News

Monitran Technology’s digital signal processing (DSP) unit delivers real-time turbine blade tip condition monitoring.

Monitran Technology, the R&D arm of vibration and displacement sensor OEM Monitran, has developed a digital signal processing (DSP) unit for the real-time monitoring of turbine blade conditions.

The unit reflects ‘live’ blade health by providing traffic-light-type indicators: green for safe, amber for advisory and red for danger. Also, for each condition, there is a programmable output capable of switching up to 30V at 5A, which means the unit can be easily integrated into control circuitry and to provide an automatic shut-down of the turbine if necessary.

A FEELING FOR WHAT’S LIKELY TO FAIL.

Whilst the adage that ‘prevention is better than cure’ is well known and respected within the industry, particularly where plant equipment is concerned, standing by these words requires walking the fine line between suffering the occasional failure of a machine and overmaintaining equipment.

CorDEX Instruments, the developer of portable equipment for explosive atmospheres, has introduced another world-first.  Its new and unique Centurion XPM2 digital camera is designed specifically for use in the mining environment and brings a host of benefits.  By comparison with alternatives it removes the need for time-consuming protocol, provides far greater flexibility in use and above all makes imaging easier, quicker and more cost-effective.

The Centurion XPM2 explosion-proof digital camera combines robust construction with high image clarity.  It incorporates a 5 million pixel detector array with onboard interpolation options.  This allows image resolution to be increased to an outstanding 10 Mp.   In addition to taking still images it can also capture moving pictures in AVI format for replay with conventional Windows Media Player software.

CorDEX Instruments Ltd., a developer of portable equipment for explosive atmospheres, releases Centurion XPG ATEX Certified 5Mp digital camera with strobe flash. The robust Centurion XP-series cameras offer best-in-class visual image capture for petrochemical and chemical applications.

The new Centurion XP series cameras support applications within Zone 1 IIC T4 type G (Vapour) explosive atmospheres and will provide users with the ability to document equipment with both still and moving images.

As assets become smarter and CMMS/EAM packages become more integrated across various asset classes within a manufacturing company, responsibility for facility management (including facility maintenance) has become spread over multiple departments. Historically, facility and plant maintenance were the sole responsibility of the Maintenance Department which ultimately reported to the Plant Manager or Works Manager.  However, plant equipment is the focus of most Maintenance departments in a manufacturing environment, except in the largest and most complex multi-site facilities.  

As assets become smarter and CMMS/EAM packages become more integrated across various asset classes within a manufacturing company, responsibility for facility management (including facility maintenance) has become spread over multiple departments. Historically, facility and plant maintenance were the sole responsibility of the Maintenance Department which ultimately reported to the Plant Manager or Works Manager.

Wieland Electric has developed its Multipole Connector Configurator to replace time consuming catalogue searches for those wishing to access the 1500 individual components in the revos range. Wieland's revos is a range of industrial multi-pole connectors which have been designed to provide the installer with a quick and easy solution for the installation of machines and systems.

Simple to use, revos Configurator guides the user through the selection of male and female inserts, hoods and housings, all in technically feasible combinations, making it easy to create application-specific connectors. Search and selection filters are based on technical parameters such as termination technology, pole configuration, current, voltage and conductor size, making incorrect configurations impossible.

The SNH Series from Wieland Electric is a modular system that can be perfectly adapted to the needs of the machinery manufacturer, with a range of eight operator elements that can be combined with 12 different contact blocks. In addition to the modular components, Wieland supply a number of completely assembled emergency stop pushbuttons for the most common applications.

For increased safety, Wieland's SNH Series of Emergency Stop Pushbuttons incorporate a unique contact block drop-off feature offering a signal output should failure occur if the contact block becomes dislodged due to vibration. This has an additional NO contact in series (pre-installed) to the main contacts, the NO contact opening as soon as the contact block falls off, thus interrupting the safety circuit and putting the machine into a safe position. An illuminated Stop Button also provides enhanced safety for the machine user.

Video showing how GexCon applied the CFD tool FLACS and performed experiments to help understand the Buncefield tank farm explosion in 2005.
The work performed by GexCon clearly shows that the trees surrounding the tankfarm played a major role in causing the high explosion overpressures that destroyed a majority of the tankfarm site and neighbouring buildnings.