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Maintaining a normal oil temperature in all hydraulic systems is important for successful system operation. Normal operating temperatures for hydraulic systems is 110 to 130° F (unless specified by the equipment manufacturer). At high temperatures, oxidation of the oil is accelerated. This oxidation shortens the fluid’s useful life by producing acids and sludge, which corrode metal parts. These acids and sludge clog valve orifices and cause rapid deterioration of moving components. The chemical properties of many hydraulic fluids can change dramatically by repeated heating/cooling cycles to extreme temperatures. This change or breakdown of the hydraulic media can be extremely detrimental to hydraulic components, especially pumping equipment.
Coolers extend the service lifeOverheated hydraulics can be caused by decomposing fluid, wear, or damaged seals and bearings. Coolers can prevent overheating and extend the service life of your hydraulic system. However, smaller hydraulic systems with lower operating temperatures can often be cooled through natural convection. If natural convection is not enough, it becomes necessary to add a cooler.
Coolers are also crucial for systems with temperature requirements such as needing to stabilize the hydraulic fluid’s viscosity by keeping it at a specific temperature, or equipment with a history of hot oil problems that shortened seal life and break down the fluid. Hot fluid is always a concern with large mobile equipment, as well as commercial and industrial processing equipment. Specifying a properly sized cooler saves time, money and maintenance.
Selecting the best cooler
The process to select a cooler is driven by the type of system that needs to be cooled. Parameters to consider include heat load, power source, noise, operating costs, space available, environmental conditions, and more.
Actual heat generation varies throughout the machine’s cycles, as well as changing environmental factors and ambient temperatures. This can make it challenging to accurately define your cooling needs. When considering the application and sizing of coolers, the hydraulic fluid’s ideal operating temperature and the time it takes to arrive at that temperature must be used.
For new designs and retrofits, the first step in selecting the right cooler is identifying the challenges and performing the necessary calculations. Virtual design and sizing tools are available from most manufacturers to help determine the best fit for your application. Some companies provide online sizing calculators and other interactive resources that let engineers plug in specifications to get an idea of what is needed. Parker offers a comprehensive suite of online cooler sizing software. For instance, Parker offers an online cooler selector tool for each of the different types of coolers including brazed plate, shell and tube and air-oil coolers.
Air-oil coolersTo select the best air-oil coolers, you’ll need as much information about the application as possible, including, but not limited to the following:
If the required heat dissipation is not known, it can be estimated assuming 20-30 percent of the installed horsepower will be converted into heat load. The most accurate way to calculate the heat load is to record the time it takes the oil to get up to temperature without a cooler in the system.
Water-oil coolersFor water-oil coolers, which include Parker’s ST and OAW series coolers, you also need to know the inlet temperature and flow rate of the cooling water. Most manufacturers’ literature includes examples, steps and simplified equations to properly size coolers. For instance, Parker provides engineering specifications for their ST series water-oil coolers, such as cooling capacity, flow rate, working pressure, sizing, and connection thread in their online tools to enhance the specifying process. Once the heat-load parameters and other key influencing factors are defined, the next step is choosing an air-oil (air-cooled) or water-oil (water-cooled) cooler.
How air-oil coolers work
Air-oil coolers remove heat from the oil in a cooler by using the ambient air around the cooler. Air-oil coolers convect heat, which makes them ideal when no water source is available or when the preference is to remove heat from the oil by using ambient air. In air-oil coolers, hot oil passes through channels that contain turbulators to prevent laminar flow from developing in an effort to promote heat transfer from the fluid to the channel wall. The channel wall is always constructed of metals with high thermal conductivities.
The cores of air-oil coolers are constructed in two different styles: tube-and-fin or bar-and-plate construction. Tube-and-fin construction consists of round or oval tubes mechanically connected to an array of external fins. The tube-and-fin design is lightweight and offers low pressure drop across the core. The tubes in a tube-and-fin design can be susceptible to damage from pressure spikes and external debris that can be encountered in any application. Bar-and-plate construction uses compact and efficient cores that offer more cooling per cubic-inch than a tube-and-fin design. They consist of finned chambers separated by flat plates which route fluids through alternating hot and cold passages. The bar-and-plate design creates a honeycomb structure that resists vibrations and shocks. This core is usually made of aluminum and is furnace brazed in a controlled atmosphere or high vacuum. With all the bar-and-plate design characteristics that provide certain benefits over the tube-and-fin design, it can be seen that bar-and-plate coolers can offer design engineers greater system design flexibility.
Both types of air-oil coolers typically have a fan driven by a hydraulic or electric motor. Off-road or mobile equipment used in construction, forestry, or material handling typically use either a hydraulic-driven or DC electric-driven fan motors. Industrial equipment such as Hydraulic Power Units (HPU) use AC electric-driven motors to drive the fans. Cooler manufacturers offer a lot of motor configurations, voltages, and displacements to fit various applications. For instance, Parker offers a variety of air-oil coolers with AC, DC, hydraulic fluid, and engine driven fans.
Cooler manufacturers offer a lot of motor configurations, voltages and displacements to fit various applications. For instance, Parker offers a variety of air-oil coolers with AC, DC, hydraulic fluid and engine driven fans. Parker’s two most popular air-oil coolers are the ULDC Series (DC fan motor) and the ULAC Series (AC fan motor).
How water-oil coolers work – shell and tube design
Water-oil coolers remove heat from oil by using a second fluid (typically water). For more than 50 years, shell-and-tube oil coolers have been an industry mainstay when considering water-oil coolers. However, newer designs have been developed that increase efficiency while providing an equivalent heat-transfer surface in a smaller package at a reduced cost.
Shell-and-tube (bare tube) coolers have an outer flanged shell with end bonnets appropriately sealed to each shell end. Inside, a precise pattern of tubing runs the length of the shell and terminates in the endplates. Tube ends are fastened to the endplates, which seal each end of the shell. Cool water flows through the tubes while hot oil flows around the tubes within the shell. The tubes run through several baffle plates that provide structural rigidity and create a maze through which the hot fluid must traverse. This maze created by the baffles lengthens the path the hot oil must flow through. This elongated path increases the amount of heat transfer from the hot fluid to the water by forcing the hot fluid to travel around the tubes for a longer period of time.
As mentioned above, there are shell-and-tube designs in the market now that mechanically add fins to the external surface area of the internal tubes, which increases heat transfer and efficiency. Parker does offer this type of high-efficiency “hybrid” design in the ST Cooler Series. The way the hybrid design works is that the fins add surface area and improve heat transfer, letting the overall size be smaller than standard shell-and-tube exchangers without fins on the tubes (bare-tube). However, due to the increased time the hot fluid has to traverse the interior of the cooler, the pressure drop can be higher than shell-and-tube coolers without the increased flow path created by the baffles.
How water-oil coolers work – brazed plate design
Another type of water-oil cooler is the brazed-plate style. In this cooler design, heat-transfer surfaces are a series of stainless-steel plates, each stamped with a corrugated pattern for strength, efficiency, and resistance to fouling by creating turbulence in the flow of both fluids. The number and design of the plates varies depending on the desired heat-transfer capacity.
Plates are stacked with thin sheets of copper or nickel between each plate. The plate pack, endplates, and connections are then brazed in a vacuum furnace to join the plates at the edges and all contact points. This design can be used with several different types of inlet and outlet connections.
Brazed-plate coolers are compact, rugged and provide high-heat transfer capacities. They hold approximately one-eighth of the liquid volume of a thermally comparable shell-and-tube cooler. Their stainless-steel construction permits flow velocities up to 20 feet per second. Higher velocities, combined with turbulent flow, provide heat transfer at three to five times the rate of shell-and-tube coolers. A good example of the increased horsepower is Parker’s OAW Series that offers up to 275 horsepower of cooling at an entering temperature difference of 60°F, based on a 2:1 water flow. The higher heat transfer rate requires less heat-transferring surface area for a given capacity.
Due to their compact construction, brazed-plate coolers are ideal when space and size are design requirements. One drawback of using a brazed plate cooler is that there can be higher pressure drops when compared to an equivalent shell-and-tube design. In addition, tests prove brazed-plate designs handle particles up to 1-mm in diameter without issue. Filters or strainers should be used if larger particles will be encountered. Due to their construction, brazed-plate coolers require chemical, rather than mechanical, cleaning.
ROI of coolers
When properly specifying the right cooler into a hydraulic system, a system will maintain the correct working temperature, which yields numerous economic and environmental benefits, including:
Given the many variables involved when specifying coolers, it is always best to directly contact a cooler supplier such as Parker, with any questions you have. Manufacturers will have additional resources that you can use in the selection process, including specialized sizing software and testing equipment like wind tunnels and cooler design simulation software. Lastly, it is important to take advantage of and rely on your manufacturer’s expertise and available resources to ensure you successfully size and implement the best cooler for your application. To view Parker’s wide range of coolers, visit www.parker.com/ACD.
T
his article was contributed by Francis C. Gradisher Jr., product marketing manager - KleenVent & Coolers, Parker Hannifin's Accumulator and Cooler Division.
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Prevention is better than a cure. In coal mining, these words offer particularly good guidance. Underground mining presents numerous hazards ranging from structural collapses, flooding and explosions. The tremendous amount of dust generated by activities in a coal mine creates breathing-related problems for workers as well as maintenance issues for machinery. Dust can also create a potentially explosive environment. Injuries and deaths occur every year either from accidents or health issues caused by exposure to coal dust. Mining companies can dramatically reduce these risks by applying rigorous dust suppression safety measures.
This blog investigates dust suppression methods and evaluates preventative versus corrective techniques that can effectively be used to suppress dust in underground coal mines, reducing the risk to workers and equipment.
Coal dust is a known carcinogen that causes miners’ lung disease (pneumoconiosis). Dust in the atmosphere can also create an ignition hazard when mixed with gas. Coal dust buildup is often a root cause of premature maintenance and failure of mining equipment. To this end, preventative suppression is critical.
