Credit: AWI

Revenues for liquid macrofiltration equipment and consumables will rise to just under $6.5 billion in 2014. This is the latest forecast in the McIlvaine publication, Liquid Filtration and Media World Market.

Liquid macrofiltration includes granular media filters, belt filter presses, recessed chamber filter presses, belt filters, and automatic backwash filters. These products are distinguished by their ability to be self-cleaning and to separate large quantities of solids. However, they do not remove particles, which can be removed with cartridges or cross-flow membranes. Bag filters are also included in the macrofiltration category even though they are not self-cleaning.

The biggest purchasers of this equipment will be municipalities. Granular media filters are used to purify drinking water. Belt filter presses are the most common equipment to dewater sewage sludges. Recessed chamber filter presses are used when it is necessary to obtain higher solids percentages than can be produced with belt filter presses. Gravity belt filters are often used as pre-filters for belt filter presses. Automatic backwash filters compete with gravity filters in the drinking water purification arena.

Liquid Filtration Revenues
($ Millions)

The mining industry is a major purchaser of macrofiltration equipment. There are water purification and wastewater treatment applications that are common to many industries. In addition, this equipment is extensively used to separate product from a slurry. Drum filters and filter presses are often used in the mining of coal and metals.

Two newer applications are ballast water treatment for ships and hydraulic fracturing flowback water treatment in shale gas applications.

There is a substantial market for replacement belts, filter cloths, and bags.

For more information on Liquid Filtration and Media World Market, see here. The online report is continuously updated every month and costs $3,600 per year. The subscription price includes periodic webinars.

The Natural Gas STAR Program encourages oil and natural gas companies to adopt cost-effective technologies and practices that improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions of methane, a clean energy source but a potent greenhouse gas. As part of this workshop, Steve Redding, Bay Area maintenance and construction director for PG&E, and Michael Woelk, CEO of Picarro, are detailing how PG&E implemented Picarro’s Surveyor technology into the utility’s natural gas leak detection efforts.

Surveyor gas leak detection system has an iPad interface for field users. Credit: Piccaro

PG&E has been using Surveyor since October 2012 and is reportedly the first natural gas operator user. PG&E deployed the devices for vehicle-mounted, super-sensitive gas leak detection throughout its northern and central California service area over the next three years. PG&E initially ordered two devices in early 2012 and studied their capabilities by mounting them on electric vehicles. Picarro and PG&E have now signed a three-year managed services contract for six units.

Surveyor measures and maps natural gas and methane plumes in the air as a PG&E vehicle drives through neighborhoods. It includes a high-precision gas analyzer and an online user interface that provides real-time data on an iPad or other web-enabled device, alerts users and repair teams immediately upon leak detection. The technology is said to be approximately 1,000 times more sensitive than traditional leak detection equipment and capable of detecting leaks down to one part per billion in ambient air while reducing false positives from naturally occurring methane.

Piccaro, www.picarro.com, is based in Santa Clara, Calif., and its systems are used worldwide.

Petrochemical makers are installing additional propylene capacity to meet growing demand and to make up for the shortage of propylene production from traditional refining and petrochemical sources. The Ascend project is the 14th Oleflex project that UOP has announced since the beginning of 2011, and the company’s seventh Oleflex project in North America since the technology was developed. The combined Oleflex projects announced since 2011 will help increase propylene production by nearly 7 million metric tons globally in the next three years.

“Global propylene demand is growing at about 4 to 5 percent per year. The U.S. is seeing an increase in on-purpose propylene production because of the abundance of low-cost propane from shale gas,” said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of the UOP Process Technology and Equipment business unit.

Ascend will install the Oleflex technology at its Gulf Coast facility to produce more than 1 million metric tons of propylene per year beginning in 2015. In addition to technology licensing, UOP will supply engineering design, catalysts, adsorbents, and selected equipment for the project.

Ascend possesses proprietary technologies for the production of nylon, plastics, and synthetic fibers. The company has global offices and five manufacturing facilities in the U.S.

Since 2011, UOP has announced 13 new Oleflex units across China, Abu Dhabi, and North America, including China’s first combined C(3)/C(4) Oleflex unit and the first two C(4) Oleflex units.

UOP, headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., also supplies catalysts, adsorbents, process plants, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. It is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group. For more, see www.uop.com.

The E-Series Plastic AODD pumps are supplied by Almatec Maschinenbau GmbH* of Kamp-Lintfort, Germany, a vendor that specializes in pumps with solid housings that are machined from plastics.

