150 years in hydrology and meteorological measurement.

For 150 years, OTT HydroMet’s product brand, ‘OTT’ has been at the forefront of innovation, pioneering state-of-the-art hydrological and meteorological instrumentation. Originating in Germany, OTT has since expanded to be a global industry leader providing the highest quality products, customized solutions, and technical support.

OTT HydroMet plans to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the OTT product brand with a five-month event highlighting new innovations, special customer events, global success stories, and more.

• New Innovations: The OTT brand continues to innovate with its latest release of the OTT PLS 500, smart pressure level sensor and the OTT ecoLog 1000, an all-in-one level logger and telemetry solution now with conductivity measurements.
• Special Events: A series of both private and public customer-facing events are scheduled across the globe including a dedicated customer event, Anwenderforum, at the Kempten headquarters in September.
• OTT Product Brand Archives: In this digital social campaign, followers will be guided through the history of the OTT brand, recounting inspiring moments and stories that contributed to the advancement of environmental monitoring.

“This significant milestone for OTT HydroMet occurs at a time when our mission of enabling decisions that protect lives and the environment is more important than ever,” stated Tom Bolling, President, OTT HydroMet.
“With our commitment to this mission and to our customers, OTT HydroMet will continue inspiring, enabling and sharing our expertise with generations of scientists, engineers, and hydrologists around the world.”

The OTT HydroMet Anniversary celebrations kicked off this May and continues through October 2023.

@OTTHydromet @_Enviro_News #OTT150, #OTTImpact #Environment

Digital and control system for steel mill.

Helping steel producer in France to bring productivity to a new level, improve quality and performance.

ArcelorMittal Construction has awarded ABB a contract to deploy solutions specifically designed for metals processing at its cold rolling mill in Contrisson (F), as part of a modernization project. The solutions, which include ABB Ability™ Manufacturing Operations Management for metals (MOM4Metals), Roll-Gap (RGC) and Automatic Gauge Control (AGC), will help the world’s largest steel producer to bring productivity to a new level, improve quality and performance.

ABB MOM4Metals product, based on precise data analytics, improves information sharing, production planning, execution, reporting, asset monitoring and operational performance optimization. It is designed for and used in various metal production processes from rolling mills to processing lines delivering clear benefits over generic industry-agnostic MES platforms.

ABB is also modernizing advanced RGC and AGC technologies to reduce thickness deviations and off-gauge length. The project is expected be completed in the first quarter of 2024.

“ArcelorMittal Construction has placed its trust in ABB know-how and solutions for cold mill applications,” said Frederik Esterhuizen, Global Business Line Manager for Metals at ABB. “Through discussions with the customer we have been able to utilize our deep metals expertise to refine the ABB solution to meet their needs. ABB solutions enable cold rolling mills to improve and maintain performance and meet quality requirements in terms of thickness tolerances, flatness and surface characteristics via precise process control and equipment lifecycle management.”

“ABB will bring a combined MOM4Metals and RGC/AGC automation solution specific to metals processing to our modernization project at Contrisson,” said Frédéric Geoffroy in charge of process and automation department at ArcelorMittal Construction. “This stands out from standard automation and digital solutions and we are pleased that our needs can be met by one supplier with whom we have a long standing relationship at and beyond this site. ABB successfully revamped the drive of the cold rolling mill previously.”

“For ArcelorMittal Construction France, leader in the field of steel building envelopes, ABB supports us through its business solutions and allows us to offer our customers innovative solutions based on decarbonized and sustainable steel.”

Technology is a decisive factor in determining the quality of rolled products. ABB’s rolling mill solutions, including metals specific electrical, process automation and control technologies, leverage over 100 years of metals industry expertise to enable increased speed, reduced non-rolling time and threading problems while allowing for precise process control in terms of strip surface, flatness, thickness, off-gauge length and more to deliver improved strip quality, productivity and resource efficiency.

@abbcontroltech @ABBgroupnews #PAuto #Metal #France

Waste to energy.

Automation technology and software enable recycling of valuable materials from incinerator flue gas residue.

Emerson control technology and software is being deployed at HaloSep’s plant^* for optimisation, research and technology (PORT) in Gothenburg (S), to manage an innovative chemical separation process that recovers valuable salt, metals and minerals from fly ash. By providing an alternative to landfill disposal, the HaloSep process increases the sustainability of the waste-to-energy industry.

Recovering materials from difficult waste streams is an important contribution to greater circularity. There are over 2,600 waste-to-energy plants worldwide, with a disposal capacity of approximately 460 million tons of municipal waste annually. About 2-5% of the incinerated waste becomes flue gas residue known as fly ash, which is a hazardous material containing contaminants such as heavy metals, chlorides and sulphates. Millions of tons of fly ash are currently transported to landfills by truck, rail or sea, which is both costly and unsustainable.

