Innovation

Awards
Honorees
Page 24

Chemical
Equipment
Smart processes for safety,
quality & profitability

Also Inside

Pump automation

Valve housing & seal selection

IIoT & maintenance

OCTOBER 2018 • Vol. XXIV, No. 10

www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
 Connect to quality at
EASA
CONVENTION
Page 30

PUMP
Reliability
Motors contribute to
dependability & efficiency
Also Inside

Innovation Awards nominations

Bearing trends & fundamentals

Enhanced oil recovery seals

JUNE 2018 • Vol. XXIV, No. 6

www.flowcontrolnetwork.com

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Table of Contents | October 2018 • Vol. XXIV, No. 10

Cover Series
Chemical Equipment
10 Electronic interface features for smarter
chemical processing
By Julien Bassett, ARO
Facilities improve safety and productivity with better
data collection and usage.

12 Selecting the appropriate housing & seal

material for valves
By Charles Kolstad, Tameson
All the application details must be considered for
10
chemical applications.

14 Making deepwater development

profitable again
By Art J. Schroeder, Jr., Safe Marine Transfer LLC,
Antony Croston & Collin Gaskill, Trelleborg Offshore
Adjustable buoyancy lowers costs and simplifies logistics.

14 18
Special Section
Remote & Wireless Communication
18 Monitoring for connected reliability
By Michael Watson, Fluke Accelix Departments
Remote, wireless sensors remove barriers to help facili-
ties effectively use the IIoT for maintenance efficiency. 4 From the Editor

6 News & Notes

20 Industrial Internet of Things in
energy management
By Mark Menezes, Emerson Automation Solutions
8 Application Corner & Quiz Corner
Deploying monitoring sensors communicating via
wireless networks improves plant performance and 31 Advertiser Index
energy consumption.
32 FlowControlNetwork.com

Innovation Awards
24 5 top flow innovations
Find out who readers chose as the 2018 honorees.
Cover graphic courtesy of ARO

Flow Control (ISSN #1081-7107) is published 12 times a year © Endeavor Business Media, 2018. No portion of this publica-
by Endeavor Business Media, 1 Mt. Laurel Avenue, Suite 207, tion may be reproduced in any form without written permission Subscription Information
Birmingham, AL 35242. of the publisher. Views expressed by the bylined contributors
should not be construed as reflecting the opinion of this pub- Toll Free: 847-559-7560
A controlled circulation publication, Flow Control is distributed
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without charge to qualified subscribers. Non-qualified subscrip-
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contributions are accepted from the fluid handling industry. Skokie, IL 60076
Contact the editor for details. Product/service information
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Email: flowcontrol@omeda.com
more wire transfer information. Single copies $10 per issue in
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2 | October 2018 Flow Control

©2018 Fluke Corporation.
 pidjoe/iStock
EDITOR IN CHIEF
ROBYN TUCKER
rtucker@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
AMY W. RICHARDSON
arichardson@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
MOLLY ROGERS
mrogers@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
GROUP ASSISTANT EDITOR
MARIE MCBURNETT
mmcburnett@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
COLUMNIST

From the Editor DAVID W. SPITZER

ART DIRECTOR
JULIE WHITTY

M
any of our readers are chemi-
cal industry professionals, so
we’ve focused this issue on
chemical equipment. This industry must
adhere to strict procedures and regula-
tions, adding a layer of complexity to
its processes.
ARO begins our cover series on page
made over the last year. This achieve- PRODUCTION MANAGER
AMANDA PORTER
ment recognizes these companies as
aporter@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
being dedicated to continuous improve-
GROUP PUBLISHER
ment and a commitment to manufac-
MICHAEL C. CHRISTIAN | 908-507-5472
turing excellence. mchristian@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
Finally, I must share that this letter is DISTRICT MANAGER
my last as editor in chief of Flow Control. JAY HAAS | 205-572-1058
I had no knowledge of this world before jhaas@endeavorbusinessmedia.com

10 with a discussion of how automation I joined the Process Flow Network, but I ACCOUNT MANAGER
fosters smarter chemical processing have developed an immense respect for ADDISON PERKINS | 205-861-5303
aperkins@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
with improved data collection. Then the jobs our readers perform every day.
NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER
on page 12, Tameson includes an You keep our world running with effi-
JIM SEMPLE | 908-963-3008
article about housing and seal selec- cient, smart and quality-upholding pro- jsemple@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
tion for valves. Next on page 14, read cesses. As I move out of the publishing ACCOUNT MANAGER
about how adjustable buoyancy con- world into marketing communications, I LISA WILLIMAN | 205-332-5915
tributes to greater profitability in deep- take with me the highest opinion of you. lwilliman@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
water oil and gas development in an Thank for you challenging and educating DIGITAL SALES LEAD
article by Safe Marine Transfer LLC and me by letting me into your world. MICHAEL RING | 347-365-0641
mring@endeavorbusinessmedia.com
Trelleborg Offshore. Molly Rogers will take the helm of
MARKETING MANAGER
Our special section on Remote & Flow Control after my departure. She
NICK PHILLIPS
Wireless Instrumentation begins on comes from our sister publication,
DIGITAL OPERATIONS MANAGER
page 18 with Fluke Accelix’s article on Water Technology. You can reach her at MARY BETH ROMANO
monitoring assets with the Industrial mrogers@endeavorbusinessmedia.com.
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
Internet of Things (IIoT) for better main- ANNA HICKS
tenance. Emerson then discusses IIoT Sincerely, SUBSCRIPTION & REPRINT REQUEST
in plant energy efficiency on page 20. flowcontrol@omeda.com
Starting on page 24, I am excited to
share the winner and honorees of the CORPORATE TEAM
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
2018 Innovation Awards program. Our Robyn Tucker
CHRIS FERRELL
readers chose five innovative flowme- rtucker@endeavorbusinessmedia.com CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER
ter technologies as examples of the @FlowControl_Mag PATRICK RAINS
progress the fluid handling industry has EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
SCOTT BIEDA

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Jeff Jennings: Equilibar LLC Tom O’Banion: Emerson Process Management, Micro Motion
MitchJeff
Johnson: JMSEquilibar
Jennings: SoutheastLLC | Mitch Johnson:DavidJMS Southeast Gobind
W. Spitzer,|PE: Khiani:
Spitzer Fluor Canada
and Boyes LLC Ltd.
Gobind Khiani:JimFluor
Lauria: Mazzei
Canada, Injector Company |George
Ltd. John Merrill, PE: EagleBurgmann
Weihrauch: Baldor Electric Industries
Company
Jim Lauria: Steve Injector Endress+Hauser
MazzeiMilford: Company U.S. | Andrew
Tom O’Banion: Emerson
Yeghnazar: Automation
Blacoh Solutions
Fluid Control
DavidPE:
John Merrill, W. Spitzer, PE: Spitzer
EagleBurgmann and Boyes LLC
Industries | George
Jesse Yoder:Weihrauch: ABB Motors & Mechanical
Flow Research
Andrew Yeghnazar:
Steve Milford: Endress+Hauser U.S.Blacoh Fluid Control | Jesse Yoder, Ph.D.: Flow Research

4 | October 2018 Flow Control

 subscribe today.
Flow Control is the voice of fluid handling professionals
in the Process Flow Network, which provides solutions
for the process industries and includes Processing
and Water Technology.

