Case Studies In Innovation

The Flow Control Innovation Awards program is an annual competition designed to recognize the year’s most compelling advances in fluid handling technology. Finalists for the 2010 Flow Control Innovation Awards were announced in the June issue of Flow Control magazine, at which time the nominees were offered up to Flow Control readers for open voting through Aug. 2. All told, the 2010 Flow Control Innovation Awards program generated more than 1,600 votes, the highest vote total in the 13-year history of the Flow Control Innovation Awards program. Eleven winners were announced in the September issue of Flow Control magazine. Here we provide application stories/case studies on each of the winning technologies to give you a feel for how they are being employed to benefit live fluid handling applications. If you have questions about any of the technologies presented below or the Flow Control Innovation Awards program in general, please contact Matt Migliore at Matt@GrandViewMedia.com.

MEASUREMENT

Refinery Leverages Ultrasonic Flowmeter for LNG Custody Transfer

Cameron is one of the meters supplied for the Qatar Gas II project, one of the world’s largest LNG projects to date. Qatargas and sister company Rasgas are expanding their capacities with the addition of four new trains. Cameron has supplied RasGas and Qatargas with a total of 22 LEFM 280CiLT eight-path meters in eight-inch and 10-inch sizes. This meter is installed, but the insulation has been removed. Since there is no ice on the meter, there is no LNG flowing in the line and the meter is at atmospheric temperature.

Natural gas can be transported by specially designed tankers when the gas has been converted into liquid form, known as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). LNG is processed from natural gas by removing the heavier compounds and unwanted gases, such as CO2 and H2S, before cooling the remaining lean gas down to a temperature of 161 C, at which point the gas will be in liquid form. LNG takes up around 1/600th the volume of natural gas, making it ideal for transportation over long distances by sea tanker. The liquid is kept cold by insulating the storage or transportation tanks, and also by the “boil off,” which removes heat from the liquid and keeps the temperature low.

When transporting LNG by sea, the primary measurement of loading is by the ship’s tank gauging systems. Until now, it has not been the practice to use dynamic flow measurement for LNG in custody transfer, due primarily to the potential flashing of the gas caused by the pressure drop across the meter. This also includes the use of flow conditioning devices normally associated with custody-transfer metering. In 2006, Caldon Ultrasonics was selected to take part in a study to determine the suitability of ultrasonic technology in LNG service. A Caldon eight-path LEFM 280CLT was tested along with two Coriolis meters from different manufacturers in an installation without the use of a flow conditioning device and with pipe work designed specifically to generate asymmetric and swirling flow. The results showed that there was little to differentiate between the ultrasonic meter and the Coriolis meters in terms of performance, but the ultrasonic meter’s ability to handle non-ideal flows with minimum pressure drop made it a particularly good fit for the expansion project at Ras Laffan, Qatar.

Qatargas and sister company Rasgas are expanding their production capacities with the addition of four new trains, each capable of producing 7.8 MTPA of LNG. The natural gas being fed to these new trains is from different customers. Rather than building dedicated storage tanks for each stream, the project decided upon a common storage tank area for each of these trains with dynamic measurement of the LNG both for production and inter-tank transfers to provide the operators with allocation and mass balance information. Cameron Caldon meter has supplied both Qatargas and Rasgas a total of 22 LEFM 280CLT meters in eight-inch and 10-inch sizes. Of these 22, all but six are in operation with the remainder due to be commissioned later this year.

A leading manufacturer of floor coverings for commercial and residential applications uses a combination of Programmable Automation Controllers (PAC) and EtherNet/IP-enabled field devices to improve product quality, promote green manufacturing methods, and enhance production efficiencies. At one of its plants, this manufacturer uses a PAC as its main real-time control platform. The PAC comes with EtherNet/IP built in, so the plant would like to use this protocol as its Ethernet-enabled fieldbus.

An EtherNet/IP-enabled Coriolis flowmeter was required for measurement and control of mass flow in one of the plant’s continuous processes related to colorant control. The Endress+Hauser Promass 83F mass flowmeter was selected because it was found to have superior accuracy in competitive field trials conducted by the manufacturer. Direct connectivity from the meter to the PAC via EtherNet/IP provides a number of benefits.

