NEWSDESK
Pump Industry
Awards 2019
Seven companies and two
individuals were recognised
in the 2019 Pump Industry
Awards, founded by the BPMA
(British Pump Manufacturers
Association).
The 2019 awards
categories focused on key
areas of manufacture and
supply, including innovation
and achievement, energy
saving, engineering
excellence, customer care and
employee motivation.
Product of the year was
named as Xylem Water
Solutions’ Flygt Concertor
XPC, a wastewater pump that
automatically senses operating
conditions and adapts to them.
Project of the year was won
by Campion Pumps and Irish
Water for the Inniscarra dam
project.
Armstrong Fluid
Technology won the
environmental contribution
of the year award for the
Armstrong Tango Parallel
Pumping Solution, whose
features, including parallel
sensorless pump control,
produce energy savings of
30%.
Wilo UK was named
manufacturer of the year;
Tomlinson Hall & Co was
named distributor of the year;
John Crane UK was named
supplier of the year; Siemens
was presented with the judges’
special award.
Two individuals were also
singled out for recognition.
Reuben D’Orton-Gibson
of SPP Pumps was named
engineer of the year; Tony
Keville, managing director of
Tomlinson Hall & Co, was given
a lifetime achievement award.
MACH 2020 and Lloyds Bank reaffi rm partnership
Lloyds Bank has been announced as the headline sponsor of MACH
2020. The show, run by the Manufacturing Technologies Association,
is scheduled to take place from 20-24 April at the NEC, Birmingham,
showcasing the latest in manufacturing technologies.
Bürkert pH sensors support
modular water treatment systems
Ross-shire Engineering (RSE), a
manufacturer of modular water
treatment systems for remote
communities, is using mass
h ow controllers from Bürkert to
ensure pH levels are maintained at
optimum levels.
Water treatment processes are
used to remove impurities, both
biological and chemical, as well
as balance pH levels. In the vast
majority of installations, on-site
staff can monitor and maintain the
equipment to ensure continuous
operation. However, in remote
locations, regular on-site interventions are not
practicable, so reliability has to be built in to the
equipment.
Water quality is determined by standards
and specifi cation and it is the responsibility
of the local water authority to deliver these
standards. Signifi cant geographical areas within
the UK experience high pH levels within their
surface water, due to organic matter within the
soil, so there is a need for a simple and reliable
control process. RSE uses carbon dioxide (CO2)
to reduce the pH of the water to increase the
mineral content through reaction with limestone/
remineralisation media. It is a gas that is easy to
handle, non-corrosive and its most appealing
feature is that it will not lower the pH of water
below 4.0. In addition, the only maintenance
required for the dosing system is to replenish the
gas cylinders periodically.
The control structure for this dosing system
needs to cope with variable h ow as well as
decreasing gas pressure as the volume in the
cylinders decreases. It is very important for
the integrity of the process to use a mass h ow
controller that is calibrated for the gas and
delivers accurate measurements independent
of temperature and pressure. The MFC is
precalibrated by Bürkert for the gas being
controlled before it is delivered to the customer.
Many engineers will read a pH sensor after the
dosing point and use this information to adjust
the gas h ow rate. This reactive process can be
optimised by adding a pH sensor to the input
side, and using the readings from this sensor to
set the CO2 dosing rate. The second sensor then
acts as validation of the process setting. This
off ers a quicker response to changes in the pH
levels at the input.
The design and parameter settings for the pH
control process are determined by the local water
authority. On each site, the process control loop
consists of a pH sensor, some solenoid control
valves and a mass h ow controller (MFC) supplied
by Bürkert. A Bürkert Type 8711 MFC is used
in each application. In contrast to a simple h ow
control device, the measurement is independent
of pressure and temperature, making it more
accurate in varying conditions. When used with
CO2, the Type 8711 has a nominal h ow range
from 0.02 LN/min up to 40 LN/min.
RSE is planning to to use this system on six
future water treatment projects in 2019. Paul
McCloskey, senior technical manager at RSE,
concludes: “We design these compact treatment
plants for optimum performance with minimal
maintenance. The Bürkert mass h ow controller
is central to maintaining the correct pH and it is
delivered as a ‘plug & play’ component, which
minimises our installation and confi guration
time.”
May 2019 www.operationsengineer.org.uk 9
/www.operationsengineer.org.uk