Essential
PROCESS
CONTROL
Automation isn’t optional

Also Inside

Flowmeter accuracy

Tank level measurement

Peristaltic pump safety

MAY 2018 • Vol. XXIV, No. 5

www.flowcontrolnetwork.com

FC_0518_Cover.indd 1 4/5/18 12:42 PM

flowcontrolnetwork.com/subscribe
News & Notes
Oil & gas news
Demand pushes US refineries
to run at near-record highs
The four-week average of U.S. gross refin-
ery inputs passed 18 million barrels per
day (b/d) for the first time ever in July.
Domestic and international demand for
motor gasoline and distillate oil and driv-
ing the increase.
These levels have not been seen since
Aug. 25, 2017, noted the U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA), a week
before Hurricane Harvey hit the Gulf Coast.
Refinery capacity increased by
862,000 barrels per calendar day
between Jan. 1, 2011, and Jan. 1, 2018.
The Gulf Coast and Midwest regions
account for most of the input levels. With
more than half of all U.S. refinery capacity,
the Gulf Coast hit its own record of 9.5 mil-
lion b/d inputs the same week as the U.S.
record was reached. The Midwest region,
which has the second-highest refinery
capacity, achieved a four-week gross refin-
ery inputs record of 4.1 million b/d in June.
US fuel ethanol production
increases over 2017
The EIA reported that at the beginning of
2018, U.S. fuel ethanol production
reached more than 16 billion gallons per
year, or 1.06 million b/d. This number
represents a total listed operable etha-
nol plants increase of 5 percent between
January 2017 and January 2018.
Part of the increase was caused by
survey respondents who operated at
higher levels than their listed production
capacities, leading to utilization rates
above 100 percent.
The Midwest region accounted for
most of the fuel ethanol production
capacity. It increased 5 percent from
2017 to 2018, or more than 650 million
gallons per year. Iowa, Nebraska and
Illinois make up more than half of U.S.
total ethanol production capacity.
South Central natural gas
capacity to increase
The South Central region of the U.S. is
expected to see an increase in natural
gas capacity to nearly 10 billion cubic feet
6 | October 2018
per day (Bcf/d), representing a shift from
being a source of natural gas supply to a
source of growing demand. Pipeline proj-
ects scheduled to come online in 2018
will create more supply for the Gulf Coast
and support growing export markets.
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) export
facilities contribute to the increase. New
facilities planned to come online in 2018
and 2019 represent an additional 6.1
Bcf/d of LNG export capacity.
Natural gas exports to Mexico will also
grow. Pipeline exports from Texas into
Mexico alone has grown from 0.9 Bcf/d
in 2010 to more than 4.3 Bcf/d through
April 2018. Pipeline capacity tripled dur-
ing the same timeframe, reaching 9.3
Bcf/d in 2017.
North Sea projects to rely on
subsea tiebacks
Data analytics company GlobalData
reported that of the 63 oil and gas fields
to be brought into production in the North
Sea between 2018 and 2023, 34 will be
subsea tiebacks. Companies are expect-
ed to spend $69 billion on projects in the
region, with $14 billion to be spent on
subsea tie-backs.
While the Gulf of Mexico will have a
higher ratio of subsea tiebacks during this
time period (23 of 30 projects), North Sea
subsea developments have a higher aver-
age internal rate of return of 45 percent
compared to the Gulf’s 32 percent for
the same type of development.
Company &
association news
Nidec Motor Corporation
names CEO
Nidec Motor Corporation (NMC) named
Henk van Duijnhoven as its CEO and
Appliances, Commercial and Industrial
Motors (ACIM) global business leader.
NMC, located in St. Louis, Missouri, has
$4 billion in annual sales and 25,000
employees across 72 manufacturing sites
across the Americas, Asia and Europe.
Duijnhoven was most recently a partner
and managing director of The Boston
Consulting Group. He has a Bachelor of
Science from the College of Automotive
Engineering and a Master of Business
Administration from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT).
NETZSCH opens Texas
service center
NETZSCH Pumps North America LLC
opened a 4,900-square-foot Sales &
Service Center north of Houston. The
facility is a base for inventory, technical
support and the company’s AWS-certified
technicians. The site features a pump
stand to allow customers to see hydrau-
lic tests on pumps before taking them
out of the facility, and it houses a rental
stock for customers to test the T2 Rotary
Lobe Pump.
SPX FLOW gains Middle East
channel partner
SPX FLOW announced that V-Line Middle
East, a subsidiary of V-Line Group, is a
new channel partner for its Middle East
operations. V-Line Group manages cross-
border maintenance, repair and operat-
ing supply (MRO) complexity in industrial
plants. Its sales and technical experts
customize procurement models that are
developed for customers to meet certain
standards of operation.
ONCAP buys Precision Global
Harris Williams advised Precision Global,
a company of Peak Rock Capital and pro-
vider of dispensing solutions, on its sale
to ONCAP. Precision Global, founded in
1949, invented the modern aerosol valve
and produces more than four billion vales
and two billion actuators annually. The
company provides for the personal care,
food and beverage and pharmaceutical
industries. ONCAP is a private equity
platform of Onex. It works to build North
American mid-sized business potentials.
EPIC Systems creates
new corporation
EPIC Systems announced a partnership
with investors to create a new corporation
named EPIC Systems Group. John Schott
will continue as president and remain the
owner of the company and all employees
will continue operating as normal. “We
Flow Control
 Upcoming events
Emerson Global Users
look forward to joining Compass Group, portfolio standards. He has been a Exchange Americas
which will expand our capabilities and member of ASTM since 2014 and has Oct. 1–5
San Antonio
industry footprint,” said Schott. held his position as product manager at
emersonexchange.com
Dixon Valve US since 2012. Andersen
ABI Research awards PTC top has a bachelor’s degree in business from Sensors Midwest
scores in AR/MR, innovation Washington College. Oct. 16–17
ABI Research awarded PTC ThingWorx Rosemont, Ill.
with top scores in augmented reality (AR)/ NAI plant achieves zero sensorsmidwest.com
mixed reality (MR) and innovation. SAP, defects for one year
PTC, Siemens and Schneider Electric tied NAI, a manufacturer of connectivity solu- Fluid Sealing Association
for the highest score in digital twins. PTC tions for industrial, telecom, data and Fall Meeting
Telit and GE tied for highest in protocol medical systems, achieved a zero-defect Oct. 23–25
adaptability and connectivity. manufacturing in its Hermosillo, Mexico, Montreal, Québec
fluidsealing.com
plant for one year. The plant produced
ASTM International 25,000 fiber optic riser cable assemblies,
ADIPEC
committee presents John 200,000 fiber optic jumpers and more Nov. 12–15
Haas Memorial Award than 3 million cable terminations during Abu Dhabi, UAE
ASTM International’s committee on ships this period. FC adipec.com
and marine technology gave the John
Haas Memorial Award to Sean Andersen Rockwell Automation Fair
Send news and events for consideration Nov. 14–15
of Dixon Valve US. Andersen received the
to Marie McBurnett at mmcburnett@ Philadelphia
award for his expertise for the develop-
endeavorbusinessmedia.com. automationfair.com
ment of liquefied natural gas (LNG)

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www.flowcontrolnetwork.com October 2018 | 7

 Application Corner
By David W. Spitzer

Insertion flowmeter
thermal probe orientation
P
revious articles described the exist-
ing installation and operation of a
fume flowmeter for an incinerator.
The new installation was more complex
and used fumes to replace up to 80
percent of the combustion air but could
drop to near zero flow in approximately 5
seconds. The new fume flowmeter mea-
surement was used in the combustion
control strategy and also in the control
strategy to ensure that the fume nozzles
did not overheat.
Examination of the new thermal flow-
meter revealed encrustation on the ther-
mal sensor. Discussion with the manu-
facturer indicated that the encrustation
was likely caused by small droplets in the
fume that hit the heater and were subse-
quently evaporated by the heater, leaving
behind a residue that caused the flow-
meter to function improperly. Although
the new insertion Pitot tube flowmeter
functioned reliably for years, the plant
would have preferred to have had the
superior measurement available from the
insertion thermal flowmeter.
Recent discussions with a thermal
flowmeter manufacturer brought to light
another potential cause of the encrus-
tation. In humid flowing streams, the
outside temperature is often lower than
the gas temperature, so liquid tends to
condense on the pipe wall. When the
thermal probe is mounted on the top of
the pipe, any condensate formed at the
top of the pipe and its tap can travel
down the probe to the sensor, where it
can adversely affect the measurement.
For humid gas service, thermal flowme-
ter manufacturers suggest that insertion
thermal probes be oriented such that con-
densation on the pipe walls cannot travel
down the probe to the sensor. This can be
achieved by installing the probe pointing
upward from the bottom of the pipe or
upward at up to a 45-degree angle from
the bottom of the pipe so condensation on
the probe will flow away from the sensor.
After almost three decades, I now
question whether this detail was the dif-
ference between success and failure. FC

Quiz Corner Increasing flow from 100 to 200 liters per minute (lpm) will
cause an orifice plate primary flow element to generate:

A. 25 percent of the differential pressure at 100 lpm | B. 50 percent of the differential pressure at 100 lpm
C. The same differential pressure as at 100 lpm | D. 200 percent of the differential pressure at 100 lpm
E. 400 percent of the differential pressure at 100 lpm

T
he differential pressure across
an orifice plate primary flow
element will increase as flow
increases, so Answers A, B and C are
not correct.
Orifice plate primary flow elements
produce a differential pressure that is
proportional to the square of the flow
rate. Therefore, doubling the flow will eccentric, integral, quadrant and seg-
create (200/100)2 or four times the mental orifice plate designs generally
differential pressure (Answer D). follow this relationship over a limited
range of Reynolds numbers. FC
Additional complicating factors
The squared output relationship applies
to concentric orifice plates operating
in the turbulent flow regime. Conical,

8 | October 2018 Flow Control

 For humid gas service, thermal flowmeter manufacturers suggest
that insertion thermal probes be oriented such that condensation
on the pipe walls cannot travel down the probe to the sensor.

David W. Spitzer is a regular contribu-

tor to Flow Control magazine and a
principal in Spitzer and Boyes LLC,
which offers engineering, seminars, When Flow Control
strategic, marketing consulting, dis-
tribution consulting and expert wit-
ness services for manufacturing and
Needs Precision Tuning
automation companies. Spitzer and
Boyes is also the publisher of the Precision is the decisive
Industrial Automation INSIDER. He has quality one gets from a product
more than 40 years of experience and that performs exactly as it should
has written more than 10 books and without missing a note.
350 articles about flow measurement,
instrumentation and process control. O’Keefe Controls is always in
Spitzer may be reached at 845-
tune with your precision flow
623-1830 or via spitzerandboyes.com.
Click on the “Products” tab to find his
control needs. An extensive
Consumer Guides to various flow and level variety of materials,
measurement technologies. configurations and flow rates
ensure application harmony.

As precision craftsmen, with

Did you a score composed from over

know?
Of the 63 oil and gas fields
to be brought into production
in the North Sea between
2018 and 2023, 34 will be
subsea tiebacks. Companies
will spend $69 billion in
the region, with $14 billion
spent on tiebacks.
–GlobalData
energy.globaldata.com
40 years of manufacturing
experience, O’Keefe Controls
takes great pride delivering
precision, quality and
dependability with an entire
ensemble of miniature orifices,
flow controls and check valves.
800.533.3285
If it’s about precision, it’s O’Keefe.
Precision Orifices • Flow Controls • Check Valves
Visit us at www.OKeefeControls.com

www.flowcontrolnetwork.com October 2018 | 9

Cover Series: Chemical Equipment
Electronic interface features for
smarter chemical processing
Facilities improve safety and productivity with better
data collection and usage.
By Julien Bassett, ARO
F
or many, hearing the words “harsh
chemicals” brings thoughts of
fumes, flames and the ominous
skull-and-crossbones image often embla-
zoned on dangerous chemical products.
This is not entirely out of left field, con-
sidering some chemicals can injure
personnel or cause severe damage to
equipment. For facilities that process
chemicals, employees will have some
level of interaction with these chemicals.
But fluid management systems can be
put in place to ensure safety and the
integrity of the end product.
Where are the people?
In most chemical processing facilities,
operators use pumps in many transfer,
metering and dosing applications. This
includes transferring fluid from one
container to another or adding active
ingredients to the fluid to create spe-
cific products such as detergents or
paints. To conduct these applications,
air-operated double diaphragm (AODD)
pumps are ideal because they can handle
shear-sensitive products, pass solids, run
dry and provide variable flow rates. AODD
pumps are also easy to clean and consid-
ered low-maintenance when compared to
other types of pumps. Low-maintenance
pumps are particularly attractive in manu-
facturing environments in which products
are created at high volumes and where
process efficiency is important.
To ensure efficiency and safety, many
chemical process operations are free of
personnel. That is because many facili-
ties operate their processes in centralized
control rooms. With the possibility of spills
10 | October 2018
and the impact of extended exposure to on the size of the container, that could
harsh chemicals, the less time spent in mean that one person has to wait for
that environment, the better. Distance long periods of time to close a fluid valve
from chemicals decreases safety risks once the desired volume is reached. Not
and allows process and plant engineers only is this labor intensive, it also intro-
to focus on performance and quality. duces human error risks. In many cases,
operators have been known to come
Automated processes back to the container too late, leading
for a better batch to spillage or product ratio formulation
Automation in manufacturing has been errors and resulting in discarded batches
prevalent since the 11th century when and lost time.
early mining innovations began to influ- Pumps with electronic interface
ence past practices. Over the years, capabilities eliminate these inaccuracies
processes have become
more integrated, automated
and digital given the need
for productivity, safety and
process control.
In manual pump transfer
applications, an employee
must be present to check on the
container into which the fluid is
being pumped to make sure it
does not overflow. Depending
ARO
electronic-
interface
diaphragm
pumps
All graphics
courtesy
of ARO
Flow Control
 (Left) Before automation,
someone had to constantly
monitor fluid processes
to ensure product quality,
leaving room for error.

