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Single-use solutions have been widely adopted on a global scale within the biopharmaceutical industry due to the many advantages and process improvements they offer.
Key applications for single-use assemblies include the creation of process fluid flow paths, buffer/product storage solutions and sampling systems on varying scales.
Most of these systems will start with either a bioprocess container or a tubing option and require the ability to connect to further pieces of equipment or additional single-use systems/manifolds.
In order to achieve this connectability, some form of connection needs to be selected — but with so many different connection types available, where should biopharmaceutical manufacturers start?
There are many different options available when embarking on the selection process. Consideration must be given to whether the connection type needs to be aseptic to provide quick and easy sterile connections, (even in non-sterile environments) or non-aseptic (to provide quick and easy non-sterile connections).
How do you choose the correct option?
The choice should be guided by the process itself — and the capability of the manufacturing plant should also be taken into account.
Key factors which will determine the correct choice of connection type include:
Only when these factors have been addressed can the end-user begin to fully specify the connection type required.
Connection types The Luer connector
The Luer connector is the simplest connector. It consists of both a male and female form, and the connection is made using a twist-lock action. These connections are suited to sample lines (with syringe connectivity) and low flow narrow-bore tubing applications and can be used within a laminar airflow hood to create aseptic connections.
However, there is a downside: potential misconnections can occur when they are not mated correctly.
Quick connectorQuick connectors such as the MPC, MPX or MPU from CPC (Colder Products Company) are similar to Luer connectors in that they can be used within a laminar airflow hood to create aseptic connections. They have the added security of a push-fit feature with a secure locking mechanism.
TriclampTriclamp (sanitary style) fittings can be used as connectors. While these are effective and secure connections, care must be taken to position the required o-ring seal within the connection prior to fixing the connection using an external clamp. The sheer size of the external clamp may make this an unsuitable method for connecting narrow bore or thin-walled tubing due to the weights involved and the potential for kinking/doubling of the attached tubing. Triclamp connections can be used within a laminar airflow hood to create aseptic connections.
Connections outside of a laminar airflow hood
Should aseptic connections be required to be made outside of a laminar airflow hood, two options are available, which both allow the connection of varying tube sizes:
Gendered aseptic connectorThe first option for connecting aseptically in a non-aseptic environment would be to use a gendered aseptic connector, such as CPC AseptiQuik® gendered, which has both a male and female version. The benefit of using a gendered connection is that it can help by safeguarding which lines can be connected to certain points in the process; this helps to mitigate against human error and the accidental connection of the incorrect lines/equipment.
When designing single-use assemblies using a gendered connector approach, care must be taken to ensure that the correct male / female side is designed into each part; this in itself can also create some areas for error to creep in.
Genderless aseptic connectorShould the end-user not have any concerns over an accidental connection to the incorrect lines/equipment, or simply want to remove the error of male/female connector type which can creep in during design, there is the genderless aseptic connector, such as CPC AseptiQuik® genderless. These connectors take out the requirement for designing in the correct male/female orientation and can enable universal assemblies to be manufactured and connected with many other assembly/equipment types.
Both gendered aseptic connectors and genderless aseptic connectors operate via a mechanism that enables connection in non-sterile environments to be made possible. This is because of the use of proprietary seals which mate together before a protective seal is removed, thus keeping the process stream in its aseptic/sterile condition.
Connecting stainless steel and single-use
Should sterile connections between traditional stainless steel biopharmaceutical processing equipment and single-use assemblies be required, there is another option:
Steam-to connectorsSteam to connectors, such as CPC Steam-Thru®, work by allowing steam to pass through the section connected to the stainless steel equipment. Once steamed and connected, a valve within the connector is manipulated, creating a sterile or aseptic flow path.
Conclusion
It is apparent that there are many connections capable of creating or maintaining an aseptic/sterile environment, but without the correct process condition assessment, operator care or design considerations, biopharmaceutical manufacturers could be looking at a costly connection failure.
Download our white paper to find solutions to more single-use challenges: Single-Use Technology: The Next 5 Challenges to Conquer
This post was contributed by Graeme Proctor, product manager (single-use technologies), 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. Visit www.parker.com/bioscience to find out more.
