New Products: November/December 2014

Polaris+ unit from FS-Elliott

FS-Elliott air compressor

FS-Elliott launched its Polaris+ series of air compressors to increase reliability and efficiency. This consists of five models with flows ranging from 900 to 11,500 icfm, 250 to 3,000 hp, and pressures up to 150 psig.

Mechanical and aerodynamic improvements provide higher compressor performance, a reduction in mechanical losses and enhancements in package reliability. Internal and external surfaces feature coatings to extend product life and resist corrosion. A wider variety of compressor control modes is available via the R1000, the latest controller in the Regulus Control System series designed specifically for Polaris+ units. www.fs-elliott.com

Synthetic air compressor oils

ExxonMobil has introduced the Mobil SHC Rarus Series synthetic oils for rotary-screw and vane compressed air systems. During testing, they delivered protection against wear, rust and corrosion under extended drain intervals, and maintained compressor cleanliness by minimizing sludge, varnish and deposit formation. This oil is available in three viscosity grades: 32, 46 and 68. www.mobilindustrial.com

Variable speed drives

Schneider Electric has released Altivar Process, a range of variable speed drives (VSDs) from 1 HP to 1,500 HP. Altivar Process drives deliver improved life-cycle asset management and optimized energy consumption. System and equipment condition monitoring is used to help applications perform efficiently. This is accomplished through the use of embedded process knowledge, configurable on-board dashboards and a graphical display.

In addition, Schneider Electric has released Altivar 1260 variable frequency drives ranging from 700 to 7,500 HP, available in 3.3KV or 4.16KV output voltage ratings. These are suitable for large pump, fan and compressor applications. They have an aircooled voltage source inverter, able to be applied to both synchronous and induction AC motors. www.schneider-electric.com/us.

Marine heat recovery

Calnetix Technologies has created a system that produces up to 125 kW of power for a ship’s electric load from heat recovered out of the engines’ jacket water. The Hydrocurrent system was developed by Calnetix in conjunction with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Machinery and Engine Company (MHI-MME). It reduces the load on the ship’s bunker-fueled generators, and is said to translate into fuel savings of up to 200 tons per year.

The system uses an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) heat recovery process with Calnetix’s Thermapower and Carefree Integrated Power Module (IPM) technology to convert thermal energy into mechanical power. It can pull usable heat from a source with temperatures as low as 80°C (176°F). The Hydrocurrent system converts excess waste heat into electric power without affecting engine performance, while still leaving sufficient heat in the jacket water for the fresh water maker.

The Hydrocurrent ORC module is a closed-cycle evaporator-condenser, phasechange loop, using an organic fluid that has a low boiling point. The fluid is pumped through an evaporator that pulls heat from the engine’s jacket water. The superheated vapor is expanded across the Carefree module, producing electric power. The warm vapor flows into a seawater-cooled condenser where it turns back into liquid form. www.calnetix.com.

Vertical centrifugal pumps

The SPX Johnson Pump brand offers centrifugal pumps for offshore utility applications. This includes the CombiFlex series with several suction and pressure flange positions to enable them to fit into small locations. A choice of materials and shaft sealing options enables these pumps to meet a range of applications including fresh and seawater pumping, bilge and ballast pumping, firefighting, diesel distribution, effluent and general service pumping requirements. The CombiFlexBloc model has the impeller mounted directly on an extended motor or stub shaft to provide a compact unit with a standard coupling. www.spx.com

3D inspection

Verisurf Software has introduced Master3DGage for affordable and portable 3D inspection and reverse engineering. It delivers automated ‘in-process’ inspection to the shop floor and verifies manufactured parts directly to 3D CAD models or 2D drawings. When no data or drawings are available the Master3DGage can be used for reverse engineering. www.Master3DGage.com

Frack-water clean up

One of the bones of contention on fracking is the chemicals used in the process. To address this need, OriginOil has developed Electro Polaris+ unit from FS-Elliott  Water Separation (EWS) as a high-speed, chemical-free process to clean up large quantities of water. Further, the company announced that Gulf Energy has purchased a $1.4 million Clean-Frac 5000 system, designed to process five thousand barrels per day (bpd). This will include the treatment of frack flowback and water for recycling. According to Gulf Energy, positive test results in Colorado and Texas prompted the decision.