(Below) Now chemical

processes can take
place without constant
monitoring from people.

with precise monitoring and dosing while

saving resources by freeing up operators
from having to stand over the pump,
which also increases overall productivity.

Smarter systems create

better products
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is
an evolving network of connecting sys-
tems and a broad trend in the fluids
industry. Many in the industry are turning
to data-driven technology by harnessing
sensor data and incorporating machine-
to-machine communication and automa-
tion technologies that have existed in
industrial settings for years. By turning
to the IIoT, manufacturers are gradually
improving productivity, quality control,
efficiency and safety.
Given that IIoT technologies make
chemical fluid management processes
smarter, it is vital for process engineers
to explore how an electronic-interfacing
AODD can drastically improve process
control and monitoring. Technology has
come a long way when it comes to con-
trollers tailored to monitor/control AODDs.
These AODD controllers enable seamless
integration of sensor signals to accurately
measure flow rates, control AODD pumps
via electronic solenoids and monitor dia-
phragm health using leak-detection sen-
sors. These functions can save labor with
seamless installation in the field to get
the pumps up and running quickly.
Once installed, these pump systems
automatically maintain fluid levels, which
minimizes the need for operators to
monitor the process. In batching applica-
tions, this is critical because it ensures
the final product’s ingredients will meet
the exact measurements required to
ensure product quality. Remote triggers
that signal auto-shutdowns and send criti-
cal operating data and maintenance ser-
vice alerts to operators are also available.
Leak-detection sensors can be specified
to notify operators when a diaphragm fail-
ure occurs, enhancing employee safety,
preventing costly material spills and mini-
mizing repair time.
Staying smart
Many chemical plants have already
embraced automated and data-driv-
en processes and shifted away from
inaccurate and inefficient manual pro-
cesses. Even with those improvements
in place, it is necessary for chemical
manufacturers to use the information
gathered from the AODD sensors to
improve system performance. The spe-
cific integration of electronic-interface
system elements previously mentioned
can help manufacturers aggregate data
to increase production, reduce downtime,
improve processing efficiency and main-
tain the highest safety standards. FC
Julien Bassett is the global product man-
ager for diaphragm pumps at ARO with
more than 15 years of experience in
engineering and product development.
He leads the development of technical
fluid management products designed
for performance and serviceability. For
more information, visit arozone.com or
call 800-495-0276.

www.flowcontrolnetwork.com October 2018 | 11

Cover Series: Chemical Equipment
Selecting the appropriate housing
& seal material for valves
All the application details must be considered
for chemical applications.
By Charles Kolstad, Tameson
T
o ensure a long-lasting valve, the
correct valve type needs to be cho-
sen carefully. Also, selecting the
valve’s seal and housing material is a critical
selection step. Improperly selecting the seal
and housing material based on media and
environment will affect valve performance
(corrosion, seal, pressure capabilities, etc.)
and shorten the operating life span. Taking
the valve’s environment into consideration
and knowing key media characteristics and
material options will ensure the correct seal
and housing material are chosen.
Application information
To select the appropriate material, gather
all application information. From a media
standpoint, the four main things to consider
are temperature, corrosion possibility, wear
characteristics and pressure. These will nar-
row down the material search before looking
at environmental characteristics. Note if the
valve is in a corrosive environment, if the
material of the rest of the piping system will
cause galvanic corrosion and its durability
to withstand mechanical impacts.
Special circumstances
Not every application is straightforward,
especially in the chemical industry. Some
systems can run multiple different media
through a valve. Maintenance intervals for
cleaning, cleaning agents, temperature fluc-
tuations external and internal to the valve,
concentration of media and other factors
can affect material selection. Also, the valve
type can affect seal material (i.e., polytetra-
fluoroethylene [PTFE] is typically not used
for low-pressure applications in solenoid
valves but can be used for ball valves). If
any uncertainty exists, it is important to
12 | October 2018
Seal Temperature
Advantages Disadvantages
material rating
NBR (Nitrile 0°C to 80°C Has good resistance to Relatively small temperature
rubber) tearing, compression and operating window, negatively
wear, making it suitable affected by temperature
for most oils, solvents and fluctuations and unsuitable
for brake fluids and polar
alcohols.
solvents.
FKM (Viton) -10°C to 120°C Has a large temperature In case of water and steam,
(hot water and range, good mechanical the material will swell above
steam only up to properties and high 90°C to 100°C. Unsuitable
90°C) resistance to compression for polar solvents and
set. Suitable for halocarbons, certain esters and ethers.
aromatics, oils, solvents,
acids and animal and
vegetable oils.
Ethylene -10°C to 130°C Has good resistance to Offers poor resistance to
propylene temperature fluctuations grease, solvents and oil
diene and offers protection against while being unsuitable for
monomer alcohols, low concentrations aromatic hydrocarbons.
rubber of acids/alkalis, brake fluids,
(EPDM) ketones and steam.
PTFE -30°C to 180°C Harder material that is Expensive and cannot be
mechanical and chemically used as a flexible
resistant. It is suitable for membrane. Unsuitable for
high pressure and extreme fluorine compounds and
temperature applications. liquid sodium.
Table 1. Four main seal material options are available from valve suppliers.
discuss the application with a valve supplier compatibility and price since additional
to know the available options. Additionally, housing materials may be available for spe-
explore online resources to learn about the cial applications (uncommon media, higher/
chemical resistance of certain materials. lower concentrations, fluctuating/extreme
temperatures, etc.).
Common seal material options
Table 1 presents the four main seal material Chemical applications
options available from valve suppliers. For Since a plethora of chemical applications
special applications (uncommon media, typically utilize more than one type of media,
higher/lower concentrations, fluctuating/ following are more common media types:
extreme temperatures, etc.), additional seal
materials may be available, so consult with a Alcohol (ethyl & methyl) — Besides as
valve supplier to find the correct seal based an alcoholic beverage, alcohols can also be
on performance, compatibility and price. used as a solvent, fuel source, perfume and
cleaning supply.
Common housing materials • Ethyl & methyl — NBR is the most
Table 2 discusses the five main housing cost-effective seal solution for ethyl/
material options available from valve sup- methyl and together with a brass or
pliers. Consult with a valve supplier to find stainless-steel housing, the valve will
the correct housing based on performance, be suitable for the application.
Flow Control
 • Other alcohols — For a single solu- Organic acid — Organic acids are found
tion for almost all alcohols, PTFE can throughout the food industry but are
be used as the seal along with a brass also used in pharmaceutical production
or stainless-steel housing. and during the manufacturing of other
A valve’s seals can consist of a flexible organic chemicals.
membrane (left) and O-ring (right).
Glycol — Glycol’s main applications are for Graphic courtesy of Tameson • Carboxylic, sulfonic & phenol
antifreeze, coolant, brake fluids and in the acids — PTFE is resistant to all three
plastics industry as a precursor to polymers. materials will suffice. Otherwise, stain- of these organic acids; however, FKM
• Ethylene & propylene — Any of the less steel should be used. and EPDM can be used with a select
four common seal materials will hold few. From a housing perspective, PVC
up in these applications, so it comes Inorganic acids — Inorganic acids are or stainless steel will hold up to these
down to cost and availability along with widely used in the cleaning, pharmaceuti- organic acids.
a PVC or stainless-steel housing. cal and agriculture industries.
• Brake fluid — A valve with a nylon or • Nitric acid — Stainless steel 316 Acetone — Acetone is capable of dissolv-
stainless-steel housing along with an should be used as the housing mate- ing fats, resins and cellulose esters, so it
EPDM or PTFE seal will keep the valve rial and depending on the concentra- is used during the manufacturing of arti-
operating with a media-like brake fluid. tion different seals should be used. ficial fibers and as a chemical intermedi-
For higher concentrations, PTFE; oth- ate in the pharmaceutical industry. EPDM
Hydrocarbons — Hydrocarbons have an erwise, FKM can be used. and nylon can be used on a select few
array of applications from natural gas and • Sulfuric, hydrochloric & phosphoric acetones; however, valves are commonly
fuel to the plastic and medical industry. acid — FKM, EPDM and PTFE can be specified with PTFE seals and stainless
• Petroleum — NBR is cost-effective used as a sealing material for these steal housings for these applications.
and performs well with petroleum, but applications; however, if the sulfuric
PTFE and FKM can also be used. From acid has a high concentration typically Chlorine — Chlorine is typically used to
a housing perspective, it depends on EPDM is not used. PVC or stainless treat water and during the production of
the petroleum's concentration/purity. steel have good performance and can dyes, antiseptics, medicines and paper
If it is low, any of the four housing be used as a housing material. products. As a pure liquid, stainless steel
housings need to be used. In other purity
and forms, PVC should be used. PTFE should
Housing Temperature
Advantages Disadvantages be used as a seal for all chlorine types.
material rating
Polyvinyl -15°C to 60°C Cheapest and offers basic Lower pressure rating com-
chloride (PVC) corrosion protection against pared to brass and stainless
Cost versus performance
most acids and bases, steel, plastic and not resis- Since valves are crucial components to
organic solvents and salt tant to aromatics and chlori- any fluid control application, their perfor-
solutions (e.g., seawater). nated hydrocarbons.
mance and associated costs should be
Nylon -40°C to 85°C Cost-effective, slightly larger Lower pressure rating considered. Numerous types of chemicals,
(Polyamide temperature range compared compared to brass and
– PA) to PVC, and is suitable for stainless steel, plastic, and concentrations, forms and reactions need
oils, greases, hydrocarbons, not resistant to acids and to be taken into consideration one by one.
organic solvents and salt alkalis. If the valve material cannot perform, it will
solutions (seawater).
cause system downtime, maintenance and
Brass <-100°C to Durable, wide temperature Will corrode if used with valve replacement, leading to money loss.
300°C range and often used for acids, chlorides, distilled
drinking water and neutral water and salt solutions Taking the time to thoroughly understand
and noncorrosive media like (e.g., seawater). the media, environment and valve material
oil and air (compressed). options is essential to ensure the system
Nickel-plated <-100°C to The nickel-plating gives it an If the nickel-plating is stays up and running. Share any concerns
brass <300°C increase in temperature rating scratched, it will rust and
and resistance to hydrogen corrode to acids, chlorides,
with a valve supplier. FC
sulfide, carbon dioxide, weak distilled water and salt
organic/inorganic acids and solutions (e.g., seawater). Charles Kolstad is the marketing manager
alkalis and salt solutions (e.g.,
seawater).
for Tameson, an e-commerce distributor
that supplies valves and other fluid control
Stainless <-100°C to Good chemical resistance, Expensive, unsuitable for
steel <300°C durable and a large tempera- chlorides, bromine, products for businesses and private cus-
(304/316) ture range. Adequate for low- household bleach and tomers throughout Europe. Visit tameson.
and high-pressure applications. hydrochloric acids. co.uk for more information.
Table 2. Five main housing material options are available from valve suppliers.

