business solutions at Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V., UK Branch, Automation Systems Division, explains how food and drink manufacturers in particular can benefit from the implementation of Industry 4.0.

The practical advantages that the new cyber-physical interface of Industry 4.0 brings are acknowledged by engineers across a range of industries. Jeremy Shinton, product manager UK – business solutions at Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V., UK Branch, Automation Systems Division, explains how food and drink manufacturers in particular can benefit from the implementation of Industry 4.0.

Communication system health check is helping to deliver an enhanced learning experience for chemical engineering students at Imperial College London. PWE reports.

A new air solution combining a rotary vane compressor with a range of ancillary equipment including an air receiver, dryer and in-line filtration in a fully integrated package, has been launched by Hydrovane, part of the Gardner Denver Group.

Iain Hanson, product manager at Brammer said his company was called upon to conduct such an audit at the Banbury site of Mondelez, one of the UK’s best-known names in food and beverage production. This particular facility is the company’s largest coffee plant in the world, with the capacity to produce 100 million jars of instant coffee per year. Brammer provides an ‘Insite’ service to this and four other Mondelez facilities – effectively a Brammer branch on the premises, an Insite supplies and manages a wide range of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) products including fluid power products, bearings and tools for a customer, and can also be called upon to support value-adding projects.

Compressed air is a tertiary form of energy, created through the use of electricity which in turn is typically generated by the burning of a primary fuel source – coal, gas or oil. Of the original natural resource, only around 4% of the energy can be successfully converted into compressed air as the rest is lost as both waste heat and through transmission lines. PWE looks at how to cut the cost of compressed air.

As SPE Offshore Europe 2015 prepares to open its doors in Aberdeen from 8-11 September, the oil and gas industry can look forward to debating both the technical and people challenges facing the business today. PWE reports.

This is the first part of a short series of articles based on the British Fluid Power Association’s recommendations and best practice for hydraulic hose assembly cleanliness.

The Infrared Training Centre (ITC) says it is continually exploring ways of communicating the huge potential of thermal imaging as well as its potential pitfalls without adequate training. Its latest introduction is a series of webinars that provide a convenient way for those new to the technology to learn more.

Less than a year after installing a bespoke chocolate filtration solution for leading confectionery manufacturer Kinnerton Confectionery, independent compressed air systems provider AFS has completed the design, procurement and installation of a new BRC (British Retail Consortium) compliant and energy efficient compressed air system at the company’s West Yorkshire facility.

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The British Fluid Power Association publication ‘Fluid Power Engineer’s Data Book’ is a valuable source of information covering a wide range of technical topics related to hydraulic and pneumatic installation and maintenance. One critical theme covered is that of pneumatic cylinders. This article outlines some of the key points covered within the book.

The answer to this month’s trouble shooter is provided by BOGE Compressors.

A new electronic filter clogging indicator from power management company Eaton is enabling users to minimise machinery downtime and improve their operational processes. Early identification of increased contamination in hydraulic and lubrication oil is vital for preventing machinery failure, and the new VS5 clogging indicator uses a “traffic light” style of LED to denote the status of the filter element. The visual indicator offers a simple and quick way to check the condition of the filter, allowing operators to make an informed decision about when to replace the filter element as part of their preventative maintenance strategy.

A solution giving industrial operators a pre-engineered safety instrumented system that can help ease deployment and reduce lead times for small and midsized process applications, has been introduced by Rockwell Automation.

An electric motor is a vital piece of equipment in today’s modern manufacturing processes – it can be found in practically every type of operation across a range of industries from iron and steel through to pulp and paper. With businesses under increasing pressure to reduce costs and increase productivity, the emphasis on care and maintenance of such equipment is rising. Part of that maintenance involves choosing the right grease. PWE reports.

The new edition of ISO 3601-5 introduces minimum material property data to help ensure O-ring reliability. In this article, the British Fluid Power Association outlines the key points.

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Swedish paper mill Nordic Paper Åmotfors is a long-term user of SPM portable condition monitoring instrumentation. The mill is now choosing to invest in an online system to ensure operation and production for future capacity expansion on one of its paper machines.

Most valves, mastics, seals and gaskets are a good barrier against liquids. However, a lot of them leak when it comes to vapours, such as hydrocarbon products and water vapour which can actually permeate through the materials that makes up the walls, seals and mastics.

Karen Waite, group commercial manager, Real Asset Management, outlines the way ISO 55000 is set to change corporate attitudes to asset maintenance and explains the fundamental importance of a good Computerised Maintenance Management System in delivering critical asset information and enabling process change.

Following last month’s article outlining what companies should do in order to best ensure they have an effective occupational health and safety management regime in place, the British Fluid Power Association (BFPA) looks at how this type of practice can be applied specifically to hydraulic hose assemblies.

A new multi-analysis system that helps users count particles and solid contamination in hydraulic and lubrication fluids to deliver reliable and efficient operations has been launched by Power management company Eaton.

A new integrated condition-monitoring system from Rockwell Automation - the Allen-Bradley Dynamix 1444 Series monitors - allows manufacturers to leverage the Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture system, rather than an isolated condition-monitoring device, to assess current equipment health, predict potential issues, and help avoid damage to critical machinery. Integration of machinery health into control architectures using a standard Ethernet TCP/IP EtherNet/IP network brings unprecedented flexibility to machine instrumentation design and operational efficiency on the manufacturing floor.

The answer to this month’s trouble shooter is provided by SKF.

Compressor oils are standardised to DIN 51506. High density (HD) oils should not be used to lubricate compressors as they tend to emulsify and therefore quickly lose their lubricating properties. Mineral and synthetic oils can be used. Mineral oils have a useful life of around 2000 to 3000 operating hours under normal operating conditions.

The British Fluid Power Association (BFPA) outlines what it considers to be a valuable set of rules to abide by when engaging an external consultancy to undertake work on fluid power equipment and related solutions.

With the increasing demand for ultra-dry air for process quality and compliance with ISO 8573-1 Class 1 or higher, CS-iTEC GmbH has manufactured a new dew point sensor for accurate measurements down to -100°Ctd.

For large-size rolling bearings with outside diameters above 1500mm, what type of heating methods are available for mounting/dismounting and which is the most suitable?

Southern Manufacturing and Electronics 2015 returns to FIVE, Farnborough, from 10-12th February. PWE reports.

The British Fluid Power Association publication ‘Fluid Power Engineer’s Data Book’ is a valuable source of information covering a wide range of technical topics related to hydraulic and pneumatic installation and maintenance. One critical theme covered is that of correct choice and usage of air compressors. This article outlines some of the key points covered within the book.

The answer to this month’s trouble shooter is provided by SKF.

ABB’s latest generation of head mounted smart temperature transmitters have helped to provide a solution to a difficult upgrade project at Tata Steel in Port Talbot.

Meech International’s 929IPS static control bars were used to reduce congestion on production lines by eliminating static at RPC - a rigid plastics packaging manufacturer based in Rushden, Northamptonshire.