Tune-up : Performance Improvement for Batch Processes

Hartland, WI -- ExperTune's new release of PlantTriage assesses the performance of batch processes. It pinpoints areas where improvements can increase yields, throughput, and decrease turnaround times. Once the areas are identified, specific analysis recommendations are made to improve the control of the batch process.

PlantTriage prioritizes areas for improvement, so personnel are focused on the most profitable areas. It also directs engineers to the product codes where the greatest profit improvements can be made. A new equation builder allows assessments of batches to be synchronized to periods within a batch when the control loops are operating. This eliminates erroneous assessments of data during batch filling, emptying, heat-up or other irrelevant times PlantTriage automatically performs 46 assessments on every controller on each batch process.

Assessment and diagnosis include detecting oscillations, non-intrusive field instrument diagnosis, controller performance, interaction detection, process modeling, and control system availability. It connects to automation control systems via industry standard OPC or OPC HDA.

For 19 years, ExperTune has created award winning optimization software that runs in thousands of plants worldwide. ExperTune's full suite of optimization tools is designed to increase the efficiency of processes. PlantTriage is an automatic diagnostic system for the entire plant, ensuring optimal operation. The company's analysis tools include simulation, modeling, robustness, linearization, valve wear analysis, pH linearizer, time series analysis, multivariable, statistical, frequency response, and PID tuning tools.

ExperTune Inc.
Lake Country Research Center
1020 James Drive, Suite A
Hartland, WI 53029-8305
Telephone: (262) 369-7711
Fax: (262) 369-7722
Web site: http://www.expertune.com/

CEMA : January Sales Continue Upward Trend

NAPLES, FL -- The Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association reported that its January 2005 Booked Orders Index was 117 down 70 points or a decrease of 37% from December 2004's Index of 187 (1990=100). The January 2005 Index represents an increase of 4% from the January 2004 Index of 112.

January Booked Orders Indexes were 191 for Bulk Handling Equipment* and 81 for Unit Handling Equipment*(1990=100).

The Twelve-Month Index for Booked Orders was 151 in January. Index represents a decrease of 1% from December 2004's Twelve-Month Index of 150.

The CEMA Billed Sales (shipments) Index was 171 in January down 18 points or a decrease of 10% from the December Index of 189. The January 2005 Index represents an increase of 27% from the January 2004 Index of 135.

January Billed Sales Indexes were 218 for Bulk Handling Equipment* and 156 for Unit Handling Equipment*(1990=100).

The Twelve-Month Index for Billed Sales was 171 in January. Index represents an increase of 2% from December 2004's Twelve-Month Index of 168.

* Since Bulk Handling Systems booked and billed sales are reported quarterly, they are averaged back to the two preceding months to enable a running monthly index.

Web site: http://www.cemanet.org/

New : Low Level, Lift & Seal Container Dumper

Allegan, MI -- Unit rotates container 150° under a 120" ceiling height, providing a complete discharge of most non-free flowing materials. Container is loaded via pallet jack at floor level. Lift & Seal System™ hydraulically seals container to the pour hood, eliminating dust and product contamination.

Unit features a washdown duty tubular carbon steel frame, a pallet jack portable base, Steel-It® epoxy finish, and 304 stainless steel product contact surfaces.

Units are custom designed for any size or weight container with the discharge height that you require.

Material Transfer designs and manufactures material handling systems to meet specific application and process control requirements. Utilizing advanced design technology and proven manufacturing techniques, we can provide custom solutions at very competitive prices.

For more information contact:
Material Transfer & Storage
1214 Lincoln Rd.
Allegan, MI 49010
Telephone: 800.836.7068
Web site:  http://www.materialtransfer.com/

Recklinghausen, Germany -- The visit to Hosch HQ on the 3-4, March 2005 was kindly organized by Managing Director, Dipl - Ing. Eckhard Hell. Hosch, who also have a UK office in the north of England, are Corporate Members of MHEA.

This visit had 9 attendees from 7 companies including Ace Conveyor Equipment, Redler, Flexible Steel Lacing, Hosch (UK), Materials Handling Products, Anval Qualequip & Hans Ziller GmbH (NILOS).

The specialty of Hosch is belt cleaning. The excellent 2-day visit program, led by Dipl - Ing. Eckhard Hell, involved the following aspects

(i) Background lecture relating to the company's world-wide business
(ii) Introduction of the wide range of devices now on the market
(iii) Cost efficiency of conveyor belt cleaning
(iv) Tour of the company works
(v) Outline of the Hosch method for measuring belt cleaner efficiency
(vi) Evaluation of measuring results
(vii) Visit to ThyssenKrupp steelworks in Duisburg
(viii) A question and answer discussion session.

The whole event was extremely well organized, especially the visit to ThyssenKrupp, who's 4 blast furnaces, it was stated, produce about 33,000t of iron a day. This requires the handling of about 50,000t per day of feed materials such as, iron ore, coke, sinter, limestone etc.

The meeting with Divisional Manager Dipl.-Ing Markus Wischermann provided details relating to "partnerships" between user & seller regarding beneficial and mutual, optimization based, maintenance service agreements, not only for belt cleaning, but also for a wide range of materials handling areas (e.g. belt conveyors, gearboxes etc.).

On departure, the MHEA Secretary met with the founder of Hosch Fцrdertechnik GmbH, Mr. Hans Otto Schwarze, and thanked him personally for the outstanding visit. Web site: http://www.hosch.de/

Courtesy
Materials Handling Engineers Association
Web site: http://www.mhea.co.uk/

I

New Bag Flattener/Conditioning Conveyor Available The Series 154 is a simple, reliable bag flattener/conditioner designed to level and flatten product in paper or plastic bags prior to palletizing or stacking.

