Validating Water Cycle pH Requirements Using Conductivity and Calculated pH

In thermal power plants, pH measurement and control in the water steam cycle are critical to minimizing corrosion. Cycle chemistry guidelines specifically target narrow pH ranges.

However, in high purity water and steam, there are not enough ions in the water to generate a pH response, causing the pH reading to be unstable. Fortunately, conductivity has a direct relationship with pH when the sample contains only pure water with the typical alkaline treatments, such as ammonia and amines. In fact, cycle chemistry in many plants relies primarily on the related specific conductivity values. However, correction for minor contaminants by measuring the cation conductivity of the sample is needed to provide accurate results. The specific and the cation conductivity values are used in an industry accepted calculation that provides the highest accurate conversion to pH. Under normal operating conditions, this calculation provides more accurate and reliable results than pH electrodes can provide, for two reasons:

1. Conductivity is linear, with concentration which provides much higher resolution than pH sensors all of which give nonlinear response to concentration.
2. Conductivity sensors can be directly calibrated with minimal introduction of error. 

All pH reference electrodes have a variable junction or diaphragm potential that can change between buffer calibration and process measurement, introducing some uncertainty to subsequent measurements.

This makes calculated pH based on conductivity significantly more accurate. However, with major contamination, such as when a condensate exchange polisher's resin is exhausted, and an acid leak occurs, the pH would drop below 7, which is outside the ideal range for using calculated pH and would generate errors. Thus, to avoid contamination, it is recommended that both traditional pH measurement, and calculated pH based on conductivity, be used for optimal pH control.

METTLER TOLEDO Thornton's M800 multi-parameter transmitter can provide traditional pH measurement, calculated pH, as well as specific and cation conductivity to ensure accurate and reliable pH control. The M800 even has a built-in alarm to alert you if the pH measurement deviates from the calculated pH measurement for extra security and peace of mind.

For more infomration about METTLER TOLEDO Process Analytics products, contact Alliance Technical Sales by calling 630-321-9646 or by visiting https://alliancets.com.

Thank You Veterans for Your Patriotism, Love of Country, and Willingness to Serve

Veterans Day is not just another holiday. It honors those Americans who fought for our freedom. By celebrating our Veterans, we continue to tell the story of how this country became the most powerful on Earth - through bravery, honor, truth, and determination.

Our Veterans are our neighbors, friends, family, and co-workers. They took an oath to defend the United States and our Constitution, from all enemies, foreign and domestic. We must never forget their bravery, service, and sacrifice.

Alliance Technical Sales thanks our Veterans, past and present, for serving our country and protecting our freedom.

No More Purge Gas Required for New Tunable Diode Lasers for Combustion Processes

A new generation of TDLs not only offers exceptional fuel costs savings, but eliminates the need for process side purge gas.

Refineries, petrochemical, fertilizer and power plants worldwide have large numbers of combustion processes in operation, from process heaters and fired heaters to package boilers and large steam turbines. Whenever a process fluid needs to be heated as part of a chemical reaction, or there is a requirement for steam generation, there will be a combustion process at its heart.

This paper presents a review of the general anatomy of a typical combustion process; describing each zone and its function, before discussing some of the challenges of combustion measurement and how modern TDL analyzers such as METTLER TOLEDO’s GPro 500 and its range of process adaptions offer many advantages over typical combustion analysis technologies.

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DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER FROM THIS ALLIANCE TECHNICAL SALES WEB PAGE HERE

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For more information about GPro® 500 TDL, contact Alliance Technical Sales by calling 630-321-9646 or by visiting https://alliancets.com.

Proper Installation of BriskHeat XtremeFLEX Heating Tape

BriskHeat XtremeFlex heating tape is very versatile due to its superior flexibility. Although it is versatile, there can still be failures in hotspots if it's not properly installed. The purpose of this short video is to help you avoid failures and hot spots, and to help you install your heating tape for optimal performance.

Before you get started there's a few things that you should keep in mind:

• Make sure you have these tools prior to installing the heating tape - Gloves, Heating Tape, Heat Conductive Putty, Scissors, Fiberglass Tape.
• Be sure that the surface that you're applying the heat tape to is clean, dry, and free of burrs, oils, debris or sharp edges. 
• Ensure that you don't overlap the heating tape onto itself leave at least an eighth of inch gap between each wrap.

You also want to ensure complete surface contact between the heating tape and the surface. Air gaps can cause hotspots which can result in premature failures to the heating tape. Use our heat conductive putty to bridge any gaps between the heating tape and the surface.  When working with heat conductive putty, wear proper personal protective equipment. Place a fair amount of putty where the transitions meet so that there will not be any air gaps when installing. With many heating tapes you will need a temperature controller device, so contact your BriskHeat Representative for assistance.

