Mike Sondalini — Thought Leader

In this article on pulse jet bag house dust collectors we cover twelve factors spanning their design and operation.

A bag house dust collector is used to separate dust from a dust-contaminated gas stream. The gas is filtered through bags made of fabric. The fabric traps and filters out the dust while the cleaned gas passes through. The fabric consists of either woven or intertwined (felted) fibres. The bag fibre is selected for its ability to give a long working life within the internal environment of the dust collector.  [Read more…]

Changing out dust bags in reverse pulse dust collectors. The dust bags in pulse jet dust collectors require replacement if damaged and leaking or if blinded by the product. This work procedure indicates the process and methods to use to change-out and replace dust bags and cages in a dust collector. Keywords: tube plate, bag collar, air manifold, air plenum.

• Clean out product in the plenum.
• Mark-up a tube plate map showing the location of all blocked-off bags or leaking bags and hand-in with the work order on completion.
• Lift cages out square to tube plate without damaging the cage collar. Use tee-handle hook tool that fits down the bag and hooks onto the cage wire ring two down from the top.
• Remove the bags if they don’t come out with the cage.
• Clean top AND underside of tube plate back to clean metal.

[Read more…]

By Richard Lang of Abonnel Precision Engineering

This quarter we would talk a little about bronzes, their properties and applications. One of our readers said they occasionally hear people refer to a brass bush when in fact they want a bronze bush and could we write something on this. Lets also look at the range of materials one may come across:

• Leaded Gun Metal (LG2)
• Aluminium Bronze
• High tensile brass
• Phosphor Bronze (PB1)
• Manganese bronze
• Brass

[Read more…]

A Brief Introduction to Temperature Sensing Elements

The temperature of a process is an important measure to know as it indicates whether or not the process is in control.

The selection of the temperature sensing method depends on

• the required temperature range
• the measuring accuracy required
• the speed of response needed from the control system
• the process chemicals and conditions

[Read more…]

Equipment Operators as Watch Keepers

The watch keeper of old guarded their people and possessions. They were found walking about looking, listening, and watching for changes that signaled danger. Their job was to look for hazards and quickly raise the alarm before all of them were invaded and killed or captured into slavery. With sufficient warning the home group could rally to the defence and counter-attack the enemy.

Times haven’t changed that much. Instead of being invaded by the enemy we now get consumed by plant and equipment problems. If only there was an effective way to spot problems coming our way and mount a counter-attack before being overrun.  [Read more…]

7 Consideration for Equipment and Plant Layout for Improved Maintenance

Equipment reliability studies show that the likelihood of failure increases the more often machinery is disturbed. The chance of something being done wrong rises every time an item of plant is worked on. Nothing may go wrong the first time or the second time but with each additional disruption there is an increasing possibility that an error will be made.

Simple, fast and uncomplicated access to individual items of plant and equipment means higher plant availability and longer time between failures.  [Read more…]

The Basics on How Fluid Flows in Pipes

A fluid is either a liquid or a gas. In industry, they are piped from storage to the point of use. Correct design and installation of the piping system minimises pressure loss and improves the behaviour of equipment and processes.

This article briefly explains what happens to fluids flowing through pipes. [Read more…]

Capacitance level probes consist of a long rod or cable that protrude into a vessel and its contents. The instrument sets up an electric field between the probe and the tank wall using the contents of the tank as a dielectric (a nonconductor that allows an electric field to exist within itself). If the tank is non-metal, such as plastic or brick lined, two parallel rods are mounted in the level probe or a metal strip can be run on the outside of the tank. The electric field is set-up between the two probes or the probe and the metal strip. Figure 1 shows a simplified layout for a capacitance level probe. [Read more…]

What readers will learn from this article.

• The purpose of pressure relief valves.
• How pressure relief valves work.
• The correct way to install relief valves.
• Selection and testing issues for pressure relief valves.

[Read more…]