Conductive PTFE diaphragm enables use of air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps in enviroments where electrostatic discharge may occur. Credit: Almatec Maschinenbau GmbH.

Pumps with non-conductive diaphragm materials can be susceptible to electrostatic discharge depending on the liquids that they handle, according to Almatec. Static can accumulate in liquid being moved or transferred through a non-conductive pump, leading to sparking in a flammable vapor-air mixture. One common cause of electrostatic discharge occurs when the pump runs dry.

If a pump runs dry, operators need to inject nitrogen, water, or carbon dioxide once the fluid transfer has been completed to avoid potentially dangerous electrostatic discharge. If this step is not possible or practical, then the pump can only be employed for the transfer of fluids which are conductive or dissolved in water. Otherwise steps need to be implemented to prevent dry running. All of these measures always involve a certain risk and should be monitored by sensors.

Almatec’s E-Series pumps are equipped with conductive PTFE diaphragms (the PTFE is blended with conductive carbon), however, and can be used without risk in applications found in explosion-proof areas that involve flammable liquids. Thanks to the E-Series design and use of conductive materials in the construction of the pumps (conductive polyethylene or conductive PTFE), there are no additional actions required for the prevention of dry running. This allows the Almatec E-Series pumps to meet the ATEX requirements enacted by the European Union for use in explosive or hazardous areas. The pump has to be grounded via a connection located in the center housing. All other housing parts are conductively interconnected.

In addition to the added safety and security in hazardous applications, Almatec’s diaphragms reportedly have a large diameter and short stroke with low flexural load that ensures uniform delivery, regardless of the material used for the diaphragm’s construction.

_{*Almatec Maschinenbau GmbH, is part of Dover Corp.’s Pump Solutions Group (PSG), Oakbrook Terrace, Ill.}

A reading of 50 indicates no change from the prior period while readings above 50 indicate growth and those below 50 indicate contraction. The further the index is above or below 50 suggests a faster or slower rate of change.

The entire first-quarter 2013 PTDA Business Index report is available through PTDA’s website, www.ptda.org/Index. It includes U.S. and Canadian breakout data in addition to historical data. Conducted jointly by PTDA and Cleveland Research Co., the PTDA Business Index was modeled after the widely respected Purchasing Managers Index and tracks change in business activity, new orders, employment, supplier deliveries, inventories, prices, and backlog in the PT/MC industry to arrive at an overall index.

Founded in 1960, PTDA is the leading association for the industrial power transmission/motion control (PT/MC) distribution channel. A U.S.-based trade association, PTDA represents 178 power transmission/motion control distribution firms that generate more than $11 billion in sales and span just over 3,400 locations in the U.S., Canada, and eight other countries. PTDA members also include 180 manufacturers that supply the PT/MC industry.

The two-day event will be held at the Hotel Solamar and feature presentations from industry and economic leaders on trends in a number of diverse marketplaces and economies.

Expert presenters will focus on specific market sectors; they include:

• Water/Wastewater” – Tom Decker, vice president, Brown & Caldwell
• Power – Kevin Geraghty, vice president of power generation, NV Energy
• Oil & Gas – John Spears, president, Spears & Associates
• Petrochemical – Mark Eramo, executive vice president, IHS Global Insight
• Shale Gas – Richard Ranger, senior policy advisor, American Petroleum Institute
• Hydrocarbon Processing – Mark Peters, vice president and group publisher, PenWell.

Workshop highlights also include the Wall Street Perspective presentation by Michael Halloran, senior research analyst and vice president at Robert W. Baird & Co., and Economic Outlook by Alan Beaulieu, president of ITR Economics. There will also be a session, The Changing Face of Distribution, by Greg Peterson, vice president of value sales for MRC Inc.

Complete meeting details, accommodations/special room block rate information, and registration for the 2013 Market Outlook Workshop as well as the HI Market Intelligence Committee meeting are available on HI’s website, www.Pumps.org/13MarketOutlook. The HI can be reached at (973) 267-9700, ext. 125 and gbernardo@Pumps.org for more information on the events.

Over the coming years, Emerson also plans to create 126 new jobs to go along with another $9.5 million capital investment to accommodate anticipated growth.

With the oil and gas industry representing 40 percent of Emerson Process Management’s sales, the new headquarters and manufacturing complex extends Emerson’s presence in Houston, which also includes the $34 million Emerson Industry Center for Hydrocarbon and Energy that opened in early 2012.

The new valve automation complex encompasses 215,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space. Emerson also has manufacturing facilities in Houston for its Daniel measurement and control products and Rosemount Analytical gas chromatographs. Currently, Emerson employs more than 1,000 people in greater Houston.