There are a variety of ways to suppress dust in coal mines that offer a varying degree of effectiveness and efficiency. The most common methods are:
Bag filter system uses fans to circulate the air and trap the solids in a bag. However, this type of system is maintenance-intensive and requires bag filter change-outs — which is not conducive to work in an underground mine.
Dry fog system requires electricity, making it impractical for work below ground level.
Water is an ideal solution because it takes advantage of the mine's existing water supply, forming it into a spray to suppress the dust as soon as it is generated at the coal extraction point and all other areas where dust is generated.
Preventative vs. corrective dust suppression using water Preventative dust suppression
Logically, if a problem can be prevented from happening, then the time and cost of fixing it can be saved. Preventing dust from becoming airborne is critical in dust suppression. Three important elements to successful preventative suppression using water include:
Control pertains to how the water is controlled. It may be controlled by the presence of coal on the conveyor or by the belt’s motion. In either case, the water is isolated before entering the system.
Filter technology is used to remove contaminants from the water to assure reliable system operation.
Spray refers to a predetermined volume and pattern in which the water is delivered to the coal before the dust is generated.
The figure below shows a typical belt conveyor transfer point dust suppression system has two options: paddle valve (A) or belt-driven valve (B). Both are designed to operate only when there is coal on the conveyor.
Corrective or symptomatic dust control is implemented after the dust is created and is more challenging than preventative dust control. Dust particles come in a range of sizes with some as small as 10 µm which is invisible to the human eye. These small particles are the most dangerous to workers and equipment because they can remain airborne for long periods of time and eventually find their way into miners’ lungs, onto and into machinery as well as outside of the mine itself. Small particles are also the most difficult to remove from the atmosphere. Airborne coal dust can be addressed correctively using sprays. The principal is that the dust agglomerates with the water, causing it to fall under gravity. However, if the water droplets are too large, then the airborne dust particles are just moved around, resulting in very little dust being removed. To effectively remove the dust, the water droplets and dust particles must be the same size. Hence, the design of the spray head is of great importance. With preventative suppression, the size of the particle is less important.
Dust suppression in Columbia | case study
Parker Conflow, a leader in the industry, works continuously with mining companies and equipment manufacturers to enhance products for preventative dust suppression. In one case, at CI Milpa in Colombia, a manufacturer of metallurgical coal, Parker Conflow engineers designed two dust suppression systems for a mine as well as a fire suppression system on a roadway.
“We are focused on continually improving the efficiency and safety of our production sites and the Parker Conflow systems are an important part of this. We chose to work with Parker Conflow, because of the company’s expertise in the manufacture and installation of dust and fire suppression systems and are very pleased with the result.”
— David Fernando Jaimes Mojica, CI Milpa
Conclusion
Preventive coal dust suppression is vital to ensuring the health and safety of workers and protecting mining equipment from costly downtime and failure. For over 60 years, Parker Conflow has been providing dust suppression, fire suppression and water control equipment and services that help protect workers in the coal mining industry worldwide.
Parker purpose
After more than a century of experience serving our customers, Parker is often called to the table for the collaborations that help to solve the most complex engineering challenges. We help them bring their ideas to light. We are a trusted partner, working alongside our customers to enable technology breakthroughs that change the world for the better.
This blog was contributed by Gary Wain, product manager, Parker Conflow.
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Will additive manufacturing (3D printing) replace all traditional, long-established manufacturing methods? Not any time in the foreseeable future. It may take a small bite out of some methods, but the real play is in enhancing the capabilities and possibilities for the processes that we use every day.
Additive manufacturing enables many avenues, but many people only know or tend to focus on a few. With seven technical families (ASTM F42) and many “sub” families or technologies within, there are lots of different ways to grow parts. We are using many of these different methods to help our operations in all three of the business realms: Prototype, Indirect Manufacturing, End-Use Production. Consider the following possibilities to find your business’s winning combination of traditional and additive manufacturing.
Prototyping realm
Of course, there are the well-known avenues such as display parts, checks for form, fit and function, and sales/marketing demos, but there is so much more to keep in mind with prototyping. Consider clear parts for fluid flow or level studies, even on dynos. How about running a weaker plastic version of your new design through your manufacturing systems to look for interferences or accessibility? For complex, multi-part assembly operations, create a printed “buck” for Design for Assembly (DFA) activities to find the issues requiring redesign. Does anyone ever have actual parts to design dunnage or lift assist tooling at the necessary time? And of course, if waiting for components to run validation tests, bridge parts can be printed and used until production parts are available. Printing prototypes can quickly provide the opportunity for many design iterations and the Design of Experiments (DoE), enabling better optimization and higher quality products.
Indirect manufacturing realm
This realm is all about manufacturing optimization and flexibility, but custom tooling, fixtures, and gauges are just the start. Internally ported tools or robotic end effectors that eliminate external piping or wiring are just as valuable. Conformally cooled injection molding tools create higher quality at faster cycle times. How about conformal machining or shipping fixtures for those hard to hold parts? An additive can even print compound curved paint stencils.
For castings, why spend money on tooling until it becomes a cost-effective solution and the design is fixed? Use sand castings--print the molds and cores out of the sand. As the volumes increase, tool the big, simple parts and use “hybrid” mold sets. Even in high rate production, very complex internal cores can still be printed at an advantage. Investment castings offer similar opportunities. The sacrificial patterns can be printed out of many different materials and burned/melted out during the process. The flexibility of printing molds or patterns also enables optimization through the Design of Experiments (DoE).
End-Use production
This is where most companies want to focus but is the most difficult realm especially if you need to certify with the FAA, FDA, or other authorities. There are great opportunities to optimize saleable items using additive manufacturing technologies. Combining parts eliminates machining, inventory, part numbers, and their supply chain, as well as joints which may leak or fatigue — not to mention fasteners. Printing frees up design constraints to use curved and non-round passages, embedded features, “designer” or even blended materials and unique geometry. The products can take advantage of new design technologies like topology optimization in which the computer provides optimal variations for stress, heat transfer, stiffness, flow path, and other important characteristics at minimal weight. Getting to production with additive manufacturing can give your products a distinct advantage.
Additive manufacturing- a single tool in your toolbox
Additive manufacturing is only one tool in your toolbox but is advantageous for many things. Speed, turn-around, and flexibility make it the choice for things like one-off obsolete parts or broken machine details. But remember: just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. There are many factors and traditional manufacturing still has significant advantages in many areas. Remember to consider all the many Additive Manufacturing technologies. Choosing the correct method for the application is extremely important to obtain the desired results.
Will Additive Manufacturing replace traditional like a one-size-fits-all application? Not any time in the foreseeable future. But it does add capabilities and offers many more options to traditional manufacturing. Investigate and choose the right combinations of traditional and additive manufacturing, and watch great things happen to your organization’s quality, delivery, and cost!
Parker Purpose
As the global leader in motion and control technologies, we play a pivotal role in applications that change our world. Our broad and diverse range of hydraulics, pneumatics, electromechanical, filtration, process control, climate control, fluid and gas handling, and engineered materials technologies support advancements in a wide range of aerospace, industrial and mobile equipment applications. As we look to the future, changes in how people live, developments in technology, and dynamic markets depend on a partner that advances modern progress. Parker is that partner. Download our Leading with Purpose book to learn more.
Article contributed by Paul Susalla, corporate manufacturing technology advancement director, Parker Hannifin. Originally published in Manufacturing Technology Insights Digital Magazine.
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Developing and introducing a new clinical diagnostic instrument or medical device is a challenging accomplishment that often takes years. One of the final steps in bringing life-saving, life-improving equipment to the public is US FDA listing and CE marking processes that ensure the safety of these devices as well as their compliance to well-established global standards. Trouble at this stage of the project can lead to frustrating and costly delays for medical device manufacturers. Examples of complications that may be found at this stage are electrical emissions or immunity issues that might only become apparent when all the pieces come together for final testing.
This blog explores standards required for the safety and performance of medical electrical equipment and discusses the benefits of choosing components, such as pumps, that are IEC-60601 compliant.
International Electrotechnical Commission
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is an organization that publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic, and other related technologies. In 1977, IEC published the IEC 60601 and it is continually updated as technology develops and improvements are made. Today, IEC 60601 is the international standard for the safety and performance of medical electrical equipment in most major countries. This standard is very important in that it provides compliance with US-FDA, Canada-Health Canada, and EEU Medical Device Directive 2007/47/EC regulations. IEC 60601 is currently in its 3rd revision (60601-1-11:2015) and certification can be obtained through an OSHA-approved testing laboratory.
Across the globe, medical regulating bodies, such as the FDA, EEU, and Canada-Health Canada, are responsible for ensuring the efficacy of the devices being designed and manufactured by OEMs. These regulating bodies have widely accepted the IEC-60601 standard as a benchmark for the basic safety and essential performance of medical electrical equipment for commercialization.
The 60601-1-11:2015 acts as risk management for the product design, manufacture, and intended use by requiring safety by design with protective measures in the medical device and calling for instructions or safety labeling. This standard provides customers with the assurance that the product is safe and reliable.
Products that fall under IEC-60601
There are two types of products that fall under IEC-60601: Medical electrical equipment and medical electrical systems. Medical electrical equipment is defined as:
“Equipment, provided with not more than one connection to a particular supply main and intended to diagnose, treat, or monitor the patient under medical supervision and which makes physical or electrical contact with the patient and/or transfers energy to or from the patient and/or detects such energy transfer to or from the patient”.
— IEC 60601-1 subclause 2.2.15
A medical electrical system is defined as:
“Combination, as specified by its manufacturer, of items of equipment, at least one of which is Medical Equipment to be inter-connected by functional connection by use of a Multiple Socket-Outlet”.