Clean-Frac can be used for enhanced oil recovery, hydraulic fracturing operations, irrigation water and potable water. EWS removes oil, solids and bacteria, and adds downstream processes from companies such as Tri-Sep and Dow Chemical. www.originoil.com

Hydrocurrent heat recovery system

Shaft alignment sensor

Ludeca has produced the RS5 sensor for the Optalign Smart machinery alignment system for the mid-range shaft alignment market segment. It can function over spans of 10m (33ft.). It has 5-axis technology to allow live monitoring of horizontal and vertical machine corrections at the same time, with the sensor at any rotational shaft position. www.ludeca.com

Pressure transducer

American Sensor Technologies (AST) has released explosion-proof and nonincendive versions of its differential pressure transducer model AST5400. It can measure line pressures up to 5,000 PSI (350 bar), and provide an output signal of analog voltage or 4-20mA. Bidirectional calibration is available. Sensor material options include 316L stainless steel, Inconel 718, and Hastelloy C276. www.astsensors.com

Steam turbine controls

The 505 and 505-XT are Woodward’s line of off-the-shelf controllers for operation and protection of industrial steam turbines. These controllers include screens, algorithms and event recorders to simplify the control of steam turbines or turboexpanders, driving generators, compressors, pumps or industrial fans.

The base 505 model is designed for single- valve steam turbines where only basic turbine control, protection and monitoring are required. It has an integrated operator control panel, overspeed protection and trip events recorder. The 505-XT model is designed for more complex single valve, single extraction or single admission steam turbine applications where more analog or discrete inputs and outputs (I/O) are required.

The Ludeca RSS sensor

Optional inputs and outputs can be connected to the 505-XT controller via Woodward’s LinkNet-HT distributed I/O modules. When configured to control single extraction and admission-based steam turbines, the 505-XT controller’s ratio-limiter function ensures interaction between two controlled parameters (i.e., speed and extraction or inlet header and extraction) is correctly decoupled. www.woodward.com

Bearing isolator

One of the major causes of pump downtime is contamination of the bearing lubrication system. Flowserve’s Bearing Gard bearing isolator can reduce this contamination via static shut-off technology. Flowserve has also developed a faster manufacturing process to provide same-day manufacturing and shipping, even on custom bearing isolator orders. www.flowserve.com/BearingGard

Woodward 505 steam turbine controls

Wireless accelerometer

GTI Predictive Technology has developed a wireless, dual-channel accelerometer for the iPad and other devices. It is said to be the only product of its kind to offer wireless balancing. The accelerometer is waterproof, enabling a permanent-mount setup with the integrated USB input for external power. Sensitivity is 100 mV/g, and measurement range is 20 g. www.gtipredictive.com

Turbomachinery controls

A new Safety Integrity Level (SIL 3) solution for turbomachinery control has been developed by Continuous Control Solutions (CCS) and HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH. Featuring algorithms from CCS running on safety controllers from HIMA, HIMA-CCS provides operators of rotating equipment with the full spectrum of control applications.

Compatible with all major distributed control systems (DCS) and other HIMA safety instrumented systems, this helps operators to minimize process disturbances; prevent surge, overspeed and associated damage; automate start-up and shutdown; and minimize recycle or blow-off. It facilitates load sharing and load balancing for multiple process trains, running in series or parallel. www.ccsia.com

Ammonia control system

Compressor Controls Corporation (CCC) has released Ammonia Solutions — a Prodigy-based turbomachinery control system. Machine availability is maximized by providing coordinating response of antisurge protection, process control and speed governor. Ammonia production can be increased by up to 2% with Prodigy’s control of parameters. Energy costs can be reduced by 17% by matching consumption with production demands. www.cccglobal.com

New pumps

Milton Roy’s Primeroyal X pump conforms to API 675 standards and provides 20,000 psig to withstand the extreme pressures associated with subsea operation. It can provide consistent chemical delivery for methanol, monoethylene glycol and corrosion inhibitors to improve flow and product recovery. It is also said to prevent hydrate formation, wax deposits and corrosion. The Primeroyal X has vertical or horizontal Woodward 505 steam turbine controls motor configurations plus a small footprint.