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Today, cement manufacturing plants have to contend with a double-edged sword: How do they reduce production costs and still meet environmental regulations? How do they accomplish their goals and directives while maintaining their equipment in a manner that prevents unscheduled downtime and hazardous conditions? Reducing the cost of fuel is a common strategy employed within the industry; in turn, this has led to an increase in the substitution of coal with petcoke.
One area that has been impacted by the use of petcoke is the coal mill dust collector. Coal mill dust collectors have a substantial effect on productivity, yet have received relatively little attention as companies implement cost-saving programs, like the use of petcoke as a fuel reduction measure. Petcoke is typically ground finer than coal, and it has a particularly sticky nature that makes it more difficult to clean from filter bags. Its high sulfur content increases the likelihood of corrosion. All of these things bring into question whether the dust collector in use is properly designed for the conditions and if the operation and maintenance plan is effective in preventing system upsets and safety concerns.
Here, we'll discuss effective design, operation and maintenance tips for this critical component of the coal grinding circuit and what you can do to evaluate the readiness of your coal mill dust collector.
How to keep your dust collector operating at peak performance
Dust collector operators must take into consideration these items as they evaluate their current equipment design:
An air-to-cloth ratio that does not exceed 3.5 ACFM per 1 square foot is recommended to prevent short filter life, high differential pressure, higher emissions and operating costs.
An undersized system can cause an excessive buildup of combustible material on the filter bags. The use of single diaphragm pulse valves or valves that are smaller than 1.5 inches often requires an upgrade.
Defined as the upward velocity of dust-laden gases between filter bags, excessive can velocity can result in higher pressure drop and excessive dust accumulation. For a coal mill dust collector, velocity should not exceed 240 fpm or 1.22 m/s.
Filter bag selection
Polyester, acrylic and aramid filter bag fabric materials require a dust cake for fine particle filtration. This can lead to an increased risk of combustion. Opting for an ePTFE membrane material, like the BHA Preveil filter from Parker Hannifin does not require a dust cake, reducing the combustion risk.
BHA Preveil filters are made from PTFE resin, a substance with inherent non-stick properties that can be used to help your dust collector operate at maximum efficiency by providing:
Proper inlet design distributes gas flow evenly and eliminates abrasion issues, which cause holes in the bags and increased emissions.
A steel, air-tight housing and hopper, free of shelves or other particle accumulation areas, equipped with level and temperature measurement devices is recommended to prevent hazardous conditions. To avoid buildup of combustible materials, hopper walls should be designed with a minimum angle of 70 degrees from horizontal.
A lack of insulation can result in moisture and accumulation of combustible dust. When petcoke is used this can also result in the increased formation of sulfuric acid and eventual corrosion of the dust collector.
It is essential that material handling equipment can withstand surges. A good practice is to size the equipment to the capacity of conveying equipment, even if the actual requirement is substantially less. Equipment should be equipped with motion sensors.
Operation and maintenance
With a properly designed dust collector, good operational practices can result in a reduction of downtime, emissions and hazardous conditions. The following practices are recommended:
Contributed by the Filtration Team.
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In the biopharmaceutical industry, extractables and leachables have come under the spotlight as stainless steel manufacturing systems have given way to single-use assemblies in manufacturing operations.
Yet, there is some confusion as to what the terms 'extractables' and 'leachables' actually mean. They are often talked about interchangeably, but there are actually distinct differences between the two.
Extractables studies are an assessment performed on a material. They are performed to identify substances that a patient may be exposed to and are typically conducted using 'worst-case' conditions.
Leachables studies are an assessment performed on the drug product to identify substances that patients are potentially exposed to and are typically conducted using 'true process' conditions.
Learn about different approaches to extractables and leachables testing in our white paper: Demystifying Extractables Testing
So why are extractables and leachables so important?Due to the nature of plastics and the potential release agents and plasticizers used in their manufacturing processes, there is potential for some of these to be released into the biopharmaceutical process stream.
In a single-use assembly, numerous components have the potential to contribute to extractables and leachables. These include tubing, connectors, bags, bottles and filters. Therefore, the whole assembly should be assessed collectively.