— Nicholas Abbondante, chief engineer, EMC Testing for medical devices, Intertek Group, plc.
Why choose components that meet compliance standards?
When selecting a component for your device, it is important to research the required standards. The IEC-60601-1-2 is the standard mandating that EMC testing is performed on any electronic medical device, which ensures that a device meets necessary emissions and immunity standards by the FDA to sell the device.
For medical device manufacturers, partnering with a supplier that offers compliant components, improves efficiency and reduces costs. Requesting a component manufacturer to obtain the specific compliance standards can result in expensive delays in the project scheduling process.
Miniature pumps, for example, are critical electromechanical components frequently used in medical devices. Pumps needed in today’s medical equipment range from simple on/off devices that are used for a very short time frame to dynamic control devices that need to last several years of continuous operation.
The new BTX-Connect diaphragm pump from Parker Precision Fluidics has been tested to IEC-60601-1-2 standards to provide a seamless approval process for the completed device.
Specifically, the BTX-Connect miniature diaphragm pump was tested and passed the following standards and tests:
The BTX pump uses brushless DC motor technology for maximum reliability and control. The controller offers the most dynamic control range and communication capability available. This electrical component of the pump is subject to electromagnetic emissions and immunity, the very same as the medical equipment system of which it becomes a part. Other features include:
This blog was contributed by Chris Osborne, application engineer, Parker Precision Fluidics. 
Highways, city streets and parking lots lay bare. Rush hour and stop-and-go have come to a virtual gridlock. For tens of millions of people across the U.S., arriving to work on time is a whole lot easier and less stressful, except for those days when a detour is necessary to get around the unexpected pileup of kid’s toys blocking the exit to your home office.
Daily life has changed: how we interact with family and friends, how we learn, how we shop and how we work are different. They involve putting some space between others and us. Businesses around the world have transitioned from large, robust facilities to the friendly confines of the home office. While temporary at first, companies in sectors such as technology and e-commerce may allow working remote to become permanent.
Data centers put to the test
Roadways and byways may be desolate, but the traffic is moving fast across data centers. These coliseums of information and data are being inundated with massive surges in internet usage, with increase estimates ranging between 50 and 70 percent, as everyday life transitions to home life. The geographic shift of internet demand from city centers to neighborhoods is validated by major cities across the globe, from San Francisco to Sydney, revealing the change in internet traffic between January and March 2020.
Data has never been more important than right now. It’s the lifeblood of today’s first responders and medical professionals, businesses, education, entertainment and nearly every industry on the face of this planet. Everyone, and we do mean everyone, is relying on the internet and communication networks to continue business as normal under the most unique circumstances. The COVID-19 global pandemic has highlighted the importance of data centers and the ability to take on this sudden rush of information.
Decades of planning and preparation
So, how have data centers been able to handle such a spike in internet traffic? You have to go back nearly 60 years to find the answer. In the early 1960s at the height of the Cold War, the only network people knew about was the telephone system. It was powerful, but in the same breath, expensive, fragile and uncompromising. Researchers began working on a new network – one that would be flexible and handle different types of communication, including data, voice and video. The data center was born.
Over time, as networks grew, so too did data centers to accommodate new demands. ARPANET, office and home computers and the internet came in increments and at each digital revolution, the network became more reliable to manage the increase in data capacity. And so 2020 happened, data centers across the world weren’t shook, but prepared for this moment.
Data centers staying cool under pressure
Capacity management is critical to all fundamentals of any organization. Data centers are performing efficiently and more effectively with no constraints. This level of operation comes on the heels of supply chain disruptions, reduced staffing and social distancing guidelines.
The infrastructure of data centers has played a vital role in keeping cool under intense pressure. Traditional air-based cooling systems have been replaced with innovative liquid cooling capabilities to reduce energy consumption and meet power demands. Plus, address limitations of water usage that can greatly affect the ability to utilize evaporate cooling and cooling towers in order to carry off heat generated through a facility.
The future of data centers during the COVID-19 pandemic
Fluid connections are critical in network communications and liquid cooling systems; both go hand-in-hand and will play vital roles over the course of this pandemic. In terms of infrastructure, liquid cooling quick disconnects feature a state-of-the-art internal design and flush-face valves, which reduces pressure drop and virtually eliminates drips during connection and disconnection. This capability means investments in reliable connections pay big dividends in the short and long-term future.
The pandemic has shown us that connectivity is a must. As more aspects of our daily lives transition to home, from work and school to shopping and entertainment, data centers will continue to adjust to this increase demand for connectivity and capacity.
This article contributed by Todd Lambert, market sales manager, Parker Hannifin Corporation's Quick Coupling Division.
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One of the most exciting advancements in the tech world happening today is not a new technology at all. Rather, it is the unique application of something that has dominated and excited the gaming industry since the mid-90s—virtual reality (VR). VR augments computer modeling by allowing engineers and designers to interact more intuitively with their designs.
The ability to delve into a new dimension has allowed technical designers to go from using a 2D computer screen to utilizing an immersive, 1:1 scale environment where designs can be experienced in their full capacity. In the analysis-design-build cycle, VR grants access to in-depth insights that detect design problems of a product before the first prototype is built for testing.
Another unexpected benefit of VR is that engineering teams can meet within the same virtual environment to evaluate a design when team members are continents apart. This saves time and money while taking team collaboration to the next level.
VR is an emerging technology that is improving at a rapid pace. With its use, comes the reduction of product design and analysis time. Integrating VR technology into factories and design flow allows manufacturers around the world to simplify processes, reduce costs, and improve safety.
How Different Companies are Using VR to Change the Way They Operate
Industrial manufacturing firm, Parker Hannifin, has been at the forefront of using VR to create proprietary manufacturing processes. More specifically, their Parker Filtration Innovation Center outside of Nashville is using VR paired with automation and robotics to dramatically innovate manufacturing processes in filtration.
The Innovation Center houses the research and development for all Parker Hannifin Filtration products. Parker has dedicated 82,000 square feet of space solely to the development of new filtration technologies and proprietary manufacturing processes — this is the largest in the nation. A dedicated team of engineers, PhD scientists, U.S. military veterans, and industry experts have helped Parker secure over 500 U.S. patents and 1,200 global patents in the filtration focus.
The simulation group at the Innovation Center has taken advantage of VR to visualize computational fluid dynamics and finite element simulation results. Using VR to visualize the complex flows of filter elements has granted simulation engineers the freedom to explore the intricacies of air streamlines that curve and swirl within filter housings, providing an enhanced understanding of flow paths and reducing simulation analysis time.
"Parker’s Filtration Group has both the application expertise of filtration and the same skills and tools used in the aerospace industry to leverage advanced design modeling of our filtration systems. These tools help us design more efficient systems and accelerate time to market for new products by reducing time-consuming empirical testing because we’ve used computer models to get closer to final design before we even build the first prototype."
— Sucharitha Rajendran, Ph.D., modeling and simulation engineer, Parker Filtration Innovation Center
Another industry leader using VR is the Ford Motor Company. VR allows the company to optimize a vehicle’s design before a physical prototype is built. The Ford Immersive Vehicle Environment system creates virtual street environments in which automobile prototypes can be evaluated on aesthetics, ergonomics, and safety.
Using virtual technologies delivers significant savings and improvements in the areas of cost, time, and quality. It’s only a matter of time before industrial manufacturers see the considerable competitive advantages the technology can bring when leveraged strategically within operations. To fully leverage the technology, there needs to be a deep understanding of how to link the different components of the operation. The ability to use virtual technologies to create the link can help a company stand out against competitors.
Enhancing Automation and Robotics with VR
Automation has been commonly used in manufacturing since the 1970s. As robotics started to gain popularity, it was used to enhance the automation process. A successful automation strategy requires excellent decision-making on many levels. The strategy to link automation and robotics must align with business and operational goals. Now that VR is becoming a more affordable technology, the strategy should be to focus on integrating it into the automation process.
Engineers at Parker Hannifin have developed systems that take advantage of VR early in the life cycle of product development. For example, VR can be used to explore the layouts of new pieces of filtration equipment in plants to optimize space, ergonomics, and operator safety. Since these layouts are virtual, the engineers have the freedom to explore multiple layout options that would have previously been too costly and time-consuming to implement and test.
Engineers are also able to leverage VR to determine manufacturing line workflows to optimize robotic arm movements, placement of assembly parts, and safe locations for operators. Virtual robotic equipment can be implemented into manufacturing lines with ease within the virtual environment to optimize robotic arm motions, taking into consideration any obstacles in the plant and/or human operator zones.
Once optimized, these same virtual manufacturing lines can be used as a training aid for new operators who can be immersed in virtual facilities and be trained to operate a manufacturing line before they are even on the manufacturing floor, improving productivity and safety of the operator as they train in a safe off-line environment. The capability of creating a virtual automated facility to analyze workflows and layouts before raw materials are purchased, helps engineers design correctly the first time, avoiding reworks, reducing costs and time, and improving plant safety.
The Future of VR
While VR continues to make a big impact across many industries, the possibilities of improving the technology, its use, and expanding across even more industries are countless. For those already taking advantage of the technology, the benefits will grow exponentially. Further improvements to the functionality of VR will help increase productivity, improve efficiencies, and save time and money for those utilizing it in its current state. Even though the technology is constantly changing and improving, introducing VR now will help your company gain an advantage over competitors that may still be rooted in traditional manufacturing methods.
To learn more about how Parker is using advanced design and computer modeling to provide customers with more efficient systems in a quicker timeframe, watch this video:
Leading with purpose
Parker is dedicated to constantly innovating filtration technologies that not only improve the lifespan of our customers' equipment, but also aim to make a real difference in the communities that we live in and for our world by protecting and purifying for our customers' toughest applications with diverse solutions. Learn more about Parker Purpose
For more information on how Parker is leveraging virtual reality, visit our website.
