Advertorials

Fluke, the global leader in portable electronic test and measurement technology, is offering a series of free Thermography Seminars as part of its programme of seminars for 2015 in the UK and Ireland. Designed to look at the benefits of thermal imaging techniques to improve maintenance practices, the seminars are one element of the Fluke Academy programme which can be seen at http://www.flukeacademy.shuttlepod.org/UK-seminars

The seminars covering Thermography are designed to highlight how thermal imaging can be used to identify the presence of faults in equipment under normal working conditions, in new or existing installations. Each seminar will cover:

• The difference between a visual image and a thermal image
• What that difference means to be able to find latent electrical defects like bad connections
• An understanding of some limitations of thermal imaging
• An introduction to the common types of electrical defects in High, Medium and Low voltage  that can be detected with a thermal imager
• The benefits of thermal imaging for improving maintenance practices
• Tips and tricks on using a Fluke Thermal Imager to help detect electrical defects

Other seminars in the Fluke Academy programme cover power quality improvement; one designed to help facilities reduce their energy costs; troubleshooting motors and drives to minimise plant downtime; calibrating and troubleshooting process instrumentation; and electrical testing.

The web page also provides access to webinars and webcasts that provide online training to obtain the maximum benefit in the application of thermal imagers, power quality meters and portable oscilloscopes, as well as highlighting training courses with partner institutions.

Information about all Fluke products can be obtained via the Fluke web site at www.fluke.co.uk.

RS Hydro have the largest flow meter rental fleet in Europe.  Our range of clamp on flow meters can measure most liquids to provide velocity, energy, mass and volumetric data.  Our ultrasonic flow meters are non-invasive and can be installed within minutes. 

The PT878 ultrasonic flowmeter has become the industry benchmark for flow meter hire applications. It utilises an acoustic signal-coding method to measure almost any liquid even if it contains gas bubbles or entrained solids and can be used on pipe sizes from 13mm to 5000mm with an accuracy of ±1-2% of rate.  It is ideal for energy measurement with energy kits available to hire.

*Offer applies to new customers when hiring a PT878 for at least 4 weeks continuously. 

Contact Details

RS Hydro

01527 882060

www.rshydro.co.uk

Global flow control company Rotork has announced the acquisition of the Bifold Group Ltd. (Bifold), a leading manufacturer of pneumatic and hydraulic instrument valves and components.

From its origins in the 19^th century mining industry, Bifold has evolved into a leading manufacturer of instrument valves and accessories, piping valves and pumps for the oil, gas and wider industrial markets, with expertise in a number of niche sectors including subsea and wellhead control systems. It also has market leading technology in areas that include the development of solenoid valves with ultra-low power requirements.

Bifold has a strong market presence and excellent brand recognition. As part of Rotork, Bifold will sit within the Rotork Instruments division and will be able to offer a broader product portfolio to its customers.

Commenting on the acquisition, Peter France, Rotork Chief Executive, said:

“The acquisition of Bifold represents an exciting step forward in the continued development of Rotork Instruments. This strategic acquisition of a long held target of Rotork’s is directly in line with our core strategy of strengthening Rotork’s presence in the flow control sector and broadening our product portfolio.

Bifold is a highly complementary business to Rotork with a well-regarded management team that provides Rotork with an enlarged platform to further offer its products and services to the oil and gas sector and wider industrial markets. The combination of Bifold’s extensive product portfolio and leading technology with Rotork’s international sales network and geographic reach will significantly strengthen our presence across the global flow control market.”

www.rotork.com

Quantitech, the Milton Keynes based analytical instrumentation specialist, has reported a surge in demand for its rentable emissions analysers. The company’s Dominic Duggan says: “This is undoubtedly for two reasons; first and foremost, the two main analysers are MCERTS approved and secondly, they are both transportable and simple to carry from one site to the next.”

The two most popular instruments are a portable MCERTS approved FTIR multigas analyser; the Gasmet DX4000, and an MCERTS approved heated FID. The FTIR technology enables users to measure almost any compound and provides the facility to monitor up to 50 gases simultaneously.  The DX4000’s corrosion resistant sample cell is heated to 180°C, which ensures that the sample gas stays in the gaseous phase even with high concentrations of moisture and corrosive gases.

