New Company Logo for Instrument Specialties

Instrument Specialties Inc. (ISI), is a long-standing, premier manufacturer's representative and distributor of industrial instrumentation in the Georgia and Florida areas of the US. The company has recently changed its logo, trade name, and website URL. We wanted to share them with you here.

The company is the same, but the new logo and trade name of ISI Technical Group will be used going forward. There is also a new website address.

www.ISI.group

Be sure not to tack ".com" onto the end of what is shown above. Try it out.

Share your process instrumentation and control challenges with the specialists at ISI Technical Group. Combining your own process knowledge and experience with their product application expertise will yield an effective solution.

Purging Differential Pressure Sensor Lines

Differential Pressure Transmitter
Courtesy Krohne

In a fluid system, differential pressure measurement can be utilized in conjunction with a known restrictive element in the flow path to produce a flow measurement. Manufacturers of process measurement and control apparatus often produce application notes that reflect their experience or knowledge about specific circumstances that may create problems for users and operators. The application notes outline the circumstances that create the potential for trouble, then go on to show a method of prevention, mitigation, or elimination of the problem condition.

Brooks Instrument, globally recognized innovator in precision measurement and control of flow and pressure, has produced an application note that deals with differential pressure transmitter sensor lines and how to prevent them from being fouled by accumulation of media residue. The application note is included below and also appears in the Brooks Instrument blog.

Share your process measurement challenges and requirements with product application specialists, combining your own process knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Differential Pressure Transmitter Sensor Line Purge Setup from Instrument Specialties, Inc.

Innovative Boiler Water Level Gauge Delivers High Visibility

The Simpliport boiler water level gauge provides the type of performance always wanted by operators. It is visible from great distance at angles up to 180 degrees. The brightly illuminated display clearly shows what portion of the boiler contains water and what portion contains steam.

The short video provides a good demonstration. More information is available from steam system specialists. Share your combustion and steam system requirements and challenges with experts, combining your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Power System Surge Protection Device

Line Surge Protective Device
Courtesy Dehn, Inc.

Investments of time and financial resources to operate any business process can have their yield crushed in the blink of an eye by power system anomalies. Businesses and processes run on electric power. Greater levels of IT complexity, process instrumentation, or other electrical equipment generally bring higher levels of exposure to power line surges that can bring unexpected downtime or equipment damage to a going concern.

Prevention through protection is the only available course of action for hardening facilities to the potentially damaging effects of line surges. Dehn, Inc. manufactures products that provide solutions for lightning and surge related problems. Surge protectors and lightning current arrestors, available as compact DIN rail mounted units, function as protective devices for motors, IT equipment, process controls, and instrumentation.

The video below provides a view of how the protective devices function. Without a protection plan in place, any facility is exposed to potential damage. Share your plans and challenges with a product application specialist, combining your facilities knowledge with their product application expertise to develop an effective solution.

Control Valve Flow Characteristics

Industrial Control Valve
Courtesy Flowserve - Valtek

Flow characteristics, the relationship between flow coefficient and valve stroke, has been a subject of considerable debate. Many valve types, such as butterfly, eccentric disk and ball valves, have an inherent characteristic which cannot be changed (except with characterizable positioner cams). Flow characteristics of globe valves can be determined by the shape of the plug head.

The three most common types of flow characteristics are quick opening, equal percentage and linear. The adjacent figure shows the ideal characteristic curve for each. These characteristics can be approximated by contouring the plug. However, inasmuch as there are body effects and other uncontrollable factors, plus the need for maximizing the flow capacity for a particular valve, the real curves often deviate considerably from these ideals. When a constant pressure drop is maintained across the valve, the characteristic of the valve alone controls the flow; this characteristic is referred to as the “inherent flow characteristic.” “Installed characteristics” include both the valve and pipeline effects. The difference can best be understood by examining an entire system.

Control valve flow properties
Courtesy Flowserve - Valtek

Equal Percentage

Equal percentage is the characteristic most commonly used in process control. The change in flow per unit of valve stroke is directly proportional to the flow occurring just before the change is made. While the flow characteristic of the valve itself may be equal percentage, most control loops will produce an installed characteristic approaching linear when the overall system pressure drop is large relative to that across the valve.

Linear

An inherently linear characteristic produces equal changes in flow per unit of valve stroke regardless of plug position. Linear plugs are used on those systems where the valve pressure drop is a major portion of the total system pressure drop.

Quick Open

Quick open plugs are used for on-off applications designed to produce maximum flow quickly.

This information provided courtesy of Flowserve Valtek. Share your control valve requirements and challenges with a valve specialist, combining your own process knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Water Quality Analysis – Constituent Survey Part 3

Silicon dioxide crystals

What we know as “water” can consist of many non-H2O components in addition to pure water. This three part series has touched on some of the constituents of water that are of interest to various industrial processors. The first installment reviewed dissolved oxygen and chloride. The second article covered sulfates, sodium, and ammonia.

