Winterization Tips for Your Building, Facility, or Industrial Plant

Anticipating freezing temperatures and safeguarding buildings, equipment, and materials from freeze damage are critical components of any annual property assessment. A solid freeze prevention plan comprises inspection, preventative maintenance, and corrective maintenance actions before the onset of cold weather.

Below are eighteen general freeze protection planning tips offered by application engineers and field experience comments. These procedures are not exhaustive, and we urge that you consult a professional before implementing your plan.

1. Roof and Gutter: Inspect, remove debris, and patch/repair (if needed): roof drains, scuppers, canals, gutters, down spouts before first frost. Inspect and functionally test installed roof and gutter heat trace system. Apply heat in susceptible areas.
2. Identify and test main water supply cutoffs for each facility. Ensure these areas are readily available to emergency personnel responding to a freeze/thaw incident. Apply heat in susceptible areas.
3. Inspect wet‐pipe sprinkler systems for areas prone to freezing. Apply heat in susceptible areas.
4. Identify materials that are subject to freeze damage in outside storage pads and unheated storage areas. Develop plan to ensure these materials can be easily heated and thawed to maintain production.
5. Check and place antifreeze used in cooling systems as necessary.
6. Protect heating system power and temperature controls against inadvertent deactivation.
7. Inspect insulation on piping and vessels.  Look for damage and vulnerable areas that might be exposed to freezing conditions.  Add or replace insulation as needed. 
8. Drain and remove water from all seasonal cooling systems (unless protected by heating tapes or antifreeze).
9. Inspect, test, and stage portable auxiliary heaters.
10. Inspect conditions of all surface heaters such as heating tapes, heating cable, drum heaters, IBC heaters, tank heaters, and pipe heaters. Verify operation and temperature settings and test ground‐fault equipment protection. Replace as needed.
11. Inspect, test, and repair heat trace heating cable located on cooling tower supply and return lines.  Apply heat in susceptible areas.
12. Inspect and identify remaining water and air lines subject to freezing. Install appropriate heat and insulation. Apply heat in susceptible areas.
13. For steam systems: Blow down drip legs, clean strainers, test temperature sensing devices for actuation of control valves and dampers, check steam traps, control actuators/valves, face and bypass dampers, linkages, and temperature controllers. Ensure that a vacuum breaker is installed and in working order on all preheat and heating coils which may be exposed to freezing conditions.
14. For ventilation systems: Test and calibrate all temperature sensing devices, and check operation of valves, dampers, linkages, control actuators, and temperature controllers.
15. Identify areas where personal safety is at risk due to icy conditions. Develop a slip prevention maintenance plan. Apply heat in susceptible areas.
16. Identify control panels and electronic devices susceptible to condensation. Install enclosure heaters to prevent short outs and corrosion.
17. Institute a facility wide awareness plan to identify and report any suspected problems with heating or other cold weather protection equipment during the cold season.
    
    
18. Special Consideration: Hazardous Materials 

• Ensure that all containers used for hazardous or toxic materials are properly stored, and inspect them for deterioration prior to handling. If containers become brittle (due to the combination of chemical attack, freezing temperatures, and ultraviolet light) they may break when moved.
• Liquids should not be permitted to remain in unheated process lines during periods when production has been stopped. All lines should be drained and purged to prevent future line breakage due to freezing temperatures.
• Ensure that piping, tanks, and valves in systems that carry hazardous or toxic substances are properly insulated and/or heated. Install heaters such as heating blankets, insulators, heating tapes, heating jackets, and heating cable as appropriate.

Tips courtesy of BriskHeat. For more information on all BriskHeat products, contact Alliance Technical Sales. Call 630-321-9646 or visit https://alliancets.com.

Alliance Adds Thornton to Process Analytical Instrument Offering

Alliance Technical Sales, experienced provider of process analytical solutions throughout many industries, has added the Thornton brand of instruments to expand its offering of Mettler Toledo analytical products. Thornton specializes in on-line liquid process measurement solutions for pure and ultrapure water applications. The product line includes instrumentation and sensors providing high quality measurement of conductivity/resistivity, TOC, pH, ORP, dissolved oxygen, dissolved ozone, sodium, silica and bioburden. The Thornton line complements and expands the extent of Mettler Toledo products already available from Alliance Technical Sales.

Share your fluid process analytical challenges with product application experts, combining your process knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Process Analytics Product Catalog from Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.

Combustion Control in Gas Turbines

Proper inlet air control can boost gas turbine efficiency

Gas turbines continue to enjoy an expansion in their use throughout the world. The benefits of using gas as a fuel are well recognized. Achieving high levels of fuel efficiency will be a goal of every operator, so understanding the nature of combustion and fuels can be useful in attaining optimum operating conditions.

Vaisala, a globally recognized leader in the measurement of temperature and humidity, was authored a white paper application note that explains how the temperature and humidity of inlet air can contribute to combustion efficiency, as well as providing recommendations for measuring these parameters in gas turbine applications.