“We are thrilled to expand our footprint in the Houston community,” said David Plum, president of Emerson Process Management’s valve automation business. “Our history in Texas dates back to 1929 and this area remains critical to our growth plans and service level commitments.”

Valve operating system with Bettis G and TopWorx controls. Credit: Emerson Process Management

Located in northwest Houston, near the Energy Corridor, the new complex offers close proximity to more than 3,700 area energy companies. The manufacturing facility is the Americas World Area Configuration Center and complements similar full-service facilities in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East with manufacturing, assembly, integration of control packages, accessory and replacement parts stocking, and testing.

The facility features lean-manufacturing technology and procedures that provide substantial efficiencies through improved work flow, reduced waste, and cost containment.

The new Americas headquarters for valve automation technologies consolidates its sales management, engineering, product development, and administrative functions in support of Emerson Process Management’s growth in North America and South America. It also features an Innovation Center that provides leading-edge training with visual technology connecting global experts for presentations and seminars. A demonstration area provides hands-on experiences with Emerson’s range of valve automation products.

The value automation suite of products includes recognized industry leaders Bettis, El-O-Matic, FieldQ, Hytork, Shafer, Dantorque, and EIM.

Emerson Process Management, the largest business of Emerson, achieved $7.9 billion in sales in its fiscal year 2012, an increase of 13 percent from fiscal year 2011.

Industries such as transportation, food and beverage, metal fabrication, and chemical manufacturing are some of the growth drivers for the global industrial gases market. Rapid industrialization in emerging Asian economies such as India and China will serve the market as future growth opportunities.

Hydrogen dominated the market in 2011 in terms of market share and is also expected to be the fastest-growing segment over the next five years at an estimated CAGR of 6 percent from 2012 to 2018. Global demand for nitrogen and oxygen is expected to reach $6.2 billion and $6.1 billion by 2018, respectively.

In 2011, Asia-Pacific led the market in terms of demand due to increasing domestic consumption in India, China, and South Korea. The Asia-Pacific industrial gases market is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 7 percent from 2012 to 2018, which is the fastest of all regional markets.

Air Liquide held majority of market share at over 24 percent in 2011, on account of its wide product portfolio covering all the industrial gas segments and revenue generation from the emerging Asian and Eastern European countries. Air Liquide was followed by Linde Gas in terms of market share in 2011. Other key market players dominating the global industrial gases market include Matheson tri-Gas Inc., Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Praxair Inc., and Air Gas Inc.

Browse the full report at http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/industrial-gases-market.html.

Transparency Market Research, based in Albany, N.Y., is a global market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services.

Floating-suspension technology in the TwisTorr 304 FS can be used in a variety of applications and markets, including academic and government research and the analytical, industrial, and nanotech/semiconductor industries, according to Agilent.

“Work is already under way to incorporate this new technology and its benefits into Agilent’s next-generation gas chromatography/mass spectrometry systems, and we will continue our active collaboration with customers to identify their expanding needs and develop new advances in turbo pump design,” says Giampaolo Levi, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Vacuum Products Division.

Floating suspension system in turbomolecular pump brings benefits in reliability and energy efficiency.

Running at 60,000 rpm, the TwisTorr pumps up to 250 L/s for nitrogen gas, while drag stages ensure high pumping speed and compression ratios for hydrogen and helium. Previous Agilent pumps and competing pumps, according to the company, were in the range of 1 x 10⁴ to 1 x 10⁵ for hydrogen compression, compared with 1.5 x 10⁶ for the TwisTorr 304 FS. Compression ratio is a measure of pumping effectiveness, as it compares outlet or exhaust pressure to starting or inlet pressure of a gas.

In the high-vacuum range, the light gases such as helium and hydrogen become a larger proportion of the gas load, so the specific compression ratio performance of a high-vacuum pump with respect to these gases is of interest in choosing the most effective (and rapid) means of achieving the vacuum required.

The new pump also reportedly provides dramatic improvements in reliability versus previous Agilent pump designs, based on environmental testing of shock, vibration, and thermal behavior (operating and non-operating).

Agilent Floating Suspension (AFS) is a new generation of rotor suspension technology designed to produce more predictable behavior in the spinning rotor in terms of radial stiffness and bearing preload. AFS consists of a couple of components, one for each bearing, which is made up of two metal rings with silicone rubber vulcanized in between. The outer ring is flanged to the pump body, while the inner ring is press-fit to the bearing’s outer ring.

