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Medical devices require a next generation thermal system ~

Healthcare organizations are increasingly moving patients to home care settings to reduce the pressureon traditional healthcare facilities, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this has been a double-edged sword for medical device manufacturers. On one hand, it has meant a boom in the market for certain home medical devices, but it has also led to greater scrutiny of devices and increasingly stringent safety standards. Here, Andy Selvy, chief system designer at industrial heatermanufacturer Watlow, explains how and why medical device manufacturing needs a new approach.

IEC 60601-1-11 standard for medical electrical equipment requires manufacturers of home medical devices to identify product safety risks associated with using their equipment in an uncontrolled environment by untrained users. 

Meeting safety standards is sometimes possible with traditional technology, but that technology adds to both the bulk and the cost of medical devices. Device manufacturers understandably want to make devices that are smaller, cheaper and easier to use — goals that are often at odds with safety compliance measures. This is where innovation in thermal solutions, including heaters, sensors, temperature controllers, power controllers and their supporting software can make a difference.

Thermal system safety

Many medical devices require heaters to warm gas or liquids, and these require a fair amount of power that increases the possibility of leakage current and hence the risk of electrocution. This is a great example of where stricter standards for home care medical devices exist and how evolving heating technology can better meet those standards.

Unlike medical devices in a clinical setting, home medical devices cannot be designed with the assumption that there is a trained operator on site that can use tested outlets and equipment according to a set procedure. As a result, safety precautions must be built into the device design itself.

One way to improve patient safety is to incorporate an isolation transformer to step down the voltage going into the device, similar to the “brick” used to step down voltage for a smartphone charger. But isolation transformers are notorious for being big, bulky and expensive, which works against the goal of miniaturization for home medical devices.

Safety versus miniaturization

So, what is the solution to ensuring safety without the need for bulky and expensive technology? It starts by designing devices within a systems approach.

For instance, it’s not sufficient to create a heater that runs at 95 microamps leakage so that it can be incorporated into a device that must be rated to run under 100. Although this type of heater would meet the given specification, it would take up most of the available leakage budget.  Adequate heater design of the entire thermal system must take into consideration these difficult system level requirements.

Designing heaters with a systems approach

New generation of thermal solutions are being used to ensure safety and economy of space especially in home haemodialysis machines and respiratory devices.

With haemodialysis machines, it’s necessary to keep blood at body temperature to prevent thermal shock. Higher temperatures are also needed to disinfect the machine itself. Watlow’s FLUENT® in-line heatercan achieve the desired temperatures quickly and efficiently, while meeting space and safety constraints. This is attributed to the small, lightweight design, which acts as an integrated solution that replaces multiple components in a system 

Furthermore, Watlow’s heating technology also improves respiratory solutions where a high flow of oxygen must be maintained, like in COPD devices. The compressed gases tend to be cold and dry, creating irritation and often, patient rejection. Watlow’s ULTRAMIC® heatercan be used to warm and humidify the gas quickly without requiring a large transformer or bulky heating elements.

Today, home medical devices must meet higher safety standards, while maintaining a small user-friendly, light weight design. But to achieve this, components must be designed with a systems approach in mind. This involves using thermal components that optimize devices by making them smaller, lighter and with greater thermal performance that makes use for the patient easier and more comfortable. 

To find out more about Watlow, visit watlow.com

Hart Door Systems, the specialist engineering company headquartered in Westerhope, Newcastle upon Tyne, has won significant export orders for its automatic check-in doors and security shutters for baggage handling systems at Jizan airport, Jizan, capital of the Jizan Province, Saudi Arabia, and for an undisclosed international airport in Scandinavia.

“At Jizan we will supply 18 fire and six security shutters and for the Scandinavian project, where we have signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement, we will supply 12 high speed doors and security shutters. This shows the continuing need for safety and security within airports. Our specialist door systems play an integral part in controlling key areas,” says John Loftus, Hart’s exports manager. 

“In essence Hart’s Industrial doors for airports are an essential part of security management and fire prevention by securing zones from the public or intruders and by providing a physical barrier against  attack and by reducing fire spread,” 

The Hart Speedor Conveyor door is designed to integrate with third-party baggage handling systems. It is supplied as a built unit with easy plug and play installation. Hart has extensive airport experience supplying a range of doors worldwide. 