While the DX4000 FTIR is able to measure almost any gaseous compound, the MCERTS certificate relates to the monitoring of CO, NO, H2O, SO2, HCl, NH3, NO2, N2O, CO2, O2 and HF. This instrument is also capable of monitoring speciated organic compounds but an MCERTS approved FID is currently required for the measurement of total organic compounds (TOC).

“As portable MCERTS approved instruments, these analysers monitor emissions using the same technology as fixed instruments, so they are used by test houses to check the performance of online monitors and by process managers to provide semi-continuous monitoring for multiple stacks and process applications,” adds Dominic. “Some of our customers rent this equipment in order to try it out before buying, but others rent it for short-term applications, or to provide emergency cover.”

www.quantitech.co.uk

Process controls and instrumentation specialists Fine Controls (UK) Ltd have been given an online revamp with a new, responsive website.

The Wirral-based business has launched a brand new platform with E-commerce capability, with the help of Lancashire digital marketing agency , Bespoke | Web Specialists.

Fine Controls has been supplying the very latest Instrumentation and Control equipment across the UK and globally for over 20 years; and now the experts plan to make it easier than ever for customers to get the products they need with a new and improved website that has the ability to buy online, safely and securely.

Gareth Hall, Sales Director at Fine Controls, said: “Our commitment to customer service is something we’ve always worked hard to maintain, so when it came to rebuilding our website we knew we had to listen to what our customers wanted. The new website has been built with our clients in mind, ensuring it is easy to use, navigate and gives a great experience.”

The company has gone from strength to strength, working with renowned manufacturers like Fairchild, Burkert and Midland Pneumatics, to supply better response, reliable performance and the latest in technological developments.

The new modern website offers an improved search functionality to help customers search by part numbers, as well as a ‘Quick Express Checkout’ for the ability to order online. Clear delivery schedules are defined and credit accounts are available for registered customers to make the whole process fast and simple.

The latest version of secure online payment gateway SagePay has been integrated into the build, which offers the highest level of card data security.

Gareth Hall added: “You get the same high quality products and superb service you’ve always received from Fine Controls, with the added bonus of being able to quickly order online with just a few clicks, safe in the knowledge your money is in reputable hands.”

Bespoke products are still available on request and full logistical support is on offer from qualified engineers who are available to help with everything from technical product advice to placing orders.

Darren Wilson, Creative Director at www.bespokeinternet.com, said: “We were thrilled when Fine Controls asked us to re-build them a new website that was modern, clean and would secure the company’s positioning within the market. We’ve worked with the firm for over 11 years so as a long-standing client, it was important that we could help them take their online offering to the next level. The end product is industry-changing and without a doubt it will help Fine Controls to generate more leads and sales online.”

Take a look for yourself at www.finecontrols.co.uk or call the team today on +44 (0) 151 343 9966 .

BEKO TECHNOLOGIES have extended the METPOINT BDL graphic-display recorders series with a mobile variant for data logging in compressed-air and compressed-gas applications. The new METPOINT BDL portable will complete the stationary standard and compact versions of the successful measurement equipment series.

The METPOINT BDL portable data logger is designed for the measured value acquisition via a multitude of different transducers. With this, it is suitable for use as a hand-held device where measured values need to be recorded and logged by mobile devices – also beyond compressed-air applications. 

The different sensors are easily configurable and connectable and are automatically identified by the device, depending on the sensor type. The electronic detection system measures the connected input signals and acquires the information that is necessary for the respective application. The information is indicated and stored in the METPOINT BDL portable. The process can thus be archived in the long term or also transmitted to other systems.

All the measured values, measuring curves, and limit value exceedances are displayed on the touch screen. Screenshots can be generated and curve courses can be relocated and zoomed with a simple finger movement. With this user friendliness, the mobile METPOINT BDL portable is in no way inferior to the stationary variants.