The white paper is included below. Share your process measurement requirements and challenges with application experts. Combine your process knowledge with their product application expertise to deliver effective solutions.

Optimizing gas turbine performance with precise humidity measurements from Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.

Close Temperature Control of a Process Fluid Flow

Temperature sensor is one component
of a successful temperature control
system
Courtesy Smart Sensors, Inc.

Temperature control is a common operation in the industrial arena. Its application can range across solids, liquids, and gases. The dynamics of a particular operation will influence the selection of instruments and equipment to meet the project requirements. In addition to general performance requirements, safety should always be a consideration in the design of a temperature control system involving enough energy to damage the system or create a hazardous condition.

Let's narrow the application range to non-flammable flowing fluids that require elevated temperatures. In the interest of clarity, this illustration is presented without any complicating factors that may be encountered in actual practice. Much of what is presented here, however, will apply universally to other scenarios.

What are the considerations for specifying the right equipment?

KNOW YOUR FLOW

First and foremost, you must have complete understanding of certain characteristics of the fluid.

• Specific Heat - The amount of heat input required to increase the temperature of a mass unit of the media by one degree.
• Minimum Inlet Temperature - The lowest media temperature entering the process and requiring heating to a setpoint. Use the worst (coldest) case anticipated.
• Mass Flow Rate - An element in the calculation for total heat requirement. If the flow rate will vary, use the maximum anticipated flow.
• Maximum Required Outlet Temperature - Used with minimum inlet temperature in the calculation of the maximum heat input required.

SELECT SYSTEM COMPONENTS WITH PERFORMANCE TO MATCH THE PROJECT

• Heat Source - If temperature control with little deviation from a setpoint is your goal, electric heat will likely be your heating source of choice. It responds quickly to changes in a control signal and the output can be adjusted in very small increments to achieve a close balance between process heat requirement and actual heat input. 
• Sensor - Sensor selection is critical to attaining close temperature control. There are many factors to consider, well beyond the scope of this article, but the ability of the sensor to rapidly detect small changes in media temperature is a key element of a successful project. Attention should be given to the sensor containment, or sheath, the mass of the materials surrounding the sensor that are part of the assembly, along with the accuracy of the sensor.
• Sensor Location - The location of the temperature sensor will be a key factor in control system performance. The sensing element should be placed where it will be exposed to the genuine process condition, avoiding effects of recently heated fluid that may have not completely mixed with the balance of the media. Locate too close to the heater and there may be anomalies caused by the heater. A sensor installed too distant from the heater may respond too slowly. Remember that the heating assembly, in whatever form it may take, is a source of disturbance to the process. It is important to detect the impact of the disturbance as early and accurately as possible.
• Controller - The controller should provide an output that is compatible with the heater power controller and have the capability to provide a continuously varying signal or one that can be very rapidly cycled. There are many other features that can be incorporated into the controller for alarms, display, and other useful functions. These have little bearing on the actual control of the process, but can provide useful information to the opeartor. 
• Power Controller - A great advantage of electric heaters is their compatibility with very rapid cycling or other adjustments to their input power. A power controller that varies the total power to the heater in very small increments will allow for fine tuning the heat input to the process.
• Performance Monitoring - Depending upon the critical nature of the heating activity to overall process performance, it may be useful to monitor not only the media temperature, but aspects of heater or controller performance that indicate the devices are working. Knowing something is not working sooner, rather than later, is generally beneficial. Controllers usually have some sort of sensor failure notification built in. Heater operation can be monitored my measurement of the circuit current.
  
  

SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Any industrial heater assembly is capable of producing surface temperatures hot enough to cause trouble. Monitoring process and heater performance and operation, providing backup safety controls, is necessary to reduce the probability of damage or catastrophe.

• High Fluid Temperature - An independent sensor can monitor process fluid temperature, with instrumentation providing an alert and limit controllers taking action if unexpected limits are reached.
• Heater Temperature - Monitoring the heater sheath temperature can provide warning of a number of failure conditions, such as low fluid flow, no fluid present, or power controller failure. A proper response activity should be automatically executed when unsafe or unanticipated conditions occur.
• Media Present - There are a number of ways to directly or indirectly determine whether media is present. The media, whether gaseous or liquid, is necessary to maintain an operational connection between the heater assembly and the sensor. 
• Flow Present - Whether gaseous or liquid media, flow is necessary to keep most industrial heaters from burning out. Understand the limitations and operating requirements of the heating assembly employed and make sure those conditions are maintained. 
• Heater Immersion - Heaters intended for immersion in liquid may have watt density ratings that will produce excessive or damaging element temperatures if operated in air. Strategic location of a temperature sensor may be sufficient to detect whether a portion of the heater assembly is operating in air. An automatic protective response should be provided in the control scheme for this condition.