Every plastic will have some degree of compound leaching or release, but each compound may not be given equal importance with regard to what is allowed or is applicable to the process stream.
As there is no 'one size fits all' with regard to what is and isn't allowed for many compounds, end-users need to assess the risk based on a number of factors.
Risks and assessment can be categorised into:
Vendors usually take on the responsibility of performing extractables studies, while end-users taken the leachables part - as these studies should be conducted using 'true process' conditions. However, there remains some confusion over what a vendor should provide.
In our Demystifying Extractables Testing webinar, we asked participants what their expectation was of a single-use vendor's role in extractables and leachables studies.
While more than 70 percent of respondents believed that the vendor could only offer extractables data, more than 20 percent responded that both extractables and leachables data should be supplied by the vendor. However, leachables data needs to come from a true process stream that only the end-user would have access to.
The vendor would take the following steps:
The vendor would then either perform their own extractables study, or obtain the extractable data set from their supply chain in order to identify 'worst-case' released compounds under extreme conditions.
The outcome from the vendor's point of view would be to:
The customer would take the following steps:
Selection of component parts - customers may have experienced negative effects on their own processes with specific components used within singe-use assemblies. This may inform their choices
The process would then be mapped out to ensure that all components are compatible for their intended use. The next step would be to take the 'worst-case' extractables data from the vendor and risk assess this based upon knowledge of their process.
This helps the customer understand how componentry will behave, but to satisfy regulatory bodies, further 'leachable' studies may need to be performed using the actual process stream intended for use with the assembly. There is generally more process risk from extractables and leachables as the process progresses. Released compounds early in the process may be removed through processing steps, but as the process reaches its final formulation, the risk attached to any released compounds present exponentially increases.
The outcome of this data generation from the customer's point of view would again be to:
It is vital that there is clarity across the biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry on the importance of extractables and leachables studies and who should carry out the studies. And, while both vendors and customers may have different reasons for carrying out testing, the end goal for both parties is the same.
Learn more about extractables and leachables testing in our white paper: Demystifying Extractables Testing
What approach does your company take to extractables and leachables testing? Let us know in the comments below.
This post was contributed by Graeme Proctor, product manager (single-use technologies), 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. Visit www.parker.com/bioscience to find out more.
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Has Single-use Customization Gone too Far?
Battlegrounds Coffee is a small, community-oriented coffee shop in Haverhill, MA. The owners were challenged to find a more efficient and consistent way to deliver Nitro Coffee to their customers.
Nitro coffee is the new smooth brew
According to Battlegrounds Coffee, Nitro coffee is the new trend.
It has a soft smooth mouthfeel. It’s like sipping on a Guinness. It gives the sensation that you’ve added cream to it but you haven’t. It looks fantastic poured and cascading in a glass. Nitrogen gas enhances some of the complex coffee flavors that you find in our blends and roasts at Battlegrounds Coffee. Prior to using the generator, we were using pre-charged food-grade nitrogen tanks.
"Tanks were the most difficult aspect of making and maintaining nitro coffee. The pressure gauges on the regulator were faulty indicating you had more nitrogen that was really left. As owners, we would get calls in the middle of the day saying 'Hey, we are out of nitrogen!'
For us, it was a hassle getting those tanks refilled. We had to drive to the local welding shop. We change out the tank 3-4 times per week so you had to assure that was done right and that there were no leaks. It wasn’t an efficient system and was becoming a hassle. The supplier was charging more than $50 per tank for food-grade nitrogen so my payback was very quick."
— Sal DiFranco, Battlegrounds Coffee
Nitrogen Generators with on-board compressors for low flow applications provide safety, savings, and convenience.
Parker nitrogen generators completely eradicate the danger, inconvenience, and high costs of truck delivered nitrogen. The hassles of changing high-pressure tanks and the routine interruption of nitrogen supply are eliminated. They offer long-term cost stability by eliminating vendor price increases, contract negotiations, long term commitments, transportation issues and hazmat charges.
Once installed, a continuous supply of high purity nitrogen is available within a few minutes of startup. Nitrogen, unlike CO2, imparts a small bubble that creates an attractive cascade down the side of a glass. More importantly, the small size of the nitrogen bubble creates a smooth, creamy finish on your palate. Consumers report that it is even sweeter than conventional iced coffee.
