One never knows where the mind will wander while picking out a Christmas tree. This year it didn’t wander far; pondering the nuances of running a successful tree lot. From getting the quality and type of trees right, to having a responsive source that can tackle the unexpected so you don’t get caught with too many or two few, it seems like in the tree lot game, having a knowledgeable, engaged, and reliable supplier would be essential.
In a way, that’s not unlike how having access to leading manufacturers along with the experience and expertise you get from the Charles P. Crowley Company, affords you products and solutions to keep you performing and focused on the bigger pictures at your facility. As the saying goes, to ‘see the forest from the trees.’
For December, we’re shining a light on recovering and reusing waste energy by taking you inside a leading gasketed plate heat exchanger. That’s followed by sharing new accolades and accreditation achieved by a global leader in corrosion control. We finish by toasting the benefits of a metering gear pump that sets the industry standard for true precision metering in challenging applications.
Wishing you the very best this holiday season. Now let’s unwrap that Chatter …
Manufacturer of the Month
ALFA LAVAL was founded in 1883 by Gustaf de Laval and Oscar Lamm offering cream separator technology. It has since grown to become a widely recognized company in both the industrial and commercial sector globally. Alfa Laval currently has 39 production units, more than 100 service centers, sales companies in 55 countries, and other sales representation in an additional 45 countries.
Though Alfa Laval found its start in, and still produces, top of the line separation equipment, it has become one of the leading manufacturers in heat exchangers globally. The current heat exchanger offering includes gasketed, welded, brazed, fusion bonded, air coolers, and more. One of the most notable being the gasketed plate heat exchanger with its high efficiency, small footprint, flexibility, and low cost in comparison to other technologies.
Working Principle
Gasketed plate heat exchangers consist of a series of corrugated plates, assembled between thick steel covers that are bolted together to retain pressure. Channels are formed between the plates and gaskets direct the hot and cold side flow through alternating channels while simultaneously sealing the passages. The corrugation of the plates enhances the fluid turbulence which enables a very close temperature approach. The is the temperature difference between the exiting hot fluid and the entering cold fluid.
Benefits
With the plate heat exchanger having significantly higher heat transfer coefficients, they can achieve higher heat transfer coefficients. This means the equipment can have a much smaller footprint than competing technology. The high channel turbulence also provides a scrubbing effect on the walls of the plates which reduces the risk of fouling. The all bolted construction of the exchanger allows for easy access for cleaning and maintenance while also having the added benefit of being able to add or remove plates as needed based on a vary heat exchange demand over time.
Energy Recovery
In almost all industrial businesses, power costs represent a substantial part of the operating budget. An easy way to save energy is to recover and reuse waste energy in your process. The impact of energy recovery is sometimes limited by the efficiency of the available technology. Compared to earlier generations, Alfa Laval gasketed plate heat exchanger have features that provide improved media flow and greater use of the heat transfer surface area. This allows you to use more energy that would have otherwise gone to waste, reducing fuel consumption as well as related emissions costs. Alfa Laval accomplishes this through unique plate corrugation patterns, optimized port geometry, and offset gasket grooves.
The Cutting Edge
PURAFIL the leading manufacturer of gas phase filtration media, scrubbers, and monitors in the water and wastewater industries, has recently been recognized as one of the ‘Top 20 Corrosion Service Providers 2023’ by Manufacturing Technology Insights. Their annual corrosion edition features an interview with Purafil President Matt Baude, in which he discusses how how Purafil products and services offer a complete approach to fighting corrosion, including:
Passive Monitoring
The CCC or Corrosion Classification Coupon reliably determines the type and thickness of corrosion build-up on the surface of each CCC. Coupon analysis is a service provided to customers as a resource for information on their environment.
Molecular Filtration Media
Designed for neutralization of chlorine, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide, Purafil’s Puracarb® media is manufactured specifically for the corrosive environments and consists of generally spherical, porous pellets. Composed of carbon, alumina and other binders.
Active Monitoring
Track the level of corrosion before severe damage occurs, preventing costly downtime and maintenance repairs. Purafil’s OnGuard Smart features a room pressure sensor and measures the overall reactivity level of air contaminants, temperature, and humidity in a controlled environment. Wall installation takes only minutes and data is accessible anytime, anywhere.
Purafil has also recently expanded their lab to provide more and improved testing capabilities, while earning prestigous A2LA ISO 17025:2017 accreditation.
Top Three
ZENITH PUMPS, a brand of CIRCOR International, has provided pulsation-free, metering gear pumps and systems to meet critical process needs across a wide range of markets and applications since 1920. Precision gear pumps are an integral part of many manufacturing processes requiring metering, mixing, dispensing, coating and extruding, where accuracy and uniformity of flow are critical. With high metering accuracy, pulse-free flow and long wear life across a wide range of fluid and pressure conditions, the Zenith Pumps brand is synonymous with high performance and reliability.
The Zenith 9000 Series metering gear pump is the industry standard for the true precision metering for challenging applications in a wide variety of industrial processes.
The design utilitizes high AGMA standard external spur gears that are enclosed within a close tolerance housing assembly. This provides you with the precise volume of fluid dispensed per shaft revolution. When Zenith pumps are coupled with a pre-packaged, integrated, closed-loop speed control and a compact motor driver assembly (AC or DC), Zenith pumps are able to provide the most precise and flexible metering gear pump system on the market. These key benefits go straight to your bottom line:
High Accuracy
Stable, repeatable flows are assured under varying conditions of temperature, viscosity and pressure. This unparalleled mechanical precision, combined with closed-loop accuracy, ensures exact volume per revolution without expensive flow meters.
Uniform Flow
The unique design offers virtually pulseless flow without valves or flexible elements that add complexities, increase cost and hinder performance.
Low Cost of Ownership
There are only three moving parts and the hardened abrasion resistant materials provide excellent wear and self-lubricating performance
In addition to standard product offerings, Zenith also produces various custom-engineered pumps for demanding services such as submersible, flushable, and sanitary applications. Located in Monroe, NC, the Zenith manufacturing facility is ISO 9001-2000 Quality Management Certified.
For more information on these, or any of the products and manufacturers we represent, contact the Charles P. Crowley Company by calling 626-856-5656 or by emailing sales@cpcrowley.com.
