Spirax Sarco brings unrivalled accuracy to steam metering with the launch of its TVA steam flow meter, a next-generation spring-loaded inline variable area meter. With a 50:1 turndown, the TVA flow meter provides accurate measurements down to 1/50th of its maximum flow rate, ensuring all steam energy consumption can be accounted for. Other meter types offer turndowns of typically less than 20:1 when used on steam systems. Low turndown meters decay in accuracy at low flow rates, or stop measuring altogether, allowing steam to be consumed without being measured. This is particularly important in steam systems where flows tend...

Read more »

C2C has used ABB electromagnetic flowmeters to meet strict government sustainability targets 11 years ahead of schedule and is part of a group that won a national utility industry award for supply chain excellence. A consortium of Severn Trent Services and Costain, C2C is a member of the Aquatrine Supplier Association that transferred responsibility for Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) water services to three different contractors. C2C is responsible for providing water services sites in the North, East and South East of England. By applying the latest techniques and technologies in leakage detection, like ABB’s AquaMaster, and repair across the...

Read more »

A chance experiment on a wind farm in Texas has demonstrated an example of the non-traditional applications that can be carried out by Norbar’s portable USM-3 ultrasonic bolt meter, which provides precise measurements for the elongation (resolution to 0.0001 mm) and load in threaded fasteners. It is known to be incredibly versatile, being able to undertake measurements for fasteners measuring from 25mm to over 15m long. What was not widely appreciated before is how it can provide precise real-time measurements of forces affecting a bolted joint, in this case a 2m long foundation bolt on a wind turbine tower....

Read more »

Switching its domestic hot water and heating from shell-and-tube calorifiers to EasiHeat™ systems from Spirax Sarco has delivered energy savings of at least 15% at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. Replacing the hospital’s ageing calorifiers has also saved up to three weeks of maintenance work each year, since the old systems had to be stripped down for regular insurance inspections. “We made the decision to change because one of the calorifiers was nearing 55 years old,” says Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s Estates Officer Mr. Trevor Stirton. “They were high maintenance and we knew that modern systems would be more energy efficient. We...

Read more »

ABB’s SM500F, the world’s first and only field-mountable videographic recorder, has now been upgraded to offer users an expanded range of options for collecting and accessing their process data. The SM500F has undergone a significant range of software and hardware updates to make it suitable for an even broader range of applications. A major development has been an increase in the number of process inputs from four to seven, greatly enhancing the recording capability of a single SM500F recorder. This is accompanied by an expanded number of software recording channels, from eight to 12, enabling users to record an...

Read more »

Spirax Sarco (stand 2505) will be at The Energy Event, NEC Birmingham, 13-14th September, to give expert advice on how to improve steam system efficiency, reducing carbon emissions and saving thousands from the bottom line. Among the range of products on display will be the new Spirax Sarco Targeted Variable Area (TVA) Steam Flowmeter. Energy savings from targeting and monitoring initiatives require accurate measurement across the minimum and maximum steam flowrate. Spirax Sarco’s TVA flowmeter uses an innovative cone design to accurately measure steam at variable flowrates. The flowmeter can also be installed in most confined spaces, as it...

Read more »

ABB equipment is used to monitor water consumption for the festival site Organisers of the Somerset based Glastonbury festival are now able to accurately monitor their water consumption and solar energy thanks to the installation of ABB instruments, including a SM500F and SM3000 videographic recorders and ABB WaterMaster flowmeters. The annual Pilton music festival which sees the local population increase by around 175,000 people, requires more than 1 million gallons of water over a period of five days. Spanning over eight miles, the site has around 700 hand basins and 100 standpipes located at various points to provide fresh...

Read more »

A gas storage facility in Cheshire, UK, designed to hold over 400 million cubic metres of gas, will be controlled by ABB System 800xA along with ABB Instrumentation. The Stublach facility is being built for Storengy (a GDF Suez company) in Cheshire and will store gas in salt caverns deep underground. The processing plant consists of gas compressors which move the gas between the caverns and the National Grid Transmission System (NTS). Additionally an on-site drying plant removes water from the gas before it is returned to the NTS. The site is expected to be in operation in excess...

Read more »