This article was contributed by Simon Padron, mechanical engineer, Filtration Innovation Center, Parker Hannifin and Jennifer Kirallah, group demand generation manager, Parker Hannifin.
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As mobile machinery makers expand into more global markets, they are presented with the added complexity of creating unique machine configuration for local markets, while still trying to manage the additional costs and complexity resulting from these new machine variations and options. This can be as simple as changing the units from miles per hour (MPH) to kilometers per hour (KPH) and selecting the local language for the text, to complete screen changes to reflect local tastes and requirements, or unique customer interface specifications. These new features can be key to help global machine OEMs capture value in local markets.
One area that can help software teams respond to this demand, is an easy to use programming tool for the display screens. Parker’s PHD display family is designed for use in mobile machinery and offers an easy to use graphical programming tool for faster application development, including:The WSYWIG environment helps reduce development time by showing the developer how the screens and menus look and feel during the development process, reducing the number of design iterations.
Having no hardware in the loop during screen development not only reduces the complexity of application development, but also reduces the time for each design iteration by significantly reducing the hardware download cycle in each design iteration.
Exporting the screens and menu operation to IoS, Windows or Android devices speed up the design review process by allowing a remote stakeholder to view the screen menus and operation with having any hardware or a development license.
The included image library and the ability to easily import graphic image files helps reduce development time by allowing screen designers to focus on developing the application instead of creating graphics.
Article contributed by Kirk Lola, product manager, Electronic Controls Division, Parker Hannifin Corporation.
For today’s industrial pneumatic systems, automation and efficiency continue to be the driving factors in design. Automation in pneumatics incorporates a variety of design strategies and considerations. When it comes to industrial machinery, Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are big buzzwords, but these solutions are not fully developed yet. For design engineers working toward creating closed-loop automated systems, questions for consideration include:
How do you develop the next-generation Smart Factory?
What is the path toward a fully automated factory?
How can maintenance requirements be triggered without any downtime?
What data input can you use and how do you capture that data?
How do you diagnose maintenance issues at the component, system, or process level?
Smart connected pneumatics
For design engineers, smart pneumatics can mean complete flexibility; this is the ability of that component to communicate over the network, multiple uses for a single device, ease of integration and commissioning, as well as troubleshooting. Smart products are where you see the most difference in pneumatic systems. The diagnostic aspect of smart pneumatics is important to help achieve zero downtime.
The concept of zero downtime has seemed unrealistic in the past, however, technology is evolving in that direction. Incorporating sensors into pneumatics enables end-users to collect important prognostic and diagnostic data for setting alerts and getting machine feedback.
The future of smart pneumatics is a complete plug-and-play configuration that is easy to manage. For today’s smart pneumatics, design engineers can generate data and set the alerts but are not yet making fully closed-loop systems. However, this is on the horizon with end-to-end systems that can be configured with just a few clicks and the device will be able to take over, provide data and feedback into the control system that goes beyond simply allowing data dumps.
Read our white paper Innovations for Automation and Efficiency in Industrial Pneumatic Systems and gain insight into the use of smart pneumatics, designing for cobotic applications, applying safety standards, and pneumatic system efficiency.
Technology is changing--quickly
As technology evolves, seemingly almost daily, more people are migrating to networks as designers are migrating systems to the newer industrial Ethernet systems. Why? Overall, the “line” topology of the networks makes them much easier to work on and troubleshoot.
It used to be the case that each manufacturer offered the same type of components such as cylinders and FRLs. There is a large divide in the market on what is available and what functions they offer. Products today with integrated electronics offer many different functions through what is embedded. When specifying systems, design engineers should be sure to understand what is necessary for the machine and what value can be provided by the smart products that are specified.
Cobots and safety
In automotive manufacturing, robotics has been in use for more than a decade and over the years, they have shifted from being hydraulically driven to being pneumatically driven. In industrial cobot applications, collaborative robots, known as “cobots” work with humans in some way, including as an assistant or guide in a task or process. Unlike autonomous robots, cobots, do not work alone. They are designed to work with human instruction or respond to human behavior. The shift to pneumatics for robotics means that cobots are primarily pneumatically driven.
Cobots are the next big thing in industrial applications as the cost of robotics comes down and newer opportunities are being developed. Leading cobot applications include:
Machine tending where cobots can load and unload tools and accessories to decrease manual handling.
Pick and place where cobots can complete careful packing and moving, then place and position products or parts.
Assembly and flexible manufacturing where cobots insert parts, screwdriver, and other assembly tasks with appropriate end-of-arm tools.
Packaging, loading, and unloading when aided by suction or gripper attachments, cobots move finished products through packaging.
Safety in collaboration of manual and automated
The strict separation between the manual work of the factory worker and the automated actions of robots is becoming an increasingly gray area. Their work ranges are overlapping and merging into a collaborative working space. In doing so, humans and machines will be able to simultaneously work together on the same workpiece or component in the future—without having to be shielded from each other for safety reasons.
Due to this, safety is the largest consideration in the design of cobot applications. However, there can be some confusion on which safety standards to follow in applications with cobots due to the divide between traditional pneumatics and entering the world of robotics. As standards and their adoption vary among engineers and facilities, it is important to know which standards to apply.
For incorporating cobots into a plant, engineers must understand the required standards for the facility and compile the necessary documentation and technical file with due diligence, testing, and validation of the controls architecture.
Smart pneumatic system efficiency
Lower upfront and maintenance costs combine to make pneumatics the most popular and cost-effective choice for executing mechanical motion. New improvements in designs and efficiency of compressors, and the standard use and distribution of clean dry air in a manufacturing facility, also make pneumatics a good choice for industrial automated machinery. Smart pneumatics aim to help generate and maximize data and minimize compressed air use. Compressed air use by industrial machines is a close second to the use of electricity in terms of cost, and well ahead of other utilities such as water and natural gas in most plants and facilities. Electricity is less expensive per dollar of unit energy, but compressed air and pneumatics have many other advantages encouraging their use.
Effective pneumatic systems need properly sized, installed, and maintained components from compressors to workstations. A few wrong choices can lead to everything from wasted energy to system failures. Conversely, even seemingly small design tweaks can add up to large improvements in pneumatic system efficiency. These changes can save air, reduce costs, improve overall utilization, and reduce downtime in operation.
Download our white paper Innovations for Automation and Efficiency in Industrial Pneumatic Systems and gain insight into designing integrated smart pneumatic systems that deliver in-plant efficiency.
Parker's Purpose is all about how we impact the world around us. It's about using our expertise to enable engineering breakthroughs in collaboration with our partners and supporting our customers. It's about nurturing customer ideas—from complex challenges to real life applications.
Article contributed by Herman Wang, director, global business development, In-Plant Factory Automation and Linda Caron, global product manager for Factory Automation, Pneumatic Division.
Related, helpful content for you:
Defining Our Unique Contribution to the World
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Maximise Performance and Minimise Downtime of Pneumatic Systems
For today’s industrial pneumatic systems, automation and efficiency continue to be the driving factors in design. Automation in pneumatics incorporates a variety of design strategies and considerations. When it comes to industrial machinery, Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are big buzzwords, but these solutions are not fully developed yet. For design engineers working toward creating closed-loop automated systems, questions for consideration include:
How do you develop the next-generation Smart Factory?
What is the path toward a fully automated factory?
How can maintenance requirements be triggered without any downtime?
What data input can you use and how do you capture that data?
How do you diagnose maintenance issues at the component, system, or process level?
Smart connected pneumatics
For design engineers, smart pneumatics can mean complete flexibility; this is the ability of that component to communicate over the network, multiple uses for a single device, ease of integration and commissioning, as well as troubleshooting. Smart products are where you see the most difference in pneumatic systems. The diagnostic aspect of smart pneumatics is important to help achieve zero downtime.
The concept of zero downtime has seemed unrealistic in the past, however, technology is evolving in that direction. Incorporating sensors into pneumatics enables end-users to collect important prognostic and diagnostic data for setting alerts and getting machine feedback.
The future of smart pneumatics is a complete plug-and-play configuration that is easy to manage. For today’s smart pneumatics, design engineers can generate data and set the alerts but are not yet making fully closed-loop systems. However, this is on the horizon with end-to-end systems that can be configured with just a few clicks and the device will be able to take over, provide data and feedback into the control system that goes beyond simply allowing data dumps.
Read our white paper Innovations for Automation and Efficiency in Industrial Pneumatic Systems and gain insight into the use of smart pneumatics, designing for cobotic applications, applying safety standards, and pneumatic system efficiency.
Technology is changing--quickly
As technology evolves, seemingly almost daily, more people are migrating to networks as designers are migrating systems to the newer industrial Ethernet systems. Why? Overall, the “line” topology of the networks makes them much easier to work on and troubleshoot.
It used to be the case that each manufacturer offered the same type of components such as cylinders and FRLs. There is a large divide in the market on what is available and what functions they offer. Products today with integrated electronics offer many different functions through what is embedded. When specifying systems, design engineers should be sure to understand what is necessary for the machine and what value can be provided by the smart products that are specified.
Cobots and safety
In automotive manufacturing, robotics has been in use for more than a decade and over the years, they have shifted from being hydraulically driven to being pneumatically driven. In industrial cobot applications, collaborative robots, known as “cobots” work with humans in some way, including as an assistant or guide in a task or process. Unlike autonomous robots, cobots, do not work alone. They are designed to work with human instruction or respond to human behavior. The shift to pneumatics for robotics means that cobots are primarily pneumatically driven.
Cobots are the next big thing in industrial applications as the cost of robotics comes down and newer opportunities are being developed. Leading cobot applications include:
Machine tending where cobots can load and unload tools and accessories to decrease manual handling.
Pick and place where cobots can complete careful packing and moving, then place and position products or parts.
Assembly and flexible manufacturing where cobots insert parts, screwdriver, and other assembly tasks with appropriate end-of-arm tools.