Especially for the use as a mobile dew point measuring device in compressed-air systems, BEKO TECHNOLOGIES also offers the new mobile METPOINT BDL portable as a complete set with a pressure dew point transmitter, measuring chamber, and connecting cable. During the pressure dew point measurement, diverse sensors can be used for different compressed-air qualities.

www.beko-technologies.co.uk

Non contact radar level sensors increase reliability on river sluices for Canal & River Trust

On the River Weaver, the Dutton sluice site consists of eight large sluice gates lifted by ‘Rotork’ actuators. The sluices operate depending on the water level, this is a key measurement point and the level monitoring needs to be very accurate. – the navigation is closed to river traffic if the water level is too high.  At this site, the level of the River Weaver is now measured by four instruments: two ultrasonic sensors (for redundancy) are mounted in stilling tubes. These tubes are required to reduce ‘loss of echo’ issues from weather and surface conditions. However the tubes can require substantial engineering to install, and generally they need ongoing on site maintenance to prevent blockages, or repairs to keep measurement errors to a minimum. Even with this stilling tube installation, the SCADA Maintenance engineer commented, “In recent years we have experienced issues where either one or both of the ultrasonic sensors loses echo or “drifts” causing level sensor failure alarms to be sent out.”

As a result Canal & River Trust have installed two other devices alongside, VEGAPULS WL61 water radars, as test instruments. As they are unaffected by weather or surface conditions, these were simply mounted on a “unistrut” adjacent to the stilling tubes and CRT have compared the data from both sets of instruments over several months. There has been no “drift” with the WL61 water radars since installation. “Whilst we have seen occasions where the water level on one or both of the ultrasonic units rises, the radars have not.” Continues the engineer. “As far as I can see, the WL61 radars provide more reliable data than the ultrasonic devices. My concern with the ultrasonic sensors is that “drift” could create nuisance alarms and result in staff call outs.” There are also the ongoing maintenance requirements associated with the stilling tubes. “I do not have these concerns with the WL61s. In addition, I have confidence in the support from VEGA should an issue arise with any of the instruments at a later date.”

As the engineer summed up, “I am pleased with the quality and performance of the VEGAPULS WL61 level radars we will be installing these in place of the ultrasonic sensors at the other River Weaver sites and in other CRT sites as we replace older equipment.”

This yet another example of how on open water applications, radar is increasing reliability, accuracy and lowering TOTEX costs. For more information and other case studies, please contact VEGA: info.uk@vega.com or call sales on 01444870055

www.vega.com/uk

Moore Industries’ early experience with the EMPHASIS assessment tool in the United Kingdom has helped to refine the company’s approach to building products designed for functional safety and use in the global and UK nuclear industry. The company has been assessed against and used the EMPHASIS tool to achieve approval for four smart instruments with a fifth instrument currently in the approval process.

One of these products is the STA Safety Trip Alarm, which continues to gain adoption in usage in nuclear-licensed facilities in the United Kingdom. Having gone through an in-depth EMPHASIS assessment in 2012 by EDF Energy, the STA has received an integrity level of 10^-3 (Probability of Failure on Demand) or SIL 2 capability for safety related applications. This remains the highest level available for “smart” devices that contain and are operated by software or firmware.

Receiving this rigorous qualification from EDF Energy with the STA Safety Trip Alarm reaffirms Moore Industries’ continued commitment to designing and building high quality and highly reliable instrumentation solutions for the nuclear and other industries where safety is paramount.

Applications for legacy upgrades, plant improvements and “resilience” programs are continuing to find new opportunities for the STA. Other products in the Moore Industries FS Functional Safety Series including the SSX and SST family of signal isolators and the SRM Safety Relay Module are also being adopted in other industries for safety related applications.

Moore Industries worked with the Control and Instrumentation Nuclear Industries Forum (CINIF) in the UK on the conceptual development of the EMPHASIS assessment tool for smart instruments intended for use in nuclear safety-critical applications in the UK. Released in 2005, EMPHASIS provides a common framework for determining the suitability of devices in nuclear industries. Earlier designs for process control and safety systems used “good engineering practices and experience” as guidelines. As functional safety awareness grew and software-based products became more complex, standards such as IEC 61508 evolved to create more comprehensive guidelines for implementing safety.

Moore Industries’ compliance with IEC 61508 significantly contributes toward the EMPHASIS assessment for Production Excellence, one of two “legs” used to substantiate safety to the regulator. The second leg involves Independent Confidence Building Measures – measures and techniques such as Static Analysis or Statistical Testing on a product’s source code to prevent potential systemic failures and also taking into account the application demands of the device to be deployed.

