Shell and Tube Heat Exchangers

View of the inside of a shell and tube heat exchanger shows
the tubes through which one of the transfer fluids passes.

Automobiles are part of the backbone of modern society, for both personal and commercial use. While being familiar everyday objects, they also contain systems which need to be constantly maintained and in-sequence to ensure the safety of both the machine and the driver. One of the most essential elements of car ownership is the understanding of how heat and temperature can impact a car’s operation. Likewise, regulating temperature in industrial operations, which is akin to controlling heat, is a key process control variable relating to both process operation and operator safety. Since temperature is a fundamental aspect of both industrial and consumer life, heat management must be accurate, consistent, and predictable. Many devices have been developed for the transfer of heat from one substance to another, with myriad applications throughout modern society.

A common design of heat exchangers used in the oil refining and chemical processing industries is the shell and tube heat exchanger. A pressure vessel, the shell, contains a bundle of tubes. One fluid flows within the tubes while another floods the shell and contacts the outer tube surface. Heat energy conducts through the tube wall from the warmer to the cooler substance, completing the transfer of heat between the two distinct substances. These fluids can either be liquids or gases. If a large heat transfer area is utilized, consisting of greater tube surface area, many tubes or circuits of tubes can be used concurrently in order to maximize the transfer of heat. There are many considerations to take into account in regards to the design of shell and tube heat exchangers, such as tube diameter, circuiting of the tubes, tube wall thickness, shell and tube operating pressure requirements, and more. In parallel fashion to a process control system, every decision made in reference to designing and practically applying the correct heat exchanger depends on the factors present in both the materials being regulated and the industrial purpose for which the exchanger is going to be used.

Schematic of shell and tube heat exchanger

The industrial and commercial applications of shell and tube heat exchangers are vast, ranging from small to very large capacities. They can serve as condensers, evaporators, heaters, or coolers. You will find them throughout almost every industry, and as a part of many large HVAC systems. Shell and tube heat exchangers, specifically, find applicability in many sub-industries related to food and beverage: brewery processes, juice, sauce, soup, syrup, oils, sugar, and others. Pure steam for WFI production is an application where special materials, like stainless steel, are employed for shell and tube units that transfer heat while maintaining isolation and purity of a highly controlled process fluid.

Shell and tube heat exchangers are rugged, efficient, and require little attention other than periodic inspection. Proper unit specification, selection, and installation contribute to longevity and solid performance.

Analynk Wireless manufactures wireless connectivity solutions for industrial applications and process control. Making cable free connections among process control equipment and instruments, across the room, across the property, across the globe.

Pyrometers

Pyrometers permit temperature measurement without contact

Non-contact measurement technology allows process operators and technicians to evaluate the temperature of process materials, machinery, or piping by measuring their electromagnetic radiation. Through inferential calculation and one or more radiation measurements, specialized instruments can determine temperature without contacting the subject material or surface. While the concept of non-contact measurement technology has existed for many years, more recent advancements in non-contact temperature sensing and the evolution of the pyrometer have allowed temperature measurement at a distance to become popular throughout industrial process operations.

Pyrometers can commonly concentrate light from an object onto a temperature sensing element. The sensed elevation in temperature is proportional to the infrared optical energy. Different instruments may have varying arrangements of concentrating lenses and sensors, but the operating principle is the same. The physical law behind the pyrometer’s operating principle operates on an exponential mathematical basis that is non-linear. This results in one of the limitations of the pyrometer. A single pyrometer can only, with high accuracy, deliver a comparatively narrow range of target temperature. If the need for accuracy is reduced, the applicable temperature range widens. Innovative manufacturers have developed instruments with technology and features overcoming many of the limitations imposed by the physics, delivering instruments with accuracy and applicable temperature range usable in a wide array of applications.

One of the advantages to using a non-contact pyrometer is that their calibration is independent of the distance between the sensor and the object being evaluated. This phenomenon is due to the fact pyrometers have a field of view and can be filled with the target object in a way independent of distance. While the radiation emanating from the target object may be decreasing, the field of view of the pyrometer is measuring a greater portion of the object which is proportional to the amount of radiation being lost, essentially canceling out the distance and allowing the pyrometer to provide useful output. An example of a practical application of a pyrometer in industry would be its use to check the temperature of a ventilation system in the HVAC field.