The meter is capable of simultaneously measuring multiple parameters, including mass flow, product density, process temperature, volume flow, custom concentration, and viscosity. The plant wanted the ability to monitor these parameters without having to run multiple wires, and the solution was the high-speed 100 Mbps EtherNet/IP protocol.
The meter’s advanced diagnostics parameter monitoring can now be used by the plant to predict process influences from coating, buildup of solids, corrosion, erosion, and entrained gas conditions. Predicting problems before they occur enables predictive maintenance, cost cutting, and reducing downtime.

Further benefits identified in this application include a 40 percent reduction in device commissioning time and a 25 percent reduction in loop identification, device integration, and process loop tuning time. Immediate recognition of the meter as a network node is another benefit, along with transparency of the meter from the factory floor to the enterprise system.

A leading European refiner had been searching for replacement technology to meter refined products at its ship-loading terminal. The existing positive-displacement (PD) meters required extensive annual service and reconditioning, and they required a significant pressure drop, which was costly.

As such, the refiner decided to replace two PD meters on its ship-loading terminal that had been used to meter fuel oil and gasoline. It needed reliable, low-maintenance meters with the lowest possible pressure drop. In addition, it required flow technology that could measure accurately in the presence of entrained gas and during empty-full-empty batching. Since this was an upgrade project, the refiner needed low cost and flexibility when it came to installation. Finally, the refiner needed large meters that could deliver all these benefits in a demanding high-flow environment.

The company selected two of Emerson’s Micro Motion Elite High Capacity Coriolis meters (the CMFHC3 and the CMFHC4) to meter its fuel oil and gasoline loading lines. The refiner found that installation costs would be minimal, since the Coriolis meters required no straight-run piping or flow conditioners. In addition, since the meters have no moving parts, maintenance was no longer a costly factor of the application. The added option of Emerson’s Smart Meter Verification allowed for online diagnostics of the entire meter, which offered time and cost savings and added process insight. 

After weighing the competitive offerings, the refiner found that Micro Motion meters had three additional unique benefits:
•  Micro Motion Coriolis meters offered the lowest pressure drop and were large enough to easily meter the respective lines without the need for parallel installations.  
•  Due to their low frequency design, Micro Motion meters could easily measure fluids with entrained gas, thereby reducing cost by improving measurement accuracy.
•  Micro Motion MVD (multivariable digital) technology with enhanced digital signal processing and speed allowed for great empty-full-empty batching performance.

Accelabar-05 measuring flowrate in 150 PSI steam distribution line

Previous flowmeters required frequent maintenance and replacement, resulting in downtime and increased installation costs. In reference to flowmeters being pulled out of service and the effect this had on the company’s energy management program, one plant operator said, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.”

Some meters were giving erroneous readings due to flow disturbances caused by limited straight-run. Others were sensitive to vibration, especially at low flowrates where it is difficult to distinguish and filter the meter signal from noise generated by vibration. Problems were compounded when the meters requiring maintenance were located in areas that were difficult to access by plant personnel.

With an installation footprint of only 8.5 inches from end-to-end, the two-inch Accelabars provided a compact installation with no straight-run requirements, allowing the customer to install the meters at a location easily accessible to the plant personnel. The Accelabar’s wide rangeability allowed it to easily handle the company’s operating range of 100 PPH to 2450 PPH. The ability of the Accelabar to accurately measure low flows allowed the energy management team to account for steam usage during low demand hours when the flowrates are too low for the main metering system to detect.

The customer reported the Accelabar two-inch -05 meters are providing accurate and reliable measurement with no maintenance requirements. Although they are being used in submetering applications, they are also providing accurate low-flow measurement when the main metering system cannot – a true benefit for the energy management and accounting program. The customer will be replacing additional problem meters with Accelabars at its next scheduled plant shutdown.