Watch the video interview with Battlegrounds:
Meeting the needs of retail coffee establishments
Building on Parker’s history of over 35 years of producing Nitrogen Generators for beverage dispense, we are pleased to offer a nitrogen gas generator specifically designed to meet the needs of retail coffee establishments. Parker Nitrogen Generators eliminate the danger, inconvenience and high costs of truck delivered nitrogen. There is no need to rely on an outside supplier. The hassles of changing high-pressure tanks and the routine interruption of nitrogen supply is completely eliminated.
Parker Nitrogen Generators are also good for the environment because delivered nitrogen is manufactured using an energy-intensive process and then distributed in smog generating trucks. Parker generators offer long term cost stability by eliminated vendor price increases, contract negotiations, long term commitments, tank rental fees, delivery fees and hazmat charges. Once the generator is installed, a continuous supply of high purity nitrogen is available within a few minutes of startup.
Cold brewed coffee may be enhanced with nitrogenation. Nitrogen becomes infused into the coffee, much like a nitro beer. Nitrogen, unlike CO2, imparts a small bubble that creates an attractive cascade down the side of a glass. More importantly, the small size of the nitrogen bubble creates a smooth, creamy finish in your mouth. Consumers even report that it is sweeter than conventional iced coffee. Imagine the reaction of your customers to a creamy slightly sweet coffee without the need for added cream or sugar! Parker nitrogen generators are ready to operate as delivered with carefully matched components engineered for easy installation, operation and long term reliability. The generators are free-standing and housed in an attractive cabinet with casters.
Operation
The Parker DN-6NA Nitrogen Generator is designed to provide a constant supply of nitrogen gas, at a pre-selected purity, flow, and pressure. The system uses proven Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology with a Carbon Molecular Sieve (CMS) to separate N2 from the atmosphere and deliver it at high purity. The installation consists of simply connecting the plug to a standard outlet and connecting the nitrogen outlet to your coffee dispenser.
The onboard compressor means that there is no need to connect to a source of compressed air. Simply turn it on, and the air is then prefiltered, compressed, and passed through a 0.01 micron filter rated at 99.99%. The air is then passed through the CMS separation bed which captures the oxygen, creating a stream of high purity nitrogen. Lastly, the stream of nitrogen is passed through a sterile grade filter rated at 99.99999+% at 0.01 micron and then sent to the coffee dispenser. The CMS bed is regenerated to remove the captured oxygen and the cycle repeats.
Nitrogen generator package includes
Nitrogen generator, filters, controls, and an on-board compressor
"The Parker DN-6 provides nitrogen without any interruption. It’s always ready. Saved us at least four man-hours per week. It is awesome! We use nitrogen to push Kombucha too. Plug and play. It’s always working and saves us a lot of time. We also pour wine and we keep the wine bottle purged with nitrogen to keep it fresh. We are also looking at using it to pour our beer too.”
— Sal DiFranco, Battlegrounds Coffee
"We were always fighting with the tanks to work properly to pour the perfect pour for a nitro cold brew. Since we’ve had the nitrogen generator it has been easy breezy. With a generator, you don’t have to worry about it. You set and forget. We never have to tell customers 'Sorry we aren’t pouring today.' The pour looks great, tastes even better.”
— Dana, Battlegrounds Coffee
To learn more about self-contained nitrogen generators for nitro iced coffee, download a copy of the case study and call Parker today at 1-800-343-4048.
Article contributed by the Gas Generation Team.
Additional articles on this topic:
Nitrogen Gas Generators Save Winemakers Time and Money
Consumers and Roasters Benefit from Coffee Packaging with Nitrogen
Dust collectors are important tools in any industrial manufacturing operation. They provide a cleaner environment for employees, eliminate air quality concerns, and meet environmental compliance directives. Downward flow cartridge dust collectors are commonly used in processes to remove pollutants in grinding, sanding, thermal spraying and making graphite, ink dyes, silica talc and toner. Choosing an optimally designed downward flow dust collector is key to controlling the air quality in your plant. To ensure your dust collector performs to its full potential, using the most advanced, and efficient filtration technology is critical. This winning combination will maximize overall system performance and efficiency resulting in major energy savings and reduced operating costs. Let's take a look at factors to consider when selecting a downward flow dust collector and the best type of filtration to go along with it.