www.flowcontrolnetwork.com October 2018 | 13

Cover Series: Chemical Equipment

Making deepwater development

profitable again
Adjustable buoyancy lowers costs and simplifies logistics.
By Art J. Schroeder, Jr., Safe Marine Transfer LLC, Antony Croston & Collin Gaskill, Trelleborg Offshore

A
ccording to several recent head-
line articles, cost-effective sub-
sea tiebacks will drive deepwater
development for the near to intermediate
future. Operators have spent billions of
dollars developing world-class hubs in
deepwater over the last couple decades.
As wells initially supporting those facilities
start to fall off peak production, operators
are looking for new production opportuni-
ties via longer distance tiebacks.
David O’Conner, BP head of global proj-
ects, said, “If we can keep every one of
those facilities full … that’s our strategy
… fast-paced tiebacks fit in really nice.”1
Starlee Sykes, now regional president,
Gulf of Mexico and Canada at BP stated,
“… developing subsea tiebacks … We are
going to fill those deepwater hubs with tie-
backs.” Wood Mackenzie’s latest subsea
Removal of the tubes from umbilicals can reduce
umbilical costs by up to 80 percent.
tree awards forecast indicates about a
250-percent increase from 2016 levels
over the next five years. Subsea chemical
storage and injection systems that can
enable ultra-long tiebacks will help meet
this industry need. These subsea systems
will bring lower costs and increased opera-
tional flexibility as production characteris-
tics change over the life of the field.
The incumbent technology that facili-
tates subsea tiebacks is the umbilical.
This complex, custom-designed piece
of equipment provides the well and sub-
sea infrastructure with power and con-
trol — hydraulics usually and production
chemicals. As tieback distances and well
pressures increase, limits of reach and
performance are stretched, costing dollars
and system performance.
Some of the most challenging and
costly aspects are the embedded tubes
that carry the chemicals and hydraulic
fluids. Thinners are sometimes used
to help reduce the viscosity of produc-
tion chemicals and allow them to be
pumped longer distances through the
small-diameter umbilical tubes. As wells
produce, production content and profiles
may change with time and require dif-
ferent chemical treatments. With accu-
rate foresight, these potential needs
may be addressed in advance by adding

Figure 1. Two-hundred-bbl subsea chemical storage and injection unit

14 | October 2018 Flow Control


additional tubes in the original umbili-
cal bundle — which of course drives up
costs. Sometimes operators are forced
to mix a cocktail of chemicals to match
the number of tubes available. Whether it
is the cocktail approach or contaminants
in the chemicals (mixing chemicals from
different manufacturers may also con-
tribute) or plugging/corrosion, umbilical
tube management can be a costly issue,
especially during a well’s tail production
period when costly umbilical replacement
may not be an economical alternative. At
this point, not only is the operator faced
with a costly well plug and abandon, but
also potential umbilical recovery.
Subsea storage of production chemi-
cals (and hydraulic fluid for non-electri-
cally controlled wells) along with local
injection of the same will eliminate the
need for tubes in the umbilical. Case
studies have indicated removal of the
tubes from umbilicals — leaving only
fiber for control and copper wire for power
— can reduce umbilical costs by up to
80 percent. Traditional topside chemical
storage, pumping and control have space
and weight requirements. When placed
subsea, platform costs can be reduced.
Additionally, typical production chemicals
are toxic and require stringent personal
protective equipment when operating
personnel come in proximity for refill,
inspection, maintenance or repair.
Production chemicals generally are
utilized in one of two ways: continuously
injected in lower volume ranges or for
mitigation of corrosion, asphaltenes,
scale, etc. Chemicals such as methanol
and ethylene glycol are utilized in a batch,
high-rate mode for hydrate mitigation
during well startup and shutdown. The
www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
equipment requirements for both types
of systems are similar — they require
pumps, meters, controls and storage.
With the low-rate system, 200 barrels
(bbl) storage may be sufficient for a
six- to 18-month single-well supply. For
a multiwell tieback, high-rate methanol
system, storage requirements for the
same operational window may be in the
couple thousand-barrel range. The size
(and weight) of the storage system will
have a significant impact on its installa-
tion and recovery.
Figure 1 depicts a 200-bbl storage unit
with accompanying pumps and control-
lers. The unit is ISO container-sized (8’x
8’x40’) and is over road truckable (~15
tons dry). Weighing in at approximately
50 tons filled with chemical, the unit
may easily be deployed and recovered
in up to 10,000 feet seawater (fsw) with
a multiservice vessel equipped with a
remotely operated vehicle (ROV) unit
and a 100-ton, motion-compensated
crane. Its pressure-compensated, dual-
barrier design facilitates a “design and
engineer one, build many” philosophy.
The concept of operations is that identi-
cal modules are swapped out after the
chemical supply in the operating unit is
consumed versus a surface vessel to sub-
sea unit (via a riser) refill. Because the
unit comes back to the beach for refill, it
can be inspected and maintained while
being refilled, eliminating the need for
a subsea operations/construction cam-
paign. Because the entire unit is recov-
ered, expensive wet-connects, additional
pipe, valves, manifolds and controls can
be eliminated. Additionally, since the unit
returns to shore every year or so, design
life can be significantly shortened from a
Figure 2. The
seafloor delivery and
recovery system has
3,000-bbl chemical
storage or 600-ton
subsea facility
capacity.
traditionally specified 20 to 30 years to
a more manageable 10-year design and
5-year operational life for the equipment/
components, saving even more costs and
removing complexity.
Depending on field needs, several 200-
bbl units could be manifolded together
to meet chemical storage requirements.
From an operational perspective, dimin-
ishing returns may layer in with the
deployment of more than a handful of
200-bbl units when compared to a new
alternative that utilizes the same design
philosophy, injection and control equip-
ment. The subsea transport vessel shown
in Figure 2 is designed to store 3,000 bbl
of production chemicals (like methanol). It
features an American Bureau of Shipping
hazardous cargo (double-hull) design and
fixed buoyancy in each of the four cor-
ner columns. The vessel is designed with
a slightly positive overall buoyancy and
can be deployed and recovered with two
anchor-handling vessels with an accom-
panying ROV for subsea hookup.
The same subsea transport vessel could
also be utilized to deploy and at a later date
recover various subsea production equip-
ment packages such as pumps, compres-
sors, motor switchgear, water treatment
equipment and more in up to 10,000 fsw.
The equipment packages can be installed
on the vessel and hooked up to perform
system integration tests (SIT) quayside to
minimize offshore time and costs.
The latest version of the subsea trans-
port vessel is being designed with adjust-
able buoyancy to provide even more
operational flexibility, increased safety
and lower costs. For example, a subsea
system that initially weighs ‘x’ tons may
be installed, and later on occasion for
October 2018 | 15
 recovery may be heavier (120 percent of
‘x’) because of marine growth, sand in
separators, etc. The utilization of adjust-
able buoyancy can account for this extra
weight at the required time. Additionally,
the buoyancy material used for vessel
installation and recovery can be taken
Figure 3. An intermediate product in an existing proven manufacturing process will be utilized for
away and utilized on other projects while
adjustable buoyancy. the vessel is on-bottom, reducing the
overall effective capital costs. The buoy-
ancy material to be utilized is an interme-
Is Now diate product in an existing manufacturing
ISO 9001:2015
Certified process that has been in use for decades
with superior performance.
PRECISION FLOW METERING Subsea chemical storage and injection
use cases for large and small storage sys-
QUALITY & PERFORMANCE tems show they are amenable to a service
model in which operator needs are met
with a service company that provides an

Sonic-Pro
HYBRID ULTRASONIC
®
operator with a fully bundled suite of ser-
vices or chemicals by the barrel — similar
to current onshore models. A single service
FLOWMETER provider provides the storage, pump and
SONIC-PRO® ULTRASONIC control unit. The operator’s preference of
FLOWMETERS with non-invasive chemical at point of injection subsea is
clamp-on transducers, work with
both clean and dirty fluids, with a negotiated monthly or by the chemical bar-
high capacity flow velocity range of rel cost. The logistics under the current
up to 30 feet per second (9 meters practice — getting chemical to the dock,
per second).
loading it onto supply vessels, transport-
• View real time flow and
download data log files ing it to the operator’s platform, pumping/
remotely on a lifting the chemical to the platform deck,
Windows® PC. storing the chemical on deck, maintaining
• Housing is NEMA 4X
(IP 66) wash down.
and operating the topside chemical units,
buying the umbilical with the associated
capital and operating costs — all go away
for the operator. By utilizing subsea stor-
age and inject units, the bundling service
company provides the operator with only
what it needs for as long as the need exists

F-2000 for a single, one-line operational expense.

The systems described previously are
currently being built and qualified in
DIGITAL
PADDLEWHEEL Houston, Texas, with regulatory input
FLOWMETER and review. FC

THE
Reference
THOUGHTFULLY 1. Houston Business Journal, 2017-
ENGINEERED F-2000 series combine innovative features and benefits, and 12-07
the finest materials of construction to provide an accurate and versatile
Digital Flowmeter. Available in a variety of mounting styles.

Art Schroeder co-founded

www.blue-white.com
Safe Marine Transfer LLC
714-893-8529
(SMT) in 2013 and found-
5300 Business Dr., Huntington Beach, CA 92649 USA • sales@blue-white.com
ed Energy Valley Inc. in

16 | October 2018 Flow Control

2001. Prior to Energy Valley, he spent 25 background is finite element analysis and equipment development projects ranging
years in upstream operations, engineering, consulting engineering for drilling riser from drilling riser vortex induced vibra-
construction, strategy development and systems and operations. Gaskill under- tion suppression to downhole annulus
crisis management with Amoco and then stands environmental loading on sub- pressure buildup mitigation. In addition
BP. Schroeder has served on numerous sea equipment, which he applies to the to his specialty of deepwater drilling sys-
professional, corporate and civic boards optimization and design of current and tems, he looks after a majority of the
and has published more than 80 technical new equipment developments. Gaskill new subsea equipment and application
papers. He is the recipient of numerous has been heavily involved in numerous projects in the Houston office.
awards including the Offshore Technology
Conference’s (OTC) prestigious Special
Citation, the Society of Professional
Engineers’ (SPE) Management and
Information Award and he has been
granted patents on his innovations.
Schroeder graduated from Georgia Tech
with a Bachelor of Science and a Master
of Science in chemical engineering with
a minor in environmental engineering,
and from the University of Houston with
an MBA, major in finance and interna-
tional business. He also attended Emory
University under a National Science
Foundation grant and completed sev-
eral postgraduate certificate programs.