This unique level of product specialism for airports comes from a policy to drive door systems development and product testing that ensures the systems produced by Hart are reliable and work as specified. Hart doors are active across the globe on airport projects such as Dubai, London Heathrow, Baghdad, Bergen, London Gatwick, Newcastle, Aberdeen, Falklands, Vladivostok and Zimbabwe.

Contact www.hartdoors.com  t: 0191 214 0404  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

In this article, Fulton’s Leigh Bryan looks at the strategies available to lessen the impact of boilerplant downtime and breakdowns and considers the impact ofnational and global supply chain issues.

Ask any engineer what the ideal steam boiler setup is to cover breakdowns and scheduled maintenance and they’ll tell you it’s simple, employ an N+1 (spare boiler) strategy, where you always have one boiler available as a spare to operate as backup.

However, this is not always practical. Common reasons include footprint issues, where there just isn’t enough room available to fit the extra equipment into the plantroom; or a financial decision when, by tying up capital in a ‘spare’ piece of equipment, those funds could be used elsewhere in the business.

Whatever the reason and no matter how well the boilers are maintained, the likelihood is that at some point there will be an occasion where a boiler breaks down.It could be a perishable item such as a gasket or sight glass that fails, or other components incorporated into the boiler pressure vessel including level probes or steam/water valves. Of course, good, accurate water treatment and correct load matching to the boiler help prevent failures that occur from corrosion or erosion, but they cannot be completely prevented.

Then there are the wear and tear items including motors and their actuators or switch gear; manual and automatic valves where packings and seals will gradually perish; ignition probes and ionisation rods that eventually burn away; and reactive components such as UV cells that degrade with time.

And let’s not forget recent global supply chain issues, which have seen almost all products impacted by extended lead times, with some not just increasing by days, but weeks or even months. It is therefore worth taking into consideration the spares kept on site, as supply of the most basic components are also being affected and may not be available ex-stock or at short notice.

So where does this all leave the customer? In an ideal world – supported by the Original Equipment Manufacturer –while companies including Fulton are doing their best to hold relevant stock, they are still like everyone else, subject to delays in obtaining raw materials and parts to replenish their own stock levels.

Even if items are held in stock, there is the delay in getting it to the customer, which generally means a lead time of 24h hours on an overnight delivery and sometimes 48h to remote locations. So even if you only consider the timeframe from the point of diagnosis of a known fault, to the part or parts arriving at your facility and being installed, these delays to production, or temporary closures of facilities due to steam being unavailable for the processes, are costing facilities dearly in downtime and lost production for the sake of a relevant spare part.

So, if you’re not operating an N+1 strategy and don’t have that spare boiler in place, holding your own spares is of vital importance to ensure overall equipment and process efficiency. 

At Fulton, we help clients make that informed decision. With our product and industry knowledge, we produce full spares lists for our own heat transfer solutions and even those of other OEM steam boilers, but rather than leave it there, we identify components that are considered ‘highly-recommended’ due to a higher risk of failure or long lead times. We simplify this further with a traffic light system that highlights, from green to red, the criticality of a particular spare part. By keeping it simple yet effective, it allows our clients to make informed decisions, selecting the most relevant equipment for their site held spares and working on a package to suit their budget.

On those occasions where clients look at the risk and possible financial implications and chooses to hold a full spares package, Fulton recognises that everyone is in the same current global economic situation together and acknowledges our client’s foresight by providing good discounts to lessen the fiscal impact to their business. 

There really is only one way we all come out of this economic squeeze in one piece, and that’s by working together. Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the N+1 philosophy, and to recognise Fulton can be that +1 to your boilers and your business.

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Web: www.fulton.co.uk

Designers and manufacturers of polymer repair and protection systems, Belzona, has announced the promotion of long-serving employee, Phil Robinson, to its Board of Directors. Mr Robinson, who joined as a Trainee Project Manager in 2007, has now been appointed as Application and Training Director.

Mr Robinson will be responsible for identifying opportunities to expand the application of Belzona’s polymer solutions across a wider range of engineering industries such as wind power, hydropowerand waste-to-energy, amongst others. He will also continue to drive the Belzona application and training programme, which aims to provide its Distributor Network with technical and practical training on the use of Belzona systems.

“Belzona is a fantastic place to work,it has provided me with an incredible number of opportunities over the years,andI’mdelighted to be occupying this new role. Belzona is incredibly well placed to help resolve so many of the issues faced in industry worldwide and I’m looking forward to doing my part in ensuring that potential is realised.”