To make sure that the heat tape stays in place use briskets high-temperature fiberglass adhesive tape or high-temperature aluminum adhesive tape because it will not damage the heating tape and it can withstand the high temperature that the heating tape produces.  Use insulation on BriskHeat heating products in order to avoid heat loss.

For more information about the BriskHeat heating products, contact Alliance Technical Sales.

Phone: 630-321-9646

Web: https://alliancets.com

The Mettler Toledo GPro® 500 Series of Tunable Diode Lasers

Tunable Diode Lasers (TDLs) use a measurement technology called absorption spectroscopy: they output a beam of laser light at the same frequency that the gas to be measured absorbs light. The TDL analyzes the light after it has passed through the gas stream and calculates the quantity of the target gas in the stream. The use of TDL sensors is becoming more and more common in industrial processes.

Mettler Toledo manufactures the GPro^® 500 TDL Series of Tunable Diode Laser designed for the toughest gas measurements. These analyzers are known to handle some of the most demanding process applications, particularly where accuracy and fast response is crucial.

Using a modular design, the GPro^® 500 tunable diode laser gas analyzer allows you to select the process adaption that fits your application, and match it with the parameter that you need to measure. We offer sensors that measure  a variety of gases including Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Hydrogen Chloride (HCl), Hydrogen Sulfide (H₂S), Moisture, Ammonia (NH₃), Methane (CH₄) and Oxygen (O₂).

GPro® 500 Tunable Diode Laser - Eliminate Alignment

Most TDLs are comprised of two parts: the laser source unit and a receiving/analyzing unit. These parts must be installed directly opposite each other, which is not always easy and misaligned can often occur. METTLER TOLEDO's GPro^® 500 Series solves this by combining both parts in a single unit. A probe attached to the GPro^® sensor protrudes into the gas stream. A three-sided mirror at the end of the probe directs the beam back through the probe to the receiver, so alignment is always perfect.

GPro® 500 Tunable Diode Laser - Minimal Maintenance

The GPro^® does not require "maintenance intensive" extractive and conditioning systems. This means that you receive consistent performance from your tunable diode laser gas analyzer without the downtime and cost associated with these traditional systems. You achieve reliable uptime, critical in safety applications, at a reduced cost of ownership.

For more information about the Mettler Toledo GPro^® 500 Tunable Diode Laser, contact Alliance Technical Sales.
Phone: 630-321-9646
Web: https://alliancets.com

Alliance Technical Sales Celebrating 5 Year Anniversary with MCAA!

The Measurement, Control & Automation Association is the national trade association representing leading manufacturers and distributors of instrumentation, systems and software used in industrial process control and factory automation around the world. Their member companies include the leading multi-national companies together with a range of more niche-oriented providers.



Alliance Technical Sales is very please to be a participating member of such an excellent organization.

Brewers, Make Oxygen More Your Friend, and Less Your Enemy. Check Out the Mettler Toledo InTap™ Portable Optical DO analyzer

InTap™ DO Analyzer 

Brewers have a complicated relationship with oxygen. 

At times oxygen is your friend. It's needed for barley germination. It's needed to synthesize fatty acids and sterols in yeast. And it improves colloidal stability. 

Oxygen is also one of the the brewers worst enemies. It has a significant effect on color. It lowers the  rate of wort separation. It can cause undesirable flavors. And is causes haze and makes finished beer stale.

By the way, we're talking about the dissolved oxygen (DO) in solution here. Not the external oxygen the water, wort, or beer tank headspace.

Fortunately Mettler Toledo provides instrumentation to assist brewers in they management of oxygen. Their InTap™ DO analyzer with optical technology, is both a portable measurement tool and a convenient calibration instrument. It facilitates measurement and calibration procedures in both process and laboratory settings, and reduces the risk of operator error.

The InTap™ portable oDO analyzer is a portable measurement device for dissolved oxygen

measurement and for calibration and data logging of optical dissolved oxygen ISM® sensors

(InPro® 6970i) installed in the process. The InTap™ and the sensors communicate via Bluetooth.

Measurement point tracking in the InTap™ portable dissolved oxygen meter allows operators to easily connect stored measurement data to different locations in production, making it easy to maintain records point-by-point for traceability and documentation purposes.

Reliable optical dissolved oxygen (DO) sensor technology is also available in the InTap™ portable meter for spot check and reference measurements. With Blue- tooth communication, hassle-free calibration of in-line DO sensors is done quickly and easily.

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DOWNLOAD A COMPREHENSIVE IN-LINE PROCESS ANALYTICS BROCHURE FOR PRODUCING QUALITY BEER HERE

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For more information, contact Alliance Technical Sales. They can be reached by calling 630-321-9646 or by visiting their web site at https://alliancets.com.