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MORE than 100 young people, aged 5-13, were inspired by science and engineering when Sellafield Engineering Centre of Excellence hosted a UK-wide initiative.

The Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) held events all over the UK in the school holidays to give young people hands-on experience of science.

Sellafield Engineering Centre of Excellence at Cleator Moor, with its dedicated innovation bays, was chosen as an ideal venue to show young people future opportunities.

Craig Branney, Sellafield’s Head of Off-Site Developments, said: “The buzz around the place was amazing. We had children and parents in all the bays having fun trying out the engineering challenges. It was fantastic to feel the energy and excitement.

“It was an honour to host such a prestigious nationwide event and hopefully we have inspired young people from all across West Cumbria what the future might look like for them.”

Holly Maxwell, Lead System Engineer, and Lorna Devine, System Engineer, both at Sellafield, attended the event to inspire girls about careers in engineering.

“It’s about showing young girls that females are engineers and all the opportunities are open to them. If we weren’t here maybe they wouldn’t see someone they identified with or were comfortable approaching to speak to and find out more. It’s about making sure those barriers don’t existing and showing girls that they can absolutely do this.”

Jenny and Peter McCullough were one lots of families attending the event. Their sons William and Thomas enjoyed taking part in some of the fun challenges.

Jenny said: “It’s great for them to actually see what goes on and be able to have a go at the hands-on stuff instead of just hearing about it from adults. It brings it to life and hopefully they see from a young age the possibilities which are open to them. You don’t know what you don’t know. So this is a brilliant way of showing them.”

Thomas said: “It’s been really good. Spot the Dog robot was amazing and it’s been fun being able to try some of the challenges.”

Shawn Ackerlay, commercial manager at Shepley Engineers, said his company sees the value in engaging with schoolchildren from a young age.

“It’s good to be here and show the young people what engineering is all about. I think it’s important to get this type of stuff into the curriculum so young people know more about it and further down the line they might choose an apprenticeship.”

Sellafield engineering manager colleagues Stephen Kitchen and Mike Foy, who represent the the Institute of Engineering and Technology, came up with the idea of holding the event at the Engineering Centre of Excellence and worked with Matt Walton, Senior Corporate Account Manager for the Institute of Engineering and Technology, to make the event a reality.

Artur Majchrowski, Sellafield Electrical and Electronic Engineering Graduate who is building a local IET group in West Cumbria, worked with colleague Dharmesh Premchande to deliver the event with the help of Claire Roper, Sellafield’s Engineering & Maintenance Capability Lead for Professional Development and Claire O’Connor, Sellafield’s Engineering Centre of Excellence socio economic lead.

Artur said: “It’s great for Sellafield to open its doors to kids in this way and the Engineering Centre of Excellence is the ideal place to do that.

“It’s all about encouraging kids and giving them a never-seen-before experience of what industry looks like.

“These sort of events couldn’t happen without the hard work of Claire Roper and Claire O’Connor. They work so hard on the work experience programmes to ensure as many young people as possible are given these opportunities and are inspired by engineering and STEM subjects.

“Everyone has come together to achieve this and make everything visible for the young people and give them this experience to show them what jobs and opportunities are open to them.”

The event is exactly the sort of activity to inspire people about future opportunities and create clear pathways into future employment and skills and training opportunities that iSH (Industrial Solutions Hub) wants to see.

iSH is set to transform Leconfield Industrial Estate in Cleator Moor by creating a campus where industry, SMEs, academia, and community come together to collaborate, as part of its wider programme across West Cumbria which will regenerate local opportunities.

John Maddison, Managing Director of iSH, said: “The more people we can introduce to the opportunities and the possibilities for them the better.

“I am sure many young people who have had this experience at the Engineering Centre of Excellence have gone away inspired about what they could achieve in the future.

“Congratulations to everyone who helped make this happen and inspire the young people. We look forward to being involved in future events and programmes to maximise this opportunity for everyone of all ages across the community.”

Aquapak Polymers, a leader in polymer technology that offers excellent functionality, recyclability and environmental credentials, has partnered with Industrial Physics, a global packaging, product, and material test and inspection partner, to create a harmonised set of WVTR (Water vapour Transmission Rate) testing methods for its Hydropol™ biodegradable polymer.

Hydropol offers all the benefits of traditional polymer plastics yet is water soluble and completely biodegradable as well as non-toxic and UV resistant. It also offers multiple end-of-life options such as recyclability, compostability and compatibility with anaerobic digestion plants.

Establishing a reliable and repeatable test method for WVTR is an industry-wide challenge. By using equipment designed by Industrial Physics’ product lines, including Systech Illinois, and Testing Machines Inc., Aquapak resolved to find a way forward by partnering with Industrial Physics, which will ultimately provide its customers across a wide range of sectors with a real alternative to using traditional polymers, helping them cut plastic pollution in the process.

Industrial Physics is a global test and inspection partner that works across a wide range of industry sectors to help customers protect the integrity of their packaging, products, and materials. The business is passionate about helping customers move to new, more sustainable packaging materials. The group is made up of numerous specialist testing brands, including Systech Illinois, TQC Sheen, Quality By Vision, Eagle Vision, Steinfurth, Technidyne, RayRan, Testing Machines Inc., and many more.

