News

The Water Jetting Association, the member organisation for the water jetting industry in the UK, has become a member of the European Water Jetting Institute.

The WJA is now looking forward to working with other members of the EWJI to further shared aims that include continuously improving the safety and technical capabilities of water jetting processes.

WJA Director David Kennedy said: “We’re very pleased to have joined the EWJI. Sharing experiences and expertise and working together to promote water jetting must be a good thing for our industry.

Enerpac announces new Enerpac ZE2 and ZW2-Series electric pumps for manufacturing and workshop applications requiring productive flow rates, quiet operation and simplified controls. They are especially suitable for applications in a facility or location where an air-line drop is not available, feasible or desired. In addition, the ZE2 and ZW2-Series pumps can be used for long periods without overheating and provide an improved total cost of ownership.

Classification society DNV has issued a verification statement allowing global survival technology specialist Survitec to use its game-changing fire foam testing process onboard maritime vessels or offshore structures.

Survitec’s new Produced Foam Live Test method uses ultrasound technology to verify the effectiveness of fire-fighting foam, according to the mandatory requirements set out in IMO MSC.1/Circ.1432 9.2.4.

Bitumen Overview

Bitumen is an important material used in a wide range of industrial processes such as refining, pipe coating and in road, pavement, and roof construction. Also referred to as asphalt, it is insoluble in water and has glue like properties that allow it to bind with aggregate particles to create strength. Once set it seals the surface and protects against water ingress. These excellent properties combined with its durability, economical cost and huge supply continue to make it a popular solution today.

Bitumen needs to be handled at high temperatures in its liquid form, most commonly around 140 to 170°C, this state allows it to be sprayed, transferred, or unloaded to be used in processes such as mixing with aggregate and laying roads. Even when hot it is viscous, these properties combined with its sticky nature require very careful consideration during the pump selection process.

Tanker Loading of Bitumen

An engineering consultancy group specialising in the energy and industrial sectors secured a €2.1 million project for upgrading a fuel and bitumen processing plant. Chemical Processors, manufacturers and storage terminals are often located at ports to enable the quick and efficient transport of bulk liquids via tanker loading and unloading.

This upgrade involved increasing the number and capacity of tanks for delivering higher volumes to tankers, this therefore included the installation of larger positive displacement pumps to deliver high flow rates in a shorter amount of time, accommodating larger vessels, and reducing vessel waiting time. Having a very limited time frame for supply and requiring pump selection support, they approached North Ridge in the hopes we could support them in an efficient manner, which we did.

Pump Optimisation for Asphalt

This project required 6 units in 3 different sizes, with differing internal design (External and Internal Gear) to produce the varying flow rates and pressure demanded on site.

The 4” and 10” Pumps were handling Bitumen with a possibility of 1mm solids, and so External Gear pumps operating slowly with hardened teeth for minimising wear, were selected as the solution for handling this blend of high viscosity asphalt. Due to the size of pumps selected, their internal tolerances meant they are able to accommodate 1mm suspended solids without issue. We did however recommend that inlet strainers were installed to capture any particles above this size which is something we always recommend with gear pumps.

The smaller flow rate of 5M³H of clean Asphalt without solids meant two 2” Internal Gear Pumps were selected for this duty as they were better suited to handle the clean blend.

Experience has taught us to specify larger gear pumps installed with gearboxes, to reduce the operating speed to as low as 250RPM. This gentler pumping action allows the passing of viscous fluids, with small solids whilst reducing gear wear from the abrasive and tacky nature of the bitumen.

As bitumen can cool quickly and increase viscosity or harden completely, we typically recommend units are fitted with heating jackets to prevent this from occurring, on this occasion the customer had already installed trace heating on the pipework and had a readily available solution for the pumps also.

To further protect the units from damage, we fitted gland packing instead of mechanical seals, as if the bitumen were to harden then gland packing is less susceptible to damage when the pump starts up again.

As the asphalt pumps are used to fill tankers and trucks, it is possible that a discharge valve may be closed during loading operations, therefore we installed each unit with built-in pressure relief valves to protect the units and system components. The valve is normally set to 10% above the operating pressure, it then opens if the system pressure increases too high and recirculates the fluid inside the pump head to avoid damaging the pipework or the pump itself.

