Pneumatic Vane Damper Drives for Boiler Flue Gas and Combustion Air: A Superior Alternative to Electric

Obsolete ID fan inlet
damper drive.

Pneumatic damper drives are excellent alternatives to electric drives because of speed, accuracy, and reliability. Pneumatic vane damper drives don't have gears or motor windings that slow down response or introduce slop. Pneumatic vane drives react to signal changes and produce movement instantaneously and repeatably.

In flue gas and combustion air applications, rapid response is critical for optimal efficiency, safety, and equipment longevity. In power plants, Rotork Type K damper drives provide a better solution for critical damper applications over electric drives.

Type K damper drive
'drop-in-place' replacement.

Balanced-draft power generation boilers can experience very serious equipment failures if low pressure conditions exist inside the combustion chamber. Transients in boiler pressure can cause combustion complications leading to irregular heating of steam tubes, and in extreme situations, negative boiler pressure can collapse boiler walls and buckstays. There is a possibility for catastrophic failures (ruined boiler tubes, destroyed  refractory, boiler structural damage) leading to long shutdowns, lost production, and expensive re-construction.

Understanding the catastrophic possibilites, it is extremely important to provide consistent internal operating pressure environment for efficient and manageable combustion. ID (induced draft) fans on combustion boilers play a critical role in maintaining reliable boiler pressure. In turn, the ID fan inlet damper control system that regulates fan induced airflow and pressure need to be accurate, responsive, and reliable to assist in keeping boiler combustion chamber pressure fluctuations in check.

Rotork Type K 'PM Series' Pedestal-Mount TK-6 Damper Drives have proven themselves time and time again to be the best choice for these applications. Pneumatic vane drives deliver high torque at tested speeds of less than 3 seconds for a full 90-degree stroke. They offer drop-in-place retrofit to the existing damper drive footprint, plus smart positioner technology. The Type K Drives perform quickly and smoothly at full boiler pressure and damper load, and as required, fail to the fully closed position.

For use on boiler dampers, the years of maintenance-free operation, in thousands of successful installations world-wide, the data clearly demonstrates pneumatic drive's superiority over electric drives.

Finally, always discuss your damper drive application with an experienced applications engineer for best selection, optimal performance, and maximum safety.

Frac Truck Temperature Transmitters

Frac Truck
showing temperature
transmitter (REOTEMP)

Frac Trucks pump nitrogen gas into natural gas wells and oil wells to purge remaining fossil fuels that may be imbedded in well bores, slurries, and bedrock. The purged fuels can then be used for commercial use.

Frac Trucks require a variety of sensors to monitor internal components: liquid nitrogen tanks, heat exchangers (used to convert liquid nitrogen to gas), and pumps. Temperature sensors are especially critical on Frac Trucks, because they are used to ensure safe, efficient operations.

Download the PDF version of the "Frac Truck Temperature Transmitters" application note here.

Problem:

The temperature sensors are subjected to continuous shock & vibration during truck operations, from traveling over unpaved roads, and on long highway drives. This shock & vibration was damaging the internal components of the competitor’s transmitters.

The transmitters also operate in a harsh environment, which exposes them to water, mud, and oil. During washdown, the truck is sprayed clean with high pressure water, often causing water to leak into the transmitter’s housing. The water then shorts out the internal components and results in transmitter failure.

Application Challenges 

• Continuous vibration & shock
• Harsh environment: oil, water, mud High pressure washdown
• With frustration, replacements, and downtime increasing

Customer’s Needs:

• Hermetically sealed: enclosure must not leak under harsh conditions Compact size (space restrictions on truck)
• Durability: components must withstand continuous shock & vibration

Solution:

REOTEMP designed and engineered a new product called the Slim-Line Transmitter that met all of the customer’s needs. The new product incorporated an all-welded enclosure and re-inforced seals to protect against leaking. A cushioned interior component design ensured the Slim-Line was up to the challenge of the harsh Frac Truck application. This product is now used in a variety of applications that require a very durable, compact, and accurate temperature transmitter.

Reprinted with permission by REOTEMP

Yokogawa TDLS8000 In-Situ Gas Analyzer

TDLS8000 from Yokogawa

Yokogawa’s TDLS8000 houses all of the industry’s leading features in one robust device. The platform design is for in situ measurements which negate the need for sample extraction and conditioning. The non-contacting sensor allows for a variety of process types including corrosive, abrasive and condensing.

Features: 

• SIL2 TruePeak combined with smart laser Technology
• Intuitive touchscreen HMI
• HART and Modbus TCP communications standard
• 8-stage auto-gain adapts to difficult applications
• Fully field repairable with 50 days of data and spectra storage
• Compact design for one-man installation without sacrificing ruggedness
• Area classification Zone2/Div2 or Zone1/Div1

https://powerspecialties.com
(816) 353-6550

6 Millimeter Wide, DIN Rail Mount, High Performance Temperature Transmitters and Signal Devices

The PR Electronics 3000 series gives you high accuracy, fast response time and low temperature drift – without compromise. All 6 mm devices can be mounted on a standard DIN rail or power rail with no air gap separation, and are suitable for both process and factory automation.