As more organizations continue to strive for sustainable alternatives, it’s unsurprising that demand for Aquapak’s Hydropol continues to grow – this is supported by Industrial Physics’ research that surveyed 255 packaging professionals around the world, highlighting that testing of new sustainable materials was a major challenge they face.

Almost half of the 255 global packaging professionals (49%) surveyed said meeting testing standards was one the biggest challenges they faced in wider adoption of sustainable packaging materials.

An example of this is that current WVTR test methods and standards are based around traditional polymers rather than sustainable, biodegradable alternatives such as Hydropol.

In order to continue their drive towards sustainable innovation in a way that didn’t sacrifice the integrity of their product, Aquapak approached Industrial Physics to support them in developing a repeatable and reliable test method for WVTR (Water Vapour Transmission Rate) for its Hydropol biodegradable polymer. 

The WVTR test method is a known challenge for hydrophilic polymers, and the team at Aquapak were looking to utilise knowledge and resources from Industrial Physics to develop a testing method that could be carried out in-house as well as replicated at its customers premises wherever they were in the world. 

Max Phippard, Quality Control Manager at Aquapak said: “Allowing the WVTR test to reach equilibrium means that we are confident in the results. Over the last few months, we have carried out full analysis of multi-layer samples to gain an understanding of how our customers can replicate their own WVTR testing regime on Hydropol.”

He continued: “Being able to build a relationship with Industrial Physics and leverage their expertise in packaging barriers was critical to the success of this programme.” 

Alan Shema, Product Line Director at Industrial Physics said: “We have reached a point where the WVTR test on Hydropol can be replicated anywhere in the world by using the approach taken by Aquapak and ourselves. This is a major step forward because it will shape how hydrophilic films are tested in future. It allows our global customers who source sustainable packaging materials such as Hydropol to carry out their own WVTR knowing they can trust the results.”

Phippard added: “As highlighted in Industrial Physics’ research, businesses face challenges when looking to switch to new, sustainable packaging materials. Developing a WVTR approach for Hydropol is one of the ways we are supporting our customers as they take this journey.

Industrial Physics offers a range of packaging, product, and material integrity testing solutions to food and beverage, flexible packaging, medical, pharmaceutical, and coatings markets. The company adopts a collaborative approach with customers to help them work through the challenges of moving to sustainable packaging. 

Industrial Physics carried out research with 255 packaging professionals earlier this year. Full results can be view at Industrial Physics Sustainable Packaging Research Report.

For more information about Industrial Physics click here.

To find out more about Aquapak, visit: https://www.aquapakpolymers.com/ 

Nunspeet-based Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software provider IFS Ultimo has announced a technology sponsorship with BEAT Cycling Club, a UCI Continental road and track team based in the Netherlands. The partnership sees IFS Ultimo commit to supporting BEAT with EAM technology for at least two years. Ultimo’s software will help the BEAT team take their ambitions and growth to the next level.

“At BEAT, we are constantly working on improving ourselves and driving new innovation,” Geert Broekhuizen, Founder & Director, BEAT Cycling, said. “When working on professionalising and growing our organisation, we ran into issues managing our bikes, cars and stock. With their leading software solution, Ultimo will help us overcome this by providing the insight we need to determine if essential bike parts are race-ready, likely to need replacing while on the road, or undergoing maintenance in our workshop. This approach allows us to be more sustainable with spare part management. But more importantly, as every rider knows, proper maintenance helps win races."

Ewout Noordermeer, CMO, Ultimo, commented: "At Ultimo, we help organisations gain better control over their assets, optimise availability, manage costs and guarantee safety. It doesn't matter if we are talking about a chemical plant or a professional cycling team; the process is essentially the same. BEAT encompasses growth ambitions, an innovative approach and a sustainable character, so we are extremely proud to support their journey to becoming a UCI ProTeam.”

Ultimo and BEAT Cycling are working on a short documentary that will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the collaboration between a professional cycling team and a leading EAM software company.

To find out more, visit www.ultimo.com.

With the arrival of cost-effective Satellite IoT (SatIoT), Systems Integrators are rushing to meet the huge pent-up demand for global solutions that allow asset tracking across the 85% of the planet not covered by cellular networks. They are building fully connected IoT solutions, where mobile assets can be tracked as they move, seamlessly connecting to an array of networks, from Cellular to LoRaWAN, Sigfox, and Satellite.

Some are making the promise of the one-size-fits-all approach, relying on future 3GPP standards. Is this a safe bet for systems integrators? While it is technically feasible to use existing terrestrial protocols to communicate with satellites, it is far from optimal in terms of performance. IoT is hugely sensitive to cost and power consumption and such degradations could rapidly derail the IoT business model. Minor differences in performance, like battery life and or device lifetime, can radically change the viability of the business case. Building intelligent devices capable of seamlessly switching between several technologies, each of them being highly optimized for specific conditions is the soundest approach. 