Mr Robinson’s new appointment as Application and Training Director is part of the Company’s ongoing investment in its staff members, as well as its commitment to ensuring that Distributors and Contractors have access to excellent training services. 

Indeed, in order to ensure that training courses are available globally, in addition to its headquarters in Harrogate, Belzona also provides courses at its state-of-the-art training centres in Miami (USA), Chonburi (Thailand), Jiangsu (China) and Ontario (Canada).

For more information about Belzona’s Training Programme, please visit: https://www.belzona.com/en/about/training.aspx

Global designer and manufacturer of polymeric repair and protection systems, Belzona, has announced the appointments of Charli Yu Walton and Fred Lu as Corporate Development Director (China) and Technical Director (China), respectively. The appointments follow the establishment of Belzona Molecular Technology (Nanjing) Ltd in 2019, as a Wholly Foreign Owned Enterprise (WFOE), making the next significant step in the Company’s international expansion strategy.

Charli Yu Walton, Corporate Development 

A Client who deals with environmental spills was faced with a unique problem when insulating its underslung oil dispersal vessel. The vessel would need to be carried underneath a helicopter over sub-zero temperature conditions todecontaminate the water after potential oil spills. Due to the vessel’s requirements, the insulation material needed to fitparticular specifications.

Belzona insulates and protects the oil dispersal vessel in extreme

Specification of Belzona 5871 and Belzona 3211 (Lagseal)

The job specifications required the insulation material to withstand -25°C temperatures without allowing the dispersant within the vessel to freeze, as well as protecting the vessel against corrosion and damage. 

When the Client considered insulation methods, conventional means proved to be technically not suitable for the operating conditions due to weight restrictions and the potential effects of salt water ingress through standard insulation cladding joints and seams. Also, the proximity of the vessel to salt water in cold temperatures would expose the seams to sea water spray which could cause the insulation to become damp,resulting in CUI problems; a vessel not being adequately sealed leaves the system vulnerable tocorrosion.

Belzona and its licensed Contractor, Grade2, jointly recommended the use of corrosion protection system, Belzona 5871, applied in three layers for maximum insulation and corrosion protection, of a total of 9mm dry film thickness (DFT). This would provide an effective, solvent-free, thermal barrier, while also eliminating condensation, contact damage, anti-icing issues, waterlogging and corrosion. Belzona 5871 is a uniquely placed thermal barrier coating able to also provide long term corrosion protection having been thoroughly tested to ASTM B117 (Salt Spray) for 4500 hours, among other corrosion resistance tests.

The Client chose to overcoat the insulation with acrylic emulsion membrane, Belzona 3211 (Lagseal), for additional waterproofing, UV and fire protection. They also mixed in orange pigment at a ratio of ≤ 5% for high visibility in its working environment, as Belzona was able to adapt to the Customer’s needs.

Simple and Precise Application

The products were applied in a controlled factory environmentin the North of England, after careful surface preparation to ensure good adhesion to the stainless-steel vessel. The substrate was grit blasted to achieve the standard minimum specification of ≥ 75μm, Sa 2.5 cleanliness vacuumed and clean degreased.

The application of the products added just ≤ 10mm thickness onto the vessel dimensions, ensuring that the Client’s weight and protection specifications were met far more effectively than would have been possible using traditional cladding.

Successful Application Represents Future Insulation Potential

Belzona’s solution has performed extremely well in tests over its first year in service, which shows the effectiveness of the products. The polymer technology enabled the Client to protect the vessel against the extreme conditions in which it operates, while also meeting specifications such as weight and thickness. Belzona proved more effective than traditional cladding, and the successful application demonstrates the potential for its use across multiple industries.

www.belzona.com

TheFEV300 Electric Vehicle Charging StationAdapter from Fluke is designed to simulate an electric vehicle for AC charging Mode 3 with connector types 1 and 2, allowingthe output of an Electric Vehicle Charging Station to be efficiently and safely tested.

: Fluke, a global technology leader in the manufacture of compact, professional electronic test and measurement equipment tools and software, has today launched the new FEV300 Electric Vehicle Charging Station Adapter for electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS). Designed to simulate an electric vehicle attached to the EVCS, the user-friendly tool allows for the output voltage of an AC charging station Mode 3 with connector types 1 and 2 to be safely and accurately tested in accordance with IEC/HD 60364-7-722 and IEC/EN 61851-1. 

