Freeze Protection for All Sorts of Commercial and Industrial Things

Freeze protection requirements are ubiquitous and take many
forms. Each has a best solution employing a specialized heater.

Keeping process or inventory liquids from freezing, or becoming extremely viscous, can be an important part of any commercial or industrial operation. Freeze damage to equipment, piping, or containers can result in a wide array of consequences, all of them likely to be negative.

Developing an overall plan for freeze protection can be advantageous to attacking each application on an independent basis.

• Having a common vendor for all freeze protection equipment and supplies can help designers develop a knowledge base about how to meet application challenges with specific products, speeding implementation time. Service techs become familiar with applied products and methods, building their skills and efficiency at installing and maintaining applications throughout the facility.
• Identify all locations where freeze protection is needed. Develop a baseline of the methods employed and equipment installed to meet the needs of each location. Good records form the basis for good maintenance and the ability to make decisions regarding the operation and performance of each system.
• When selecting the products or methods to employ for freeze protection, consider the environment in which the hardware will be installed. Will it require protection from physical damage, chemical attack, or extreme weather. Is the installation space considered a hazardous zone, requiring special certifications for the heating equipment?
• The availability and control of applied heat can also be important. Is there a need for the heating system to deliver highly variable amounts of heat across the range of possible operating scenarios, in order to avoid overheating the process or stored materials? How quickly will the system need to ramp up to the desired operating temperature or respond to changes in an operating process?

These questions, and probably others specifically related to your application, should be part of the consideration for freeze protection applications. Enlisting the cooperation of a process heat specialist can apply leverage to your own process knowledge and experience to develop an effective solution to each challenge.

Check this link for a copy of the Freeze Protection Planning Guide.

Process Analytics Product Guide

Ingold and Thornton brands provide wide ranging solutions
for process analytic challenges.
Image courtesy Mettler Toledo

Mettler Toledo is well known and regarded in the field of process analytical instrumentation. The company's line of sensors, transmitters, and analyzers delivers solid performance along with ease of use and reduced maintenance.

The full range of the company's Ingold and Thornton brand capabilities and applications for liquid, gas, and pure water analytics is illustrated in a newly available brochure. The document is useful as an overview of all potential intersections of your own work and the products and capabilities of Mettler Toledo.

Request a full copy of the brochure from a fluid analytics specialist. Share your measurement and analytical challenges with experienced professionals, leveraging your own process knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

Mettler Toledo Process Analytics Product Guide from Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.

Temperature and Humidity Data Logger

The battery powered data logger has internal memory, or can

network with an external device.

Image courtesy Vaisala

Monitoring and maintaining records of process or storage space conditions can be an integral part of a quality assurance program or compliance with regulatory requirements. For temperature and humidity, the DL 2000 data logger from Vaisala provides a simple and effective total solution for monitoring and data logging.

The compact device operates on an internal battery with a 10 year life. Temperature and relative humidity sensors are on board, and a spare input channel allows connection of an additional analog sensor for a third measured parameter. A Boolean input allows another connection that can be used for a switch input to record an event.

When used with Vaisala software, data can be downloaded, displayed and analyzed. Multi-stage alarms can be implemented, and validation and mapping tasks completed. Customizable reports can be produced and exported to spreadsheets.

More technical data is provided in the datasheet included below. Share your data acquisition challenges with process measurement experts and leverage your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise.

Temperature and Relative Humidity Data Logger from Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.

Drum Heater Applications

It is common for bulk liquids to be delivered, contained, or dispensed from large pails or drums. At various times and locations during its dwell time in a drum, inventoried liquids might need protection from freezing, or maintenance of an elevated temperature for viscosity control or another reason. It can be impractical to provide a controlled environment in which to house one or more drums, pails, or other containers. A specialized heater provides an effective and economical solution that is easy to put in place as needed.

Silicone rubber drum heaters require only electric power from an extension cord to deliver controlled heat to plastic or metal drums. They can be put in place in minutes and operate unattended to provide controlled levels of heat through the container walls to the target liquid. The units are rugged and have a self-contained thermostat. Various sizes and capacities accommodate a broad range of industrial applications. Specialized custom units can be configured for specific applications.

The short video shows the ease with which these drum heaters can be applied. Share your liquid processing and analytical challenges with fluid processing specialists, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

TOC Measurement in Water Systems

TOC analyzer for continuous on-line measurement
Image courtesy Mettler Toledo Thornton

Total Organic Carbon, referred to as TOC, is a measurement providing one of several facets to indicate the purity of a water sample or stream. Organic contamination in water for use in power generation, semiconductor manufacturing, and pharmaceutical production poses a number of operational risks or quality failures that can substantially impact process output. The elevated presence of carbon compounds in certain purified water sources can be an indicator that water treatment processes are not performing properly and need attention.

The measurement technology involves oxidation of carbon compounds in the presence of UV light and measuring sample conductivity. Processing of the raw measurement yields a value for TOC. Analytical instruments benefit from having features and attributes that lessen the need for human involvement and deliver rapid and accurate results. Mettler Toledo provides an advanced solution for TOC measurement with it 5000TOCi analyzer.

• Fast continuous measurement
• Reagent and chemical free
• Reliable operation
• ISM Intelligent Sensor Management

More detail is provided in the document below. Share your process analytic challenges with fluid process specialists. Leverage your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.

TOC Total Organic Carbon Analyzer from Alliance Technical Sales, Inc.

Applying Process Refractometers in Sugar Cane Processing

In-line process refractometer
Image courtesy Electron Machine Corp.

Sugar cane, after harvesting, requires processing within a limited time window to avoid sugar loss by inversion to glucose and fructose. The traditional two stage process, milling and processing, may be combined in a single modern production facility. Process refractometers can be found in both operations, making an optical measurement of a solution’s refractive index used to determine the concentration of dissolved solids.

To achieve high quality liquid and crystal sugars and contain production cost, refractometers are employed to deliver accurate in-line Brix and other measurements in the cane sugar refining and milling processes.

Specific uses of refractometers in sugar production are:

• Product flow adaptation to evaporator capacity to achieve energy savings.
• Extraction process optimization, minimizing the use of water that will need to be removed at the evaporator.
• Separation column feed juice control to adjust concentration to match capacity.
• Quality assurance check on liquid bulk sugar and molasses.
• Vacuum pan automatic and accurate seeding.
• Monitor supersaturation over complete strike of crystallization.

Share your process analytic and measurement challenges with the experts at application specialists, leveraging your own process knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop an effective solution.

MCE Technology for Chloride and Sulfate Analyzers

Mettler Toldeo, under their Thornton brand, employs Microfluidic Capillary Electrophoresis in the on-line measurement of chlorides and sulfates. This measurement system delivers actionable measurements of these potentially harmful water constituents, enabling timely corrective action to be taken and prevent damage to turbines and other steam utilization equipment.

The MCE technology is currently available on Thornton's 3000CS  Analyzer which provides on-line measurements every 45 minutes. The system reduces cost of ownership and provides faster results than methods requiring sampling and off-line processing.

Share your steam system and fluid analytical challenges with fluid process analytic specialists, combining your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.