Emergency De-Icing and Thawing for Industrial Pipes, Valves and Tanks

Reprinted with permission from BriskHeat

Download the PDF version of this application note here.

The cold weather can wreak havoc on exposed valves, pumps, pipes, bearings, filter housing, and other industrial objects. When these parts freeze, they typically become unusable, and in extreme conditions damaged. The freezing and damage causes extended and unwanted downtown and in some cases, costly repairs. Production teams cannot afford to allow the weather to restrict their productivity, and need a solution to remedy these problems quickly and safely.

De-Icing and Thawing Solution

BriskHeat’s HSTAT silicone rubber heating tape is the perfect tool for providing temporary heat to quickly get frozen systems back up and running and reduce downtime. When confronted with a stuck or frozen system, wrap the HSTAT heating tape around the frozen part, set the temperature, and allow the heat to quickly thaw/unfreeze the part. The easy-to-use portable heat tape provides instant localized heat to quickly de-ice parts efficiently and safely. When finished, the HSTAT heating tape is easily rolled up and kept in a toolbox or cabinet, ready for use again when needed.

HSTAT heating tapes are available in a variety of lengths and have a thin design for maximum
versatility, and extreme flexibility. They can be fit around nearly any shape or size component. A built-in adjustable controller regulates the temperature which can provide intense heat of up to 450°F (232°C). HSTAT heating tapes offer true performance and reliability in even the coldest conditions down to -60°F (-51°C). The easy to use plug-and-play design requires no need for special wiring. They feature BriskHeat’s patented, multi-stranded heating element for ultimate flexibility and reliability.

Additional Uses

HSTAT heating tapes have many additional uses. These include process control needs where a unique process requires heat, or for viscosity related needs where heat is used to reduce viscosity and increase flow, and more. They are used as a temporary heat source when needed or as a permanent installation. HSTAT heating tapes are used to heat all types of objects that require elevated temperatures.

For more information, contact Alliance Technical Sales. Call them at 630-321-9646 or visit their web site at https://alliancets.com.

Eliminate Delayed Oxygen Measurement Safety Risk in Your Process Gas Analyzer

Having a car alarm that goes off 15 seconds after a break-in puts you at risk of property damage and significant loss. If you wouldn't take this risk with your car, why take it in your process plant?

If you're using an extractive oxygen analyzer that requires sampling and conditioning to prevent explosive conditions, that's exactly what you're getting - an alert up to 60 seconds after an oxygen build up is started. Using an extractive analyzer that requires sampling and conditioning means it's impossible to get real-time information. Measurements are delayed by up to a minute as the sample travels through pipes to the analyzer. In addition oxygen in the sample can be diluted by the gas ahead of and behind it, resulting in a falsely flat excursion curve. An alarm threshold may not be met when it should, so you get one, perhaps inaccurate, result in one minute.

Eliminate the risk. Get continuous real-time measurement. The GPro 500 tunable diode laser gas analyzer from Mettler-Toledo measures in-situ, without the need for sampling and conditioning. It provides continuous measurement and safety-critical applications, so you'll know about oxygen excursions immediately. Don't leave your plant safety up to delayed measurement. Rethink safety. Rethink gas analytics.

For more information, contact Alliance Technical Sales. Call them at 630-321-9646 or visit their web site at https://alliancets.com.

Happy New Year from Alliance Technical Sales!

Happy Holidays from Alliance Technical Sales

"Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." — Oren Arnold

What Are Direct-reading Level Gauges, Site Flow Indicators, and Specific Gravity Analyzers?

Direct-reading Level Gauges (Jogler)

Direct-reading Level Gauges

Direct-reading Level Gauges are the simplest, most reliable way to determine the level of liquid in a tank or vessel because they give you a direct view without compromising the integrity of your process system. Direct-Reading level gauges are installed so that the liquid level in the transparent sight tube is always the same as the liquid level inside the tank or vessel.

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Sight Flow Indicators

Sight Flow Indicators (Jogler)

Sight Flow Indicators are the simplest, most reliable way to observe liquid or solids flow without compromising the integrity of your piping system. They are available in either armored styles for protection in exposed locations, or lantern styles for 360-degree viewing.

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Specific Gravity Analyzers (SGAs)

Specific Gravity Analyzer (Jogler)

Specific Gravity Analyzers (SGAs) are a dependable and accurate method for measuring and sampling process liquid levels in virtually any application:

• Acids
• Caustics
• Co-generation
• Light Hydrocarbons
• Beverages, etc.

SGAs present accurate visual verification of liquid density, can be cross-checked against temperature and are compatible with most requirements. Also, they require only small amounts of product for specific gravity measurement.


DOWNLOAD THE JOGLER LEVEL GAUGE, FLOW INDICATOR & ANALYZER BROCHURE HERE


For more information on these products, contact Alliance Technical Sales by calling 630-321-9646 or visit their web site at https://alliancets.com.

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.