It is designed to guarantee bearing alignment due to the geometrical precision of the ground rings mounted on the same piece of aluminum (the pump body). The radial stiffness achieved optimizes dynamic rotor behavior and critical speed positioning while minimizing acoustical noise. The lower AFS assembly is aligned as an axial spring to provide constant preload to the bearing and secure axial rotor positioning.

AFS thus is said to offer two advantages over other approaches: 1) radial stiffness of the suspension and bearing axial preload are stable over time (reduced incidence of misalignment), and 2) the simplest mounting scheme requires only two components to provide radial support, axial support, and bearing preload — instead of the four to five components required by other designs.

Outer appearance of Agilent’s TwisTorr 304 FS.

Floating-suspension technology also minimizes vibration and acoustical noise while providing optimal working conditions for bearings as well as stability for demanding applications and instruments. Further, the bearing design and dry lubrication of the suspension system permits installation in any orientation.

The new pump also features high foreline tolerance. The foreline is the exhaust of a high-vacuum pump. High-vacuum pumps cannot exhaust directly into atmospheric pressure. Even though the pump compresses gas effectively, the pressure of the compressed gas ready to be exhausted is still well below atmospheric pressure. Therefore, high-vacuum pumps must be assisted by a “primary” or “medium” vacuum pump (such as a scroll or rotary vane pump), whose effective range begins around atmospheric pressure and extends down to overlap with the high-vacuum pump.

For a high-vacuum pump, foreline tolerance is a descriptor of the ability of the pump to exhaust. That is, the higher the foreline (pressure) tolerance, the easier it is for the partnering primary pump to work. And often, higher foreline tolerance in the high-vacuum pump allows the use of a smaller, less expensive primary pump.

Low power consumption and low operating temperature are also achieved by the TwisTorr pump, according to Agilent. Two principle conditions are at work: more constant (and efficient) pumping, and smaller required mass of the compact rotor/stator combination. In the TwisTorr drag section, the pumping effect is created by a spinning rotor disk, which transfers momentum to the gas molecules. These molecules are forced to follow the specific spiral groove design (TwisTorr stages) on the stator.

This ensures a constant local pumping speed inside the channel and avoids reverse pressure gradients (and therefore higher or more variable resistance), thereby minimizing power consumption. The double-sided spiral groove design on the TwisTorr stators combines centripetal and centrifugal pumping action in series, greatly reducing the size of the drag section.

Figure 1: Fracking and other drilling operations bring up large amounts of produced water, which must be processed before being released to the environment.

The sheer volume alone of produced water shows its importance to the hydrocarbon recovery process. Already an $18 billion process in the U.S. alone, the significance of being precise and efficient in water treatment is becoming more and more prominent in these applications. Achieving the required levels of control and monitoring requires instrumentation and analyzers to measure composition, flow, level, pressure, and temperature.

Cleaning produced water costs 300 times more than cleaning municipal wastewater and 3,000 times more than cleaning irrigation water. A new well will produce a relatively small percentage of water; however, as the well ages the ratios change. At the end of a well’s life, as much as 98 percent of the recovered liquids could be water. To help maintain targets, hydrocarbon extraction needs to be as efficient as possible. To stay within regulatory compliance with produced water, it’s necessary to trust the analytical equipment and instrumentation used to process the water.

Produced Water Treatment

Produced water is a general term, and since each system can vary based on the water quality and the environmental regulations for its reuse, there is no universal treatment process. Nevertheless, basic requirements must be met when dealing with produced water. It is important for companies to understand these factors so that oil and gas production can be maximized while containing costs and complying with regulations.

A typical water treatment process (Figure 2) performs these functions:

• Removes petroleum hydrocarbons, oil, grease, and solids
• Removes friction reducers and other polymer additives
• Removes inorganic scale-forming compounds
• Kills bacteria
• Removes iron
• Removes total dissolved solids

Figure 2: Basic flow diagram of a produced water treatment process.

In a drilling or fracking operation, most of the oil or gas produced by the well is passed through a separator to remove water and then pumped directly into a pipeline or tanker trucks.

Separator efficiency can be optimized by incorporating an E+H Levelflex FMP 55 dual technology (guided radar and capacitance on the same probe) level sensor. Due to the high rate at which product moves through the separator, an emulsion (Figure 3) can occur at the oil/water interface, thereby rendering traditional guided radar useless, as it will lose the signal once the emulsion gets larger than 2 in thick. The FMP 55 is able to guarantee an interface level measurement in the presence of an emulsion.