There are two important factors to consider when choosing a downward flow dust collector:
Quality of the filter media
When it comes to dust collector filtration technology, there are basically two types of cartridge dust collection filters available:
Substrate material and surface coating
Traditional commodity filters are straight cellulose with one homogenous layer of cellulose fiber. Blended cellulose filters typically consist of 80 percent cellulose and 20 percent synthetic fiber. Commodity filters sometimes come with a melt-blown surface layer added to improve efficiency at capturing submicron particles.
The surface of any filter cartridge media contains holes or open space. Media with smaller holes will be more efficient at capturing fine particles. Using a material with the smallest fibers possible offers the highest efficiency rating.
The most technologically advanced type of filters available are nanofiber filters. This type of filter media uses fibers as small as 1/1,000 of a micron. To put this in perspective, there are over 25,4000 microns in an inch! That means that a nanofiber filter can capture submicron-sized particles.
Efficiency and MERV rating
To assess a filter's efficiency, the most accurate measurement available is the MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) system. The higher the MERV rating, the better the filter's efficiency at removing submicron dust particles from the air and reducing emissions. MERV ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 20, and classified into three particle size ranges:
Standard commodity filters typically achieve a MERV rating of 10, meaning that they are only able to capture particles 1.0 micron and larger in size. In fact, they are not even efficient enough to be rated in range 1 because they cannot capture dust that is in the .30 to 1.0 micron size range. In other words, submicron dust passes right through commodity filters and back into the workspace and your employees’ breathing zones!
Nanofiber filters, on the other hand, achieve a MERV 15 — the highest of any standard cartridge filter. This means that nanofiber filters are 85 - 95% efficient at capturing particles 0.30 to 1.0 micron in range 1 and more than 90% efficient at capturing particles 1.0 micron-sized and larger in ranges 2 and 3.
Low pressure drop
Nanofiber filters offer the highest possible efficiency and effectively prevent particulate from building up within the filter’s substrate and restricting airflow. Because of this, pressure doesn't build up as fast as it will in a lower efficiency commodity filter. A low pressure drop means the dust collection system needs less energy to run and can use a less expensive blower.
Reduced emissions
An unavoidable by-product of the filter cleaning process is that a small percentage of the collected dust is released back into the atmosphere. Because nanofiber filters require less frequent pulse cleaning, total outlet emissions are reduced.
Commodity filters typically emit up to 35 times more dust back into the atmosphere than nanofiber filters.
Performance of the cleaning mechanism
To dislodge dust from the filters into a collection bin, most downward flow dust collectors use pulse-jet cleaning technology — a process where the system’s cartridges are cleaned by a blast of compressed air, causing dust to pulse off into a drawer or hopper for disposal.
Pulse-jet cleaning systems used in downward flow cartridge dust collectors are similar, but they differ in several ways that can significantly affect cleaning efficiency, ease of use and filter life. It’s important to carefully consider the performance of the cleaning system when evaluating a downward flow cartridge dust collector. Here’s what to know:
Nozzle and venturi designThese key components determine the cleaning achieved with each blast of compressed air. Systems with a poorly designed nozzle and venturi cannot pulse the air with enough velocity.
Choosing a system that is optimized for the spacing of the air nozzle, as well as precisely calculated geometry of the venturi ensures that the air is pulsed with enough power to completely clean the entire length of the filter.
Some systems use an internal yoke support which can actually act as an obstruction that blocks the pulse cleaning jet — creating turbulence and less cleaning power. A system with filters that rest on rails is a better choice because there are no internal blocks at any point along the cartridge filter – resulting in up to 25 percent more cleaning power.
Selecting a downward flow dust collector that combines an optimized cleaning system and uses the advanced surface-loading capabilities of a nanofiber filter directly results in less pulse cleaning cycles (less compressed air use) and longer filter life. A commodity filter may pulse as much as 17 times more than an advanced nanofiber filter, resulting in considerable compressed air costs. Likewise, using nanofiber technology can double the filter life and cut replacement filter costs by 50 percent!
