New equipment improves SCADA functions.
Pump monitoring instrumentation is often not included with installations, but proper sensors can protect a pump and help with efficient operation.
This article will define a business case for achieving significant rotating equipment maintenance and energy cost reduction at industrial and municipal facilities.
One of the most neglected tools in the vibration analysis toolbox is phase. This neglect is partially due to the extra time and effort often necessary to collect the information. Many analysts are also not properly trained in phase measurement and analysis.
Water system operators know the challenges of keeping municipal drinking water consistently and safely chlorinated. Increased safety concerns regarding common disinfectants and mandated chlorine residual targets make maintaining large or small water systems difficult.
To achieve a sustainable future, the green movement demands increased energy efficiency and conservation. Here is a look at how these changes will impact the water industry and its use of pumps and controls.
Named after frontiersman Kit Carson, Carson City, Nev., is known for its fresh air, rugged natural surroundings and its proximity to the casinos of Reno and skiing in Lake Tahoe. Carson City, the capital of Nevada, has been a self-governing municipality since 1972. The Carson City Public Works Dept. manages all the water for Carson City and County. Its mission is to be completely self-sufficient-acquiring, using and reusing 100 percent of its own water.
Data and life cycle management technology helps refineries maintain equipment and reduce the total cost of ownership.
As a public water provider, Loudon Water, a water and wastewater authority in Loudon, Va., must be able to supply water to meet the community's needs. As a non-profit organization, it needs to prevent lost revenue that can result when a pump fails or is subject to unplanned downtime. To maximize uptime and customer satisfaction, Loudon Water teamed with a manufacturer of accelerometers and vibration monitoring products to install vibration sensors on four pumps to maximize uptime at a new pumping station.
If pump cavitation is not detected and quickly eliminated, significant damage can occur to the impeller and other internal components. Since cavitation (the formation and collapse of vapor bubbles in the pumped fluid as it passes through the pump impeller) is often temporary or even induced by the process, timely knowledge of the condition is extremely important so operators can act to alleviate the problem and prevent damage.
Variable frequency drive technology is more efficient and accurate, which leads to increased energy savings. Advancements in capacitors and direct current (DC) link reactors, IGBTs, heat management, processing power and measuring technology are all enabling the development of solutions to problems that were not even recognized earlier. Additionally, new and advanced algorithms affect energy efficiency.
Third in a series. Advances in wireless technologies can help address many common failure modes in mid- to low-level criticality assets and eliminate wiring costs for a range of asset types.
With the growth of wind farms, users are turning to condition monitoring and automatic lubrication systems for increased reliability.
The DelMonte vegetable processing facility in Crystal City, Texas, is a cannery for spinach, carrots and beets. Located 40 miles from the Mexican border, the plant has been in operation since World War II. The facility's capacity for canned spinach currently approaches 800,000 cans per day, so it needs dependable equipment.
Balancing is essential for minimizing vibration, increasing bearing life and minimizing downtime and repair costs. Follow the guidelines from these standards to balance centrifugal pumps properly.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" may have been coined by process and plant engineers tired of repairing or replacing pumps. Pumps are often the most under-serviced pieces of equipment in process automation when it comes to maintenance and prevention best practices. Unfortunately, nothing moves without the humble pump, and a process becomes inefficient when a pump doesn't operate properly or completely shuts down. Many times the pump manufacturer is seen to be the problem, when in fact the process or the surrounding equipment configuration is the cause.
One electrical equipment specialist is relying on a cleaning system to ensure that a variety of stamped and turned parts are thoroughly degreased at their production facility.
Wireless control and monitoring are a vital part of pump systems.
State and federal requirements increase the need for pump monitoring and control.
Gulf Chemical & Metallurgical Corporation (Freeport, Texas), a subsidiary of the Eramet Group, is a recycler of spent petroleum catalysts and a leading producer of ferroalloys. The company applies hydrometallurgical and pyrometallurgical operations to recover molybdenum, vanadium, nickel and cobalt for reuse by major catalyst producers and steel manufacturers. Embarking on the road to improved equipment reliability represents a key aspect of a concerted strategic initiative for Gulf Chemical. The introduction of wireless technology and additional support has yielded successful outcomes for its facility.
Soft starters and VFDs are useful for extending equipment life in HVAC applications.
Use of disposable components in product downstream processing and final fill operations is increasing as technology improves for performing these steps in a single-use mode. There is a high demand for systems that support single-use purification, formulation and filling operations.
Yuba County Water Agency in Marysville, Calif., recently chose a wireless system as a solution for a water pump problem. Here are some of benefits they discovered.
Pumping control system updates aging lift station network. pump system optimization
Over the past 50 years, advances in technology have provided the primary thrust behind the success and evolution of variable-speed drive systems. Here are some considerations for the proper selection and set up of different types of systems, and what lies ahead in the future.
A Nashville-based hunting club required the flooding of several acres of land. A shallow area approximately 1.5-ft deep needed to be flooded to help attract wild game.