As the business group

director at Trelleborg
Offshore’s operation in
Houston, Antony Croston
is responsible for the externally fac-
ing functions of the business covering
engineering, business development and
project management. He has worked
with Trelleborg for nine years and had
a five-year spell at Wood Group, where
he managed the drilling engineering
consulting business for the Americas.
Throughout his career, Croston has
been involved in delivering a several new
technologies to the market in the drilling
and subsea areas. His primary focus is
the alignment of internal competences
and investment with the needs of cus-
tomers within the context of a broader
strategy based on product leadership.

Collin Gaskill recent-

ly joined Trelleborg
Offshore to advance
in-house engine er-
ing analysis and simulation capa-
bilities in the Houston office. His

www.flowcontrolnetwork.com October 2018 | 17

Special Section: Remote & Wireless Instrumentation

Monitoring for connected reliability

Remote, wireless sensors remove barriers to help facilities
effectively use the IIoT for maintenance efficiency.
By Michael Watson, Fluke Accelix

A
sset monitoring for process control
and operation has givien rise to the
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
With all the data provided by this cloud-
based technology, little to none has been
leveraged for maintenance activities until
recently. Connected reliability is becoming a
2
reality, and cost-effective, wireless, remote
sensors guarantee the promise of the IIoT.

Adoption barriers
Although the IIoT could help most main-
tenance and reliability teams work more
efficiently and increase uptime, overall
asset health and reliability, teams are often
unable to take advantage of it.
Reliability, maintenance and repair have
1 3
not benefited as much from the collection
Figure 1. Vibration monitoring allows teams to triage the health of assets. Figure 2. Power monitors
and usage of cloud-based data, and most measure key electrical parameters of three-phase equipment and stream data to the cloud. Figure 3.
day-to-day activities remain manual and Thermal imaging sensors can monitor difficult-to-access equipment or large areas quickly.
often reactive, especially on equipment All graphics courtesy of Fluke Accelix

that is not as critical to operations. Many

factors limit IIoT adoption. These include:
• Many maintenance and reliability
teams rely on scheduled and route-
based maintenance; the time involved
to move from reactive and preventive
to predictive and condition monitoring
strategies and, more broadly, reactive
activities can appear insurmountable
• The historically high cost of condition
monitoring hardware and software
• Limited access and flexibility of infor-
mation technology (IT), including
cybersecurity concerns
• Disparate data streams and/or histori-
cal data in silos with no connectivity
• Culture change, including training and
buy-in to new tactics
Technology solutions
Facilities need a framework for connecting
assets, systems and people — turning
data into insights to drive better outcomes.
This has led to the idea of connected reli-
ability, which gives teams a roadmap for
moving past incremental gains to make a
quantum leap to an ideal setup.
Thermal imaging sensors
Thermal imaging sensors are versatile and
provide many benefits. They are safe to
use and contact with equipment is not
required to gather data. For proactive
maintenance, they can quickly reveal the
invisible problems within equipment. To
leverage IIoT for condition monitoring and
reliability, infrared technology is one of the
easiest to use within the digital tool belt.
The areas in which thermal imaging can
be used are virtually endless. It is safer for
personnel and processes because it is non-
invasive and requires no downtime to install.
With the wide measurement range, it
can monitor difficult-to-access equipment
or large areas quickly. Using condition
monitoring software with the sensor, valu-
able data can be saved and trended in the
cloud. Because of its ease of installation
and flexibility, end users see quick returns
on their investments.
Vibration sensors
Vibration monitoring allows teams to triage
asset health, further analyze and diagnose
the identified asset and perform the right
corrective action at the right time. Installing
vibration sensors that use IIoT condition
monitoring software on equipment allows
technicians to spend less time taking man-
ual readings and walking routes and more
time addressing problems.
The top five benefits of vibration screen-
ing and cloud-based condition monitoring
software are:
1. Screen quickly, act quickly.
2. Organize information for data-driven
decisions.

18 | October 2018 Flow Control

 3. Receive alarms for abnormalities.
4. Identify the four most common faults
(imbalance, misalignment, bearing
wear and looseness) early.
5. Reduce maintenance spend.
Power monitors
Remote, three-phase power monitors
measure key electrical parameters of
three-phase equipment and stream data
to the cloud. Monitoring electrical param-
eters like current and harmonic distortion
can reveal how the machinery (or equip-
ment) is performing, for example:
• A baseline current or load at a critical
pump is trending dangerously close to
the motor’s maximum current rating,
taking service factor into account.
• The total power at an induction fur-
nace appears to fluctuate abnormally.
• Determining how often a submersible
or hydraulic pump is cycling on/off to
maintain flow or pressures, in some
cases validates that power is supplied
to the pump or other equipment.
These monitors can measure:
• Single or three-phase loads
• Voltage, current and frequency
• Power including active power, nonac-
tive power and power factor
• Total harmonic distortion
B3 Electric builds reputation
with power monitoring
B3 Electric serves primarily industrial cus-
tomers in automotive-based manufacturing.
The company conducts electrical trouble-
shooting for customers who require a meter.
B3 President John Baker used inexpen-
sive, single-phase remote meters that
monitored two legs of the power stool but
not with great accuracy. In mid-2017, he
wanted a better way to monitor power. He
began using a cloud-based, three-phase
power monitor with IIoT condition moni-
toring software, which captured voltage,
current, power factor and frequency issues.
“We could get remote notifications,
develop reports, export data, make graphs
and trend improvements as we made
changes on-site,” Baker reported.
Flexibility & performance
With the cloud-connected, three-phase
www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
power monitor, Baker set up the under-
and overvoltage or current parameters.
If the asset operates outside the prede-
termined parameters, he receives push
notifications via the condition monitoring
software app on his phone.
The two meters are used in different ways:
1. For example, a customer may try to
improve efficiency with a 25-horse-
power motor on a piece of equipment.
He connects one power monitor on
the circuit that feeds the motor and
one on the whole building. “We could
see that it’s getting a large current
spike from the motor starting, identify
how it affects the rest of the sys-
tem and make recommendations,”
explained Baker. “After we install the
new equipment, we can monitor it
again to show the improvements that
we’ve made.”
2. B3 installed a 1,600-amp uninterrupt-
ible power supply (UPS) system at the
state data center in 2017. Baker con-
nected a power monitor and watched
the voltage. The current stepped down
during equipment shutdown. As he
brought the new equipment online,
he watched to see that the new UPS
was consistent and maintained the
voltage.
3. Baker uses the power factor and fre-
quency measures on the monitors and
reviews the data depending on the
application. He found that the moni-
tors are good for quality control as well
as identifying issues and fixing them.
Reduced troubleshooting time
Baker and his employees now work more
efficiently with their power monitors and
cloud-based condition monitoring soft-
ware. With other data collectors, the meter
may need to be on-site for a few days,
then employees would need to go back
to gather the data.
“The disadvantage there is that no one
can recall a week later what was going on
Wednesday at 2 p.m. when a big current
spike was recorded,” said Baker. “Having
the information right now is extremely valu-
able. [The condition monitoring software]
saves us a ton of time and cuts down on
the number of on-site trips.”
Enhanced safety
Remote monitoring also increases worker
safety. “It’s dangerous any time you’re
working around electricity,” said Baker.
“You really have to be careful. Having
the remote monitoring capacity gives
you the ability to put the power monitor
in a dangerous area, but you don’t have
to physically be there in arc flash gear,”
he continued. “You just slip a [monitor] in
there and watch it from somewhere else.”
Customer power savings
If B3 wants to conduct an energy savings
project for a client, Baker can use the
power monitor to monitor and log power
factor for energy savings proposals.
New revenue & better service
Baker now offers revenue-generating diag-
nostic services that he could not before.
“It opens up whole avenues of services
that we can offer,” he said. “We move the
monitors around a lot — they don’t stay on
one system more than a week at a time
— and we bill that as a separate service.”
“The [power monitor] takes all the
guesswork out and the replace-parts-and-
hope-that-fixes-it mentality,” he added.
“Because you’re actually finding an issue
and identifying [the source].”
Baker can monitor the environment,
provide data trends, even add members
of the factory’s maintenance team so that
they receive the push notifications. It all
helps build his business. FC
Michael Watson is a prod-
uct application specialist
for Fluke Accelix, focusing
on the company’s techni-
cian tools and condition monitoring product
lines. Watson brings more than 25 years
of experience in technician effectiveness,
product service engineering and opera-
tions. He is also a certified Level 1 Thermal/
Infrared Thermography analyst. Watson
has a mechanical engineering degree from
the University of Illinois in Urbana Illinois.
He may be reached at michael.a.watson@
fluke.com. For more information, visit fluke.
com/en-us/products/condition-monitoring.
October 2018 | 19
Special Section: Remote & Wireless Instrumentation

Industrial Internet of Things

in energy management
Deploying monitoring sensors communicating via wireless
networks improves plant performance and energy consumption.
By Mark Menezes, Emerson Automation Solutions

T
he Internet of Things (IoT) leverages reviews how industrial users apply IIoT con- of which have only become practical over
low-cost, low-power microproces- cepts to improve plant energy efficiency. the past few years:
sors and radios with the internet • Low-cost, low-power and battery-
to improve the usability, safety and energy IIoT versus IoT equipped sensors, e.g., tire-pressure
efficiency of vehicles and common objects The IoT is applied in consumer markets to sensors in a vehicle or motion and
found in homes, stores and offices. The a wide variety of uses. ambient-temperature sensors in a home
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) can In most cases, an IoT application works • Wireless and wired communication
provide the same benefits while meeting by taking a common device, such as a networks with data interpretation by
industrial expectations of security, reliability tire or a speaker, and making it “smart” local or internet cloud-based intelligence
and conformance to standards. This article by integrating several technologies, most • Intelligent displays (digital dashboards)
to communicate actionable informa-
Mitigating defenses tion to a non-specialist human opera-
Attacks Anti-jamming Authentication Verification Encryption Key management tor via a smartphone app or tablet,
Denial of service or mounted on a vehicle dashboard
Spoofing
Man in the middle IIoT applications start with common
Replay industrial devices such as steam traps,
HELLO floods pressure relief valves and heat exchangers.
Sinkholes The applications take data from indus-
Eavesdropping trial sensors and add networking mecha-
nisms and dashboards. The key difference
between consumer and industrial capabili-
ties in this context is the need for open
standards and much higher expectations
of reliability and security.