The recently released “Vetting Smart Instruments for the Nuclear Industry” white paper details how Moore Industries has designed and configured key products for nuclear safety-critical applications – particularly in the United Kingdom. The paper briefly outlines the steps that Moore Industries took to ensure that these products were designed following strict adherence to the IEC 61508 standard and how using the EMPHASIS process allowed the company to improve design and configure new and existing products for safety in nuclear-related fields.

Detecting vibrations in machines, vehicles or buildings is an integral part of the structural analysis and fatigue test. The new measurement module A111 in the product family Q.series allows the signal acquisition of four IEPE sensors. All inputs are galvanically isolated and therefore very resistant to interference and robust. For much dynamic the four 100 kHz A / D converters provide bit with a resolution of the 24bit. Several measuring ranges and filter options to meet the requirements of vibration analysis.

The module A111 fits in the series of Q.series signal acquisition modules and is available for rail mounting, as a 19 “rack or in mobile housing.

www.gantner-instruments.com

It’s difficult to tell you quickly all what’s possible with the range of data loggers available from the Test Tools Shop. We actually need you to come up with the potential measurement problems and then our experts will find a suitable solution specifically for you. We offer simple single channel data loggers for the measurement of variables such as voltage, current and temperature right up to instruments capable of monitoring 100’s of variables. Just take a look at a few of the customer problems that we resolved starting off by going Underground!

You can check out our full range of data loggers here but remember we really want to hear from you, our engineers would love to help you solve your test & measurement problems!

Data Loggers

And here are a few of our existing customer who gave us a problem to solve!

Test Tools Shop going Underground with Tube Lines.

When Tube Lines needed to upgrade the battery systems on its underground Tube Stock (1973 Tube Stock) their initial priority was to monitor the existing and new battery systems to better understand how the battery’s actually performed under the daily load profile of an operational tube train on the Piccadilly Line.

Tube Lines needed to monitor the load characteristics placed on the battery system, this included charging at 50V DC via the motor alternators and then the effect of direct DC loads which could include; the lighting systems, heaters, traction equipment, door controls, braking systems and radio communications.

There was a requirement to record real time data in four locations within the tube train. Two temperature points including ambient temperature and battery compartment temperatures needed to be monitored, battery terminal voltages at 4 locations and both charging and discharge battery loads. Temperature monitoring was carried out via temperature transmitters with a DC voltage output, charging/discharge battery voltages could be monitored directly and the DC charge/discharge current was monitored via 16 specially designed Hall Effect current probes from our partner GMC-I Prosys. All of the measurement signals were then feed into and recorded by four Hioki 10 channel compact data loggers ‘Secretly Concealed’ in 4 locations on each tube train to be monitored!

Over a six week period Tube Lines were able to complete a battery load profile for the tube trains running on the Piccadilly line at different times, days and under different working conditions this base line development work will help Tube Lines monitor the performance of the new battery system over the long term.

Pressure Testing Pipeline systems supported by Microedge data loggers.

MACAW Engineering is a leading independent engineering consultancy, working with global operators of oil & gas production facilities, pipelines and utility systems to reduce risk, maintain integrity and extend the service life of their client’s assets.

MACAW’s engineering capabilities cover high pressure steel transmission pipelines, low pressure cast iron and polyethylene distribution networks. They offer hydrostatic & pneumatic pressure testing up to 1200 bar covering all parts of the associated pipelines, joints and assemblies. During the tests procedures they have to monitor both flow and pressure at several test points using a range of existing pressure and flow transducers.

MACAW engineers were looking for a simple compact industrial data logger to record their test results. They needed a multichannel data logger to monitor the DC voltage output from the flow and pressure transducer over a stipulated time frame and then via simple software they needed to programme different engineering units against the DC voltage input signal to facilitate the production of acceptable test reports for their clients.

GMC Instrumentation quickly reviewed MACAW’s requirements and found the ideal solution from the Microedge SITE-LOG range of industrial data loggers.

Monitoring Gas Turbines at 188MW Combined Heat & Power Plant.

The PX Group are a specialist support company, they play a key role in the management of strategic assets for many leading companies. In this application the PX Group are responsible for the operational and maintenance support for a large 188MW Combined Heat and Power Plant and they found a great application for the Hioki LR8431-20 Memory HiLOGGER the world’s most compact 10 Channel Data logger.