In addition, Milton Roy has released updates to its Solaroy series of chemical injection pumps for harsh environments and remote locations. A solar panel charges a 12 volt battery which powers metering pumps to deliver corrosion inhibitors and other chemicals that improve flow and product recovery for shale oil and gas extraction. These models feature an enhanced drive to accommodate target-end load force. New radial bearings reduce frictional loses and increase the performance balance between torque and motor efficiency. Operational run time in batch mode has been increased from 24 to 99 hours. www.miltonroy.com

Waterless fracking

Praxair has developed a new DryFrac waterless fracturing technology that can replace water use in fracturing wells through the use of liquid carbon dioxide. The company’s patent-pending technology enables oil & gas producers to increase yield while reducing environmental impacts, such as water sourcing and water disposal. DryFrac technology blends liquid CO2 with “proppant,” a solid material — typically treated sand or man-made ceramic materials, designed to keep an induced fracture open.

DryFrac can deliver large volumes and multiple grades of proppant into a formation. Compared with other waterless fracturing fluids, such as propane, CO2 has the added benefit of being non-flammable. Praxair can separate CO2 returned from the well for faster natural gas production. www.praxair.com

X-raying tools

High-precision industrial saws, drills and dies used for the cutting, punching and forming of steel, hard metal or aluminum parts are subject to extreme wear and tear. To increase service life, a PVD (physical vapor deposition) process adds a coating. The thickness of the layer determines durability and life expectancy of the tool.

The PVD process must be monitored and the thickness of the PVD-deposited layer measured. Alongside standard destructive testing methods, the non-destructive Xray fluorescence method (XRF) is recommended. The FischerScopeX-RAY XDLM 237combines the high-intensity beam of a micro-focus tube with a small aperture and large detector window. www.fischer-technology.com

Novel power plant design

APR Energy has been awarded a patent for the design of a portable power plant using a plug-and-play modular system, scalable in 6 MW blocks. The system is said to improve mobilization and installation time while reducing labor and installation costs.

APR Energy has also applied for a patent for the container design of a 40-foot transformer substation. This will allow the company to match the vast majority of 50Hz and 60Hz utility distribution voltages.

The two systems are scalable to more than 400 MW and have helped reduce by half the build time for power plants 50 MW and above. In Cyprus, the company used the system to deliver a 120 MW plant in 20 days from the arrival of equipment on site. www.aprenergy.com

Air compressors

Ingersoll Rand has extended its R-Series line to include small rotary compressors with VShield technology to reduce leaks and improve reliability. R4-11kW compressors are available in 4-11kW (5-15hp) with flows 8.1cfm – 57.5cfm and pressures up to 200 psig on fixed speed units, and 145 psig on variable speed drives.

V-shield ensures fittings are secured with o-ring face seals nearly free from distortion. Leaks are said to be virtually eliminated and performance is not sacrificed, regardless of how many reconnections are made. Leaks are reduced by the use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) braided, stainless steel hoses. www.ingersollrandproducts.com

Better abrasion

Norton has expanded its Neon abrasive product line. It features grain technology and a resin bond system for better grain adhesion, which is said to result in three times the life, cut rate and performance. The Neon portfolio consists of fiber, flap and cloth quick-change discs, and file and narrow belts. Norton Neon R766 Flap Discs have aluminum oxide blend flaps with a grit range from 36 to120. Norton Neon R766 Cloth Quick-Change Discs feature a premium abrasive in a 24-80 grit range. www.nortonindustrial.com 

A power plant in Cyprus using portable units from APR Energy[/caption]