Martin : TC’s Garage Sale On-line
Martin Engineering has added two new sections to their web site, allowing the purchase of Martin Engineering logo apparel and excess inventory.

Tablet Press : Control System Improves Consistency Niro’s engineers have crafted a unique solution that separates the two control systems for simultaneous weight and hardness control on a standard rotary tablet press.

More headline news...

People post their requests for help and offer their suggestions to others in our open forum.

Mr. Seth wants to find equipment for fly ash processing:

In India the fly ash available free-of-cost from the power plants. Now this is being used for making bricks and mixing in cement. I need the expertise and experience of gentlemen in this forum, whether there are other use also for the same.

Last time I met a person during Coal Trans Exhibition in India, he was saying that there is a company in Europe who can supply us the system of making artificial grits or aggregates (used in making roads or in cement) by mixing gypsum and fly ash. (Click here to post a reply)

Regards,
Anil Seth
Libran Engineering and Service
libran@vsnl.com

Mr. Martinez needs a mobile pellet feeder:

I would like to receive information on systems available to deliver, in a dispersed/controlled pattern, feed pellets from atop of a levy or berm, for the feeding of live animals.

1. Height of berm to water surface 2 m, plus height of vehicle platform.
2. Furthest point to deliver from atop of berm is 150 m (optimal).
3. We have a favorable predominant wind of 15-20 knots. 320 of the 365 days of the year, that could be used to aid in propulsion.
4. Water as a delivery vehicle is ok, pellet has an extended wet life.
5. System must be vehicle mountable for continual roaming/roving/ongoing application via the network of connected berms.
6. Hopper capacity of 500 kg. Is adequate (+/-) 1m3
7. Diesel engine power is preferred
8. Application is in salt water environment, desert climatic conditions with lots of fine dust.
9. Size and weight of an extruded pellet are; 7 mm and 0.05 grams each respectively. We need to protect the integrity of the pellet to some point.  (Click here to post a reply)

Thanks,
Pedro Martinez
ShrimpFarm, Inc.
grucasaorlando@msn.com

Click here to share your expertise with others in our Help Forum.

Seeking Sales Representatives - Worldwide

Redler Limited, the originator of 'en-masse' conveying, has been supplying high quality chain conveyors for over 75 years. We now seek sales representatives in the countries listed below.

If you have staff on the ground in these territories, or have an active sales organization, with a proven track record, selling conveying equipment into these countries, then you could become a Redler sales representative.

Countries; France, Germany, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Thailand

If you are interested, please send full details of your organization and capabilities to:

Mr Steve Clewley
Managing Director
Redler Limited.
Telephone +44 1453 763611
Fax +44 1453 763582
Email sclewley@redler.com 
http://www.redler.com/

The Job Fair is a free service of Powder and Bulk Dot Com.  You can post job opening for managers, engineers, sales, reps or other talented people you need. ...Or one can post their resume for companies who are looking to add talented people to their staff.

Do you have a position you need to fill?  Visit the Job Fair.

© 1999-2005 Powder and Bulk Dot Com
Home page:  http://www.powderandbulk.com/

Joseph Taylor, Editor
Powder and Bulk Dot Com Newsletter
3948 South Third Street, No. 121
Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

Phone: 904-280-4656
Fax: 904-273-1399

Email:  jtaylor@powderandbulk.com

Powder and Bulk Dot Com's Newsletter is a 100% opt-in e-mail list of information for the materials handling professional.  Do you have company news, a new product, new service or other information you would like to share with our subscribers?  Please submit articles via e-mail, only to: news@powderandbulk.com

New Design:  We are in the process of redesigning our we site, have a look at our homepage and the help forums.  Let us know if we need to change or fix anything this week, before we start changing other pages to the new design.

Thanks in advance for your help.  Our goal is to make it easier for you to navigate through the site and of course make it better looking.

New Record:  Also, we had a new record number of visitors in March, over 81,000 visitors, read on!

With over 5,300+ subscribers, our goal is to provide information to improve your business by using the resources available on the Internet.

Happy New Year,
Joe Taylor, Editor
jtaylor@powderandbulk.com

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Pneumatic Conveying of Solids:
A Theoretical and Practical Approach
by G. E. Klinzing, et al.
Hardcover: 599 pages, 1997

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Circular Storage Tanks and Silos
by A. Ghali
Library Binding, 352 pages
2nd edition, June 2000

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Handbook of Batch
Processing Design
by P. N. Sharratt (editor)
Hard Cover, First Edition, January 1998

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Find more books for the materials handling professional online, visit our Reading Room.

How to Read a Solids Flow Report
by Joseph Marinelli, Solids Handling Technologies, Inc.

Past Ask Joe! Archived Articles

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Do you have an area of expertise in bulk materials, have you solved a difficult materials problem? Share your knowledge with others and promote yourself by contributing an article to the Ask Joe! Column.

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More case histories...

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This weeks photo is of Scott Owens of Chemtrusion, a plastic compounding company located in Texas in front of some K-Tron feeders. Because Chemtrusion does a lot of specialty compounding, often with short runs, the flexibility of K-Tron's modular feeders has worked well for his plant.

Photo courtesy of K-Tron

Send us your photos:  We would love to have your photo of a bulk materials process, packaging, conveying or handling "action shot" for our home page.  Send your photograph and description to: news@powderandbulk.com