Fluid handling tools you can use

Fluid handling professionals have a range of new tools at their disposal. Managing, measuring, and controlling liquid process flows is safer and more cost effective with connectors that don’t spill, probes that extract accurate samples, and pumps that suit the application at hand.

Non-spill connectors

In industrial environments, the prevention of dangerous spills, chemical exposure, and product contamination is a high priority. The new NS212 product line from Colder Products (www.colder.com) is designed to provide that protection. It is more robust and versatile than the original NS2 product, which was limited in the range of media, temperature, and pressures it could support. The NS212 couplings, made with elastomeric o-ring seals, are suitable for applications such as liquid cooling, ink handling, analytical instrumentation, MEK solvents, and any type of chemical.

“We made the package size as small as possible,” says Tim Jacobson, specialty industrial product manager for Colder Products. “Although it falls in the 1/8-in. nominal flow category for a coupling, it has near ¼-in. flow capability.” In addition to good flow, the NS212 couplings can connect and disconnect without leakage, and inclusion and spillage are very minute. “If you’re worried about exposure to or contact with hazardous chemicals, and access space is limited, this is a great solution,” adds Jacobson.

Fluid sampling probes

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When oil, gas, and chemical industries extract process samples in online analyzer systems, the sample must be representative of what is in the process pipe. Swagelok’s (www.swagelok.com) Sample Probe Module (SPM) is designed to improve the extraction process. The SPM consists of a sample probe valve and either a welded or retractable probe. It can extract the sample from the center of the process pipe to avoid extracting sludge along the pipe walls, and because the probe is cut at an angle, it reduces the amount of particulate extracted.

“Our goal with the pre-engineered Sample Probe Module was to design in features that address traditional safety and longevity concerns in the field — for example, interlocking mechanisms that prevent technicians from crimping and improperly inserting sample probes enhance technician safety and extend the life of the probes,” says Doug Nordstrom, market manager for analytical instrumentation at Swagelok.

Certified hygienic pumps

Sheila Kennedy is a professional freelance writer specializing in industrial and technical topics. She established Additive Communications in 2003 to serve software, technology, and service providers in industries such as manufacturing and utilities, and became a contributing editor and Technology Toolbox columnist for Plant Services in 2004. Prior to Additive Communications, she had 11 years of experience implementing industrial information systems. Kennedy earned her B.S. at Purdue University and her MBA at the University of Phoenix. She can be reached at [email protected].

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The goal of 3-A sanitary standards is to enhance product safety for consumers of food, beverage, and pharmaceutical products. Lutz Pumps (www.lutzpumps.com) recently announced that its new B70V-H-SR sanitary pump is built in accordance with the 3-A Sanitary Standard for Centrifugal and Positive Rotary Pumps, Number 02-10. The eccentric screw pump’s low-maintenance design is free of bacteria traps and is designed to be easy to clean, disinfect, and reassemble.

“The biggest task for the research and development department was to come up with a solution to eliminate all threads in contact with media pumped,” says Calle Larsson, president of Lutz Pumps. “The pump is easy to dismantle for manual cleaning or sterilization. No special tools are needed.”

Solids-handling pumps

When wastewater contains solids, special pumps are required. The Infinity line of SF series submersible solids-handling pumps from Gorman-Rupp (www.grpumps.com) is designed to efficiently support most liquid removal applications. All SF series pumps pass a minimum 3-in. spherical solid. The eight-sided finned motor housing optimizes heat extraction, eliminating the need for a cooling jacket. The pumps are available with channel or vortex impellers and the company offers slide rail, construction/trash, and dry pit versions.

“With NEMA Premium Efficiency motors and our patent-pending Staggerwing impeller technology, we provide the highest efficiency vortex impellers on the market,” says Tony Nicol, Gorman-Rupp’s submersible product manager. “In addition, externally adjustable face clearances and field-replaceable cables keep your downtime to a minimum.”

Water jet systems

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Convertible pumps allow users to extend an existing pump investment to applications that require higher or lower pressure or flow. A new conversion kit from NLB (www.nlbcorp.com) expands the operating range of its 125 series water jet pump units to ultra-high pressures. With the kit, the units can be converted to accommodate any of eight operating pressures from 6,000 to 40,000 psi, and flow ranging from 4.4 to 32.5 gpm or 16.5 to 123 lpm.

“Installing the conversion kit opens up a whole new world of opportunities,” says Steve Thomas, engineering manager for NLB. “For example, you can change from a 20-gallon, 10,000 psi application to a 5-gallon, 40,000 psi job, with the same horsepower and the same pump.”