Growth of e-mobility 

There are approximately 20 million electric vehicles on the road today globally, according to Bloomberg’s Annual Electrical Vehicle Outlook 2022. With rising fuel prices and new fuel economy regulations in many countries, the adoption of electric vehicles as alternatives to fuel-powered vehicles is expected to rise dramatically. Bloomberg suggests electric vehicle share of new vehicle sales market will grow to between 40 – 50 per cent in the UK, France and Germany by 2025.

EVCS are critical to reducing the charging time for vehicles. A typical, compact vehicle can take between 24 and 36 hours to charge from a domestic mains supply. An EVCS provides one or three phase supply with a mains voltage at 230 volts or 400 volts, charging electric vehicles much faster. For safety,communication between the charging station and the connected electric vehicle must occur before an output voltage is delivered. Adapters, such as the new-to-market FEV300Adapter from Fluke, are critical pieces of equipment used in the installation and mandatory routine testing of Mode 3 EVCS which provide accelerated charging of 3.7 kW to 22kW. 

Simple, safe and reliable

Testing of EVCS must be performed at regular intervals. There are local safety regulations, international and European standards, including the IEC/HD 60364-6, IEC/HD 60364-7-722 and IEC/EN 61851-1, to which installation and testing must adhere too. Both the safety and communication functions of an EVCS must be accurately tested to ensure the safety and efficiency of the electric system for the safe use by owners of electric vehicles. The tests required include continuity of conductors, insulation resistance, automatic disconnection of supply (loop impedance, RCD or RDC-DD test) and functional tests. All of which can be performed using a multifunction installation tester (MFT) such as the Fluke 1663 or Fluke 1664FC.

The FEV300 Adapter is compatible with Fluke’s leading MFTs used in the installation and commissioning of EVCS as well as routine maintenance tests. The FEV300 Adapter can also be paired with Fluke’s range of multimeters or scope meters for investigative troubleshooting.

Hans-Dieter Schuessele, Application & Technology Expertat Fluke says: “The energy which is transferred from an EVCS was previously mostly used in industrial environments – and now it is provided directly to private vehicles. Testing of these high-power, live voltage electric systems is critical to ensure the safety of end users, and the electricians installing and maintaining these essential pieces of equipment.

“The new FEV300 Adapter includes significant safety features such as a touch electrode function which quickly displays if there is a high-risk earth fault and improved safety sockets which are covered by plastic lids to protect the connectors in wet weather conditions. The safety aspects of Fluke’s new FEV300Adapter surpass other competitive products in the market.”  

Training the workforce to deliver the infrastructure 

Fluke is a leading provider of training programmes for the testing and installation of EVCS in Germany. The market for EVCS is booming, with extended waiting lists for charging stations to be installed. Infrastructure for EVCS across Europe doubled between 2020 and 2021 and is on track to deliver the same volume increase in 2022, according to The European Commission for Alternative Fuels Observatory. 

“The e-mobility market is growing at an exponential rate. Many general electricians are now seeking to upskill through certified training programmes for the installation and testing of EVCS to meet this demand. We identified a significant market need for an easy-to-use adapter that could be used for the safe installation and commissioning of EVCS as well as regular maintenance testing and troubleshooting,” said Schuessele. 

Fluke has a comprehensive range of rugged, handheld tools and software for e-mobility, allowing technicians to safely test and install charging stations for electric vehicles. Fluke’s solutions are designed for ease-of-use and include market-leading safety features that meet the stringent international and European safety standards for EVCS.    

For more information, about Fluke’s new FEV300 Electric Vehicle Charging Station Adapter, go to:https://www.fluke.com/en-gb/product/electrical-testing/installation-testers/fev300-connector-kit

pandemic

Dubai, UAE: The seventh annual The Maritime Standard Tanker Conference takes place on 16th November at the Atlantis, the Palm, Dubai. A stimulating and thought-provoking program is rapidly taking shape that reflects the fact that this is a pivotal time for the tanker sector, as it not only emerges from the pandemic, but as other geopolitical challenges arise with uncertain consequences.

Many aspects of the business have been changed forever by two years of lockdowns and disruption to economic activity and trade. Now the world is wrestling with the impact of the conflict in Ukraine and what that means for the global economy as well as the specific patterns of oil and gas trades. In addition, tanker operators face the ongoing challenge of gearing their fleets to meet tough new environmental regulations in force now and in decades to come, and the drive to decarbonise operations.