The reason many people like to use guided wave radar for interface is because it can make both the interface measurement (oil/water) and the total level measurement (oil cap) with one sensor. The capacitance transmitter cannot measure the total level. The combination of the two technologies in the FMP55 multi-parameter transmitter addresses both of these circumstances.

Figure 3: A thick emulsion makes it difficult for a conventional radar level sensor to detect the water level under the oil. A combination radar/capacitance sensor can detect the water level.

The well can produce a large amount of water, which is contaminated by oil and other materials, and must be treated. The oil/water solution is collected at the well site, stored in tanks or basins as shown in Figure 1, and then sent to a water treatment facility.

Typically, tanker trucks transport this water to a treatment facility.

Environmental issues may arise from the inconsistency at which the tanks at the well site fill up. Just like oil, water does not consistently pump up through the ground, and, as a result, tanks fill up at different rates. It’s important to monitor the water and oil cap levels — as there will always be oil in a water tank — with a guided radar level instrument (Figure 4) to ensure that well site tanks don’t overfill, causing environmental problems, and that tank trucks are properly scheduled to empty the tanks when needed. Over-filling tanks and spilling product on the ground results in large fines for a company and could result in the lease owner refusing to extend or revoking the lease.

Figure 4: Guided wave radar level instruments are typically used to measure level in holding tanks.

Additionally, the owner can accurately determine the amount of oil present at a particular site instead of having a pumper provide that information by making a manual water cut determination (Figure 5). Using a probe, the pumper technician manually determines when all the water has been removed, so pumping can stop. Having a reliable level instrument increases personnel safety, as it eliminates the need of sending a pumper to the top of the tank, thereby minimizing the risk of a fall or, even worse, exposure to hydrogen sulfide that may be present at the top of the tanks.

When the water arrives at the treatment plant, it is pumped through filters and then stored in holding tanks while waiting to be processed. In the storage tanks, gravity and natural tendencies separate the oil, water, and other contaminants. Again, a guided radar instrument provides the ability to accurately determine the amount of oil cap present in the vessel. After settling, most of the oil is skimmed off the top and the water mixture is pumped from the bottom to an oil/water separator, where oil is extracted and shipped to refineries.

Figure 5: A technician makes a manual water cut to help determine the ratio of water produced. A radar level sensor can eliminate this step.

Regulations require specific water quality before disposal or reuse, so biocides such as chlorine can be added to kill bacteria and other organics. Biocides are toxic and can form strong emulsions, making further hydrocarbon separation less efficient. The most commonly used additive is sodium hypochlorite, which helps clean the water and remove inorganic scale-forming compounds.

Iron and other hardness compounds are often contained in the water brought up to the surface during the drilling process. To meet acceptable levels, the iron must be removed from the water. Coagulation can be used to help precipitate the iron and other compounds for ease of removal. One method for iron coagulation is by applying an electrostatic charge to the water. An electrostatic coagulator system uses an aluminum anode that reacts with water to form aluminum hydroxide to break down soluble hydrocarbons, reduce hardness, and coagulate iron and suspended solids.

After iron coagulates and solid particles form, the solution is sent to a settling tank. The solids will settle out in the tank and can be separated for subsequent physical removal.

Finally, a sand filter unit is used to separate the final 95 to 99 percent of materials. Attempts have been made to use reverse osmosis for final treatment, but these filtering systems are typically designed for high purity water and are not well suited for final filtration of produced water. This is the final stage of treatment, so there are several measurements that may need to be taken to ensure the final quality of the water is acceptable.

Multiple parameters may need to be monitored in the final water:

• Iron
• pH
• Free chlorine
• Turbidity
• Oxidation/reduction potential
• Conductivity
• Temperature

After treatment, the water can be injected into a surface well; pumped into the sea, an aquifer, or a river; used for agriculture or industrial process water; or reused for hydraulic fracturing. Treated produced water is rarely used for drinking water.

Steven Smith is analytical product business manager for western U.S. for Endress+Hauser, a leading supplier of industrial instrumentation and analytical technology and solutions. Smith is responsible for technology application and business development for a wide range of analytical products. He has spent the past 25 years consulting on process instrumentation and control, working in industry-leading Fortune 500 instrumentation companies. 

This article is part 1 of a white paper, furnished by Smith and Endress+Hauser, on instrumentation for proper measurement in produced water applications, as hydraulic fracturing has emphasized the need to clean up water produced from oil and gas wells. Part 2 will provide a more in-depth look at instrumentation requirements and considerations and the specific instruments used in produced water applications.