A well-known German pharmaceutical manufacturer needs to transfer a number of basic pharmaceutical materials from a reactor at very high flowrates (530-800 gallons per hour) at varying temperatures that can go as high as 230 F with discharge pressures of 2-3 bar. The problem that the manufacturer was experiencing was that after moving a material at high temperature, any air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps used for the application would cool down between batches. The effects of this thermal expansion and contraction would loosen the pump’s housing parts, leading to an adverse effect on the pump’s operation and safety, while also compromising product integrity and containment.     

As a solution, the manufacturer turned to the new E-Series Plastic Pneumatic Diaphragm Pump from ALMATEC. The structure of the E-Series pumps features innovative ring grouting and a diaphragm-sized tightening ring that helps to evenly spread the loading forces onto the proper areas of the pump. This allows for a more consistent and higher basic tension on the bolts, as well as a slower decrease of forces, resulting in less stress on the housing parts and a higher degree of pump safety.

In this given case, the pharmaceutical manufacturer can now increase the intervals between when the bolt tension needs to be checked. ALMATEC’s E-Series pumps also conform to both the ATEX requirements of directive 94/9/EG and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s parameters for product purity.

The E-Series’ housing is available in a number of chemically compatible materials of construction, including PE, PE conductive, PTFE, and PTFE conductive, while the diaphragms are available in EPDM or PTFE/EPDM. The ball valves are constructed of EPDM, PTFE, or stainless steel, with the cylinder valves made of PTFE.

The E-Series pumps also feature ALMATEC’s patented, maintenance-free PERSWING P pneumatically piloted air-control system, which allows for greater flexibility in chemical-transfer applications. Only two moving parts ensure there is absolutely no dead center in the PERSWING P air-control system. The pumps are self-priming and provide gentle displacement of fluids. The composite diaphragms feature integrated metal cores, and the pump’s compact design makes it easy to install, start up, and maintain.

www.almatec.de

Solenoid Valve Reduces Cost & Increases Production for Oil & Gas Company

A major oil and gas company operating thousands of natural gas wellheads over a vast geographic area in the southwest was looking to reduce costs and increase production. Monitoring and maintenance is performed by a service technician, who drives to each location and physically checks the wellheads. This process is very costly and time-consuming and only provides periodic wellhead monitoring. Since the wellheads are not continuously monitored, they do not operate optimally, resulting in less natural gas being extracted.     

The company addressed these issues by automating its wellheads. The advent of SCADA systems enabled it to monitor the distant locations via remote terminal units and power was provided by solar panels with battery banks. Therefore, one of the biggest challenges the company needed to overcome was finding devices that consume very low power.

Solenoid pilot valves that operate various process valves throughout the system are an important part of an automated gas wellhead. The company turned to ASCO’s new 0.55W low-power solenoid valve line to address their solenoid pilot valve needs.  These valves provided the perfect solution of extremely low power consumption and the high reliability needed to keep the system running smoothly.  With these valves only consuming 0.55 Watts, the company was able to realize the following benefits:
•  Ability to add more monitoring devices and automation to further optimize the gas extraction process
•  Cost savings by reducing the size of the battery bank
•  In some instances, keeping the battery size the same and instead optimizing the system for longer operation without sunlight

ASCO’s new 0.55W solenoid valve line also provided the high reliability the company required for the remote wellheads. Many low-power solenoid valves on the market have very small internal orifices, which are prone to clogging from foreign matter. On the other hand, ASCO’s new low-power line was designed with larger orifices to handle high flows and reduce the possibility of clogging.   

In the end, by utilizing ASCO’s new 0.55W low power valves, the company achieved its goals of increasing wellhead production while reducing operating costs.

Figure 1. Metal bolts in traditional valves cause undesirable corrosion buildup in harsh applications.

In order to recover these valuable metals from the discarded products, a variety of harsh chemicals are used for processing and purification, including hydrochloric acid. These chemicals are extremely corrosive and have an undesirable reaction with metal parts. This is why plastic piping systems, such as PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) and polypropylene, are used instead of metal piping. However, metal bolts used in the valves caused corrosive buildup, resulting in valve leakage, eventual failure, and frequent replacement. GF Piping Systems’ 514 Valve does away with the metal bolts required to hold the valve together.