"Due to the irregular nature of household waste, fly ash produced from incineration has varying properties requiring different separation processes. Our PORT plant will analyse fly ash samples from around the world, test specific separation processes and demonstrate circular economy benefits to potential customers,” said HaloSep president Staffan Svensson. “Emerson’s technology and expert advice on implementing automation throughout the plant has played a vital role in optimising these processes, which when deployed, will help increase the sustainability of the waste-to-energy industry.”

Emerson designed and implemented a scalable control system architecture at the PORT facility and worked closely with HaloSep to develop unique separation sequences to efficiently recycle fly ash with variable compositions. Emerson’s DeltaV™ distributed control system is ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the separation processes. In addition, DeltaV Live software is providing high-performance human machine interfaces for operators, with key performance indicator-led dashboards providing intuitive reporting and management and supporting optimised decision-making and operational performance.

“Emerson is committed to helping our customers in industries such as plastics, lithium-ion battery manufacturing and waste-to-energy generation, to meet today’s growing industrial, processing and energy demands through sustainable innovations that minimise environmental impact,” said Nathan Pettus, president of Emerson’s process systems and solutions business. “Emerson’s technologies and expertise are designed to handle the complexity of HaloSep’s recycling process.”

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^*HaloSep, a subsidiary of the Stena Metall Group, provides an on-plant solution that can be built locally at a waste-to-energy plant or placed at sites where fly ash from smaller plants is consolidated, eliminating long-range transportation costs and emissions. They have a unique process that turns hazardous incinerator flue gas residue from waste-to-energy plants into usable materials.

@EmersonExchange @EMR_Automation @Emerson_News @HHC_Lewis #Pauto #Sustainability #Sweden

Water project target exceeded.

Endress+Hauser employees around the world are celebrating the Group’s 70th anniversary this year during a wide range of events – and at the same time committing to a good cause in a special way. As part of the Endress+Hauser Water Challenge, employees collected donations for a water project in Vietnam through running and other physical activities. The campaign is now heading into a second round.

The E+H Water Challenge was launched in 2019. With this initiative, employees cover a pre-determined distance by running, cycling, swimming or taking part in other sports activities and donate a specific amount that goes toward providing people access to clean water. The company matches each of the donated amounts. Endress+Hauser is thus extending its corporate commitment to a safe, economic and sustainable water supply to the non-profit sector.

Goal achieved, goal doubled.
The Endress+Hauser employees established a special goal for the anniversary year by endeavoring to circumnavigate the globe in 70 days through various team activities. The 40,075 kilometer mark was reached in only five weeks. “This success is a tremendous team effort. The Endress+Hauser Water Challenge is mobilizing our employees across the globe,” says CEO Matthias Altendorf. The campaign is now heading into extra time with the goal of circumnavigating the earth a second time.

Clean water for 1,000 people.
This year the Endress+Hauser Water Challenge is supporting a project in Vietnam – more precisely in Kon Tum province in the Central Highlands region near the border with Laos and Cambodia. The project will promote the availability of clean drinking water in a 90-family village with little infrastructure that is situated roughly 10 kilometers from the main road. “We can sustainably improve the lives of more than 1,000 people through this project,” emphasizes Matthias Altendorf.

Hand in hand with local partners.
The donated funds will go toward the construction of a water house in the center of the village, where ground water will be transported with pumps, then filtered and cleaned through reverse osmosis. Solar panels will generate the required electricity during the day. In addition, the village square will be redesigned and the access road renewed as part of the project. Endress+Hauser Vietnam will implement the project together with local representatives NK Engineering and Plan International Vietnam, an aid organization. The first Endress+Hauser Water Challenge project in 2020 was also completed in Vietnam.

@Endress_US @Endress_Hauser @Endress_UK #PAuto #Water 

Gas leak detection.

The new Panther gas leak detector just launched by ION Science, features a host of new features and twice the sensitivity of its predecessor, the GasCheck G.

The first ever ‘GasCheck’ was launched in 1990, offering industrial users the ability to detect leaks of gases such as hydrogen and helium. Later, more advanced versions were developed with new features such as over-range protection and audible alarms. Today, the new Panther PRO represents a quantum leap in technology, with a highly sensitive thermal conductivity sensor that is able to rapidly detect a variety of gases – the most popular applications are helium, hydrogen, ammonia and refrigerants.

The Panther PRO allows users to zero the instrument in ambient air, providing visual, audible and vibration alarms when leaks are detected. A colour LCD display and a built-in Gas-Table enables the measurement of concentration and leak rates in a variety of user-selectable units. All measurements can be logged internally and downloaded via Bluetooth or USB. The Panther also features an integrated torch and a flexible probe, which help in low light and restricted areas.

For customers with a smaller budget, a basic Panther model is available. This instrument has the same features as the PRO version, but without the data logging and Bluetooth capabilities.