Fabien Jordan, CEO, Astrocast, explains why Systems Integrators need to explore Astrocast’s proprietary data protocol that has been designed specifically to optimise every aspect of the SatIoT component.

Compelling Opportunity

2022 is the year IoT goes truly global, with low cost SatIoT solutions providing the chance to track assets in even the most remote locations across the world for the first time. With the ability to cost effectively connect the 85% of the world not covered by cellular networks, the dream of seamlessly collecting data from assets as they move between networks – from cellular to satellite – is incredibly exciting.

Supply chains can be transformed by continuous tracking of shipping containers. Agriculture revolutionised through remote monitoring of both animals and environmental factors such as moisture, helping to reduce reliance on antibiotics and optimise the use of scarce resources such as water. Environmental understanding and strategies fast-tracked using data from monitoring oceans to understand change.

In the drive to meet the huge pent up demand for a seamless global IoT solution, however, it is vital to retain focus on the core components of IoT success. These deployments involve tens, even hundreds of thousands of devices, generally in inaccessible locations. Device lifetime and form factor is key to the business case – that means thinking carefully about everything from battery life and size to updates, frequency of transmission and antenna design.

Standards Debate

This is a new market and the challenge for Systems Integrators is to achieve integration without compromising performance or undermining the business case. And this is where the debate now lies: should the industry rely on cellular IoT standards only in the hope that they might one day be satellite-compatible and hence minimise device complexity? Or, should they bet on the operational performance benefits of combining the available and highly-efficient proprietary SatIoT data protocols with cellular and LPWAN technologies, making mass scale deployment financially viable for the first time?

In theory, it makes great sense to adhere to industry standards in any technology deployment. It provides application longevity and improves agility. However, there is little value in taking this approach if performance is fundamentally compromised, especially with such a financially sensitive business case.

Right now, there is no standard for SatIoT deployment. The proposed 5G NB-IoT standards are years away from full ratification. On top of that, NB-IoT is real-time only. It doesn’t support store-and-forward operations, which is absolutely critical to have when operating through a network of LEO (Low-Earth Orbit) satellites. From the satellite perspective, there is also huge complexity created by the need to manage the many different frequencies used on the ground by NB-IoT devices. This problem is rarely mentioned but is probably the biggest challenge to overcome as the satellites will be much more complex and costly, making the business case harder if not impossible to close.

Similarly, some Systems Integrators are exploring the use of the established LoRaWAN standard over satellite. This could be achieved over licensed or unlicensed spectrum. But in both cases there are some serious road blocks to overcome to enable important features such as bi-directional communications or store-and-forward capabilities.

Additionally, both 5G NB-IoT and LoRa over satellite have much more data overhead than an optimized proprietary protocol like Astrocast, resulting in much more energy consumed per byte sent. While these standards would theoretically simplify the deployment model, the use of non-optimised data protocols for the SatIoT component has a devastating impact on IoT device performance – an impact that destroys the IoT business case.

Optimised Deployment

Proprietary data protocols have been a core component of the SatIoT development model for good reason. Optimised deployments are lower cost, more reliable and higher performing, especially in key areas such as power consumption, which can make or break an IoT deployment. Excessive power consumption significantly reduces battery life, leading to expensive battery / device replacement, which is impossible for goods in transit and extremely challenging in remote locations. A device using a generic network standard for SatIoT will use up to 10 times as much power when compared to a device using SatIoT with optimised data protocol and chipsets.

Furthermore, it is not possible to simply add a SatIoT connection to an existing device, even if using the same network standard such as LoRaWAN. This is not plug and play, devices will need a new antenna or a new radio frequency (RF) front-end to connect to the satellite. In which case, it makes far more sense to use optimised data protocols and devices with a chipset optimised for SatIoT. Devices need to be small enough to be used on livestock – including small, flat antennas that don’t get caught in vegetation – and robust enough to withstand years outside without needing to be replaced.

Two-way communication is also key, providing remote device upgrades to further extend their life in the field. It also enables innovative IoT applications – such as the creation of virtual fences for livestock, eradicating the need for expensive and resource intensive work to install and maintain fencing across remote areas.

Conclusion

The use of proprietary data protocols is not a barrier to deployment but an enabler. Systems Integrators can create solutions that use multiple networks to track items across the world. One recent deployment for shipping containers moves seamlessly between multiple different connectivity solutions, including Bluetooth, cellular, LoRaWAN and satellite, as required. Organisations can opt to change the primary network at any time – ensuring the device connects to SatIoT rather than cellular in certain high cost regions, for example, to achieve far more certainty in the operational cost base.

The key is to ensure the deployment model supports rather than undermines the IoT business case. How often does the device need to communicate with the satellite? What is the power consumption? How long is the battery life? Is the antenna design fit for purpose? Does the solution support bidirectional communication? These are the critical issues that will affect the cost, viability and business benefits of the SatIoT deployment – and the optimal performance can only be achieved through the use of dedicated, optimised data protocols.