Share your temperature measurement requirements and challenges with process instrumentation specialists. Their product application expertise will combine with your own process knowledge and experience to produce an effective solution.

Analynk Wireless manufactures wireless connectivity solutions for industrial applications and process control. Making cable free connections among process control equipment and instruments, across the room, across the property, across the globe.

Hazardous Area Antennas Now Carry NEMA 4X Rating

The CTX and CTM antennas for industrial wireless
communications now carry a NEMA 4X rating

Analynk is well known in the industrial wireless communications field for its hazardous area antennas. Recently, certification was received as RoHS compliant. Analynk has now achieved a NEMA 4X rating for the CTM and CTX hazardous area explosion proof antennas, further expanding the range of applications and solidifying the product's reputation for high performance and ruggedness.

Data sheets for both the CTM and CTX series antennas are provided below, but sharing your industrial wireless communications challenges with the experts at Analynk Wireless is always the best path to an effective solution.

Industrial Wireless Communications - Hazardous Area Antennas from Analynk Wireless, LLC

Modern Protection From Lightning Damage to Electrical Equipment

Equipment damage from lightning is estimated to cause $5+ billion dollars of equipment damage in the USA annually; This in spite of grounding and various surge suppression systems. Existing protection is focused on presenting convenient conductive paths to coax the sky's energy away from, or around, facilities and equipment. However, existing technologies cannot protect from L-GPR (Lightning Ground Potential Rise) which is estimated to be responsible for >80% of all lightning damage. This literally is lightning surge “entering” you system through ground!

LightningShield™ manufactured by Alokin Industries employs a patented technology that PREDICTS an impending lightning event, then isolates equipment from the damaging L-GPR PRIOR to and during the lightning event. For full protection: Grounding, Surge Suppression and L-GPR protection are all required. The video below of the LightningShield™ demonstrates how the technology works.

This is why we say, LightningShield™ is

LIGHTNINGSHIELD™PROTECTION FROM THE GROUND UP™

Analynk is a distributor for LightningShield™, providing application support and system configuration for each customer's specific system needs. More details, including case studies, IEEE white papers are available by contacting Analynk Wireless.

Analynk Adds New Distributor in California

Analynk has added a new industrial distributor in California

Analynk Wireless manufactures a comprehensive line of wireless receivers, transmitters, and accessories that enable process operators to establish signal connections across the room, across the plant, and across the globe. The company recently added to their roster of authorized distributors to improve customer contact and support in California.

RealTech Controls, LLC is headquartered in Los Angeles and describes their company as follows:

RealTech Controls, LLC is a leading supplier of High Quality, Reliable Industrial Instrumentation and Control Equipment. 

Our products include: Wireless & Signal Conditioning Transmitters, Intrinsically Safe Devices, Water Treatment Analyzers / Controllers and Dosing Pumps, and Communication Converters.

We offer complimentary, professional advice and consultation, with over 20 years of Industry experience to specify and customize the correct product for your application.
Our industries of specialty are the Oil and Gas, Power, Water and Waste Water, Pharmaceutical, Food & Beverage, Cement and Process Automation.

Share your wireless connectivity challenges with industrial wireless experts. Combining your process knowledge with their expertise with produce effective solutions. Here, you can learn more about the Analynk product line.

Industrial Wireless as Mainstream Connection Method For Process Measurement

Establishing wireless connections for process control operations
is simple, effective, and inexpensive

Wireless connections to process instrumentation has evolved to a point where it is uncomplicated and inexpensive. Many facilities rely on wireless connections, either via a network (wifi) or point to point communications. The benefits of wireless are well known to those already among users of the technology.