Packaging, loading, and unloading when aided by suction or gripper attachments, cobots move finished products through packaging.
Safety in collaboration of manual and automated
The strict separation between the manual work of the factory worker and the automated actions of robots is becoming an increasingly gray area. Their work ranges are overlapping and merging into a collaborative working space. In doing so, humans and machines will be able to simultaneously work together on the same workpiece or component in the future—without having to be shielded from each other for safety reasons.
Due to this, safety is the largest consideration in the design of cobot applications. However, there can be some confusion on which safety standards to follow in applications with cobots due to the divide between traditional pneumatics and entering the world of robotics. As standards and their adoption vary among engineers and facilities, it is important to know which standards to apply.
For incorporating cobots into a plant, engineers must understand the required standards for the facility and compile the necessary documentation and technical file with due diligence, testing, and validation of the controls architecture.
Smart pneumatic system efficiency
Lower upfront and maintenance costs combine to make pneumatics the most popular and cost-effective choice for executing mechanical motion. New improvements in designs and efficiency of compressors, and the standard use and distribution of clean dry air in a manufacturing facility, also make pneumatics a good choice for industrial automated machinery. Smart pneumatics aim to help generate and maximize data and minimize compressed air use. Compressed air use by industrial machines is a close second to the use of electricity in terms of cost, and well ahead of other utilities such as water and natural gas in most plants and facilities. Electricity is less expensive per dollar of unit energy, but compressed air and pneumatics have many other advantages encouraging their use.
Effective pneumatic systems need properly sized, installed, and maintained components from compressors to workstations. A few wrong choices can lead to everything from wasted energy to system failures. Conversely, even seemingly small design tweaks can add up to large improvements in pneumatic system efficiency. These changes can save air, reduce costs, improve overall utilization, and reduce downtime in operation.
Download our white paper Innovations for Automation and Efficiency in Industrial Pneumatic Systems and gain insight into designing integrated smart pneumatic systems that deliver in-plant efficiency.
Parker's Purpose is all about how we impact the world around us. It's about using our expertise to enable engineering breakthroughs in collaboration with our partners and supporting our customers. It's about nurturing customer ideas—from complex challenges to real life applications.
Article contributed by Herman Wang, director, global business development, In-Plant Factory Automation and Linda Caron, global product manager for Factory Automation, Pneumatic Division.
Related, helpful content for you:
Defining Our Unique Contribution to the World
3 Things to Consider for Machine Tools and IIoT
Maximise Performance and Minimise Downtime of Pneumatic Systems
K&B Lumber, a one-stop shop for logging and millwork was in search of a more energy-efficient sawmill that produced higher quality lumber for furniture than a typical sawmill. For most conventional sawmills, the log moves back and forth past the saw and cuts in only one direction. As a result, the operator’s view of the log can be obstructed when it is on the far side of the saw, which can affect lumber quality.
K&B Lumber’s goal was to develop a sawmill that utilized a moving saw, which cuts lumber in both directions and provides the operator visibility to the log while it is being cut. These two features increase the production of high-quality lumber over a traditional sawmill.
K&B Lumber collaborated with Mill Innovations & Design (MID), an original equipment manufacturer of sawmill equipment, to build a sawmill featuring a 6-foot Double Cut HeadRig that was energy efficient and capable of producing furniture grade lumber.
The new HeadRig consisted of a 12” wide band saw with teeth on both edges running on 6’ diameter wheels requiring 250 horsepower (HP). The challenge was finding enough real estate to fit a 25O HP motor on a moving saw.
A second challenge was finding a carriage drive that could accurately control the 30,000 pound saw with a high number of direction changes, 4000+ in an eight hour period.
Solution
Due to the sawmill’s space restrictions with the moving saw carriage, K&B Lumber and Mill Innovations Design chose closed-circuit hydraulics over an electric system to power the equipment.
With a hydraulic system planned, K&B Lumber and MID worked with Parker Hydraulic Pump and Power Systems (HPS) and a Parker distributor to select high-performance hydraulic components to power the sawmill’s saw and carriage drive.
For the saw’s power source, a Parker Gold Cup P14S Pump was selected, driving a Gold Cup M20R Motor stacked with a Parker F12 Series Bent Axis Motor on the back. This powerful combination allowed for additional system displacement.
Using the Gold Cup hydrostat to power the saw, provided the sawmill’s operator the ability to change speeds on the fly, which is critical for cutting different wood species efficiently.
An additional benefit of the saw’s Gold Cup system was a smooth, controlled stop while shutting down the saw voluntarily or in an emergency stop situation.
In terms of the 30,000 pound carriage drive, each direction change means decelerating and accelerating the load in a controlled manner. According to LeRoy Kuhns of K&B Lumber, the Parker F12 Series Motor on the carriage drive has close to a million direction changes and still continues to run flawlessly.
Overall, K&B Lumber has benefited by a smaller, safer sawmill. The new sawmill has also resulted in more efficient energy usage, while producing more output.
In the near future, K&B Lumber plans to enhance their hydraulic system by adding Parker’s Gold Cup - IE (Intelligence Enabled). Gold Cup - IE will monitor their Gold Cup pump to obtain longer service life, and help reduce downtime and service costs with actionable, real-time insights.
Article contributed by Dave Ebert, product manager, Parker's Hydraulic Pump and Power Systems (HPS).
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The advent of the smartphone and tablet has had a dramatic impact on the types of media we consume. Whereas in the past we might have been wedded to printed sources such as newspapers or magazines, the ubiquitous nature of electronic devices means video has emerged as a highly popular visual means of accessing information and entertainment.
Video perfectly suits the hectic pace of modern life. A tightly edited and well-produced video can be informative, engaging and easy to digest - even on the go - making that this type of format a good match for today’s always-on, 24/7 society.
It comes as no surprise, therefore, to find that video has become an increasingly popular form of media in B2B markets. Many industrial organisations are now in-step with their tech-savvy customers, creating high-quality videos that encapsulate the technical capabilities of the systems and components they produce. Indeed, according to recent research (video marketing statistics 2020 by Wyzowl), 85% of businesses now use video as a marketing tool, proving what a convenient and accessible medium it has become.
Supporting maintenance activitiesMaintenance is particularly suited to this type of format. It is often easier to show how to prevent or fix a problem than it is to explain in a wordy repair manual. That’s why most companies have established YouTube channels as valuable knowledge resources for technicians and engineers responsible for maintaining equipment, both in plants and out in the field.
Here at Parker, video has been used to provide maintenance support for the new HLR range of electromechanical linear actuators. These three-minute productions cover a broad range of topics including ‘How to re-lubricate an HLR actuator’, ‘How to re-tension the HLR toothed belt’ and ‘How to replace the HLR steel strip cover’.
They also detail the assembly of the HLR within an application, covering areas such as ‘How to mount a gearbox to an HLR’, and ‘How to set up an HLR two axes configuration’. In each case, the videos have been made to get technical information across in a clear and concise manner that supports the more productive working of the maintenance professional.
Going forward, Parker is committed to using video as a means of talking to our customers. That doesn’t mean the end of the printed word in technical manuals: it is about using the power of technology to complement more traditional types of media to communicate in the most effective way that we can.
Parker’s Electromechanical and Drives Division offers specific tutorials to facilitate maintenance and improve the user experience. The video channel, has been enhanced with five new videos relating to the HLR range to help maintenance professionals carry out common operations.
Visit Parker EMDE YouTube support to see the various tutorials already online. You can see here the most popular HLR electromechanical linear actuators maintenance video.
This article contributed by Olaf Zeiss, product manager - Actuators, Electromechanical and Drives Division Europe, Parker Hannifin Corporation
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Heavy duty equipment moves industry forward in all climates, from the sunny Caribbean to icy Greenland. Effective, reliable sealing is what allows hydraulic systems in heavy duty equipment to do work, no matter the temperature. Reliable sealing solutions allow cylinders on dump trucks and excavators to move icy, frozen tundra, and allow actuators on subsea valves to operate 5,000 - 20,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. We depend on these seals for our safety and productivity, so a little chilly weather is no reason to call it quits.
BRRR! What happens to seals at cold temperatures?
Most objects shrink as they get cold, with few exceptions (water, I’m looking at you). This applies to all matter in the universe. Materials shrink at different rates, and this is a measurable property called the Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CoTE). Thermoset elastomers and thermoplastics shrink roughly 5 times more than metals1 for a given temperature change. This means at cold temperatures, seals shrink more than their housings, and thus have less “squeeze” to make a tight seal.
To make matters worse, elastomers also harden as the temperature drops. At some temperatures, known for each material as its Glass Transition Temperature (abbreviated ‘Tg’), seals become rock hard and brittle … like glass. We don’t make seals out of glass for a reason; they wouldn’t work. In order to keep seals springy and resilient we need to specify materials with a Tg below the coldest temperature a system will see.
In very high pressure, low temperature applications, there is one additional concern. Applying pressure to seals effectively raises the Tg of the material by about +1°C per 750 PSI. This is called Pressure-Induced Glass Transition and is the reason high pressure seals fail slightly above their measured Tg.
That’s not cold!
So, there’s low temp, and then there’s looooow temp. I work at Parker Hannifin Engineered Polymer System (“EPS”) Division’s headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. Winter low temperatures in downtown Salt Lake are typically just below freezing. In this climate, most seal materials function just fine.
Siberia purportedly has the coldest inhabited villages in the world, with temperatures down to -60°C (-76°F). Northern Canada isn’t much warmer. In these regions, an operating hydraulic system can generate enough heat from friction to keep the seals sufficiently warm. However, if hydraulic equipment is unused or stored overnight in such frigid environments, the use of cold-rated seals with a low Tg is critical to preventing leaks in equipment.