For now, full integration is the long term dream and at some point over the next decade, standards will emerge. To maximise the power, potential and cost benefits of SatIoT today, the use of dedicated proprietary protocols will remain the best way to developing a robust, achievable business case and accelerating the deployment of IoT.

Visitors to ‘Light + Building’ can learn about Fluke’s range of testing and monitoring tools for building infrastructure and market-leading solutions for acoustic and thermal imaging, temperature measurement, calibration and condition monitoring at Stand B11 in Hall 12.

Eindhoven, Netherlands. 20 September 2022: Fluke, a global technology leader in the manufacture of compact, professional electronic test and measurement equipment, tools and software, will reveal a selection of new-to-market and rugged, handheld tools and approaches for energy efficiency, enhancing the adoption of cleantech technology and improving safety at this year’s Light + Building exhibition, held at Messe Frankfurt from October 2-6.

Light + Building is the world’s leading industry trade fair for lighting, design and intelligent building services technology solutions. During the five-day gathering of global industry leaders and stakeholders, Fluke will showcase its comprehensive range of sophisticated solutions across thermal and acoustic imaging, power quality and condition monitoring, and wiring system performance that enable installation professionals, electricians, civil engineers, and facility managers to safely detect and isolate faults.

Andreas Schuler, Electrical Sales Manager Germany at Fluke says: “Fluke is one of the leading global technology providers headquartered in Europe that specialises in helping small to medium sized businesses through to large blue-chip organisations to eliminate wasteful practices by becoming more energy efficient and safe. Fluke’s integrated solutions save customers time and money by combining industry-specific engineering with new technology to improve electrical and industrial installation, maintenance and service, precision measurement and quality control processes across many industries.” 

Fluke’s Stand B11 in Hall 12 will also be showcasing products from Beha-Amprobe, a leading provider of quality testing tools for electricians and HVAC technicians working in residential, industrial and commercial environments, located in Germany. The company was acquired by Fluke Corporation in 2003. 

Achieving energy efficiency

The company’s participation at Light + Building comes at a time of growing international and European initiatives to improve energy efficiency in buildings, which has a key role to play in achieving the European Green Deal’s ambitious goal of carbon-neutrality by 2050. Collectively, buildings are responsible for 40% of the European Union’s energy consumption and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions, which mainly stem from construction, usage, renovation, and demolition, according to the European Commission. HVAC systems alone account for 38% of a building’s energy consumption, equivalent to 12% of final energy usage.

Fluke’s dedicated solutions address the detection of the most common sources of energy loss and wastage found in commercial and residential buildings, including poor building insulation, leaks and wear in HVAC systems, as well as the operation and maintenance of electrical appliances and building systems. 

“Building and facility managers can struggle to accurately identify and isolate energy loss and measure efficiency improvements. However, Fluke’s easy-to-use tools for detection are designed to quickly and accurately identify faults so energy can be recovered and preserved for future use. In addition to this, our professional online tools and software solutions help companies to quantify the cost of leaks and other defects, prioritize them for repair and demonstrate return on investment,” said Mr Schuler.

“We are committed to improving the building, service and maintenance industries with our innovative product offering that aligns with European initiatives for sustainable infrastructure. We will continue to innovate and address the emerging needs of customers in response to the global shift towards sustainable development.”

Cleantech: Enhancing technology adoption

Cleantech technology relates to an approach to reduce the environmental impact of human activity through wasteful practices. Experts from Fluke will share their expertise and provide integrated solutions for renewable energy harvesting, electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS).  

Fluke will be launching a new-to-market handheld tool used in the installation, commissioning, and routine maintenance testing of EVCS at Light + Building. The user-friendly tool is compatible with Fluke’s leading multifunction testers and can be paired with Fluke’s range of multimeters or scope meters for investigative troubleshooting.

“Testing of these high-power, live voltage electric systems is critical and must be completed every six to 12 months in accordance with strict international and European standards. The new safety features included in Fluke’s exciting new tool surpass other competitive products in the market,” commented Mr Schuler.  

Safety: trust the experts

Fluke helps companies overcome the skills gap in the workforce with its range of easy-to-use handheld tools and software, designed for the fast, safe and efficient detection of electrical system, networking and industrial equipment faults. 

As a leading provider of training programmes for installation and testing of electrical infrastructure in Germany and the United Kingdom, Fluke enforces safe workplaces through the provision of information about protective equipment, test tools and safety procedures based on Governmental and regional guidelines.

Fluke’s rugged handheld products have been rigorously tested to ensure safety in all forms of operation.

Get support

Fluke’s state-of-the-art range of testing and monitoring tools for building infrastructure, including electrical tools and network cable and appliance testers, as well as market-leading solutions for acoustic and thermal imaging, temperature measurement, calibration, and condition monitoring will be on display at Stand B11 in Hall 12 at Light + Building.   

FLUKE is a registered trademark of Fluke Corporation. For more information, visit the Fluke website at http://www.fluke.com.

Convert, the UK’s leading manufacturer of cable looms and harnesses, and Wipac are celebrating their 15^th year of a partnership which has delivered over half a million harnesses for a wide range of high end cars.