Outcome

We delivered two 2” Internal Gear Pumps, two 4” External Gear Pumps and two 10” External Gear pumps, the largest unit delivering 250m³/hr at 9 bar, all fitted with ABB Atex motors suitable for installation in non-safe areas.

The site now has reliable and robust bitumen pumps which will enable increased plant output and productivity, ensure larger bulk carriers can be accommodated, decrease tanker loading time, and reduce the likelihood of vessel demurrage.

The varying sizes of pumps and flow rates allow the plant to remain flexible in loading a range of bulk carriers and vehicles simultaneously, regardless of their location on site.

If you have an application you are unsure of the correct solution, visit www.northridgepumps.com to see how we can help.

Whether you are an employer or an employee, you should do everything in your power to keep yourself and others safe while in a workplace environment. Every workplace has risks and hazards associated to it, but there are some industries where the risk of an accident is even greater. In particular, if appropriate safety measures are not implemented and followed, the industrial sector can be a dangerous place to work in. Accidents can result in serious injuries and even death, followed by hefty consequences such as fines, imprisonment, and reputation damage. That’s why there are a series of procedures and regulations in place to ensure the health and safety of workers and site visitors.

Medical environments, whether that’s the development, manufacture or packing of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, must be monitored to the highest levels to ensure complete compliance and safety for staff and end-users. ION Science’s range of fixed PID sensors can measure VOC outputs on multiple large sites or single key areas, using world-leading gas detection technology. 

One of the most important areas for VOC (volatile organic compounds) monitoring is sterilisation and packaging. Many medical manufacturers use ethylene oxide for decontamination of products prior to leaving the site. While this is a highly effective method, it is a harmful VOC and needs careful monitoring via PID (photoionisation detection) technology to ensure the right levels are used to remove potential contaminants, but also so that the ethylene oxide is removed safely prior to distribution. 

Hydraulic torque wrenches have come a long way since they were first introduced in the early 1960s. Advancements in technology have created countless options, features, and benefits to decipher – making it much harder to have confidence in your final tool selection.

If you are a seasoned bolting specialist, then you will know the must-have features needed to complete your specific bolting projects like a pro. However, if you are new to bolting, selecting the right hydraulic torque wrench for your job requires understanding the choices available. The design and features of each series of torque wrenches are tailored to suit different applications. Below are key considerations when selecting a torque wrench for your unique job.

The risk of injury – or even death – within the rail industry can unfortunately be stark. According to the Office of Rail and Road's annual statistical release, from 2019-2020 there were 5,099 minor workforce injuries, 130 major incidents and, tragically, three fatalities. While major and minor injuries were at their lowest since the current comparable data series began in 2007-08, these statistics demonstrate the need for continuous high-quality training and education.

This is what Astutis, an industry-leading training provider, is offering through its newly upgraded IOSH Managing Safely online course for the rail industry. One of the world's foremost health and safety certificates, this course is ideally suited to the demands and potential risks of the rail industry.

Arco, Headway and Centurion bring head injury to the forefront of workplace safety for Hard Hat Awareness Week 14th - 20th June 2021

Twenty per cent of all fatal and non-fatal injuries in the UK are head-related, yet head protection accounts for only three per cent of personal protective equipment (PPE) purchases.^[1] When head protection is acquired, nearly a quarter of workers are unaware that exceeding the expiry date of a hard hat can reduce its protective qualities. Arco, the UK’s leading safety company, is joining forces with Headway - the brain injury association, and Centurion, head protection system specialist, to raise awareness of the importance of selecting, wearing and maintaining head protection.

Is it time thermal fluid systems joined the fourth industrial revolution?

The first company to provide remote consultations with doctors launched in 2013. Fast forward to 2020, and the pandemic required the entire NHS to switch to remote consultations. In industry, advances in sensor technology and manufacturing software have seen remote monitoring become more prominent. But will maintenance professionals, like doctors, be able diagnose problems online? Here, Clive Jones managing director of thermal fluid supplier Global Heat Transfer, discusses whether the pandemic could kickstart the digital revolution of thermal fluid monitoring.

Because thermal fluids degrade over time, regular thermal fluid analysis is a vital part of maintenance in facilities that use heat transfer systems. Traditionally, carrying out sampling, analysis and maintenance requires on-site support from a thermal fluid expert, who is usually a third-party. As manufacturing facilities have implemented new safety procedures in light of the pandemic, it could become more difficult for external engineers to regularly visit sites.