Gas Analysis Contributes
To CHP Plant Efficiency
Flue-gas-analysis products from Emerson Process Management , Austin, Texas, are helping maintain efficient operations at a combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Barry, South Wales. This cogen plant, owned by RWE Npower, Wiltshire, Swindon in the United Kingdom, supplies electricity, steam and treated process water to the adjacent Dow Corning manufacturing plant.

Close monitoring of the flue-gas oxygen levels by Emerson’s Rosemount brand analytical instruments is helping to maintain an overall efficiency rate of about 75 percent for the CHP plant. This means the plant uses substantially less fuel than conventional methods for generating heat and power, prompting the U.K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to consider the plant a “Good Quality CHP.”

The 28 MW of generating capacity is developed from two 6.5-MW Tornado gas turbines and a 15-MW Thermodyn steam turbine. Multiple high-pressure waste-heat recovery boilers and low-pressure boilers also supply up to 250 tons of steam capacity to the Dow Corning site.

Rosemount’s instrumentation has been well established at the RWE plant, particularly for monitoring the boiler and process water treatment systems. After recent problems with the existing flue-gas analyzer equipment, RWE Npower installed the new oxygen transmitter on a trial basis. This zirconium-oxide-based unit is designed to be directly mounted into high-temperature flues. Its gas-analysis measurements are used to fine tune the burner air/fuel ratios for maximum efficiency and reduced NO_X emissions. Following the successful completion of this trial, the plant installed more units.

DuPont Offers Plastic Processing Tips
Plastic molding conditions can affect toughness, warpage, shrinkage, weld lines and surface appearance of molded parts. To help eliminate the associated guesswork, Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont offers processing information in a downloadable file format for its principal commercial plastics, including the latest high-performance grades. Data for more than 500 grades of engineering plastics is provided in 24 languages. Data includes recommendations for:

• Melt temperature.
• Cylinder temperature profile.
• Mold temperature.
• Optimum screw rotation speed.
• Backpressure.
• Injection hold pressure level and time.
• Maximum material moisture content.
• Drying temperature and time.

To download the tip sheets, which are contained in a Microsoft Excel workbook, visit www.plastics.dupont.com and search for “processing data sheets” using the site’s search function.

Improving Plasma Spray Coating Control
Power control during the plasma-spray-coating finishing process is important to achieving uniform results on the product.

Improving Fan Operation in Curing Equipment
Knowing how to utilize variable-frequency drives in paint application and curing equipment can boost productivity, save energy and increase your bottom line.

How to Design a Successful Heat Trace System
Learn how to design a successful heat trace system in this month's "How To" column.

Specifying Heat Transfer Fluid for Food Processing Applications
Defining "food grade" and a new set of regulations from NSF International make it easier for process engineers in food manufacturing to choose a heat transfer fluid.

Direct-Expansion Evaporator Coil Design
Understanding the importance of a thermostatic-expansion valve and distributor operation in a direct-expansion evaporator may help you in choosing the right refrigeration system.

Direct-Fired Hot Water Boiler Fits Through Doorway
Model 204WW fits through a standard 36" doorway without disassembly. Available as straight gas-fire, straight oil or combination gas and oil with conventional power burner, the direct-fired hot water wall boiler can be equipped with a low NO_X premix metal fiber burner. The low NO_X units are SCAQMD 1146.2 certified to less than 20 ppm and incorporate a variable-frequency drive-controlled blower. The unit soon will be available in sizes 500,000 to 2 million BTU input with bent-tube all-welded design.

Parker Boiler Co.
(323) 727-9800

Noncontact Infrared Thermometers
With a temperature range of -22 to 1,830°F (-7 to 999°C), MicroRay Xtreme has high and low alarms, “true target” aiming and PC software capabilities. The portable infrared thermometers can be used with the company’s contact probes as well. The unit offers maximum, minimum, difference and average readings as well as laser sighting.

E Instruments Group LLC
(215) 750-1212

Exchanger for Heat Recovery
Designed to recover heat from energy-consuming processes up to
1,400°F (760°C), Series 81 Thermo-Z is fully welded and has variable plate spacing on the heat exchanger supply and exhaust. With various flow patterns and zero cross contamination, the unit can recover and use energy for process makeup air, plant or office heating or preheated combustion air. The internal casing is secured to a cold outer casing with integral thermal expansion joints that allow the heat exchanger to be installed flange-to-flange to the ductwork without compensating for thermal expansion.

Des Champs Technologies
(540) 291-1111

Infrared Thermometers
Cyclops 100 and Cyclops 100B provide wired RS232C serial communications, and Model 100B incorporates Bluetooth wireless communications. The hand-held infrared thermometers use digital signal processing to provide temperature readings within the 1,022 to 5,432°F (550 to
3,000°C) range. A backlit, external, multi-function graphic panel provides an indication of thermometer status and configuration together with simultaneous displays of continuous, average, peak and valley temperatures. The reflex optical system gives a narrow field of view, permitting clearly defined measurement of high-temperature targets as small as 0.18" (4.8 mm) at 3.2' (1 m) distance.

Land Instruments, A Unit of Ametek Inc.
(412) 828-9040

Cellular Glass Insulation
Foamglas provides moisture and vapor resistance, is corrosion resistant and offers dimensional stability for pharmaceutical processing. The construction of the cellular glass insulation is designed to extend the service life of the insulation as well as the piping, equipment and structures it protects. It is suited for applications operating at temperatures from -450 to 900°F (-268 to 482°C).

Pittsburgh Corning Corp.
(800) 359-8433

Digital Panel Meter
Series DPMP have a high-contrast, 3.5-digit LCD display with segments available in red, amber or green. The meter accepts a 4 to 20 mA input signal for temperature, pressure, flow, level and other transmitters. The LCD digital panel meter offers user-selectable engineering units in Fahrenheit or Celcius, psi or percent. Zero and span can be adjusted via trim ports located in the back. The numerical display can be configured to show no decimal point or resolution to three places. Installation is via snap-in bezel mounting.

Dwyer Instruments Inc.
(800) 872-9141