Instead, the top-works are threaded directly onto the body. With its metal-free threaded bonnet connection, corrosive build-up was minimized. The bolt-less design also resulted in less maintenance, since bolts may need retorquing due to thermal expansion.

In addition to these advantages, the valve offers significantly improved flow characteristics – on average, it provides more than double the Cv values. According to one engineer at the metal processing plant, “This allows us to use smaller pipes and valves.” 

These types of applications often require many valves in line, which has the potential to cause major pressure drops. Using smaller pipes allows the overall system to be smaller and less expensive.

Parker Hannifin’s new PACE Hf Valve is currently being used by a large medical equipment manufacturer in the life science market. The control valve’s high level of precision is crucial to a particularly challenging research application – animal ventilation.  
    
As a patient type, animals require a wide range of precise flowrates, moreso than humans. The automatic mechanical ventilator assists patients with the task of breathing by moving gases in and out of the lungs. To deliver a blend of air and oxygen to the patient, the ventilator must use a precise flow control valve with a fast response time to adjust to varying respiratory needs.
    
The PACE Hf Valve’s low hysteresis and fast response times help the ventilator control the respiration of animals from as small as a mouse to as large as a horse. The valve’s wide controllable range (500 SLPM to below 50 SCCM) and tight control (.001 VDC increments) make it possible to use just one valve to handle each targeted flow range. The typical hysteresis value of 3 percent enables accurate control of flowrates – even as the control signal increases or decreases to the target setpoint. In addition, the valve’s rapid response times give the ventilator manufacturer the ability to perform high frequency ventilation to reduce the potentially damaging effects the ventilation process may have on the animal patient’s lungs.
    
The PACE Hf has an internal capability to operate as a closed-loop control valve via a directly mounted input sensor. This closed-loop capability allows for real-time pressure and flow control – a plus for an application requiring quick manual adjustments to flow and pressure rates.      

Coincidentally, Parker Hannifin’s production of the PACE Hf Valve made it a natural fit for this critical application. The wetted material selected for the valve’s interior was compatible with the ventilator’s gases. The oxygen service cleaning process also ensured there was no corruption of the gases flowing from the ventilator.

www.parker.com/precisionfluidics/pacehf

Mass Flow Controller Brings New Efficiencies to Solar Photovoltaic Manufacturing

Solar photovoltaics are arrays of cells containing a material that converts solar radiation into direct-current electricity. Materials presently used for photovoltaics include amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon, microcrystalline silicon, cadmium telluride, and copper indium selenide/sulfide. Due to the growing demand for renewable energy sources, the manufacture of solar cells and photovoltaic arrays has advanced dramatically in recent years.

Physical vapor deposition (PVD) or sputtering is commonly used for creating films of material on a substrate in the solar energy and semiconductor industries. In the PVD process, a negatively-charged electrode is slowly disintegrated by molecular bombardment. The PVD medium is typically argon, because this gas generates sufficient momentum to free atoms from the target. In a vacuum environment, these free target atoms deposit themselves on the surface of the material and form the desired coating or plating.

Maintaining a specified gas mass flowrate to the vacuum chamber is critical during the PVD process. Typically, vacuum pumping stations require a throttle valve or orifice-limiting device to control the pump’s output when the PVD gas is introduced. This method is extremely pressure-sensitive and can result in inefficient gas delivery and poor product quality.

PVD presents two critical challenges in the manufacturing of films used in solar photovoltaics. The first is the use of high vacuum. Since there is so little pressure drop to work with, PVD processes require flow control devices that are relatively insensitive to the absolute pressure in the chamber. This rules out devices like orifice plates that require a large pressure difference to operate efficiently.

The second issue is maintaining very precise flowrates. Since the layers deposited by PVD processes can, in many cases, be only molecules thick, very precise delivery methods of the doping gases are required. Sierra Instruments’ Smart Trak 50 Series provides solutions for both of these challenges.