Applications for process automation include: packaging, automotive, robotics, printing, paper, industrial process, water and wastewater, building automation, HVAC, and energy.

Review the product line below in the embedded document, or download the 3000 Series High Performance Temperature Transmitters and Signal Device brochure from this link.

https://powerspecialties.com
(816) 353-6550

PR Electronics 3000 Series High Performance Temperature Transmitters and Signal Devices from Power Specialties, Inc.

Magnetic Level Gauges: Versatile and Highly Visible Tank Level Measurement

Magnetic level indicators are used widely in liquid level measurement. Also known as Magnetic Level Gauges, or “Mag Gauges,” they are used, generally, to provide a display of liquid level in tanks and other vessels. They are popular solutions because they are visible from far distances and they have a non-invasive design which reduces the possibility of points points and the risks of fugitive emissions.

Magnetic level gauges are often employed in along with magnetostrictive, guided wave radar, or other measurement means to provide a reliable local display of liquid level. They can also be used to provide an an electrical signal that can be transmitted to recording instrumentation or controllers.

"Mag Gauge" construction is fairly simplistic – here's how it works: A magnetic float, designed for the specific gravity of the material being measured, rides inside a vertical pipe on top of the process media. A gauge with a magnetically coupled visual indicator is fastened to the pipe. As the media inside the pipe rises and falls, the visual indicator moves in the same fashion.

The features of Magnetic level gauges include:

• Visual tank level indication. 
• Wide operating temperature and pressure range.
• Continuous level measurement.
• No electric power required for operation.
• Low maintenance. 
• Easier to read from greater distance than glass sight gauges. 
• Can be applied to wide fluid level ranges with a single instrument. 
• Break resistant, sturdy.
• Wide range of construction materials available.
• External mounting of ancillary indicators, switches, and transmitters with isolation from process media. 

There are a number of options available so you can customize the level indicator for each specific application. The best way to proceed is to combine your process knowledge with that of a product specialist. Collectively, you'll be able to achieve an effective solution to your application challenge.

More Reliable Gas, Vapor and Flame Detection

Understanding the Human Sensory Model of Gas Detection
(courtesy of MSA)

Chemical plants, refineries, processing plants, and storage facilities contain large indoor and outdoor areas that include congested arrays of complex equipment, such as tanks, pumps, pipelines, and valves. Detecting combustible gas leaks and flames in these areas can be a real challenge - even under the best of conditions. Protection from accumulating gases or unnoticed flame depends on sensors that quickly alert you to their presence. If the gas, vapor, or flame goes unnoticed, lives and property are put in danger.

Legacy sensors traditionally relied on the "sense of smell" to detect minuscule amounts of gas emanating from a leak. There's a problem with this approach though. If a leak doesn't contact the sensor, it can go undetected, leaving you unaware of a potentially critical situation. Situations whereby leaks are prevented from reaching a detector are not uncommon and are further complicated by the physical layout complexity of a room or area. Gas and vapor leaks are affected by ambient conditions, and properties such as the density of the leaking material, the surrounding ambient temperature, and nearby air flow (such as wind or breeze) all impact the detection strategy.  Irrespective to the number of traditional sensors installed, these conditions jeopardize the reliability of the detection strategy.

Human Sensory Model

Given these difficulties, a recent strategy in gas and  flame detection has emerged for use within industrial plants. A practice referred to as "The Human Sensory Model" presents a more reliable system for gas, vapor, and flame detection. This model uses "layers" of monitoring and detection in hazardous environments, with smell based detectors being one of the layers.

The layers of detection include several additional technologies, that together, mimic the human sensory system of smelling, seeing, and hearing.  Integrated optical infrared gas sensors, along with gas imaging and optical flame detectors allow detectors to see a leak or flame, while catalytic bead detectors “sniff” for gases, and ultrasonic sensors “listen” for escaping gases. These detectors react in ways resembling those of human beings (hence the name) and use the combined intelligence of multiple inputs. Through layering sensor technology, a plant can achieve a much more reliable chain of defense against hazardous gases and flames.

Always consult an application expert before specifying or installing gas and flame detection equipment. Their expertise will help ensure a safe and reliable outcome.

For more information, contact:

Power Specialties Inc.
(800) 432-6550
https://powerspecialties.com

Power Specialties: Trust, Experience, Knowledge

In today’s industrial marketplace, it’s all about trust. Power Specialties earns your trust every day. From providing strong technical sales professionals who get your project done on time and on budget, to offering a select group of the most trusted and respected names in process control, Power Specialties continuously exceeds customer expectations.

https://powerspecialties.com
(816) 353-6550