WirelessHART
Consumer IoT applications leverage stan-
dards-based network technologies, such
as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but superimpose
proprietary implementations. This typically
means that a smart door lock purchased
from one supplier cannot be integrated
with a smart motion sensor purchased
from another. Individual suppliers change
technologies as smaller companies are
acquired or discontinue products, which
means investments made with earlier-gen-
eration products are sometimes wasted.
Figure 1. WirelessHART includes robust, multi-tiered, always-on security using a variety of defensive
Industrial users cannot tolerate such
mechanisms for the most critical applications. All graphics courtesy of Emerson Automation Solutions changes and therefore demand stable

20 | October 2018 Flow Control

open standards, with devices and sup-
port available from multiple suppliers. This
ensures that any investment made — in
hardware, tools or training — can be lever-
aged across many applications and will not
turn into a dead end if any given supplier
discontinues an application or technology.
Industrial users are familiar with the
HART open protocol, which is used with
more than 80 percent of smart wired
transmitters today. While new or existing
HART wired sensors can be integrated
into an IIoT application, most new instal-
lations use the wireless version of HART
— referred to as WirelessHART, HART 7
or IEC-62591. Key benefits of wireless
include reduced cost and space, simpler
and faster installation and no need for a
process shutdown in many cases.
WirelessHART uses a mesh network, so
every device can communicate to the host
through many other devices, eliminating
single points of failure. While no communi-
cation method can be 100 percent reliable,
experience from thousands of installations
demonstrates that a properly designed
mesh network can provide reliability equal
to wired devices since it eliminates many
of the common failure points of a wired
network such as loose connections, dam-
aged wires and bad power supplies.
Many consumer IoT products were
designed without strong security protec-
tions and have proved easy to hack or
spoof. A WirelessHART installation includes
multiple levels of protection against inter-
ference and attack:
• WirelessHART is not routable, or in
other words, no “IP to the edge”
• Secure device-provisioning using a
wired connection used to insert a
secret join key
• Robust device-joining process, includ-
ing device access control list when
unique join keys are employed for
whitelisting
• AES-128 encryption of individual end-
to-end sessions within the sensor web
• Secure browser front-end supports
role-based access control
No communication, wired or wireless,
can be 100-percent secure, but a properly
designed WirelessHART application (see
www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
Figure 1) can provide security equal to
wired networks. WirelessHART is used in
the most critical applications, including
those that require NERC CIP compliance.
IIoT applications: Steam
traps & pressure relief valves
Steam traps serve two purposes. First,
they ensure the steam used for process
or space heating is free of condensate
and noncondensable fluids. Second, they
ensure that no live steam is returned to
the condensate system. Steam traps are
mechanical components, so they have
no means to detect and signal a failure
electronically. Consequently, most users
inspect them at least annually to assess
their operation and look for failures.
Some failure modes lead to ongoing
wasted energy, reduced production or
worse. In an application in which steam is
used for freeze protection, a leaky steam
trap can impede steam flow and result in
a piping system freeze, causing downtime
and safety risks. More seriously, a cold trap
allows condensate to accumulate in the
steam piping, which can result in water
hammer, the unexpected release and asso-
ciated shock wave of high-pressure steam
and condensate, which can cause extensive
property damage, sever injury or death.
Figure 2. When commissioned, heat exchangers typically have minimal instrumentation. Adding
instruments supported with analytical tools can help optimize control and maintenance strategy,
improving efficiency and reliability.
While steam traps cannot monitor them-
selves, it is possible to add an acoustic
device upstream of the steam trap to
listen for sounds characteristic of a prop-
erly or improperly functioning steam trap.
Identifying those requiring attention can
help a maintenance department fix prob-
lems quickly, thereby reducing ongoing
energy cost, improving process through-
put and reducing the risk of freezing.
Identifying a cold trap could even prevent
a catastrophic piping system failure.
A pressure relief valve (PRV) is set to
open when the process pressure
approaches a predetermined level below
the safe limits of the process equipment
or piping, with the excess pressure typi-
cally vented to atmosphere or a flare.
Excess flaring causes process loss,
safety risk and environmental impact. A
PRV should close itself after the pres-
sure returns to a safe condition, but it is
common for dirt in the process fluid to
prevent it from fully reseating and allowing
it to continue leaking, a difficult condi-
tion to detect. Similar to the steam trap
application, an acoustic sensor clamped
onto the pipe downstream of the PRV will
immediately identify a full release as well
as any ongoing leaks from incomplete
valve seating.
October 2018 | 21
 Ideally, steam trap and PRV suppliers
would provide not just monitoring devices,
but analytic software capable of interpreting
signals from existing wired and new wireless
devices. Plant operators do not need to be
advised of — and distracted by — alerts
for individual steam traps. Instead, the
system would advise only the department
responsible for steam trap maintenance
when action needs to be taken to ensure
plant safety and reliability. This can be done
using an effective dashboard to simplify the
data presentation.
IIoT applications: Heat
exchangers & pumps
When a typical heat exchanger is installed
and commissioned, it has minimal instru-
mentation. Often it does little more than
monitor the outlet temperature, which is
used to operate a heating or cooling valve
in a feedback loop. Any disturbance in inlet
temperature or flow rate eventually causes
a change in outlet temperature, causing
the controller to move the valve until the
Figure 3. Analytical apps combine real-time process and equipment measurements with knowledge
of the pump to provide specific, actionable information.
22 | October 2018
temperature returns to setpoint. While this
strategy maintains the right average outlet
temperature more or less, positioning the
temperature sensor at the outlet means
much can change within the exchanger
before it is realized. Constant variation
can impact product quality and lead to
premature wear of the heat exchanger.
A better approach is to maintain heat
balance by measuring all heat inputs and
using feedforward control of the valve to
counteract any change in inlet temperature
or flow before it affects the outlet tempera-
ture. This improves temperature stability for
better product quality and reduced wear.
The same heat balance data can be used
to calculate heat exchanger efficiency.
Additionally, the analytic software can
combine knowledge of the heat exchanger
properties to evaluate equipment health
and guide predictive maintenance. It can
draw on history and industry standards to
compare how this unit compares to best-
in-class performance, what improvement
is likely if the exchanger is cleaned at the
next opportunity and what degradation is
likely if it is not.
Take a moment to see how an installa-
tion can be upgraded. In Figure 2, outlet
temperature and process flow measure-
ments exist. These are combined with new
measurements, including:
• Temperature at the process inlet
• Inlet and outlet temperatures of the
heating/cooling fluid
• Pressure drop across heat exchanger
New technologies can minimize cost and
downtime when implemented as illustrated:
• A single wireless transmitter can col-
lect data from up to four temperature
sensors and send all measurements
in turn using a common transmitter
and radio.
• Instead of traditional welded-in ther-
mowells, externally mounted, clamp-
on temperature sensors can infer
process temperature from the sur-
face reading, compensating for heat
transfer and ambient temperature.
This minimizes cost, eliminates down-
time and avoids potential leak paths.
• A wireless differential pressure trans-
mitter can monitor pressure drop
across the exchanger, providing local
and remote visibility.
• A flowmeter equipped with a condi-
tioning orifice provides accuracy with-
out multiple lengths of straight pipe.
A similar opportunity exists for pumps.
New multivariable transmitters measure
pump operating characteristics (vibra-
tion, temperature, power and speed) and
compare existing conditions to equipment
limits. Process pressure measurements
can be combined with guided-wave radar
level transmitters and leak detection sen-
sors ensure integrity of the sealing and
lubrication system. The analytics app (see
Figure 3) is preconfigured to combine all
the data so it can provide summaries and
specific, actionable information.
IIoT application: Electrical
switchgear
Failures of electrical switchgear can
cause process downtime, fires or explo-
sions. To identify equipment in the early
Flow Control

Figure 4. Continuous monitoring of electrical
switchgear requires one-time installation of non-
contacting WirelessHART sensors to measure
surface temperatures and partial discharge.
stages of failure, users follow periodic
inspection routines for critical switch-
gear. Typical testing includes thermal
imaging to identify hot spots along
with partial discharge testing to iden-
tify insulation breakdown. This testing
requires installation of inspection win-
dows along with specialized training and
equipment, but still exposes personnel
to safety risks. An improved approach is
continuous temperature measurement
and trending of suspected hot spots
using noncontacting temperature sen-
sors and partial discharge monitoring
using acoustic (ultrasonic) sensors. This
application. Begin by locating a copy of
the most recent steam trap audit report,
which lists all tested traps (usually with
trap type, orifice size and pressure), and
which failed. Since each steam trap
type has a benchmark failure rate and
a plant should know how much steam
costs to produce, it is a simple matter to
estimate the expected value (in avoided
steam waste) of adding online monitor-
ing to a specific trap. Most plants begin
by examining the highest capacity (flow
and pressure) traps, along with traps
in which failure could cause process
downtime or safety risk. Looking at this
data with the supplier can determine the
investment needed in new acoustic sen-
sors and wireless gateways, which gives
project ROI. FC
Conclusion
IIoT can bring significant improvements
in energy efficiency, reliability and safety
• Compressed Air
• Boiler Air & Gas
• Flue & Flare Gas
• Natural Gas
• Aeraion Air
• Biogas – Digester & Landfill Gas
• Many other gases available
Celebraing 30 Years of Thermal Mass Flow Meter Excellence
Accurate • Reliable • Economic “Pick Three”
to a Brownfield plant using open stan-
dards and meeting industrial expectations
of reliability and security. Most compa-
nies start small, proving the benefits with
selected assets and applications, then
expand to cover the entire plant.
Mark Menezes, P.Eng., is the measure-
ment business manager for Canada at
Emerson Automation Solutions. His prior
positions with Emerson include pres-
sure marketing manager and Toronto
sales manager. Before joining Emerson
in 1996, Menezes worked for Moore
Process Automation as a control systems
specialist and an account manager. He
holds an MBA in industrial marketing from
the Schulich School of Business — York
University and a BASC in chemical engi-
neering from the University of Toronto.
8 - 20 1
198 8
Eldridge Products, Inc.
465 Reservation Road
Marina, CA 93933
Phone: (831) 648-7777
Toll Free: (800) 321-FLOW
Fax: (831) 648-7780
Web: www.epiflow.com
30th

