PuK - Process Technology & Components 2022

Pumps/Vacuum technology

Pumps/Vacuum technology Companies – Innovations – Products Fig. 4: The measured values come from a structure-borne sound transmitter located on the pump body, a pressure transmitter connected to a pressure measuring bore, and a rotary encoder adapted either directly via the crank shaft or the engine. Here you can see the pressure transmitter. 30 different diagnoses, volume flow measurement without additional instrumentation However, detailed monitoring also results in other advantages such as better planning of maintenance intervals. The plant control center learns of any functional deviation in real time so that maintenance can be planned in advance and carried out in a controlled manner. In potentially explosive working areas, this also means a significant increase in safety: “Possible accidents are prevented and overall plant avail ability increases significantly,” reports Gatzhammer. “By monitoring up to 30 different diagnoses, the technical management always has an overview.” This was possible because the Smart Monitoring System is the product of more than 60 years of LEWA's pump expertise. “With the interaction of sensors and hardware, we can detect as little as a one percent drop in flow rate in each pump head,” Gatzhammer said. “But thanks to the structure-borne sound characteristics, we even detect signs of wear on valves at a very early stage, before they even become measurable in the flow rate of the system.” Added value through data analyses – data sovereignty with the operator LEWA offers data analysis for the smart monitoring systems. “We analyze and evaluate the operational data that a system has collected over a period of time. This allows us to do more than just provide the customer with data-based recommendations for maintenance planning based on wear patterns. The overall plant efficiency can also be optimized in this way,” explains Gatzhammer. The data is transferred via standardized interfaces such as OPC UA to process control systems for data acquisition and visualization. In addition, the Smart Monitoring System is already cloud-ready and can be networked with other systems via the Microsoft Azure cloud. However, this decision – and thus also the data sovereignty – always lies with the operator. After successful completion of the pilot phase, the LEWA Smart Monitoring was launched in mid October 2021. LEWA GmbH Ulmer Str. 10 71229 Leonberg, Germany Phone +49 (0)7152 14-0 Fax +49 (0)7152 14-1303 lewa@lewa.de www.lewa.de Application areas for high-pressure pumps that span the globe Fig. 5: Smart Monitoring provides information on the performance and condition of the ecoflow and triplex metering and process diaphragm pumps based on up to 13,000 values processed per second. both the fluid and hydraulic sides and reports them to a process control system at the operator via the interface. “This means that around 90 percent of malfunctions can be detected at an early stage: for example, overpressure in the hydraulics, worn plunger rings or incorrect closing behavior of valves,” says Gatzhammer. Faults in the entire system beyond the LEWA unit are also measured indirectly. “We can use the pump data to interpret changes in the condition of the pumped fluid, possibly due to contamination,” Gatzhammer adds. The globe: the symbol for global, world-spanning activities. The images contained on this globe show the most diverse areas of application in which high-pressure pumps are used: Whether power generation, municipal technology, chemical, food or heavy industry – whether process technology or high-pressure cleaning – you will also find topics of your industry in this illustration. Take a close look and find out what is relevant for you. It is precisely this colorful abundance that reflects the spectrum of applications for high-pressure pumps. A picture spanning the world and URACA shows the diverse tasks and application areas at a glance and stands for the mission and the entire portfolio of URACA: At your ser- 60 PROCESS TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENTS 2022

Pumps/Vacuum technology Companies – Innovations – Products vice around the globe – worldwide active in all relevant disciplines and industries. From project planning to service. These are the basic ideas what URACA stands for in connection with high pressure technology. pending on the container size. The energy input is limited to the short, time-limited phases of pressure build-up; no significant pump power is required for all other phases. A DP724 pump unit is used for cyclic pressure testing. The heart of the system is a high-pressure plunger pump of type KD724, driven by a frequency-controlled electric motor. The unit is able to display a sinuslike pressure curve and – depending on the medium – delivers reproducible results for up to 150,000 test cycles. The pressure can be flexibly adjusted up to 1,300 bar. By means of a valve station installed in the unit, the required pressure increase and pressure decrease curves are realized. In addition to the unit, the complete system includes a water tank with booster pump for independent supply and a recooling system for the test medium used in the closed circuit. Installed in a soundinsulated container, the pressure test unit can be used flexibly. The electrical control system, which can be integrated into the operator's system, allows individual and flexible setting of the test parameters. Fig. 1: Application diversity of URACA products around the globe Two current examples illustrate the individuality and range of possible applications of high-pressure pumps. Initially, the focus will be on an industrial project from the current thematic world around the topic of mobility, in particular hydrogen: Gas tanks for the automotive industry are usually operated with a filling pressure of about 700 bar. Since these – like any other fuel tank – are to be refilled countless times, it is important within the scope of quality testing to ensure the property of pressure resistance with sufficient test cycles. For this purpose, special pressure test units are used which, by means of the reproducibility of the results over a large number of test cycles, make it possible to demonstrate the pressure resistance and thus the safety of the tanks in continuous use on exemplary tests for the respective production batches. Cyclic pressure testing is economically and ecologically advantageous for the tank manufacturer, since the average power consumption of these systems is only about 50 percent compared to other technical solutions, such as a system with a pressure converter. The cycle test describes an increasing, thresholding pressure load on the test object between a variably adjustable upper and lower limit. The set pressure is approached reproducibly with a tolerance of ±10 bar at maximum pressure and ±5 bar at minimum pressure. Shortly before reaching the set maximum value, the pressure increase rate is adjusted to achieve the sinusoidal characteristic. The pressure is held in the range of the maximum value. After a freely definable holding time, the pressure is reduced again via the relief time, which can also be set, and is also held for a certain time after the lower pressure level has been reached. Holding time and pressure relief can be defined in 0.1 second increments. The system reaches a maximum pressure of P max = 1,300 bar, while the minimum pressure can be set to P min = 10 bar. A total of 50,000 - 150,000 cycles per test object are run, whereby the maximum number is limited to 10 cycles per minute de- Fig. 2: High pressure pump unit KD724E for cyclic pressure testing Fig. 3: Flexible applicable pump unit as container design Key data at a glance Test pressure max.: 1,300 bar Test pressure min.: 10 bar Plant power: 110 kW Number of test cycles: 50,000 – 150,000 Pressure curve per cycle: Sinusoidal Test medium: Water PROCESS TECHNOLOGY & COMPONENTS 2022 61