Sierra’s 50 Series automatically compensates for changes in system pressure (vacuum pump fluctuations) or loss of pressure from the gas source (cylinder depletion). By utilizing the device’s high-quality laminar flow element and a proprietary frictionless-hovering control valve, The Smart-Trak 50 Series delivers a precisely- controlled gas mass flowrate to the vacuum chamber to maintain a high quality end-product.

www.sierrainstruments.com

CONTAINMENT

Processing Companies Increase Reliability with Mechanical Seal

When it comes to mechanical seals, reliability is everything. Designed for processing companies, the ISC2 series of standard cartridge seals provides reliable performance during off-design operation, frequent starts and stops, and other known causes of seal failure in pump applications, while contributing to a lower total cost of ownership.

ISC2 seals feature several design innovations, including patent-pending thermal management technology for lower-running temperatures, robust seal face drive mechanisms to better tolerate sticky and high-viscosity fluids, high-efficiency barrier circulation that maximizes cooling in dual seals, and rigid setting devices with one-key installation to ease installation. The net result of these and additional design enhancements is a robust seal capable of handling the harshest industrial pump services.  

Many processing industries benefit from ISC2 seal reliability, and companies worldwide are reporting advanced performance with ISC2 seals on troublesome applications.

For example, a U.S. chemical company in Florida with a turpentine oil derivatives application on a 2.500-in. shaft ANSI pump struggled with dry running, cavitation, and consistently failing mechanical seals. The company first tried to fix the problems with a competitor seal, but it experienced chipped faces and a failed gasket. The company then tried another competitor seal, which failed because of excessive barrier fluid leakage. Finally, the company installed a dual-pusher ISC2 seal, which still runs leak-free more than a year later.    

As another example, at a food processing plant in the Slovak Republic, a troublesome seal was replaced by an ISC2 single-pusher seal in a standard bore pump running starch milk. The ISC2 seal continues to run well, and it has surpassed two years of no-fault performance.   

ISC2 seals can often meet an entire plant’s sealing needs. These mechanical seals satisfy all major international standards with designs to fit hundreds of pump models from global pump manufacturers. They are capable of sustaining years of uninterrupted, long-term operation. 

Garlock, Chevron Co-Develop Ultra-Low-Emission Valve Packing

David W. Reeves, senior specialist for bolting and sealing technology at Chevron’s Richmond Refinery Tech Center, Richmond, Calif., was not satisfied with the level of emission control available from either original equipment or after-market valve packing products. As a result, Chevron developed one of the most challenging valve packing tests in the industry to determine the performance of different materials. This extensive testing showed that the emission levels in many valves were higher than allowed by the local Air Quality Management Districts after relatively few opening and closing cycles. 

In the process of testing many types of valve packing materials, Chevron found a combination of materials that seemed to seal better than anything that was commercially available. The company then contacted Garlock Sealing Technologies, Palmyra, N.Y., with which it co-developed a new valve packing material called 212-ULE (Ultra-Low Emission). This product sealed significantly better than all other packings tested – to a point where fugitive emissions were virtually undetectable using EPA method 21.

Garlock then worked with end-users to make the product easier to use. Typically, packing is sold by weight, not by the number of valves that can be packed, making it difficult for planners to order packing for upcoming outages. Garlock labeled the new product with a designation based on the cross-section for the number of valves that can be packed with one box, simplifying the planning process. The packing was then taken from standard spool form and put in a cardboard carton with a robust, top-mounted handle that makes it easier for maintenance personnel to carry it throughout a plant when repacking valves. 

Each carton also contains a set of high-visibility orange tags that can be wired to a valve, indicating the date it was packed and with what type of packing, as well as a reminder to re-torque the packing after three days to maintain its performance and extend its service life.

The result is environmentally friendly packing guaranteed to seal below 100 PPM for five years. The packing reduces emissions for compliance with increasingly stringent requirements, and the packaging is completely recyclable.

www.garlock.com
www.212ULE.com