One of the highlights of the TMS Tanker Conference is sure to be the opening Session 1 which has the theme ‘Tanker trades - recalibrating after the pandemic.’ Clive Woodbridge, Conference Editor, says, “The first main session in the morning sets the tone for what is going to be a really informative and energising day. After two difficult years caused by economic and trade upheavals during the pandemic, there remains a lot of uncertainty about the short and longer term outlook for tankers. We have been able to gather together a really top class set of speakers for the opening session who will get proceedings off to a strong, thought-provoking start with a series of presentations certain to trigger plenty of discussion and debate.”

Assessing the likely supply and demand balance will be a key task for Session 1 panellists, who will also assess changes to regional oil and petrochemical trade flows as well as likely tanker fleet growth projections. Other topics in this session include the effects of climate change actions on tanker shipping; the importance of scrapping older tonnage; the impact of digitalisation and the specific prospects of the gas carrier trades. Speakers will look at markets both from a global perspective and also at the specific characteristics of the Middle East and Subcontinent trades. 

To date speakers confirmed for the main Session 1 include: Capt. Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO ADNOC Logistics & Services; Dr Ibrahim Al Nadhairi, CEO of ASYAD Shipping and Drydock Services; Esam Khoori, Executive Director, Container Terminals, DP World UAE; Capt. Ammar Al Shaiba, Acting CEO – Maritime Cluster and Safeen Group, AD Ports; Nikos Michas, Global Tanker Segment Director, Lloyd's Register; Petros Doukas, Mayor of Sparta, President of Capital Partners and former Deputy Minister of finance & foreign affairs, Greece; Navin Kumar, Director Maritime Research, Drewry Shipping Consultants.

Clive adds, “We have speakers who can provide a macro economic background, and who can analyse in detail the key market trends, as well as executives at the front line in the ports, shipping and shipyard business sectors who can present a real-life assessment of how the market is evolving post-pandemic. 

For more information about the conference and how to register please go to: www.tmstankerconference.com

The British Compressed Air Society (BCAS) welcomes the Government’s new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which comes into effect from tomorrow, the 1st of October - but is encouraging compressed air users to also act now to minimise their compressed air energy consumption for the long-term through a series of low-cost measures.

With 10% of all the energy consumed by industry used to compress air, any Government programmes which can help mitigate for the unprecedented rise in the cost of business energy are very welcome, says Vanda Jones, Executive Director at BCAS.

“The scheme will apply automatic discounts to the price of business energy usage initially between 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.^[1] While this will offer some relief to manufacturers and operators already struggling with soaring bills, the six-month time frame may not be sufficient to assist many end-users in the medium to longer term.

"Indeed, the cap still means that electricity prices for business customers will be around double the price per megawatt hour compared to this time last year.  Add to this the fact that generating compressed air can be very energy-intensive, representing as much as 30 per cent of a site's total electricity bill, and it is well worth operators considering further energy saving measures to help reduce their energy consumption, and therefore the cost burden further."

Earlier this year, BCAS launched its 10% Taskforce campaign, designed to encourage compressed air users to take simple steps to cut their compressed air energy figure by 10 per cent, by reducing wasteful and inefficient practices.  Vanda Jones continues:

"At the time we launched the campaign in April this year, we could not have predicted the huge rise in the wholesale gas and electricity prices. Our original calculations of £485.43 million being spent in wasted electricity have now risen two or even three-fold - meaning that the assistance now being offered through the Energy Bill Relief Scheme is vital.

"Since the launch, our members have been speaking with customers to encourage them to take action and to dispel some of the commonly-held beliefs that saving energy will require significant investment in new capital equipment.

"We have been demonstrating to operators that taking small, incremental steps can have a significant impact on reducing energy consumption.  This can include better housekeeping routines to avoid wasteful practices, fixing air pipework leaks, recovering heat which would otherwise be lost to the atmosphere, or implementing routine system maintenance."

The Society has a dedicated website at taskforce10.bcas.org.uk containing a host of end users hints and tips of simple ways that compressed air energy consumption can be reduced.  Free, downloadable guides are available (taskforce10.bcas.org.uk/simple-steps) as well as an area highlighting real examples of energy-saving measures that customers have implemented.

Businesses looking for further information and advice on ways to reduce compressed air energy consumption can contact their local BCAS member or visit taskforce10.bcas.org.uk

^[1] https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-bill-relief-scheme-help-for-businesses-and-other-non-domestic-customers