Technology

Blower & Vacuum Best Practices interviewed Darigold’s Sunnyside Plant’s Technical Manager, Tom Rouleau.

Today, we manage one of the largest dairy co-ops in the United States. Our dairy farms and plants are truly awe-inspiring and efficient facilities. Our butter is made by one of America's only European-style vacuum churns, which makes butter with fewer air bubbles. Having the latest technology also helps Darigold produce less waste, fuel consumption and lower environmental impact.

Most-Open-Valve (MOV) can be a cost-effective way to optimize aeration energy. It can also be a confusing and troublesome addition to a process automation project. In my experience MOV is the least understood aspect of aeration control. This article will shed light on MOV, the process and energy impacts and why it’s worth the trouble.

The European XFEL is a new international research facility, where 12 European countries participate. The non-profit society European XFEL GmbH is responsible for the construction and operation of the X-ray laser. DESY (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron), one of the leading centers for the investigation of the structure of matter worldwide and a long-term partner of Pfeiffer Vacuum, is the main share- holder.

Meat packaging plants have long used vacuum pumps as a way to remove air and reduce the amount of oxygen in their products’ plastic packaging. Vacuum packaging extends the meat’s shelf life while protecting its flavor and exposure to outside elements, such as freezer burn and bacteria.

At Scholle IPN, Valley Packline’s engineering experience and JetAir’s drying expertise came together to deliver an automated, energy efficient solution. Ultimately, the new system eliminated 120 man-hours each week dedicated entirely to erecting and washing. The new system can be manned by just one employee as it pulls bins directly off delivery trucks, re-erects, washes, and dries them, and feeds them into the facility for refilling. Throughput at Scholle was improved by the system, while energy costs were kept to a minimum.

Blower manufacturers are the source for the most accurate information on aeration blower power consumption. This includes the impact of various control technologies on the many types of blowers used for aeration. However, system designers often need to analyze several alternatives, making reliance on input from suppliers inconvenient. An understanding of the principles of operation will also enhance the designer’s ability to assess the data received from various sources.

This article reviews two common pneumatic conveying system types and the importance for each operating plant to know their design and operating parameters particularly conveying air flow velocity and particle velocity profile.

The integrated process that leads to perfectly finished components begins in the plant’s new material store. “One way we’re staying at the leading edge in our market is by researching the latest innovations and choosing the best machine for each process,” Legere explains. “Our new material store, operational in June 2017, is one example. It combines a physical data base of sheet goods with a robotic arm that handles materials and presents them to a cutting machine for processing. After a few minutes, a finished part emerges. All of this occurs with zero human interaction.”

The capacity and pressure requirements of blowers in a Water Resource Recovery Facility (WRRF) are determined by the aeration system. When systems are manually controlled blowers often operate at constant flow and pressure day in, day out. When the aeration system is automatically controlled to maintain a set dissolved oxygen (DO), however, the blower’s flow and system pressure vary constantly. Understanding these variations will help designers and suppliers optimize blower performance.

In open end pipe line suspension flow, or dilute phase pneumatic conveying, proper particle velocity is critical to continuing productivity and product quality. Until recently, measurement of actual particle velocity within the pipe has not been practical outside the laboratory. The plant operating personnel depend on a much less accurate metric - estimating the conveying air velocity in the pipe and relating that to particle velocity.