For rotating equipment that is idled or shut off in extreme cold temperatures, the lip on a rotary shaft seal can freeze to the shaft when moisture is present at the seal lip/shaft interface. When the shaft starts, the tip of the lip can be ripped or sheared off, leaving a small band of rubber on the shaft (cold temperature seal fracture).
And then there are cryogenic systems, which are entirely different beasts. Liquid nitrogen tanks require seals that can handle the -320°F fluid. At this temperature, all elastomers will be rock solid. So what seal material can handle that? Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).
Pure (unfilled) PTFE, while not considered an elastomer, remains flexible down to -425°F. That’s 35 degrees above Absolute Zero – the coldest possible temperature. The chart in Figure 1 shows the effective ranges for seal materials offered by Parker 2, 3.
Typical material temperature ratings
After looking at this chart, you might think, “Why doesn’t Parker make all seals out of PTFE and dump the rest?” PTFE is a great seal material, but it comes with its own set of tradeoffs. Hardware manufacturing and seal installation tend to be more complicated with PTFE than with elastomer seals.
Fluorocarbon rubber (FKM), and more recently perfluorinated rubber (FFKM), have traditionally been selected to seal hot temperatures and nasty chemicals. However, they perform poorly in cold. Parker offers special low-temp blends, spanning -40 to 400°F and -40 to 600°F respectively. “Do-everything” materials such as these tend to be more costly than traditional FKM rubber.
Highly saturated nitriles (HNBR) offer higher temperature capability with better wear resistance compared to standard nitrile (NBR). To improve low temperature resilience, Parker has developed HNBR compounds that perform better at low temperatures than most general HNBR compounds.
Special grades of silicone can handle colder temperatures, but their wear properties are so poor Parker EPS does not recommend these for dynamic sealing. Ethylene propylene rubber (EPDM) compounds are also capable of remaining quite flexible at low temperatures, but care must be taken to ensure that the application is compatible. EPDM often has the look and feel of nitrile rubber but reacts to fluids much differently.
Parker polyurethanes (compounds start with a ‘P’ in the table in Fig. 1) are popular because they offer the best all-around balance between low and high temperature sealing, wear resistance, pressure rating, and cost. Parker’s compound P5065A88 is compounded specifically to be more resilient at low temperature than most other polyurethane compounds.
In all sealing applications where temperature ratings are a concern, it is important to know that sealing compounds perform their best when they stay well within their temperature range. Applications that push seal compounds to the end of their temperature range may only perform for a short period of time before damage to the seal occurs, or they become too stiff to effectively control leakage. A good rule of thumb for long lasting seals is to remain within 80% of the compound’s temperature range.
ConclusionNow that you’ve selected a seal material with a Tg low enough for the cold environment it will be used in, are you done? Make sure other properties such as pressure rating, wear resistance, fluid compatibility, and high temp capability are also adequate for the system. Be aware of tradeoffs when switching materials to avoid causing a problem in another area. If in doubt, send us an e-mail and we will be happy to help.
Stay cool! Much more information about seals can be found in our Fluid Power Seal Design Guide, Catalog EPS 5370.
Recommendations on application design and material selection are based on available technical data. They are offered as suggestions only. Each user should make their own tests to determine the suitability for their own specific use. Parker offers no express or implied warranties concerning the form, fit, or function of a product in any application.
This article was contributed by Nathan Wells, application engineer, Engineered Polymer Systems Division.
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Thanks to a unique design and advanced energy-saving technology, NITROSource nitrogen gas generators use less compressed air to generate more nitrogen than any other N2 generator currently available.
With benefits like substantially lower servicing costs, reduced downtime and longer working life compared to other gas generators, NITROSource offers the most cost-efficient nitrogen supply available — significantly more affordable and safer than traditional delivery methods such as gas cylinders and mini-bulk storage tanks.
NITROSource is food and pharmaceutical safe, in line with European statute (EIGA) and the USA Food & Drugs Administration (FDA Article 21) and Pharmacopeia compliant.
Key features
• Energy-saving technology - matches compressed air flow to the nitrogen outlet flow, resulting in less compressed air use, lower energy consumption and reduced operational costs.
• Low-cost maintenance, extensive working life - the carbon molecular sieve, the engine of the generator, delivers nitrogen more efficiently, leading to a very long working life – and major savings on maintenance.
• Five-year extended warranty available - offers the assurance of no unexpected maintenance costs and maximized factory up-time.*
• Provides nitrogen gas of 95% to 99,9995% equivalent nitrogen purity.
• Unique gas quality control system.
• Remote monitoring - enables connection to proprietary remote management and the generator control systems to control and track gas parameters from a central location.
• Easily upgradable supply - simply add extra generators as the application requirement grows.
Appropriate for manufacturers and producers in a wide range of industries
• Food production, processing, storage and packaging - snacks, dairy, grated cheese, milk powder coffee, edible oils.
• Beverage and bottling.
• Pharmaceuticals - primary and secondary manufacturing, centralized laboratory, inert storage and packaging.
• Materials processing - laser cutting, heat treatment and composite manufacturing.
• Electronics.
From food and beverage to materials processing to pharmaceutical, NITROSource advanced technology nitrogen generator delivers industry-leading performance resulting in increased productivity, sustainability and profitability for manufacturers and producers.
Watch this video and learn more.
*Subject to terms and conditions. Please contact your local authorized Parker distributor.
This blog was contributed by Phil Green, market development manager, Parker Gas Separation and Filtration Division, EMEA.
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As the benefits of single-use became clear and the technology became established in the 2000s, there was a drive to utilize it in more process steps. Single-use was being utilized in steps where process data would normally form part of the batch record, but as these assemblies had no automation or data capture capabilities, this information was either missing or manually recorded.
These process steps - including clarification, tangential flow filtration (TFF) and virus filtration - required complex monitoring and control as well as data acquisition. Only by automating the equipment could these systems operate, protect the process and collect and store the data in a way that was cGMP compliant.
There are a number of reasons. But perhaps it has more to do with perception than reality.
In a survey conducted during a Parker webinar entitled Single-Use Technologies, What is Next? the audience was asked: What would restrict you from implementing automation in your single-use process?
Nearly 20 percent of respondents said that their process didn't require automation.
However, it can be argued that all processes could benefit from some form of automation. It can enhance safety, improve process efficiency and release operators from some time-consuming, manual tasks, enabling them to carry out more value-added activities.
Just over 15 percent of respondents were concerned about the accuracy of sensors.
There are, however, highly accurate sensors available. For instance, Parker Bioscience Filtration's SciLog® SciPres single-use in-line pressure sensors achieve sensor accuracy of +/- 0.02 bar.
Almost 50 percent of respondents said they were concerned about cost.
Of course, there is a cost associated with putting an automated system in place, but this can also be regarded as an investment. The benefits relating to time-saving, complexity reduction, improved process security and predictability, and standardized training can all add up to a rapid return on investment for biopharmaceutical manufacturers.
Breaking down the barriers - how and why automation can help the biopharmaceutical industry
As detailed above, many of the perceived hurdles to implementing automation can be overcome.
A number of key drivers in the biopharmaceutical industry can be addressed by implementing automation in single-use processes.
Increasing speed to market
If the same technology on the same automation platform has been used during the development process as will be used at production scale, the scale-up will be easier to complete and more predictable when compared to a process that uses multiple automation platforms.
In addition, technical transfers can be made easier through single-use automation because a number of variables from the process can be eliminated through operators having access to the same equipment utilizing the same control systems. If consistent product contact materials are also used, extractables and leachables data are simplified, all of which again helps to increase speed to market.
Plus, an automated single-use system can be ordered, shipped and validated far more quickly than its stainless steel equivalent. The impact on timeframes is clear.
Influence of investment decisions
It might take five years to build and validate a stainless steel based multi-use (CIP/SIP) facility. However, it may only take two years for the equivalent single-use facility, so biopharmaceutical manufacturers can benefit from up to three years' worth of extra clinical data before pushing the button on what would be a multi-million dollar investment.
Enabling the operation of multi-product facilities
Single-use technology has clear advantages in a multi-product facility. For instance, operators will not need to validate CIP/SIP cycles or maintain costly utilities.
However, automation also allows operators to run multiple recipe-driven processes even when they have limited experience of the process being run.
For example, all TFF processes follow a certain high-level routine, but products will have differences in the recipe being executed. Being able to call up and run an automated process helps to eliminate any process errors.
Regulatory considerations
The more automated a process is, the more repeatable that unit operation should be. This helps biopharmaceutical manufacturers comply more easily with regulations, as it reduces process variation. Automation also enables training to be simplified and will reduce the potential for process deviations caused by manual operations and indeed, human error, which can impact on productivity and operator safety.
In addition, an automated system allows for the creation of a batch record along with the compliant storage of data and the audit trail for the data set, again helping biopharmaceutical manufacturers to meet regulatory requirements more easily - and allowing far less room for error.
Economic considerations
With biosimilars coming online, more focus is being placed on the cost of goods sold (COGS). Through automation, the number of people involved in a unit operation can be decreased and the supply chain around the process can be simplified. In effect, you can do more with less.
Continuous processing
Single-use systems are a key enabling technology for continuous processing. To allow continuous processing in single-use processes, the automation of valves, feedback from sensors and control logic will need to be in place. An automated approach, therefore, is essential for a single-use continuous process to work.
Conclusion
Single-use system implementation and single-use automation should be viewed jointly - and as shown above, automation can take the advantage gained from single-use to a much higher level.
Read the full white paper - Automation in Single-Use: Unlocking the True Potential of Single-Use Technology
This post was contributed by Guy Matthews, division marketing manager at Parker Bioscience Filtration, United Kingdom.
Parker Bioscience Filtration specializes in automating and controlling single-use bioprocesses. By integrating sensory and automation technology into a process, a manufacturer can control the fluid more effectively, ensuring the quality of the final product.
