Editorial

With the Kyoto protocol due to be renewed next month and road vehicles contributing to four-fifths of the total emissions in the UK that apply to transport - transport as a whole makes up a quarter of the UK

UK manufacturer Midland-ACS as part of an ecology product drive has extended its water hydraulic valve range

With governments and organisations the world over pursuing ways to reduce emissions in power generation, one of the oldest but most favoured methods of generation is experiencing a resurgence as of late. Producing essentially no carbon dioxide or other harmful emissions, and not significantly contributing to global warming through CO2, hydroelectric power at present supplies about 715,000 MW
or 19% of world electricity (16% in 2003), and more large dams are still being built, 10 of which will be in China, the worlds biggest hydroelectric power producer.

As part of their ongoing work on hydroelectric projects worldwide, UK manufacturer Midland-ACS has extended their range of Stainless Steel Water Hydraulic control valves for use on Hydro-Electric Power Plants.

TRY TO INSTALL CONSTANT MONITORING. With proper instrumentation you can tell:

If the fluid in the stuffing box is about to change state and fail the mechanical seal. It could vaporize. It could solidify. It could crystallize. It could become viscous. It could build a film on the sliding surfaces and between the lapped faces.The differential pressure between the suction and the discharge can tell you how far you are operating the pump from its best efficiency point (BEP).

The suction pressure can tell you if cavitation is about to begin.Comparing flow to amperage can tell you if you need an impeller adjustment.Comparing flow to amperage can tell you if the wear rings need replacing. A probe in the bearing case or an infra red light can tell you if the bearing temperature is too high. A drop in capacity with no change in amperage consumption could tell you the open impeller needs adjusting.

The latest Moduflex family of products from Parker Hannifin, the world

Unexpected pump failure can be costly and time consuming. By installing an affordable Hedland direct-reading flow meter on the pump case drain, the user can monitor changes in efficiency by keeping tabs on any increase in case drain flow. The excess case drain flow shows the pump is beginning to fail. This allows you to schedule preventive maintenance and reduce unexpected down time.

Hedland's Variable Area meter has a low pressure drop, typically 1-5 PSIG with an accuracy of 2% of full scale. The meter can be installed in any position with no special piping or flow straighteners. Hedland also offers the EZ-VIEW Variable Area meter, a low cost Polysulfone version with a 5% full scale accuracy.

For a more sophisticated case drain monitoring system, Hedland offers the Flow-Alert Reed Switch and MR Flow Transmitter. The Reed Switch can automatically signal an alarm if case drain flow increases beyond a predetermined limit. It can be connected to a PLC or to other devices to automatically open closed electrical circuits, or activate warning lights and audible alarms. MR Flow Transmitters can be connected to any data acquisition, PLC or PC for advanced analysis. It features an on-board digital display and electronic output signal with analog outputs of 4-20mA, 0-5 VDC or 0-10 VDC for remote transmitter.

Norbar Torque Tools played a pivotal role in the successful installation of a new natural gas pipeline running from Mozambique to South Africa.

Torque Tool (Pty) Ltd, the Southern African representative for Norbar, was asked to supply a 9,500Nm pneumatic torque wrench

The world's first temperature independent electro-chemical lubrication system.

EUERDORF. If you have ever used an electrochemical lubrication system, you know the effect that fluctuating ambient temperatures have on the discharge and the discharge period.

These two new offerings along with many of our other solutions including LinerSCAN help you extend engine life, increases efficiency, and reduces emissions to assist with environmental compliance.

The DieselSCOPE performance analyser is designed by marine engineers for marine engineers.  The portable, handheld unit helps you monitors the combustion process in the diesel engine in real time allowing you to tune the engine whilst measuring. Using DieselSCOPE you can balance cylinder load, optimize injection timing and detect worn or damaged engine components and thus reduce the engine’s operating cost.

Oil analysis is a well established practice in predictive maintenance. Lubricant analysis is often paired with other technologies such as infrared thermography, vibration analysis and ultrasound techniques. These technologies are very useful in detecting problems in machinery before costly failures and down time occur.

Interlube Systems have developed a unique automatic lubrication system which is already showing huge savings in work time and running costs. The Interlube System provides continuous lubrication to all moving parts whilst the plant is still in operation .

Constant controlled lubrication means that the plant is being lubricated whilst in operation on site, this gives adequate and even lubrication all the time, something that cannot be maintained if the machine has to be "parked up" for servicing.The long term benefits includes radical reduction in worn and damaged parts caused by erratic and irregular lubrication, and plant downtime for replacement of lubrication is dispensed with.