The harnesses are for external lighting - head lights, rear lights including the centre high mount stop lights (CHMSL, the third brake lights) – and a range of printed circuit boards (PCB). In the past, lights were fairly straightforward to power, typically comprising two connecting wires, one carrying the earth, the other the current.

However, lights are now much more complicated as more functionality has been added, such as directional control of headlight beams, and the need to carry much more information. Modern cars can need up to 70 individual connections & terminations and up to 30 wires.

And with the introduction of communications and the flow of large amounts of data, they need to be able to withstand magnetic or electromagnetic interference. This is on top of different braiding to protect against extremes of temperature and ISO/TS standards to ensure chemical protection.

The PCBs have also brought a new level of complexity and handling, with connecting wires being as short as 20mm.

The partnership with Wipac, which designs and manufactures bespoke exterior lighting for the world’s leading performance and luxury automotive brands, has also benefitted Convert as a business, helping them to improve their own systems, with a continual focus on engineering excellence and customer service.

For example they designed a miniature, stand-alone waterproof grommet which forms an integral part of the cable harness for lamp enclosures.

The grommet uses tunnel guides to allow cable to pass through, creating a waterproof seal once fixed to the cable harness, which in turn remains stable and secure when fitted to a finished lamp.

The grommet meets waterproofing standard IP66K and is used in Wipac’s exterior lamps for British luxury and high performance sports car manufacturers.

Dave Lord, Convert’s managing director said: “Working with Wipac for the 15^th year is a very different proposition from our early days, when all that was needed was the simplest of harnesses. Since then we have produced more complicated wiring sets for some of the biggest names in quality cars. And as we have grown, we have improved our systems and processes, with these best practice methodologies now standard across the board, driving improvement throughout the business.”

Georgina Westrope of Wipac added: “Convert is a fantastic example of a small UK company with excellence in electronics and engineering. Their technical know-how and customer service is second to none and we regularly involve the team in the design and development stages of our production.”

Convert supplies many advanced engineering industries, including automotive, public transport, medical and scientific equipment. It can produce all harness types, from multi-branch looms, interconnect harnesses and wire and cable sets, as well as more bespoke assemblies.

For more information, please visit https://www.convertltd.co.uk. 

15^th September 2022, Dubai, UAE: We are delighted to be celebrating this, the 200th edition of The Maritime Standard newsletter. Packed with news and updates on the shipping and maritime sectors, the newsletter has been published without missing a single issue since its first one on June 1st, 2014.

It has proved to be extremely popular, steadily increasing circulation over this period, and moving from having a primarily regional to a genuinely global readership, indicating a strong demand for information and intelligence about developments in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent shipping, ports, and related sectors.

Clive Woodbridge, TMS Editor, says, “It is a fantastic achievement to be reaching this milestone and we are grateful for the support of our readers and sponsors over the past eight years. We have strived to cover what is important in the regional maritime sector and have tried to put an insightful spin on news about the industry, drawing on our years of experience. We have been fortunate to have a network of invaluable contacts at high levels throughout the sector who have been kind enough to grant us the benefit of their insights. Hopefully, as an increasingly global brand, we can continue to serve the market as a valuable source of information for the next 200 editions also.”

Over the past few years there have been a whole host of significant developments relating to the maritime sector in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent. Mergers and acquisitions; new port projects; investments in new ships; and upgrades to shipbuilding and repair facilities. The Maritime Standard has been there to cover them all, in a timely manner and with an easy-to-read format.

The pace of development and change will not slow down, and fresh and innovative ventures and business ideas will be coming to fruition. Once again, through The Maritime Standard, readers will not miss a thing.

Clive adds, “There is no doubt that the regional maritime business will grow and develop further over the next few years. It is a market that deserves close attention and about which up-to- date and insightful information can be important in identifying business opportunities and securing competitive advantage.”

The Maritime Standard is published by Flagship Events, a business which has been able to take full advantage of the wise leadership of the UAE, where it is based, to flourish as a media, events and conferences production company. The support given to the maritime sector by the leadership allowed activity to continue even during the pandemic, and this is truly appreciated.

The Maritime Standard also wishes to acknowledge the sponsorship and advertising support it has received from many of the region’s biggest companies. These include leading players in the ports, shipping, insurance, classification and marine services sectors.

TMS achievement in reaching the 200th edition has been praised by a number of prominent shipping and ports executives. Capt. Mohammed Juma Al Shamisi, Managing Director and Group CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports Group, commented “The progress that The Maritime Standard has made over the past eight years has been outstanding and we applaud the fact that it is now established as one of the leading online publications for the region.” Abdulla Bin Damithan, CEO & Managing Director DP World UAE & Jafza said, “The Maritime Standard provides us with an excellent, well written source of information and it has earned its position of respect across the industry.” Capt. Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S, said. “The Maritime Standard newsletter has become an invaluable resource and it deserves every success. I wish it well for the future.” Dr Ibrahim Al Nadhairi CEO of ASYAD Shipping and Drydocks echoes these sentiments, saying: “The Maritime Standard has helped raise the profile of the maritime industries in this region and as such has made an extremely valuable contribution, which is widely appreciated and acknowledged.”