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Improve Accuracy and Efficiency by Tackling the Eight Wastes of Lean
When you need to have a custom hydraulic hose replaced, you need assurance that the hose assembly you ordered is exactly what you need. Hose assemblies are not as simple as they seem, installing an inferior hose can lead to a number of future problems with your equipment.
Parker has the largest selection of hydraulic hoses, hydraulic hose fittings and hose configurations to efficiently meet all our customers' needs. All of our products are manufactured to the highest standard that we take pride in. When you buy a Parker hose, you are getting a Parker designed hydraulic hose made worldwide within our own factories assembled by Parker employees.
There is no easier way of knowing that you are getting the replacement hose assembly you need than relying on our Parker Tracking System (PTS). PTS is Parker’s innovative tagging and asset management system that lets you record, manage and retrieve all your critical asset information.
PTS ID tags have long increased the speed and accuracy of your next hydraulic hose replacement. Using Parker’s mobile app equipment, owners can scan the PTS ID to quickly and more easily learn about their hose assembly. Onsite hydraulic hose replacement at Parker Stores and Parker distributors can ensure that the replacement hose assembly is right for you.
Hydraulic hose replacement just got easier and more convenient
Parker hydraulic hose assemblies with PTS ID numbers can now be ordered online from parker.com and delivered to you. Your custom hydraulic hose assembly will be fulfilled by a Parker distributor.
Parker’s qualified network of distributors are trained professionals when it comes to hydraulic hose assemblies, which serves as an extra layer of confidence, that you are ordering the hose assembly replacement you need. The steps to order your online hose assembly replacement are easy.
Step 1. Enter your PTIS ID number
Your PTS ID number is the only configuration specification you need. With this number, you do not need to enter custom specifications, and worry that you got them right, the PTS ID number has it for you. To get started enter your PTS ID in the product search bar on www.parker.com.
There are over 15 million PTS ID tagged hose assemblies. When you enter your PTS ID number in the product search bar on www.parker.com, our ordering system will automatically match your PTS ID number to an orderable hydraulic hose assembly.
Step 3. Detail about your hose replacement with the price
The fulfillment distributor can now automatically see the components that comprised the bill of materials for your hydraulic hose assembly. You will be confident that the hose is engineered with the latest Parker product innovations. The price for your hose assembly will be outlined for you as well.
Step 4. Buy now to complete the ordering process
Simply click the buy now button to complete your transaction. You will need to provide your shipping information and credit card details to complete the order. Any questions about your order should be directed to the fulfilling distributor who will be clearly outlined in our order confirmation details.
Now, that is easy and convenient follow these four steps to order your PTS ID hose assembly online from www.parker.com, and it will be shipped directly to your location.
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In the manufacturing sector, anywhere that humans mix with machinery is a potential danger zone. Even in the modern production line, people are often still an essential element of the production or packaging process, but moving conveyor belts, robotic arms, chopping blades and other moving machinery nearby can cause serious injuries or even loss of life.
The European Machinery Directive is heavily focused on safety, and one of its key targets is to lower the number of accidents in the industrial workplace. In areas where close cooperation between humans and machines are required, life and health must always take first priority, and risks must be minimised. Machinery and systems therefore need to be designed to leave no room for mistakes or defects which may cause hazards to humans.
Many European countries have built their reputations on the production of safe, reliable and sophisticated industrial machinery and systems, and these machines are almost always designed, installed and maintained with elements of functional safety in mind. Even so, there are still many pieces of machinery that do not put the interests of the user at the forefront of the design process. These machines are often impractical and hinder the operators in the execution of their work, which can often increase the safety risks, particularly if the operator bypasses or avoids essential safety functions.
Broadly speaking, it is the automatic safety function that either ensures that the intended function is performed correctly or where this is not possible, ensures that the system will shut down in an orderly, and therefore safe, way. Functional safety is governed by two main industry standards addressing the safety lifecycle and the different types of failures from faults: IEC61508 and IEC61511.
For machine designers, it’s clear that following the Machinery Directive is not just about simply buying components that offer safety certification. Comprehensive hazard and risk assessments must first be carried out to ensure not just the operator’s safety but also ease of use. Once the design process is complete, technical safety measures can be implemented, such as placing guards around the machine and selecting components that offer excellent functional safety features.
Process shutdown in motion control machinery such as servo motors and drives are becoming increasingly important, particularly for critical elements such as brakes on vertical axes. Ensuring that the stopping reaction time is fast enough to protect body parts from the force of the motion is essential, and this needs to be tested very regularly.
Shutdown systems must be additionally responsive and flexible in applications such as packaging and production machinery which require a high extent of machine safety. Functional safety components can be connected via safety input-output (I/O) or other proprietary bus systems, but the most advanced solutions are based on safety fieldbuses which are flexible and powerful.
Functional safety over EtherCAT
Parker now offers an advanced PSD line of products with Functional Safety over EtherCAT (FSoE), providing a complete, centralised functional safety solution that requires no additional wiring.
A powerful, freely-programmable FSoE master, the Parker Safety PLC, addresses all safety components via the network such as safety inputs and outputs as well as PSD drive controllers with integrated safety technology. External components such as light curtains, emergency buttons and safety shut-off mats are connected through the safe I/O-Modules.
When functional safety is done correctly, the operator is not constrained in any way and should have no reason to avoid any safety devices. Similarly, machine uptime will not be negatively impacted due to safety techniques, ensuring smooth and efficient operations on the processing line.
Overall, the benefits of using servo drives with integrated safety functionality are hard to ignore; such as a reduction in wiring and components, ease of use and increased productivity. Functional safety also has much to offer Industry 4.0. Not only is safety going to become increasingly important in automated factories where there will need to be a greater level of trust between machines and humans, but safety systems will also improve diagnostics, efficiency and reliability.
To discover all the safety features offered by the PSD drive watch the animation.
This article contributed by Patrick Knebel, product manager - servo drives & controllers, Electromechanical and Drives Division Europe, Parker Hannifin Corporation
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Power Take-Offs (PTOs) provide truck versatility beyond the usual function of providing transportation for materials. Power is directed from the engine to the auxiliary equipment to perform the work. With many applications for PTOs, there are many different PTO designs being developed - each design for its specific application of use. This creates many categories to assist in your search for the right PTO. Below are some of the main filtering search categories and tools that can be used to ensure the correct PTO is chosen for each application.
The variety of transmissions being used in the market today leads to multiple mounting types available for PTOs. The different mounting types can be designed around clearance concerns and assembly arrangements with the specific transmission application.
Aperture:Depending on the transmission being the PTO is being applied to, there could be a couple of apertures from which to choose. The aperture is the opening on either side of the transmission which permits installation of a PTO. They can be standard or non-standard depending on the transmission manufacturer.
Number of bolts:The number of bolts required to mount the PTO to the transmission is one way to classify the PTO. At Parker Chelsea, we have 6-Bolt, 8-Bolt, and 10-Bolt PTO designs.
Mounting option:We also have rear mount, Ford, reversable and split shaft PTOs. Each one is a category that can be searched in our products tab (parker.com/Chelsea). For the difference of the split shaft PTOs themselves, it is important to note that they are attached within the vehicle’s drivetrain, behind the transmission, and they require special mounting to the chassis frame.
Transmission manufacturer
When looking for the right PTO, you must know the make of your transmission. It is an easy and effective way to narrow down your search results quickly. At Parker Chelsea, we use an application guide that allows you to conduct a search based on the transmission manufacturer. From there, you will find a list of transmissions that will lead to pages that show the available PTOs. In our products tab (parker.com/Chelsea), there is a filter in place to search based on the transmission manufacturer.
Chelsea PTOs can be sorted by shift type by using the category filter in the products tab (parker.com/Chelsea). The options in this filter are constant mesh, hydraulic, lever, pneumatic and wire and cable. Constant mesh applies to applications that always require live power and are engaged as long as the engine is running. All others have the ability to be engaged and disengaged.
Example of how to classify and find a PTO
For an example of a product series to display how a PTO can be categorized in many ways, let’s use Parker Chelsea’s 280 Series PTO. The 280 Series PTO can be found on Allison and other transmission manufacturers. It is a 10-Bolt, hydraulically-shifted PTO. If you are unsure of the information initially, you can visit the product page to learn more about the PTO series. With this information, you would be able to find the PTO series in a product search based on the mounting type under 10-Bolt. For shift type, it would fall into the hydraulic filter. Both of those search results can be filtered down on parker.com/Chelsea.
What else Is good to know when determining your PTO selection?
The driven equipment being used is an important aspect of your PTO selection. While classifying PTO search categories can help narrow down search results, the driven equipment as well will need to be considered when making your final decision. Some helpful information to find the right final product includes the type of driven equipment, the input horsepower required for the driven equipment and the operating speed of the driven equipment. The quick reference guide online provides what information is helpful to know.
Materials to help you find the right PTOYou can find different support materials on the website to help learn more about the PTO options available for your application as well as more in-depth information of the PTOs themselves. The products tab, as mentioned, will have the different product category filters to narrow down your PTO search. On the homepage, you can find a competitor interchange tool. if you know of a competitor’s product, and you want to find the Parker Chelsea equivalent, you can learn more on the product page and find similar PTOs of Parker Chelsea. Other support materials to assist in your search can be found on the homepage as well as the support tab: brochures, catalogs, part lists and more.
Links to find additional information
This article was contributed by Michael Mabrouk, marketing leadership associate, Chelsea Products Division, Parker Hannifin Corporation.
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A virtual shift is happening as we speak across the world. How we communicate, how we consume goods and services, and how we work have all changed. Now more than ever, technology is being relied on to establish some form of normalcy in this new way of life.