To conclude the three part series on water quality analysis in process control related industrial applications we examine silica, another element which in sufficient quantities can become a confounding variable in water for industrial use. In natural settings, silica, or silicon dioxide, is a plentiful compound. Its presence in water provides a basis for some corrosion-inhibiting products, as well as conditioners and detergents. Problems arise, however, when high concentrates of silica complicate industrial processes which are not designed to accommodate elevated levels. Specifically, silica is capable of disrupting processes related to boilers and turbines. In environments involving high temperature, elevated pressure, or both, silica can form crystalline deposits on machinery surfaces. This inhibits the operation of turbines and also interferes with heat transfer. These deposits can result in many complications, ranging through process disruption, decreased efficiency, and resources being expended for repairs.

The silica content in water used in potentially affected processes needs to be sufficiently low in order to maintain rated function and performance. Silica analyzers provide continuous measurement and monitoring of silica levels. The analyzers detect and allow mitigation of silica in the initial stages of raw material acquisition or introduction to prevent undue disruption of the process. Additionally, a technique called power steam quality monitoring allows for the aforementioned turbine-specific inhibition – related to silica conglomerates reducing efficacy and physical movement – to be curtailed without much issue. The feedwater filtration couples with a low maintenance requirement, resulting in reduced downtime of analytic sequences and a bit of increased peace of mind for the technical operator.

While silica and the other compounds mentioned in this series are naturally occurring, the support systems in place to expertly control the quality of water is the most basic requirement for harvesting one of the earth’s most precious resources for use. As a matter of fact, the identification and control of compounds in water – both entering the industrial process and exiting the industrial process – demonstrates key tenets of process control fundamentals: precision, accuracy, durability, and technological excellence paired with ingenuity to create the best outcome not just one time, but each time.

Share your water quality analysis questions, requirements, or challenges with application specialists, combining your own process knowledge with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Water Quality Analysis - Constituent Survey (Part 2)

Water is a vital part of many industrial processes

It would be difficult to understate the role and importance of water in industrial processing, even our own biological existence. In the first installment of this series, the roles of dissolved oxygen and chlorides were covered.

Continuing the examination of water quality monitoring in municipal and industrial processes, another key variable which requires monitoring for industrial water use is sulfate. Sulfate is a combination of sulfur and oxygen, salts of sulfuric acid. Similarly to chlorides, they can impact water utilization processes due to their capability for corrosion. The power generation industry is particularly attuned to the role of sulfates in their steam cycle, as should be any boiler operator. Minerals can concentrate in steam drums and accelerate corrosion. Thanks to advancements in monitoring technology, instruments are available which monitor for both chlorides (covered in the previous installment in this series) and sulfates with minimal supervision needed by the operator, ensuring accurate detection of constituent levels outside of an acceptable range. Ionic separation technologies precisely appraise the amount of sulfate ions in the stream, allowing for continuous evaluation and for corrective action to be taken early-on, avoiding expensive repairs and downtime.

Another substance worthy of measurement and monitoring in process water is sodium. Pure water production equipment, specifically cation exchange units, can be performance monitored with an online sodium analyzer. Output from the cation bed containing sodium, an indication of deteriorating performance, can be diverted and the bed regenerated. Steam production and power generation operations also benefit from sodium monitoring in an effort to combat corrosion in turbines, steam tubes, and other components. Sodium analyzers are very sensitive, able to detect trace levels.

Ammonia is comprised of nitrogen and hydrogen and, while colorless, carries a distinct odor. Industries such as agriculture utilize ammonia for fertilizing purposes, and many other specializations, including food processing, chemical synthesis, and metal finishing, utilize ammonia for their procedural and product-oriented needs. An essential understanding of ammonia, however, includes the fact that the chemical is deadly to many forms of aquatic life. Removing ammonia from industrial wastewater is a processing burden of many industries due to the environmental toxicity.

Methods for removing ammonia from wastewater include a biological treatment method called ‘conventional activated sludge’, aeration, sequencing batch reactor, and ion exchange. Several methods exist for in-line or sample based measurement of ammonia concentration in water. Each has particular procedures, dependencies, and limitations which must be considered for each application in order to put the most useful measurement method into operation.

As water is an essential part of almost every facet of human endeavor and the environment in which we all dwell, the study and application of related analytics is an important component of many water based processes. The variety of compounds which can be considered contaminants or harmful elements when dissolved or contained in water presents multiple challenges for engineers and process operators.

Share your water quality analysis requirements and challenges with an analytical instrumentation specialist, combining your own process knowledge with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.