The design of the dust collector’s cabinet directly affects airflow and cleaning efficiency. Choosing a design that evenly distributes air throughout the cabinet is optimal.
The cabinet should be coated entirely with an electro-statically applied, powder-coated finish to prevent fading and chalking. And, it should be manufactured with 10 gauge steel and meet Seismic Zone 4 and 100 mph wind load ratings to ensure performance in harsh outdoor conditions.
Some systems use angled filters which can cause dust to accumulate against the inside of the door and on the top of the filter. When the door is opened, dust can fall on the maintenance worker. Ensure the design features a simple, replacement process, such as a push to seal closure that eliminates the need to turn knobs and hook latches.
Selecting a system that offers a modular design is ideal when you need to increase capacity.
It’s always a good idea to choose a system from a well-known manufacturer that offers premier customer support to ensure your equipment meets all environmental requirements and operates effectively well into the future.
One such system that meets all of the above requirements is Parker’s DustHog SFC Downward flow dust collector. The SFC effectively removes dust, fumes and smoke from industrial manufacturing processes and applications. It comes standard with the industry-leading ProTura® Nanofiber cartridge filters for more efficient and effective collection of dust emissions and capture of submicron airborne pollutant particles. The patented pulse cleaning technology provides optimized cleaning power to most effectively pulse off dust from the filter resulting in increased pulse cleaning energy, lower pressure drop, longer cartridge filter life and energy savings.
Watch this video to learn more about the Parker DustHog SFC Cartridge Dust Collector System:
Conclusion
A cartridge dust collector is an important investment that impacts the performance of the equipment in your operation and the health of your employees. To realize the greatest return on your investment and provide the safest work environment possible, your best option is to choose a surface-loading nanofiber filter and dust collection system that also offers an optimized cleaning system to gain the maximum benefits of the filter’s capabilities.
This article was contributed by the Filtration Team.
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A condition monitoring system is concerned with the early detection of failure. Vibration monitoring systems, whether they use traditional techniques based on displacement or acoustic emission sensor techniques, form part of your condition monitoring (CM) tool chest.
Machinery vibration analysis equipment is part of a machine monitoring system that aims to provide months of warning of developing issues before they become bigger problems. This can save your company from serious disruption by avoiding unnecessary downtime and delays. There is also the potential for both on and offline implementation of these systems, subject to capability and level of available technology for the techniques, which makes them perfect for the food and beverage, power generation, marine and offshore industries.
Vibration monitoring equipment uses techniques based on the use of accelerometers, which are well known in the field of CM, and can be classified into three main categories:
VM Vibration Monitoring (ISO 10816): Perfect for maintenance engineers, vibration monitoring ISO 10816 offers an instinctive understanding that a machine is vibrating unusually from the non-rotating parts. Great for small machines, electric motors and pumps and production motors.
VA Vibration Analysis (ISO 13373): A mainstream CM option and essential addition to any other technique used, vibration analysis offers a more sophisticated improvement in signal to noise ratio for repetitive defect signals. This highlights what is internally causing the vibration.
AE Acoustic Emissions (ISO 22096): This technique looks for high-frequency signals from cracks or impact rather than a repetitive movement from vibration. As a passive technique, acoustic emissions can diagnose incipient machinery prior to undertaking a lengthy diagnosis. Highly effective in detecting the very early onset of machinery fault conditions where needed most.
There are many approaches which fall under the umbrella term condition monitoring, each with its own features and areas of excellence. These include machinery vibration monitoring and analysis, and also acoustic emission analysis systems.
Techniques in BLUE = Technologies available from Parker Kittiwake
Parker Kittiwake focuses on techniques such as an acoustic emission system that provides for the greatest protection or longest period of warning for potential damage and eventual failure. While machine vibration monitoring systems can help prevent the worst cases of damage.
The use of two (or more) appropriate technologies can provide a more complete picture of the likely failure mechanism, thus offering you reduced machinery downtime and more efficient recovery. The table below identifies the variations of expertise that different condition monitoring options cover.