In manufacturing, technologies and smart solutions have been integral in production and operations management for quite a while as the industry has navigated through the digital transformation. The Internet of Things (IoT) gave rise to cloud computing, universal wireless connectivity, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), big data and more. This level of technology and information provides an organization with the ability to operate their plant floor as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Remote work for industrial organizationsThe workplace will look much different in the coming weeks and months. Less personnel onsite and more working remotely as social distancing policies are implemented. As industries scramble to adapt to this new work environment, manufacturers already have the upper hand, utilizing existing resources to continue operations with minimal disruption. The demand will be there for increased remote diagnostic management, AI-based insights, and real-time data to perform assignments that otherwise would be conducted in-person. A reduced workforce onsite will mean safer working conditions for essential employees and a boost in performance with fewer distractions.
How does a manufacturer maximize productivity and meet on-time delivery with a minimal workforce capacity? The answer is continuous condition monitoring. This tool in predictive maintenance allows machines on the plant floor to be monitored and diagnosed in real time, identifying problems and inefficiencies before becoming serious issues. Plus, observing conditions and equipment parameters can be conducted without ever stepping foot onto the plant floor. All of the data from machinery is collected and stored in the cloud for a more rapid flow of information.
Voice of the Machine
Voice of the Machine™ Cloud is Parker’s cloud-based continuous condition monitoring solution. When paired with SensoNODE™ Sensors, users can monitor a plant floor remotely without interrupting production. Data is accurate and leveraged to make decisions effectively about the status of machines. This level of reliable information is paramount to reduce risk, maintenance and unplanned downtime. Additionally, users learn more about their machinery that can be applied to operational and performance improvements. The data processed is secure and readily available on any computer.
It’s going to be crucial to perform without being present on the floor. The demand will be for a continuous condition monitoring solution that can satisfy the needs of manufacturers and maintenance teams while meeting government mandates.
Parker has unveiled new updates to its Voice of the Machine Cloud platform to build upon its ease of use and functionality. For users, enhancements provide the ability to monitor machines and performance to identify issues, reduce downtime and improve efficiencies seamlessly.
Voice of the Machine cloud updates:
Multiple dashboard templates with 7+ widgets
With a dashboard template, you know precisely how well machines are performing with real-time health metrics presented clearly and concisely. Voice of the Machine Cloud templates are customizable, allowing users the ability to track specific parameters and conditions.
Complex organizational hierarchyOrganization is always important to stay current on what’s happening on the plant floor. No two factories or machines are the same. Complex organizational hierarchy provides data, assets and facilities to be organized in a manner that makes the most sense to the business and its customers.
User, location and organization notification delivery schedule “blackouts”Establish accounts for varying use-cases to maintain meaningful notifications and avoid being inundated with nonessential machine alerts.
Custom units of measure for organization, location or userCreate a unit of measurement that is not a traditional, customary unit. Visualize data and receive alerts in a customized unit of measure for the organization, location or user that’s been defined.
5 user roles aligned with job functionsVoice of the Machine Cloud has expanded user permissions to accommodate a distribution sales channel relationship with customers. For the user, this increase in job functionality means the ability to perform duties effectively while being remote.
Detailed organization, location and assetsHave more control of records and management of capital assets. This feature provides the opportunity to store metadata to track performance metrics based on the organization, location and machinery.
Threshold alerts with escalation and event logsNew functionality within the software allows a user to set up escalation notifications. If an alert goes unresolved after a predetermined amount of minutes, notifications are sent via email and/or text message to ensure the issue is addressed promptly.
Calculated signalsUser-defined calculations based on measured data can be implemented by entering a calculation-rule in Voice of the Machine Cloud. If historic trends identify a reoccurring theme, set thresholds to match the conditions for immediate action.
SummaryVirtual work is a new reality that will fundamentally change the work environment in manufacturing. Factories and plant floors have already been transitioning through IoT and digital tools to ensure infrastructure can be managed remotely. As a leader in cloud-based condition monitoring solutions, Parker is helping manufacturers make the digital transformation as seamless as possible.
Learn more about Parker’s Voice of the Machine software solution.
Article contributed by Marc Williams, IoT project lead, Parker Hannifin Corporation
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Human error in bioprocessing can have serious consequences for biopharmaceutical manufacturers. Accidents can cause a health hazard for staff involved in bioprocessing operations and human error can affect product quality and lead to batches of expensive products being written off — with financial consequences to the manufacturer. Then of course there is the ultimate effect on patient health.
If any manufacturing deviation occurs in bioprocessing, the current practice is that a report needs to be issued and effective corrective and preventative measures need to be implemented. If a manufacturer fails to undertake and complete this process within a reasonable time frame, the company may come under increased scrutiny from regulatory authorities — potentially leading to regulatory observations and warning letters.
Analysis of the root causes of deviations often determines that human error is responsible. Some surveys put human error as the cause of 50 percent of manufacturing deviations in bioprocessing.
Indeed, in a recent Parker survey entitled Protect the Process, Protect the Patient, we asked respondents, "what do you see as the biggest cause of operational errors?" 71.4 percent of participants cited "human error", compared to 14.3 percent who cited "consumables failure" and 7.1 percent who named "equipment failure" as the main cause.
When an analysis identifies that human error has been the root cause of a deviation, biopharmaceutical manufacturers commonly retrain the operators involved. This often constitutes the main corrective action undertaken.
This training usually entails the staff studying the relevant SOP. Their supervisor or trainer then validates that training by checking that the staff correctly understands the procedure.
This is a straightforward — although potentially time-consuming — remedy. Unfortunately, the approach cannot be relied upon to eradicate the problem and there is a risk that errors could be repeated, at great cost to the biopharmaceutical manufacturer.
Automating and enclosing the process
Parker's SciLog® FD System automates, standardizes and encloses final bulk filtration and dispense operations, removing the variability and potential for human error that is associated with manual processes.
The system enables the automated flushing, integrity testing of filters and dispensing into final bulk product containers.
It eliminates many of the errors associated with human interfacing by utilizing standardized programming to ensure reliability and robustness.
Here are some of the advantages of the SciLog® FD system for human error reductions:
Conclusion
Automation can help to eliminate the risk of human error in bioprocessing. A system such as Parker's SciLog® FD System can help biopharmaceutical manufacturers save time and money, and crucially, protect the health of operators and patients.
You can gain a greater understanding of the benefits of standardizing, enclosing and automating a single-use system at the SciLog® Suite at Parker Bioscience Filtration's site in Birtley, UK. Here you can undertake an interactive demonstration with the SciLog® FD System and run trials to determine how the equipment can be used to optimize your processes.
In addition, you can use the SciLog® Suite for in-depth training of operators and engineers.
Contact us to book into the SciLog® Suite
For more information on the SciLog® FD System, visit our web page
This post was contributed by Graeme Proctor, product manager - single-use technologies at Parker Bioscience Filtration, United Kingdom
Parker Bioscience Filtration specializes in automating and controlling bioprocesses. By integrating sensory and automation technology into a process, a biopharmaceutical manufacturer can control the process more effectively ensuring the quality of the final product.
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Cooling requirements are widespread in both the industrial and commercial sectors. Cooling is generally split into two categories:
This type of cooling is applied when accurate and constant control of temperature within a process is required. Chillers are commonly used to remove heat from a process due to their ability to provide cooling capacity regardless of changes to the ambient temperature, heat load and flow requirements of the application.
Comfort cooling/climate controlThis type of cooling technology regulates the temperature and humidity in a space. The technology is generally simple and used for cooling rooms, electrical cabinets or other places where temperature control does not have to be precise and constant. Air conditioning units fall into this technology group.
In its most simplistic form, process cooling can be defined as the removal of unwanted heat from a process. Removal of the unwanted heat is often necessary to ensure the process continues in a safe, efficient and reliable manner.
Why process cooling?
In many industrial processes, the heat load must be carefully managed. Different aspects of the overall application may require cooling.
Key cooling areas include:
In many processes, the integrity of the final product and the process itself are reliant on precise heat management.
The key drivers for a cooling requirement are to
Why use chillers for process cooling?
Process chillers, such as Parker's range of production process chillers, can be integrated with ease into most applications. A process chiller utilises a refrigeration circuit to remove the heat load passed onto the cooling fluid (water or glycol mix) returning from the application.
Watch how our Hyperchill Process Chiller for precision cooling works in this video:
The ability of a process chiller to operate across a range of ambient conditions at variable loads make them ideal for delivering efficient process cooling. Advantages of using chillers for process cooling include:
Why Parker?
Parker Hyperchill Plus (ICEP) and Hyperchill (ICE) chillers can deliver cooling capacity from 1.7 to 760 kW. The chillers are suitable for internal and external installations. Water and air-cooled condenser versions can be supplied with a range of power supply, UL stamp for North America. The range is versatile with numerous options available delivering full flexibility to meet the exacting cooling needs in all industrial applications.
Each individual Hyperchill and Hyperchill Plus unit is extensively tested to guarantee efficient operation and reliability under all working conditions. Key benefits include:
Conclusion
Process cooling is required in a range of industries, from food and beverage to industrial manufacturing to medical. The ability of chillers to operate across a range of ambient conditions at variable loads make them ideal for delivering efficient process cooling. Parker Hyperchill water chillers maintain maximum quality and cleanliness of the cooling fluid, resulting in improved process efficiency and productivity as well as reduced maintenance costs and downtime.
Parker Purpose
After more than a century of experience serving our customers, Parker is often called to the table for the collaborations that help to solve the most complex engineering challenges. We help them bring their ideas to light. We are a trusted partner, working alongside our customers to enable technology breakthroughs that change the world for the better.
This post was contributed by James Brown, compressed air and gas treatment/analytical gas sales manager and Filippo Turra, product manager, Parker Gas Separation and Filtration Division EMEA
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Request a sample and get technical specifications for the IEC-60601-1-2 compliant BTX-Connect miniature pump
To find out more about the BTX-Connect miniature pump, visit our website and request a sample
View the interactive for detailed information on the chilling process, chiller solutions, operation and system design