The TMS newsletter is the basis on which the TMS Awards and TMS Tanker Conference has taken root and flourished also. In November this year both events will return to the pre-covid venue of the Atlantis, one of the regions finest venues, and we are once again expecting a full house of over 800 people to pack the ballroom.

By Mark Bakker, Field Application Engineer, Fluke

Energy efficiency has always been a vital commodity in the manufacturing sector, but recent events have brought the discipline into much sharper focus. More than ever, today’s manufacturers cannot afford to waste a single joule if it can be avoided.

Of course, energy efficiency isn’t simply about minimising operational costs or protecting the environment. Other key benefits to manufacturers include being able to extend the working life of their expensive equipment while boosting productivity and performance levels.

Peak performance

In practice, energy efficiency relates to the ability to monitor whether machinery is operating at peak performance and identifies if motors and drives are being over- or under-loaded. This enables factory and plant managers to evaluate wastage in air compressors, process equipment and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems by monitoring and maximising power quality at every opportunity.

Equipment can be damaged or corroded in many ways that aren’t obvious to the human eye, resulting in wasted energy leaking away with nobody in the factory able to identify the source or how much wastage is occurring. Plant efficiency is so crucial that it can affect whether a manufacturer is able to meet the needs of customers, fulfil orders, retain staff and maintain competitive advantage in business. 

Electricity, water, gas and air

In manufacturing, the key areas where energy efficiency gains can be made are electricity, water, gas and air. The majority of downtime can be associated with these factors being poorly managed due damage or breakdowns in factory equipment and processes. Drilling down deeper, maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) engineers need to focus on battery efficiency, energy analysis and overall power quality as well as the fast and efficient identification of air, gas and vacuum leaks.  

Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) engineers must rely on accurate logging equipment that is capable of recording and sharing real-time data on energy, load and power quality to optimise performance. Armed with this information, manufacturing companies can give themselves a clear picture of how healthy their electrical systems are. This enables teams to make informed decisions on what improvements need to be made in order to prevent costly equipment damage and achieve that elusive goal of maximising productivity and efficiency.

Power quality analysis

It is widely understood that poor power quality can lead to manufacturing equipment behaving unpredictably and even failing prematurely. If power quality is not checked regularly, problems can occur with motors, cables, transformers, capacitor banks and switch boards. Being able to test power quality as part of a routine maintenance programme will go a long way toward identifying potential and existing problems and dealing with them before they cause equipment failure and production line downtime.

Another issue is that power quality levels can be affected if a manufacturing facility installs new, complex machinery which alters plant dynamics. The more complex a manufacturing set-up becomes, the greater the likelihood that poor power quality will become a problem. To counter this complexity, it is essential to have a means of carrying out power quality analysis that is simple and safe. Ideally, the process shouldn’t take up significant time of critical personnel in the factory. Less experienced maintenance technicians should be able to perform inspections and draw up reports with ease.

Harmonics, dips and swells

The Fluke 1770 Series Power Quality Analyser enables manufacturers to deliver productivity and efficiency gains. The tool is capable of automatically measuring and analysing power quality parameters such as voltage and current unbalance, transients, flicker, harmonics, dips and swells. By capturing high-speed voltage transients, the analyser enables engineers to mitigate their effects to prevent equipment failure. The data can then be shared immediately through Wi-Fi, the ethernet or a GSM network.

The beauty of the Fluke 1770 Series is that it combines in a single, hand-held unit the trouble-shooting capabilities of a power quality meter with the robust analysis and logging capabilities of a stand-alone power quality analyser. Also, with best-in-class specifications, the instrument can be powered directly from a measurement circuit, eliminating the need for a separate power outlet or extension cord.

Detecting air leaks

Air leaks are an issue in every manufacturing setting, but they are particularly problematic in the food and beverage (F&B) sector when it comes to managing energy efficiency. Even in today’s high-tech environments, maintenance engineers resort to listening for leaks or using the tried-and-tested soap and water technique. There are obvious drawbacks with these methods, not least the limited chance of hearing air hiss in a noisy factory, reaching piping in hazardous or difficult to access areas, and marking and recording the leaks for subsequent repair. 

A major soft drink bottling company in Germany had set itself tough new targets on the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and placed particular emphasis on cutting indirect emissions due to energy usage. More specifically, the company wanted to minimise the amount of energy that it was wasting because of undetected leaks in its compressed air systems. The production company estimated that using specific tools to quickly identify leaks had the potential to generate annual energy savings of up to €150,000.

Tests were conducted using Fluke’s ii900 Industrial Acoustic Imager. The tool’s array of 64 highly sensitive microphones showed that it was possible for maintenance engineers with little experience to obtain accurate, real-time data on air, gas and vacuum leaks in the factory’s compressed air systems. The data was shown on an easy-to-read LCD display.