CM machinery techniques that are available from Parker Kittiwake:
Article contributed by the Hydraulic Filtration Team, Parker Kittiwake, part of Parker's Hydraulic and Industrial Process Filtration Division.
Additional resources
Bunker Quality: Why Changes to ISO 8217 Increase the Need for Condition Monitoring
What You Need to Know About Testing Your Hydraulic System for Particle Contamination
Reduce Failure of Hydraulic Systems with Preventive Maintenance
Reliability Centered Maintenance Reduces Costly Downtime in Oil & Gas Applications
A common goal shared by virtually all industrial manufacturing businesses is to assure safe and clean air quality throughout their production facilities. Using an inadequate air filtration system can result in unplanned interruptions in production and unsafe working conditions — which work directly against a company’s financial performance and brand image.
As an alternative to installing an expensive new baghouse, many companies are opting to use their existing infrastructure and upgrade their baghouse filter technology, with positive results. This strategy allows companies to reduce costs, lower routine maintenance and minimize unexpected production interruptions — without making a substantial capital investment.
Key goals in baghouse design and operation
Baghouse operators aim to meet the following goals while maintaining a constant inlet air load:
One solution that is rapidly gaining in popularity is the transition from traditional filter bags used in baghouses to BHA® PulsePleat® filter elements. This state-of-the-art technology is being installed at manufacturing facilities across the globe and in a wide range of industries — with impressive results.
Featuring an increased surface area with a reduced footprint compared to traditional filter bags, the material and construction used in BHA® PulsePleat® elements offer the following benefits:
Production increases over several years had led to higher grain loading to the baghouse and to extremely high air-to-cloth ratios (10:1) in a tabulation and pill coating application at a pharmaceutical company.
Filter bags had to be replaced every 4-6 weeks due to the high differential pressure, and excessive blinding of polyester felt media. The frequent bag changes required constant maintenance and unscheduled production downtime.
The solutionPlant management was concerned that a new baghouse would be required. They contacted Parker Hannifin's environmental services team for advice. After reviewing the application, Parker's team recommended a retrofit of the existing dust collector with BHA® PulsePleat® filter elements.
ResultsImprovement was noticed immediately after installation, with the following results:
Parker Hannifin, a leader in filtration markets worldwide, offers the technical knowledge and product portfolio required to implement comprehensive measures to achieve productivity, efficiency and financial goals without capital investment. Parker engineers assist companies in identifying the areas of opportunity in their current air filtration infrastructure and make specific proposals to help the customer achieve their goals.
Can BHA PulsePleat Filter elements help you? To learn more about BHA® dust collection products, watch this video:
This article was contributed by the Filtration Team.
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Whether you choose distillates, liquefied natural gas (LNG) or scrubbers to meet the new International Maritime Organization (IMO) fuel regulations in 2020, it will be even more critical to regularly monitor the condition of vital equipment to ensure there is no adverse effect on operational efficiency.
Understanding the physical characteristics of fuel, hydraulic and lubricating oil, coupled with an awareness of sampling and testing systems and processes, the significance of test results will become vital for engineers and operators. With the industry disjointed on how best to achieve compliance, it’s difficult to predict what the multi-fuel market of the future will look like. Indeed, it is likely to comprise a whole range of options, chosen to suit a host of factors including vessel type, size, and operating pattern – all of which will be influenced by fuel price.
The Parker Kittiwake Cat Fines Test Kit provides early forewarning of these destructive particles and gives a vessel’s crew maximum opportunity to take corrective steps. The Cat Fines Test has been designed to flag up HFO samples that may be contaminated with dangerous levels of cat fines before the fuel has even been pumped aboard. This simple, wet chemistry, on-board test identifies the presence of abrasive silicon and aluminium fines in HFO. The test is simple to perform, cost-effective and can be completed within a few minutes. Experimental results demonstrate that the new test is capable of identifying those fuel samples that have a cat fine concentration of > 60 ppm (Al + Si), and which therefore exceed the limit recommended by ISO 8217:2012. In fact, the test has been specifically designed to provide the crew with a clear sail or don’t sail indication with regards to fuel quality.