continuous sensing approach provides …Too Much Goodness to List…

much more information and avoids the
need for inspections by technicians with
specialized tools and protective clothing.
Next steps
Traditional process control and safety
applications do not normally need to
be justified individually since the plant
usually cannot operate without them.
Implementing IIoT is different. IIoT appli-
cations are not required, but they bring
the promise of improved efficiency, reli-
ability and safety. The initial step for a
company exploring the possibilities is to
quantify and prioritize potential applica-
tions to determine which could yield the
highest return on investment (ROI).
Product Family’s -
• Master-Touch™ - Industrial Flow Meter
• ValuMass™ - Value Priced Industrial Flow Meter
• FAT™ - Flow Averaging Tube Thermal Mass Flow Meter
• BlueMax™ - Boiler Air & Gas Flow Meter
• MuliPoint™ - Muli Sensor Stack & Duct Averaging System
• HPX Series – Ultra High Purity Flow Meters
Free/Included Sotware & Firmware –
• EPICommunicator™ or EPICom™ Windows Based communicaion Tool
• E-Logger™ - Data Logging in EPICom™ & in Flow Meter
• Epi-Val™, Field-Val™, LiveZero™ - Flow Meter Field Validaion
Standard Included Communicaion Protocols & Signal Outputs –
• RS-232, RS-485 ASCII, Modbus (RS-485 Modbus RTU), BACnet
• Two 4 to 20 mA, Two 0-5 VDC, Two User Programmable Relays
Other Standard Features -
• Ex Cerified Products – Choice of ATEX, IECEx, CSA, CUS, KOSHA
• Calibraion Traceable to NIST
• Rugged 316L Stainless Steel Sensor & Body/Probe Construcion
• Display Two Line 16 Character - Rate, Total, Temp, Sensor mW, Relays
• Flow Accuracy +/-(1.0% Reading + 0.5% Full Scale) Over 100:1
• Minimum Velocity Response of 15 Feet Per Minute
Opional –
• HART, Profibus DP
• High Temperature Stack Sensors to 850 °F (450°C)
• Hastelloy C-276 Construcion

This is often easier than it sounds.

Consider the steam trap monitoring

www.flowcontrolnetwork.com October 2018 | 23

Innovation Awards

F
low Control continues its recognition of honoring the fluid
handling industry’s ongoing commitment to manufactur-
ing excellence by presenting the 2018 honorees. We
are proud to present the latest innovations and technology
breakthroughs based on an open nomination and reader voting
process, which we have continued for two decades.
Thank you to everyone who participated in these awards by
nominating or voting. Read about the featured technolo-
gies on the following pages. We hope to see your solution
nominated in 2019.

Flowmeter solves refinery air-to-

fuel mixture ratio problem
Fluid Components International Figure 1. FCI’s local sales representative and ap-
plications engineering team recommended trying
the MT100S Multipoint Thermal Mass Flow Meter.
Graphic courtesy of FCI

When process and instrument engi-
neers at a major oil refinery on the U.S.
Gulf Coast attempted to optimize their
plant’s large primary boiler system,
they ran into a problem controlling the
burner’s air-to-fuel mixture ratio. The
system’s air flow measurements were
often inaccurate and erratic as well,
which frustrated attempts to optimize
the boiler’s efficiency.
The boiler system’s design includes a
large, high-capacity air feed intake duct
that provides air to the boiler’s burner.
Accurately measuring the intake air flow
rate is important to achieving the most
efficient mixture of air and natural gas
at the burner in any boiler system. The
more efficient the air-to-fuel combustion
ratio control, the less gas is consumed
and with the least amount of off-gas,
which reduces operational costs.
The problem
This boiler system’s large duct size lim-
ited the available flowmeter technolo-
gies that plant engineers could consider,
and the installation location itself was
less than ideal. The air flow rate at
startup also was substantially less than
the flow rate during normal operation,
which required an air flowmeter with a
high turndown ratio.
Additionally, the large air intake duct
was only partially covered, which allows
rain and dust into the duct. Furthermore,
dense arrays of noise silencer tubes in
the duct restrict the installation of flow
sensors to narrow passages between
the tubes.
The refinery originally installed a mul-
tipoint differential pressure (DP) averag-
ing flowmeter. The DP meter’s reading,
however, was unreliable. The DP bar
had only a narrow turndown and the
small orifices in the device constantly

24 | October 2018 Flow Control


fouled and clogged with dirt particles,
which resulted in excessive downtime
and frequent unplanned maintenance.
The solution
The refinery’s process and instrumenta-
tion engineering staff contacted FCI to
consider an alternative solution. FCI’s
local sales representative and applica-
tions engineering team recommended
trying the MT100S Multipoint Thermal
Mass Flow Meter (see Figure 1).
The diameter of the MT100’s mul-
tiple flow elements was small enough
to fit between the silencers and their
www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
adjustable insertion lengths allowed the pulse. Standard digital bus commu-
measuring point to be set on-site to nications include HART (Fieldcomm
optimize the repeatability and reliability Group-certified) and Modbus 485. A
of the air measurement. Furthermore, USB port for interface to PCs is also
because the MT100’s thermal flow ele- included. Optional bus communications
ments have no orifices or moving parts available are Foundation Fieldbus and
to clog or foul, the cost and time of Profibus-PA.
routine maintenance could be signifi- The meter’s electronics include a
cantly reduced. user-programmable data logger feature
The MT100 flowmeters can be sup- to which flow rate, temperature and
plied with up to eight flow rate sen- totalized flow, as well as fault codes, can
sors. The multiple sensors are inserted be recorded on a removable, 8-giga-
at various depths byte microSD card. The
within a duct, pipe
Accurately measuring instrument also features
a calibration-drift check,
or stack and their
outputs are multi- the intake air flow which can be initiated
plexed and averaged rate is important to on user demand or pro-
to calculate the flow grammed to run auto-
rate with high accu- achieving the most matically.
racy in the process efficient mixture of For stack and flue gas
line. They can be environmental moni-
installed at multiple
air and natural gas toring applications,
points around the at the burner in any the MT100 multipoint
process line as an meters are available with
boiler system.
array of single tap an optional Continuous
points or mounted Emissions Monitoring
across a mast. System (CEMS/CERMS)
The refinery’s engineering staff also package which adds special calibra-
was pleased to learn the standard tion checking routines compliant with
MT100 meter’s large 100-to-1 turn- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s
down, ±1.75 percent of reading, ±0.5 requirements.
percent of full scale accuracy, ±0.5
percent reading repeatability and wide Conclusion
0.25 to 1,000 SFPS (0.07 to 305 The newly installed MT100 multipoint
normal meters per second) flow range flowmeters have been in continuous,
would meet all of their measurement successful operation for nearly a year
performance objectives. at the refinery. The plant team has
The MT100 transmitter’s local read- improved the efficiency of its boiler
out provided the refinery plant team with system, lowered its operational cost
a state-of-the-art, color LCD display. It and reduced its environmental footprint
continuously shows the flow rate in real by using FCI’s MT100 Multipoint Flow
time and as a trending graph, totalized Meter to better optimize the boiler’s fuel-
flow, intake air temperature and the to-air mixture ratio with more accurate,
operational status of each flow sensor dependable air flow measurement and
in the system. by eliminating unplanned maintenance.
The MT100 transmitter’s standard ana-
log outputs include dual (2), high-res- Learn more at fluidcomponents.com.
olution, 16-bit 4-20mA, NAMUR NE43
compliance and a 0-1kHz frequency/
October 2018 | 25

Oil & gas operators meet regulations
with accurate gas flow measurement
Fox Thermal
Graphic courtesy of
Fox Thermal
In oil and gas upstream gas measure-
ment applications, operators need
accurate and reliable gas flow mea-
surement for harsh environments. The
Model FT4X thermal mass flowmeter
from Fox Thermal was used successfully
for allocation, tank vapor and flare gas
for one company’s need to comply with
new Bureau of Land Management regu-
lation requirements.
The company researched technologies
other than thermal mass flowmeters, but
liked the sizing, price and the quick and
easy installation of thermal mass flowme-
ters over other technology types including
the orifice meter. Thermal mass flowme-
ters do not require pressure and tempera-
ture compensation with thermal mass
26 | October 2018
flowmeters, unlike differential pressure,
tortex and turbine meters. Thermal mass
flowmeters also offer a no-moving-parts
design, excellent turndown, virtually no
pressure drop and a lower price tag than
many other technologies on the market.
The Model FT4X is equipped with
Gas-SelectX, which solved a problem
for the customer’s changing gas com-
position of the flare gas. Each FT4X is
programed to measure multiple gases
available in the Gas-SelectX gas selec-
tion menus. Any number of gases avail-
able in the Mix menu and O&G menu
can be mixed in any percentage equal-
ing 100 percent, as shown in Table 1.
Another problem it solved was with
the measurement of the tank vapor
on-site. It reads very low flow rates with
a higher accuracy than competitors,
resulting in a good turndown ratio.
The FT4X was used for flare gas mea-
surement at this oil and gas location.
The Model FT4X accuracy spec was
right and it had all of the necessary
features preferred by the customer for
the application.
Pure gas Mix menu
Air Air
Argon Argon
Butane Butane
Carbon Dioxide Carbon Dioxide
Helium Ethane
Hydrogen Helium
Methane Hydrogen
Natural Gas (NAESB standard) Methane
Nitrogen Nitrogen
Oxygen Oxygen
Propane Propane
Table 1. Any number of gases available in the Mix menu and O&G menu can be mixed in any
percentage equaling 100 percent.
Fox Thermal flowmeters include digital
sensors. The Model FT4X is equipped
with the direct digitally controlled sensor
(DDC-Sensor) that provides a technolo-
gy platform for calculating accurate gas
correlations. The correlation algorithms
allow the meter to be calibrated on a
single gas in the factory while providing
the user the ability to select other gases
in the Gas-SelectX gas menu(s). Many
sensors utilize fragile, cantilevered (only
welded at one end) elements, whereas
the sensor elements of the DDC-Sensor
are welded to the sensor window at both
ends for extra stability and strength. This
enhanced design eliminates the sensor
element vibration — found most often
at high flow rates of a flaring event
— which can potentially lead to metal
fatigue and failure.
The Model FT4X comes equipped with
an advanced intrinsic data logger for
advanced record-keeping and data
retention. The features of this data log-
ger held the biggest draw for this cus-
tomer. The settable contract time, the
40-daily totals, and the 7-year history in
the logger along with a totalizer that logs
power outages and other events make
record-keeping a snap.
Learn more at foxthermal.com.
O&G menu
Methane (C1)
Ethane (C2)
Propane (C3)
Iso Butane (C4)
Normal Butane (C4)
Pentanes (C5)
Hexanes (C6)
Heptanes (C7)
Octanes (C8)
Nonanes+ (C9+)
Carbon Dioxide
Nitrogen
Flow Control