Each of the items mentioned above is due careful consideration for an industrial fluid heating application. Your particular process will present its own set of specific temperature sensing challenges with respect to performance and safety. Share your requirements with temperature sensing experts, combining your process knowledge with their expertise to develop safe and effective solutions.

Direct Insertion Gaseous Oxygen Sensor - No Sampling

Ingold 6800G insertion sensor for gaseous oxygen
Courtesy Mettler Toledo

Gas phase oxygen measurement is used industrially for process safety and the prevention of oxidation. The ability to obtain oxygen level readings in real time can be advantageous in both application classes. While numerous measurement methods are available, Ingold (Mettler Toledo) provides a rugged and robust solution in their direct insertion sensors. Some measurement systems require gas sampling or conditioning, but the Ingold sensor is inserted directly into the process to provide fast and accurate oxygen readings. Coupling the direct insertion feature with Ingold's Intelligent Sensor Management delivers fast and direct O2 measurements with minimized maintenance, no sampling or conditioning, and limited downtime.

There is more to be learned. Reach out to a product application specialist and share your O2 measurement challenges. Combine your process knowledge with their product application expertise to develop the best solutions.

Gas phase oxygen measurement systems from Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.

New Laser Level Transmitter Brings Application Advantages for Process Measurement

Jogler, manufacturer of level measurement instruments, has released the new Model LLT 1000 Laser Level Transmitter for industrial process measurement and control applications. The newly designed instrument provides continuous non-contact level measurement for process automation and inventory management across an array of industrial applications.

The laser level transmitter provides reliable measurement of solids or liquids, even clear liquids. Long measuring range, narrow beam, and high accuracy make the LLT 1000 suitable for application in silos, tanks, hoppers, chutes, and bunkers.

The data sheet below provides more detail on the new level measurement instrument. Share your level measurement requirements and challenges with a product application specialist, combing your process knowledge with their product expertise to develop effective solutions.

Laser based level transmitter for industrial process measurement from Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.

Magnetic Level Gauges Superior to Glass Level Indicators

Magnetic Level Gauge
(courtesy of Jogler)

Magnetic level gauges isolate of the process inside of a sealed piping column, thus eliminating the possibility of leaking seals and cloudy or broken site glass. Magnetic level gauges (gages) allow for easy cleaning access and a wide variety of mounting styles and process connections. They also provide improved visibility with highly visible flippers.

Magnetic level gauges are designed with a float in a sealed tube, embedded with permanent magnets. As process level changes, the float rises and falls, and the magnets in the float couple with an external indicator. The indicator is completely isolated from the process.

The following video provides a brief overview of Jogler level products. Jogger is a Baton Rouge, Louisiana manufacturer of high quality magnetic level gauges, magnetostrictive transmitters, direct-reading level gauges with armored shield, sight flow indicators, specific gravity analyzers, point level switches and other accessories. Jogler products are custom designed to meet customer specifications and manufactured to applicable ASME B31.1 and B31.3 code requirements to ensure reliable operation and maintenance free design.

New Generation of Mettler Toledo M300 pH/ORP, Dissolved Oxygen, Conductivity, & Ozone Transmitters

M300 Process Transmitter

METTLER TOLEDO Process Analytics has released a second generation of M300 transmitters for pH, Conductivity, Oxygen, and Ozone sensors in April 2016. This release simplifies both the Process and Water M300 portfolio through the reduction of 26 unique model numbers down to ten. This is possible through new mix-mode functionality providing compatibility of both analog and digital Intelligent Sensors Management (ISM®) sensors to the latest generation. New M300 transmitters are easily identified by their high-contrast touchscreen display and advanced ISM diagnostic capabilities providing significant advantages to the product line.

The multi-parameter M300Process transmitter line for pH/ORP, dissolved oxygen, conductivity and ozone measurements offers exceptional measurement performance as well as excellent user ergonomics.

The high contrast black and white touchscreen together with the harmonized menu structure for all parameters, facilitates navigation and ensures easy and user friendly operation.

On-line diagnostics information allows you to schedule sensor maintenance or replacement. The clearly visible diagnostic information lets you know when it’s time to do maintenance or calibration of sensors equipped with Intelligent Sensor Management (ISM) technology.

The integrated USB interface allows you to use it for data logging or to store the configuration on a USB stick.

Second generation M300 transmitters are direct replacements to first generation products.

For more information, contact:
Alliance Technical Sales
312 Park Avenue Unit 145
Clarendon Hills, 60514-0145
Phone: 630-321-9646
Fax: 630-321-9647
www.alliancets.com

Welcome to the Alliance Technical Sales Blog

This site is intended to provide interesting and helpful information about process control systems and control instrumentation.

We will be contributing weekly posts of information regarding process analyzers, measurement & control, fundamentals of process control, and will present interesting applications.

We hope up enjoy this site and make it a habit to check back each week.