Cat fines will damage fuel injection equipment. The fines are particles of spent aluminium and silicon catalyst that arise from the catalytic cracking process in the refinery. The fines are in a form of complex alumino-silicates and, depending on the catalyst used, vary both in size and hardness. If not reduced by suitable treatment, the abrasive nature of these fines will damage the engine, particularly fuel pumps, injectors, piston rings and liners.
Catalyst Fines (Al & Si)
If stored for long periods of time, catalyst fines may settle out of the fuel and build up as sediment in storage tanks. If the tanks are not drained regularly, this sludge can be disturbed in heavy weather and enter the fuel system.
The figure shows the distribution of combined aluminium and silicon in residual fuel worldwide. It may be seen that over 90% of the samples have a combined aluminium value less than 40 mg/kg. ISO 8127:2010 contains a limit for aluminium and silicon combined of 60mg/kg for residual fuel categories RMG and RMK. There are lower limits for lower viscosity fuels.
Reduction of catalyst fines to an acceptable level for inlet to the engine takes place in the settling tank and the centrifuge. The extent of this reduction depends on the water content of the fuel, as catalyst fines are “hydrophilic”, in that they attract water and become contained in a water shell. Inclusion in the fuel of significant volumes of used lube oil may also limit the effective removal of fines.
The rate of settling is determined by Stokes’ Law, which takes account of the particle size, difference in density of the catalyst fine and the fuel, and the viscosity of the fuel. Various values are quoted for the density of catalyst fines, but in reality, they may be likened to honeycombed structures, which retard the rate of separation. This is further hindered by the outer shell of water by virtue of the close proximity of the density of water to that of the fuel.
The extent of the removal also depends on the height of the tank (fixed) and the size of the particles (variable). As far as the centrifuge is concerned, the critical factor is the relationship between the actual viscosity of the fuel and that for which the centrifuge was sized. If there is a difference in viscosity, the residence time of the fuel in the centrifuge will be greater than the design value; hence directionally the centrifuge should be able to remove fines of a smaller size. Whilst this approach is theoretically correct, the operational result is totally dependent on the size distribution of the fines. With the introduction of modern centrifuges without gravity discs, the recommendation is now to operate all available in parallel, which enables the flow through each to be reduced to the minimum practical level. The fuel is afforded the longest residence time in the centrifuges and the highest separation efficiency can be achieved. Combined output should be equal to the consumption. The temptation of using a higher rate so the daily service tank overflows back to the settling tank and is re-circulated should be avoided.
Article contributed by the Hydraulic Filtration Team, Parker Kittiwake, part of Parker's Hydraulic and Industrial Process Filtration Division.
Bunker Quality: Why Changes to ISO 8217 Increase the Need for Condition Monitoring
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From food processing to coal handling to cement manufacturing, silos are used for bulk material storage in many industries.
Proper ventilation is critical to the preservation of the materials stored in silos. Bin vent dust collectors are often installed to filter and vent dust and debris that forms in the storage container.
Common goals for any manufacturing facility are to minimize unplanned equipment downtime and maintenance, maximize efficiency and lower operating costs. Lost production time and increased maintenance expenses work directly against the financial and production expectations of the business.
This was the case at one processing plant where multiple bin vent dust collectors were installed to vent silos. Operators were challenged with:
The plant turned to the filtration expertise of Parker Hannifin. Parker assessed the situation and recommended installing BHA® PulsePleat® Filter Elements as a versatile and cost-effective solution.
Standard benefits of BHA® PulsePleat® filter elements
The plant’s engineering and maintenance teams acted on Parker’s recommendation and installed BHA® PulsePleat® filters and realized the following results:
BHA® PulsePleat® filters helped the customer save nearly $16,000 in the first three years. They are now seeing a regular cost savings of over $3,000 every six months.
This post was contributed by the Parker Industrial Gas Filtration and Generation Division.
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For complete recommendations on maintaining and operating coal mill dust collectors and how to reduce unscheduled maintenance, downtime and emissions, download the full article
For complete recommendations on maintaining and operating coal mill dust collectors and how to reduce unscheduled maintenance, downtime and emissions, download the full article
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