Ultrasonic measurement of additive
supply in candy manufacturing
Bronkhorst High-Tech
Flow measurement is gaining importance
within the confectionery industry. Haas
Mondomix provides solutions and
machinery to confectionery manufactur-
ers. To accurately measure liquid addi-
tives during the production of candy,
Bronkhorst was asked to supply a flow-
meter that fit customer requirements. By
using Bronkhorst’s newest product, the
ES-FLOW ultrasonic volume flowmeter,
the measurement accuracy could be
improved, and consequently, the quality
control of the manufacturing process.
Application requirements
To give a piece of candy its own taste,
texture and appearance, additives such
as colorings, flavorings and acids are
added during the manufacturing process.
The flows of coloring agent, flavoring
agent and acid come from three individ-
ual reservoirs and enter the main stream
through three separate small pumps.
Each of these pumps is controlled by a
programmable logic controller, where the
main stream is the master.
By measuring how much additive is
added to the main stream, the con-
sumption of these additives has to
become more efficient while keeping
the quality of the end product at a con-
stant, high level.
instrument are the main reasons for
choosing this device.
The ES-FLOW is constructed and
designed for hygienic applications. The
flowmeter is equipped with a straight
SS316 sensor tube to ensure no dead
volume and excellent cleanability. The
display can be used for read-out and con-
trol and is mounted in the stainless-steel
housing. The back of the display features
a connector for connection to a pump
or a control valve, and with proportional-
integral-derivative (PID) control on-board,
a process can be controlled through
the display.
Natural colorings and flavorings are
costly agents. Controlled and efficient
To accurately measure liquid additives during the
production of candy, Bronkhorst was asked to
supply a flowmeter that fit customer requirements.
use of these substances will yield a
better-quality product and save on raw
materials. By using the ultrasonic flow-
meter, the quality control of the process
is improved.
In the old days, poor quality was
observed by looking at the candy at
a rather late stage, resulting in entire
batches of candy that had to be defined
as “second choice.” Now, by using the
ES-FLOW volume flowmeter, poor qual-
ity — if any — will be detected earlier.
Depending on the type of candy to be
produced, the amounts and types of
colorings, flavorings and acids will vary.
Because the ES-FLOW is liquid-inde-
pendent and can be used for all liquids
without recalibration, the devices are
incorporated as standard option in Haas
Mondomix equipment for confectionery
manufacturing.
Learn more at bronkhorst.com.

Process solution
Bronkhorst supplied three ES-FLOW
ultrasonic flowmeters. Each instrument
measures the flow of coloring, flavor-
ing and acid. Because these fluids are
highly concentrated, only small amounts
have to be added. These amounts
can be measured with the ultrasonic
flowmeter, as the measurement range
is within 4 to 1,500 milliliters per
minute with a precision of +/- 1 percent
reading. The overall performance and The ES-FLOW is liquid-independent and can be used for all liquids without recalibration.
user-friendly operation of the ES-FLOW Graphic courtesy of Bronkhorst High-Tech

www.flowcontrolnetwork.com October 2018 | 27


Big-3 improves plant operational
efficiency
Sierra Instruments
Facilities managers and engineers must
manage all the flow energy in their facili-
ties with the mandate from upper man-
agement to improve productivity and
28 | October 2018
Traditionally engineers have worked with
many different flowmeter technologies
and companies depending on the type
of fluid measured. With the launch of
the Big-3, Sierra introduced one com-
plete flow energy management solution
for all gas, liquid and steam flow mea-
surement backed a team of flow experts.
Sierra manufactures, calibrates, com-
Graphic courtesy of missions and supports QuadraTherm
Sierra Instruments
640i/780i thermal flowmeters (+/-0.5
percent of reading) for gas flow mea-
surement, InnovaMass 240i/241i vortex
flowmeters for steam and the clamp-on
InnovaSonic 207i ultrasonic flowmeter
for hot/chilled water.
Chemical plant improves
boiler efficiency
Plant engineers at a large chemical
save money on energy costs. Flow plant in China optimized their boiler
energy is defined as “flows that cost efficiency with Sierra’s Big-3 gas, liq-
money.” These flows include natural uid and steam flowmeters. The chemi-
gas, compressed air, water and steam. cal plant produces purified terephthalic
FIND YOUR
SOLUTION
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top manufacturers in the process industries with the
Process Flow Network Suppliers Resource.
Browse by manufacturer or product category to
find the ideal solution for your application.
suppliersresource.processflownetwork.com
Flow Control
acid (PTA), a precursor to polyethylene
terephthalate (PET), the material used
worldwide in plastic bottles and textiles.
The chemical plant generates steam
and electricity from its on-site power
plant using coal as fuel. Additionally, it
has a wastewater treatment station that
produces methane, which is then flared
off. Both processes are major emitters
of greenhouse gases.
Government regulations require the
chemical plant to reduce its carbon
dioxide emissions, so plant engineers
modified their four boilers to burn coal
and the previously flared-off waste gas
(methane), estimating a savings of
about $0.5 million in coal each year.
Working with Sierra as a single-source
supplier, they reworked the design of the
boilers and installed QuadraTherm 640i
insertion thermal mass flowmeters to
measure the combustion air and waste
gas fuel, ensuring optimal combustion.
One 640i thermal flowmeter measures
www.flowcontrolnetwork.com
the waste gas flow, while the other four
provide submetering of this gas stream
to each boiler. Another four meters
measure preheated (200°C/392°F)
combustion air to each boiler, optimiz-
ing the fuel-to-air ratio.
To further optimize boiler efficiency,
plant engineers measured the inlet feed
water to the boiler with the clamp-on
InnovaSonic 207i ultrasonic flowmeter.
The 207i is designed to achieve high
accuracy at low and high flows, save time
with no pipe-cutting or process shutdown
and to be unaffected by external noise.
To finish the project, engineers installed
the InnovaMass 241i multivariable vortex
steam flowmeter to accurately measure
the steam flow delivered from the boilers
to the turbine generator for submetering
to the other plant processes. The 241i
multivariable vortex flowmeter provides
steam accuracy of 1 percent of reading,
30:1 turndown plus pressure and tem-
perature compensation.
ONE integration & automation
solution
The Big-3 share common Raptor firm-
ware and software for easy integra-
tion, setup and serviceability, enabling
operators to leverage their knowledge
between the different platforms.
• Software apps allow plant engi-
neers and managers to mine and
analyze data quickly to make effec-
tive productivity decisions.
• All patented (thermal, vortex and
ultrasonic) sensors provide accu-
racy and extensive flow knowledge
through multivariable functionality.
• Investment in assets for water,
steam and gas calibration is sup-
ported by Sierra USA.
Learn more at sierrainstruments.com/one.
October 2018 | 29
 Electromagnetic flowmeter maintains
cooling in welding applications
Endress+Hauser
In welding applications, constant cooling
of the welding gun is important to offset
the high currents and temperatures of
welding. The welding gun is cooled with
about 0.5 gallons per minute of cool-
ing fluid at 77°F. Because of the high
thermal wear of the welding hat, the
cooling liquid can leak, possibly causing
plant downtime or damage to sensitive
equipment. By using a Picomag electro-
magnetic flowmeter in the cooling return
line, one can verify the flow rate and
temperature simultaneously.
The Picomag combines a sensor and
transmitter in the same housing with a
1.4-inch TFT color display that shows flow,
totalizer and temperature readings as well
as warning and diagnostic messages. It
mounts directly in the ½-inch fluid line for
30 | October 2018
easy installation in the crowded welding
apparatus. The Picomag and its display
are installed in the welder’s line of sight.
With its switch output, an alarm can
easily be set if flow or temperature limits
are reached. Alarms can be sent over
IO-Link to a central location, viewed with
a smartphone or tablet via a Bluetooth
connection and Endress+Hauser’s free
SmartBlue App and/or displayed on the
flowmeter screen. The Bluetooth wireless
interface allows direct access to process
and diagnostics data and enables users
to configure the measuring device on the
fly. It can be operated and configured on
Android and iOS devices via the app.
The alarm tells the welder that quality
might decrease or equipment may get
damaged. The screen shows flow and
Graphic courtesy of
Endress+Hauser
By using a Picomag electromagnetic flowmeter in
the cooling return line, one can verify the flow rate
and the temperature simultaneously.
temperature values instantly as well as
diagnostic messages for more secure
welding and less downtime.
Thorsten Undi, welding expert, said,
“After using Picomag, the welding issues
and downtime decreased because of the
additional information received from the
device. Moreover, the ... SmartBlue App
saves me time in setting up the device
without using the documentation.”
Learn more at us.endress.com. FC
Flow Control
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Blue-White Industries. ................................................................... 16 Fluke Corporation............................................................................ 3

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Collins Instrument Co. ................................................................... 30 NEOPERL Inc .................................................................................. 7

Eldridge Products .......................................................................... 23 O’Keefe Controls ............................................................................. 9

Endress+Hauser Inc......................................................................BC Spitzer and Boyes LLC................................................................... 28

Flowrox ........................................................................................ 29

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www.flowcontrolnetwork.com October 2018 | 31

 FEATURED
CONTENT

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Graphic courtesy of FLEXIM Americas Corporation

@FLOWCONTROL_MAG

Thanks to the advent of

sophisticated microproces-
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manufacturers can utilize
state-of-the-art algorithm-
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ow.ly/F8qZ30lsaqb ultrasonic flowmetering on the office building for Energy
@Badger_Meter Star certification, the meters were added to the other
buildings in the R&D complex.
#VFDs, #motors and radios -Izzy Rivera, FLEXIM Americas Corporation
create “normal” levels of
electromagnetic interfer-
ence and radio-frequency
interference, which can
cause errors in temperature WHAT'S ON FACEBOOK
Graphic courtesy of Valin Corporation

measurements. Solution?
| ow.ly/VyJw30lrIyc
@MII_Worldwide
#TemperatureMeasurement

An #oil lifter can be imple-

mented inside the #pump’s
oil chamber to provide Predicting control valve
positive lubrication to cavitation damage
the upper and lower seal While no standard exists,
faces at all times, turning several methods can help
wasted #energy into added operators.
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CDCZ30lpewg @Tsurumi

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