Panther and Panther PRO have been designed for demanding applications and challenging environments, with an internal rechargeable battery that lasts for up to 19 hours.

Summarising the advantages, ION Science Product Manager Peter Barratt says: “We have over thirty years of experience, supplying thousands of customers in applications such as quality control, laboratory, cleanroom, medical, manufacturing, and research, so we have a very clear understanding of the features required of a professional gas leak detection instrument. We therefore know that customers will be delighted with the modern design, specification and performance of the Panther.”

@ionscience @_Enviro_News  #PAuto #Maintanence

Microswitch with big-switch attributions.

New D2LS miniature surface-mount micro switches from Omron combine tiny dimensions with a positive mechanical action comparable to larger switches, while ensuring outstanding long-term durability.

The contacts are single-pole single-throw normally open (SPST-NO) configuration. When used in applications such as game controllers, computer mice, smart-home switches, and small handheld devices, D2LS switches ensure a high-quality user experience with the feel and reliability of larger micro switches.

Designed for surface mounting, the D2LS series can easily replace larger surface-mount switches such as tactile switches. Housed in an 8.6mm x 4.8mm plastic package only 3mm high, they can be ordered with or without integral 0.6mm mounting bosses. The no-boss option allows an extremely low mounted height on substrates such as flexible printed circuit (FPC).

Additional options include selectable activation force of 0.6N or 1.2N, which allows designers to optimise the sensitivity for the needs of the application. One example is to ensure the side switches of a computer mouse or game controller are as responsive and easy to activate as the main switches.

Also, with a shorter distance to the turn-on point than typical tactile and standard rubber switches used in game controllers, the D2LS series can respond more quickly to user actions. In addition, the mechanism has a smooth snap action that minimises fatigue for improved comfort and longer gameplay. Unlike standard rubber switches, activation produces a synchronised audible click that ensures a confident user experience. The D2LS series is in production now and available in three durability grades, rated for 5 million, 10 million, and 20 million operations with stable activation force throughout the component lifetime.

@OmronEurope @OmronComponents  @NeeshamPR  #PAuto

Acoustic Imager cuts costs, reduces waste and improves pipeline.

Air Liquide, the multi-national company supplying industrial gases and services to the health and industrial sectors has cut costs, reduced waste and boosted the efficiency of pipelines in Italy through the use of advanced ultrasonic measurement devices from Fluke.

The company has benefited from the ii910 Precision Acoustic Imager, designed by Fluke to make it easier, faster and safer to carry out high-sensitivity detection of gas, corona and partial discharge (PD). Suitable for use by operators with minimal training, the point-and-shoot device can also detect compressed air, gas and vacuum leaks, making it ideal for detecting leaks in gas distribution systems.

“Because our Syracuse refinery operates on a 24-hour basis, avoiding downtime is essential," said Sebastiano Carpinteri, Process Engineer at Air Liquide Priolo. "That means tests for leaks must be carried out as easily as possible and results analysed in the shortest time. Using Fluke’s ii910 Precision Acoustic Imager, measurements over the entire pipeline can now be assessed from a static position by just one person. The intuitive device clearly identifies leakages, enables measurements to be carried out without any kind of infrastructure required and makes it easy to produce up-to-date and accurate reports on the locations of leaks.”

Strong sustainability agenda to drive energy efficiency.
Driven by a strong sustainability agenda, Air Liquide wanted to increase energy efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint by tackling costly leaks of air and nitrogen at its dual mixed refrigerant (DMR) refinery in Syracuse (I). The company chose to carry out measurements every two years on all pipelines around the refinery – 7,000m for compressed air and 9,435m for nitrogen – as well as 5km of interconnecting pipelines. Leak detection and repair (LDAR) checks are also required every 12 months by Italy’s environmental regulator ISPRA.

With a frequency range of 2kHz to 100kHz and 64 digital MEMS microphones, the ii910 makes it possible to locate leaks rapidly, detecting a 0.005 cubic feet per minute (CFM) leak at 100PSI from up to 32.8 feet (a 2.5cm3/sec leak at 7 bar from up to 10m). The acoustic imager also incorporates a 1280 x 800 resolution (1,024,000 pixels) LCD display and offers a battery life of more than six hours in the field. Finally, by eliminating the need for secondary cables or other devices, the ii910 gives operators the ability to swap easily between detecting the leak or PD and fixing them.

Several leaks rapidly identified.
Air Liquide called on the services of Belgium-based Intero – The Sniffers who carried out all the required measurements using the ii910 acoustic imager. Thanks to highly sensitive sensors on the device that work with Fluke’s SoundSight technology, the imager’s ultrasonic signals quickly revealed several leaks on the refinery’s air pipeline and multiple leaks on the nitrogen system. This enabled Air Liquide’s engineers to take immediate action to minimise the leaks and achieve instant efficiency gains.

@FlukeCorp @NapierPR #TandM #PAuto #Italy