Today, the global F&B company is using the point-and-shoot acoustic imager to identify compressed air leaks in hard-to-reach gated areas, overhead piping systems and in tubing, hoses, fittings and valves flanges and valves in the CO₂ blender, syrup maker and ‘clean-in-place’ system. No longer do engineers need to scale ladders and take photographs to pass this information onto colleagues. In addition to this, the plant has eliminated the need for unplanned shutdowns while the leak detection process is underway. The team can also rank leaks in order of seriousness to produce a prioritised maintenance schedule, and once repairs have been made engineers can use the Fluke ii900 Industrial Acoustic Imager to check them.

The bottling plant energy manager commented: “This innovative technology was purchased for localising leaks in our compressed air systems throughout the plant. We have already seen enormous energy savings.”

Recovered capacity

In another example using the same acoustic imaging equipment, a USA-based global manufacturer of aerial lift equipment set a goal to become more energy efficient by detecting and repairing leaks. Genie (a Terex brand) estimated that it used between 1,800CFM and 2,600CFM of compressed air every day to operate up to 200 torque tools per line as well as equipment that moved large sheets of half inch steel. If the compressed air pressure was compromised in any way, the result could be the loss of up to 200,000 parts.

Some leaks were found in the hoses located high up in the factory’s rafters. Checking the hoses and locating the individual leaks in the system was difficult and time consuming. Finding a single leak could take up to 45 minutes, according to maintenance supervisor Josh Stockert. He confirmed that acoustic imaging had resulted in the factory recovering 25.7% of compressed air capacity which represents annual energy savings of USD $48,754. The savings were accurately recorded by a Fluke 3540 FC Three-Phase Power Monitor.

“We were near the top end of what our compressor system can put out,” Stockert said. “By correcting the leaks found using the ii900, one of our four compressors is nearly idle much of the time.”

He added: “It takes me all of 30 seconds to a minute to find an air leak with the ii900. Some days we can find and repair 30 or 40 leaks in just a couple hours. Plus, we can use the ii900 during production hours, when it’s extremely loud, and still been able to capture leaks at the rafter level up to six to 9 meters (20 to 30 feet) away.”

Multi-function calibrations

Manufacturers looking to maximise energy efficiency also understand the need to carry out regular inspection, testing and calibration on the vast number of process control equipment that operate in their factories. The performance of electronic instruments can change over time due to exposure of the electronics and the primary sensing element to varying temperatures and humidity, as well as pollutants and vibration. One problem with checking such equipment is that it often needs to work continuously and at peak levels of reliably and accuracy, which means it isn’t feasible to stop production operations to carry out the calibration process.

Many companies have turned to multi-function calibrators which enable sensors and transmitters and other essential equipment around the plant to be checked in-situ and without the need for a highly skilled calibration technician to be on-site. The Fluke 754 Documenting Process Calibrator with HART communication solves this problem by performing the functions of several tools. It can source, simulate and measure pressure, temperature and electrical signals in a single hand-held device. The unit also automates calibration procedures and captures data, eliminating the practice of documenting calibration records by hand which is still used in many factories today.  

With a robust range of tools available, the ability to maximise energy efficiency across many critical areas in manufacturing has been given a substantial boost to the sector, enabling businesses to achieve their sustainability goals.

A small proportion of the Thames is to be illuminated using power generated by the flow of the river itself, as Kingston University tests prototypes of a new hydroelectric turbine design.

The turbine will sit on a pontoon and will provide a floating test and measurement laboratory. On this will be an array of sensors and monitors, including a TorqSense the wireless torque sensor from Sensor Technology Ltd.

"To say that this is a harsh environment for laboratory equipment is a bit of an
understatement," says Rod Bromfield, Senior Lecturer, of the Faculty of Engineering, Kingston University.  "We can only use robust kit with a proven industrial pedigree."

The turbine under test has been developed by Hales Marine Energy near Eastbourne on the English south coast and is expected to be deployable in tidal seas as well as rivers. The design application of this turbine is to sit on a submergible tank that will sit on the sea bed and can be floated up to the surface when required. Significantly, the design is almost infinitely scalable: the unit under test is 1m diameter and produces about 1kW; 5m turbines suitable for inshore deployment would generate round 20kW; smaller units would be ideal for river use. With access to the test site being by small boat, Rod knew that his test regime had to be both simple and comprehensive.

"The critical measurement is torque, as this indicates the power we can derive from the system. We had to be certain that we would get continuous measurements over an extended period of time, because we need to map power production against actual river flow. Also for this technology to succeed in the emerging green power market it must be capable of continuous and predictable energy production."
One of the engineering issues that Rod faced was the relatively slow revolution of the turbine, in this test below 50rpm. This helped define the choice of the TorqSense, but it is also a key feature of the Hales turbine - the slow speed means less stress on moving parts and therefore less servicing. It also minimises habitat disturbance, so that the ecological impact is low.

"When I contacted Sensor Technology I was very concerned about vertical mounting and harsh environment performance," recalls Rod. "Fortunately there have been TorqSenses installed vertically, including several high up on vertical axis wind turbines, where they have to withstand gales, hurricanes and lashing rain."