• Safety: Wireless connections can reduce personnel exposure to hazardous environments or situations that previously required human intervention or a manual gauge or instrument reading.
• Easy Scale-up: Adding points on a network is generally a simple incremental process.
• Operational Advantage: When deployed to replace manual instrument or gauge readings, real time data for diagnostics and efficiency measurements are now available. Information that is more accurate, timely, and consistent will produce better results.
• Installation Savings: Installation of wireless connected assets has been reported to be up to 10 times less expensive than wired installation. The reduced space and planning for cables and conduit can make what were once complex and time consuming operations much quicker and easier.
• Mobility: Wireless technology allows for real time connections to mobile platforms. Whether within a plant, on the road, or on the high seas, there are wireless products that can make the connection.
• Distance: Don't just think WiFi, think radio, think satellite, think cellular. Connections can be established across very long distances using standard products from the industry.
• Conversion of Legacy Devices: Many existing in-place devices can have their wired connections replaced with a wireless version. This accommodates a staged transition from wired to wireless in facility.

The transmission is accomplished in either the 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz band, delivering adequate range and power for most facility-wide applications. Obstructions can be overcome with the use of a strategically located repeater. Properly planned and configured, there are few limits to the distance a wireless connection can span.

Point to point wireless connections between, for example, a temperature transmitter and a recorder are easy to create. Most process sensors have very small power requirements, as do the Analynk transmission units. Power, if line voltage is not available at the location, can be provided by batteries, or combination of battery and photovoltaic. The 4-20 mA signal from the temperature transmitter serves as the input signal to the wireless transmitter. The analog signal is converted to a digital value and encrypted prior to transmission. A receiver at the recorder decrypts the digital signal and converts it back to a 4-20 mA analog output that serves as the input signal to the recorder. Wireless transmitter and receiver must be set to the same channel, but otherwise, the equipment handles all the work. If you can find your way around a smart phone, you can make a wireless point to point process connection.

There are likely many applications going unfulfilled because the cost or feasibility of making a wired connection is holding the project back. Reconsider the project using industrial wireless technology and you may find that the project becomes an attractive prospect.

Analynk Wireless designs and manufactures wireless communication equipment and systems for use in commercial and industrial settings. Share your connectivity challenges with the experts at Analynk, combining your own process knowledge and experience with their wireless communications expertise to develop an effective solution.

Water Quality Analysis – Constituent Survey Part 3

Water quality is of great concern to electric power generating
operations, as well as other industrial operations

What we know as “water” can consist of many non-H2O components in addition to pure water. This three part series has touched on some of the constituents of water that are of interest to various industrial processors. The first installment reviewed dissolved oxygen and chloride. The second article covered sulfates, sodium, and ammonia. 

To conclude the three part series on water quality analysis in process control related industrial applications we examine silica, another element which in sufficient quantities can become a confounding variable in water for industrial use. In natural settings, silica, or silicon dioxide, is a plentiful compound. Its presence in water provides a basis for some corrosion-inhibiting products, as well as conditioners and detergents. Problems arise, however, when high concentrates of silica complicate industrial processes which are not designed to accommodate elevated levels. Specifically, silica is capable of disrupting processes related to boilers and turbines. In environments involving high temperature, elevated pressure, or both, silica can form crystalline deposits on machinery surfaces. This inhibits the operation of turbines and also interferes with heat transfer. These deposits can result in many complications, ranging through process disruption, decreased efficiency, and resources being expended for repairs.

The silica content in water used in potentially affected processes needs to be sufficiently low in order to maintain rated function and performance. Silica analyzers provide continuous measurement and monitoring of silica levels. The analyzers detect and allow mitigation of silica in the initial stages of raw material acquisition or introduction to prevent undue disruption of the process. Additionally, a technique called power steam quality monitoring allows for the aforementioned turbine-specific inhibition – related to silica conglomerates reducing efficacy and physical movement – to be curtailed without much issue. The feedwater filtration couples with a low maintenance requirement, resulting in reduced downtime of analytic sequences and a bit of increased peace of mind for the technical operator.

While silica and the other compounds mentioned in this series are naturally occurring, the support systems in place to expertly control the quality of water is the most basic requirement for harvesting one of the earth’s most precious resources for use. As a matter of fact, the identification and control of compounds in water – both entering the industrial process and exiting the industrial process – demonstrates key tenets of process control fundamentals: precision, accuracy, durability, and technological excellence paired with ingenuity to create the best outcome not just one time, but each time.

Analynk Wireless manufactures wireless connectivity solutions for industrial applications and process control. Making cable free connections among process control equipment and instruments, across the room, across the property, across the globe.