Engineers working on this CHP plant needed to record the results from frequency response testing carried out on the CHP gas turbines and capture the data showing how the generators would respond to support changes in the grid frequency above and below the required 50Hz. This is a key requirement of the National Grid’s Code of Compliance. The test was performed by injecting a ‘frequency deviation signal’ into the turbines governor system and recording the response. The signals that needed to be monitored were picked up from the governor’s control system and consisted of two 4 to 20mA signals and six 0 to 10V dc signals.

The initial brief from the PX group engineer was as follows

 “The logger must be able to record 0-10v dc signals and a 4-20mA signal, have sample rate of 100mS and importantly, be able to export the data in an Excel spreadsheet format.  A series of tests might go on for 10 hours”.

This requirement was easily meet with the Hioki LR8431-20 10 Channel Data logger. This compact portable instrument is easy to set up to record both 4 to 20mA and 0 to 10V DC signals and even with all 10 channels recording at a sample rate of 100ms continuous recording could be achieved for up to 65 days! The engineer was also able to download the recorded data in csv format and then produce an Excel spreadsheet just as he had requested.

The engineer’s final comments were;

 “The logger was excellent and did everything and more than expected.  It was easy to set up and connect into the system for measurement.  A great piece of equipment and a very reasonable price”.

Temperature Logging in an Explosion Risk Area

We received an interesting enquiry from Omni Instruments a specialist supplier of data logging solutions, they needed a data logger to monitor temperature measurements at up to 30 test points on an oil platform. Sounds simple but petrochemical plants of any type are potentially hazardous environment and thus test equipment is strictly controlled and assessed for suitability, many instrumentation products have to be supplied as either intrinsically safe or within explosion proof enclosures.

In this application Omni Instruments needed a unit that could be sealed within an explosion proof enclosure and then be accessible via a USB interface, from here with the aid of a special intrinsically safe USB drive they could transfer the data to a safe area for download. The USB interface on the Hioki LR8400-20 multi-channel logger solved this problem for them.

The next problem was how to turn the Hioki LR8400-20 multi-channel logger on and off while sealed within the explosion proof enclosure. This was achieved by using a standard stop/start feature on the unit that enables it to automatically recommence recording when power is re-connected after a power failure. The clever bit here is that each time the power is switched off and then back on the unit automatically recommences logging and a new recorded data file is started with a new and consecutive filename. This enabled Omni to simply control the recording sessions by controlling the power to the unit. As soon as the power is switched back on, the recording will recommence. Omni instruments also introduced a timer into the power control circuit to allow timed logging intervals to be set.

GMC Instrumentation solved a few technical problems for the Omni Instrument engineers but we also really appreciate all their effort and expertise in utilizing the Hioki LR8400-20 in such an interesting application. We now look forward to supporting Omni Instruments on future projects.

Lovely Little Loggers solve testing problems for Environmental Compliance

Environmental Compliance Ltd recently placed another order with us for the Hioki LR5031 Instrumentation Loggers. This prompted our Director Mark to ask the question; what are you using these lovely little loggers for?

Environmental Compliance confirmed, “We use these loggers to record the output from our FID’s” That’s great Mark thought, thanks! A quick chat around the office and we quickly realised that the problem was we didn’t have a clue what an FID was! OK Googles a wonderful little tool and a quick investigation told us that an FID is in fact a “Flame Ionization Detector”. Next question, what’s a bloody “Flame Ionization Detector” a few more minutes on Google and we were pulling up pictures, data sheets, white papers and suddenly we know all we need to know about Gas Chromatography and Flame Ionization Detectors and yes we were now experts!

To cut a long story short all we really needed to know was that these FID’s transmit a mA signal that our lovely little loggers just love to log. The Hioki LR5031 Instrumentation Loggers are set up on site by Environmental Compliance engineers and are left logging the FID’s signal output for 2…24 hours this gives the engineers all the recorded data that they need. Environmental Compliance stated that they seem ideally suited for this purpose. Thanks’ guys!

We know we are here to help our customers and we do try our best, but we also appreciate that most of what we know we have learnt whilst serving our customers!

To check out the full range of products offered by the Test Tools Shop please just click on the link below.

www.testtoolsshop.com

Test Tools Shop

Tel:         01543 469517