Turbine
The design of the Hales turbine is reassuringly simple, and therefore likely to survive underwater installation with long service intervals. It was developed by Paul Hales, a design engineer who has spent a career associated with the sea.  "It’s based on the traditional water wheel, but mounted on a vertical axis - on its side," he explains.
"Using modern engineering and materials it is possible to take this effective early turbine and by turning the output shaft to the vertical to immerse the whole turbine into the tidal flow. To overcome the high resistance on the wheel blades that on one side are trying to move against the water flow, they are shaped and hinged to present a minimum resistance. The large blade area on the drive side produces very high amounts of torque (rotational force) at low speed, in the range of 10 -20rpm.

Coupled with modern permanent magnet generators that can start producing electricity rotations as low as 2rpm, my turbine can offer the possibility of tidal generation worldwide.”

Paul continues: "Water is nearly 800 times denser than air so it carries far more energy, making water turbines a very attractive alternative to wind energy. Notably seabed systems are not an impediment to shipping, nor do they have any visual impact and ecological issues are minimal for low speed systems."

Paul says that he could envision an array of his turbines on every headland along the English Channel and at intervals down the Thames.

"Of course, that is just the start. The simplicity of the design, its robustness and low maintenance, relative ease of installation all add up to making it suitable for deployment in remote and less developed areas. Its low ecological footprint addresses many of the issues raised by environmentalists. Its continuous and utterly predictable power output overcomes the intermittency associated with wind, wave and solar power.

"When, over the test period, people stand on Richmond Bridge and watch a modest array of lights bobbing about on a buoy, they may not know it but they will be seeing the future!" 

A new video series has been release by Morris Lubricants - designed to provide end users and distributors across a variety of market sectors with an insight into how oil is made and the factors that should be considered when choosing a lubricant supplier.

The series of five short videos demonstrates the key areas that should be considered when selecting oils and lubricants, to ensure maximum equipment life and reduced production downtime.

The videos feature Guy Martin, lorry mechanic, motorbike racer, TV presenter, engineering enthusiast and Morris Lubricants’ ambassador who is taken through the production process. A heavy goods vehicle mechanic by trade, Guy was eager to discover each stage of the manufacturing process and how oil is formulated to keep mechanical systems lubricated even in the toughest conditions.

The video explains that the oil blending process is strictly monitored, beginning with the raw materials, which includes base oils and additive chemistry being delivered into the Shrewsbury manufacturing facility.

A stringent quality assurance process is then followed. All the base oil and additives delivered to the company are quarantined, sampled and sent to the on-site quality control (QC) laboratory where they are subjected to a suite of tests to ensure they are suitable for use. The Morris Lubricants’ QC laboratory currently conducts more than 5,000 quality control tests a month.

Once approved, these materials are released for production and are then carefully blended together, in compliance with strict formulation guidelines, to produce the finished high quality lubricant.

Each oil product is specially formulated to meet the needs of individual applications alongside strict global and original equipment manufacturers’ (OEM) specifications.

The blended lubricant is then sampled, sent to the QC laboratory and subjected to a series of chemical and physical tests. This ensures the formulation has been followed exactly.

When approved by the QC laboratory, the sample is released for filling. Once again, before filling begins, a final sample is taken from the filling head and checked a final time to ensure compliance.  

The approved lubricant can then be filled into the appropriately labelled and batch numbered package. The pack sizes filled with lubricant ranges from 1 litre bottles, 5 litre contours and 25 litre drums to 205 litre barrels as well as bulk containers. This process ensures full traceability of the quality of the finished product.

The finished product is palletised, stored and then shipped out to customers in the UK or overseas. 44 million litres of product leave the company’s two manufacturing sites per annum, with 12 shipping containers leaving Shrewsbury every week to supply quality products to customers all around the world.

About the episodes

The video series starts with Episode one and highlights the arrival of various high quality raw materials coming from the numerous suppliers based all around the world.

Episode two covers the processes that are conducted in the QC laboratory which conducts more than 5,000 tests a month.

Episode three explains the computer-controlled blending process and an eco-friendly ultrasonic technique which has cut blending time from 60 to 10 minutes. The company has the versatility to blend volumes from 200 to 70,000 litres.

Episode four takes viewers to the filling lines where various packaging formats are available to satisfy a diverse range of customers.

Episode five focuses on storing and shipping products which each have tamper-proof seals. The company ships oil and lubricants around the globe with 12 containers leaving Shrewsbury every week.

“After spending time at the factory in Shrewsbury, I now appreciate the science and skill that goes into the oil production process,” said Guy. “I didn't realise the company produced so many different varieties of oil and lubricants.

“It blew my mind when Adrian said that Morris Lubricants ships 12 containers of oil a week to countries as far away as New Zealand, Iraq and China and how much trust their international customers have in the product being made in Britain.”

Adrian added: “Guy was genuinely interested in the process, spontaneous with his comments and amazed by what goes on behind the scenes,” he said.

“He was excited by the prospect of trying something new and enjoyed filling a few barrels, capping them and putting the Morris Lubricants seals in place.

The video series has been launched on Morris Lubricants website and Facebook and can be viewed at