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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.

The Coxmoor Publishing Company book titled ‘Hydraulic Fluids – A Practical Guide’, by Allan Barber, Nigel Battersby and David Phillips, and published in association with the BFPA, is a handy source of information on its subject. Below is an extract from the publication, looking at the theme of disposal regeneration and recycling. At some stage the user of hydraulic fluids will be faced with the need to either dispose of aged or contaminated fluid or to recondition (recycle) the product for further use. Disposal of used hydraulic fluids and their containers Increasingly, restrictions are being imposed on the disposal of all waste materials. Hydraulic fluids are no exception, and users have a ‘duty of care’ to dispose of used fluids correctly, pursuant to local regulations. Waste oils, including used hydraulic fluids, are designated as ‘special wastes’, and users are required by law to keep records of how and when they dispose of these materials. It should be noted that in the European Union, even when a contractor specialising in waste oil disposal is involved, the fluid user has a legal requirements to ensure that the waste fluid is disposed of in an appropriate manner. Many fluid suppliers also operate a fluid disposal service. Levels of oil and other materials being discharged into waste water may also be closely monitored by environmental agencies, and anyone discharging unauthorised materials (or even unauthorised materials beyond agreed limits) can be prosecuted and heavy fines imposed. Once collected, there are several acceptable ways to dispose of waste hydraulic fluids, the three main routes being: energy recovery, regeneration and recycling. Energy recovery In the UK the vast majority of waste industrial oil is burnt as fuel by industries such as power generation, road-stone coating and cement manufacturing. Most waste hydraulic fluid will therefore undergo some basic treatment to remove water and particulates, before being burnt as ‘recovered fuel oil’. Although mineral oil-based hydraulic fluids are not normally mixed with any other type of used hydraulic fluid, small volumes of other non-aqueous fluids (HEES and HFDR) can be co-disposed without a deleterious effect on energy recovery. Oil-in water (HFAE) and water-in-oil (HFB) emulsions are usually disposed of by splitting the emulsion with acid. The oil can then be burnt (or recycled), whilst, after neutralising, the water can be discharged into the sewer for processing. This would have to be in accordance with local regulations and is normally subject to a specific ‘trade waste’ agreement with the local water utility. Regeneration The key to successful regeneration (or recycling) is the careful segregation of each type of used fluid. For example, mixing with metalworking fluids such as cutting oils or coolants will render the used hydraulic fluid unfit for reclamation. Regeneration (otherwise known as laundering) involves the removal of water, particulate matter and acidic degradation products. The fluid is then returned to the user. Additive levels may be replenished after consultation with the fluid supplier. For users of large volumes of hydraulic fluids, on-site reconditioning is now a feasible option that saves the cost of transportation to off-site locations for processing. Recycling Recycling (also known as re-refining) involves the complete removal of the additives and contaminants. This subjects the used fluid to a range of chemical treatments to remove impurities, followed by distillation of the base oil from the additives. The preferred option for disposal of water glycol (HFC) fluids is to recover the base stock components. This involves filtering the used fluid to remove wear metals, sludge and other contaminants. The glycol and water are then separated by distillation; the glycol is recovered and the water recycled or disposed of. The small amount of polymer-based sludge that remains and the solid material from the filtration process should be disposed of through a specialised contractor. Most water glycol fluids are readily biodegradable and are therefore amenable to disposal through the waste water treatment plant. As stated earlier, this would have to be in agreement with the local utility. The fluid can be supplied to the waste water treatment plant either by tanker or through the sewer network. Heavy metals and other contaminants would have to be removed from the waste fluid (e.g., by filtration) prior to disposal. HFC fluids should never be discharged to a watercourse as this could cause a major pollution incident due to the high biological oxygen demand. This is also true for environmentally acceptable fluids (HETG, HEES and HEPG). Containers Medium - large containers, such as 200-litre drums or IBCs (intermediate bulk containers), should be emptied and returned to the supplier or a specialist reconditioner. It is important that the container still retains its original label or markings to identify the previous contents. To obtain a copy of ‘Hydraulic Fluids – A Practical Guide’, contact the BFPA on 01608 647900 or email: enquiries@bfpa.co.uk. 

When temperatures in a quench bath rose to 35oC for one engineering company it meant production targets were under threat. This then had potential for additional complications, waste product, severe delays in supply chain delivery and compromising the company/client working relationships; all factors that could have serious short and long-term financial implications.

BPI Minster Films in Leominster has recently installed a series of magnetic separators supplied by Bunting Magnetics Europe Ltd. The magnetic separators capture any ferrous metal contamination in the process, preventing equipment damage and production downtime.

Emerson Process Management’s new global reliability management consulting practice says it is guiding business leaders on how to better manage maintenance costs, improve reliability and increase profitability.

PWE takes a look at managing motor and generator repairs at nuclear power stations.

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 cleanliness control. This article outlines some of the key points covered within the book.

The Port of Tilbury is London’s major and greenest port and at each high tide the water level inside the impounding dock is raised to meet shipping and operational requirements. This is performed by four 57.5” vertical A/F Vickers Armstrong pumps installed in the late 1960’s and over the years they have served the dock extremely well. At any one time three pumps are used, pumping up to 6000lt/sec of abrasive seawater for two hours either side of each high tide.

Martin Kingsbury, membership director, the BFPA, outlines the association’s range of hydraulic hose courses, and explains how they can improve your ability to install and maintain hose efficiently in order to keep plant and machinery productive, reliable and safe.