Pumps & Systems, February 2008

Editor's Note: This is the second part of a two-part series on Process Control. The first part, available in the January 2008 issue on www.pump-zone.com, discussed the P-proportional control-of PID. This month we'll look at I and D.

Last month, we ended our discussion of proportional control by saying there are times when P alone cannot provide the accuracy required by a process. Take, for example, a constant pressure booster system under VFD control. If changes in flow and the resulting change in pressure occurred gradually over a long period of time, the VFD could use proportional control to keep pressure constant.

Pumps & Systems, February 2008

The second article of this three-part series on "Dematerializing the Process" explores how future industrial process plants will address rising operating costs plus energy and environmental concerns.

Here's just a sampling of industrial market headlines: Experienced human capital is scarce. Raw material costs are escalating. Energy and the environment are becoming constraints on economic growth. Information technology is the primary economic driver. The process plant of tomorrow is minimally staffed. Manufacturing flexibility is required to customize products for rapidly changing market demands. Manufacturing efficiency is the key to sustainability. Consolidation, globalization and information integration have spawned an array of new and innovative management, sales and manufacturing strategies.

Pumps & Systems, February 2008

Your company has recently purchased a laser based alignment system. Your newly trained technicians are asked to align a critical process pump. You witness the alignment. They save the final alignment data. You review the data, but what does it mean? How does it compare to dial indicators? Why did they rotate both shafts when measuring the misalignment? Why are the numbers at the feet higher than you would like? How do you KNOW the alignment is good? The debate begins.

Pumps & Systems, February 2008

One of the first steps in shaft alignment preparation is to make sure that the machines are locked out and tagged out. If equipment is accidentally started while an alignment is being performed, serious injuries could occur.

Listed below are other issues, in no particular order, which could prevent the attainment and retention of good alignment.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

Production, distribution and refining applications in the oil and gas industry rely heavily on motor-driven pumps and pumping systems. Keeping electric motors driving critical operations at peak performance is vital to ensure maximum profitability.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

As oil prices and gasoline usage have increased, the demands on U.S. oil and gas wells have grown dramatically. In the past, there was a low cost supply from the Middle East, and U.S. oil wells were not used as frequently due to low reservoirs and the energy cost associated with extracting the oil. A large number of U.S. wells were shut down in reaction to high electric costs, low oil prices, the need for monitoring the oil reservoir and machine maintenance. As of 2004, there were just over 800,000 onshore oil wells in the world, with about two-thirds of them in the United States.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

Dynamic pressure sensors and accelerometers are frequently used for precision measurements in oil, gas and petrochemical industries, as well as for natural gas supply monitoring applications. The development of piezoelectric sensor technology with integral charge amplifier, as well as the development of high temperature charge output designs, has been especially important for dynamic sensing applications. To truly understand the benefits of this technology, one must first review the evolution of this type of sensing.

Pumps & Systems, April 2008

Artificial lift technology selection is highly dependent on the conditions of the wellbore and the specific application parameters of a given well. Electrical submersible pumping (ESP) systems employing centrifugal pumps are the preferred artificial lift technology for wells with higher flow rates and deeper well depths. ESP systems are used to lift fluids for a variety of industries, including oil and gas, mining, municipal water and geothermal. Rod lift systems-the most common form of artificial lift-use sucker rods to bring fluid to the surface and are used primarily in lower flow wells. 

Pumps & Systems, November 2007

The second part of this three-part series explores the types of protection applied to specific equipment installed at water and wastewater facilities and some typical criteria used to develop protective settings.

Pumps & Systems, August 2007

How many gallons per minute are REALLY flowing out of that pump?

Perhaps the OEM pump manufacturer tested this pump at the factory - or perhaps not. You now have a pump, or perhaps it has been there for some time, and you suspect that it is no longer pushing the flow as it once did or is supposed to. The problem is there is no inline metering device to monitor the actual number of gallons. What can you do?