New Products & Services
February 2018
Mass-Vac
The MV benchtop vacuum-degassing chamber (photo) is constructed from 304 stainless steel with a pump-out port, isolation valve, vent valve and vacuum gage, as well as an inlet trap to prevent damage to the vacuum pump from vapors. Featuring a clear Lucite top for interior viewing, it rapidly removes entrapped air, gas and water vapors from a variety of materials. Available in 15- and 4-gal sizes, the MV vacuum degassing chamber can be supplied with rotary motion feed-throughs, shelves or other accessories, and can be custom designed to user specifications. This versatile system is capable of operating at pressures up to 0.5 Torr and can be supplied with or without vacuum pumps with capacities ranging from 5 to 20 ft 3 /min. — Mass-Vac, Inc., North Billerica, Mass.
Endress+Hauser
The Field Xpert SMT70 (photo) is a rugged tablet for commissioning and maintenance staff that manages field instruments and documents the work progress. The tablet comes pre-installed with the DeviceCare device configuration software and device library. The Field Xpert can connect to field instrumentation devices directly via a USB or Bluetooth wireless modem, or via a gateway, remote I/O or multiplexer to a bus system. The Field Xpert device library has more than 2,700 pre-installed device and communication drivers, allowing it to work with many different instruments from a wide variety of vendors. The drivers can be used to communicate with virtually all HART and Foundation Fieldbus devices, and additional device drivers can be installed if required. The battery runtime is 14 h. The tablet comes in a general-purpose configuration as well as a hazardous-area configuration. — Endress+Hauser Inc., Greenwood, Ind.
Bedrock Automation
This company’s Open Secure Automation (OSA) products (photo) will now include intrinsic anomaly detection (AD) as standard integrated functionality that continuously monitors the controller’s network and system time to detect intrusions and abnormal behavior. The AD system includes dynamic port-connection monitoring, which records all attempts to connect any controller or communication point and captures identifying information on the intruder, as well as network port scanning, which detects if hackers are scanning for open ports that might provide access to the control network. System time is also monitored to detect attempts to manipulate log files to conceal malicious activity. A cryptographic engineering key lock permits only users with valid user credentials to change the configuration and operation mode of the controller. The AD system also logs all detected anomalies and exports them for historian, alarming and trending functions. — Bedrock Automation, San Jose, Calif.
Comsol
Version 5.3a, the latest release of this company’s Multiphysics software (photo), provides many enhanced simulation capabilities for users of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis, including up to 40% improved performance for algebraic multigrid (AMG) and 20% for geometric multigrid (GMG) solvers, says the company. Chemical engineers will benefit from the built-in library for thermodynamics properties, which features models for gases, liquids and phase equilibria (gas-liquids). Furthermore, there is a new turbulence model available for a more accurate description of fluid-flow features. A predefined multiphysics coupling has been introduced for the modeling of heat and moisture transport in materials and moist air. The software also features the Cividis color table, which is optimized for people with color-vision deficiency (photo). Applications with very large plots or many graphics windows will see improved rendering performances, resulting in a more responsive user interface. — Comsol, Inc., Burlington, Mass.
Hospeco
TASKBrand SureGrip absorbent adhesive floor mats (photo) feature next-generation sorbent technology to help prevent slips, trips and falls and protect floors from moisture with impermeable adhesive backing. The mats are fast-drying and can be easily custom cut for hard-to-fit areas. The heavyweight, universal sorbent material absorbs excess moisture, oils, greases, condensation and other spills. SureGrip is also an effective barrier protection, stopping dust, dirt and debris from entering enclosed spaces. The adhesive backing assures the floor covering stays in place, even with constant foot traffic or rollover by wheeled equipment. The mats can be swept, vacuumed, mopped or cleaned with floor scrubbers or shop vacuum cleaners. — Hospeco, Cleveland, Ohio
Outotec
This company’s Process Water Recycling Plant (photo) is a fully automated standalone unit that enables recycling of process water from mining operations. The plant is specifically designed for concentrator plants, which dewater tailings and recycle the water back to the process. It enables undisturbed process performance by treating recycled water and removing accumulated substances to achieve the desired level of quality for the various duty points of the concentration process. Because the plant is modular and based on predesigned treatment units, it is fully configurable for each individual process. A full range of complementary services are available, including process assessment, laboratory- and pilot-scale testing and analysis, technical studies and remote monitoring and support. — Outotec Oyj, Helsinki, Finland
Baumer
The CombiLyz conductivity meter (photo), with an accuracy of±1% and a measuring range of 500µS/cm to 1,000 mS/cm, together with robust temperature compensation, provides many important features for clean-in-place (CIP) systems. Where CIP systems require acids or alkalis, accurate measurement of concentration levels is essential. While the concentration of the acid or alkali is increasing, the conductivity meter controls the specified concentration of the relevant cleaning media. The meter’s precise measurements ensure that no excess chemicals are used. During the phase separation in the CIP return flow, the CombiLyz quickly recognizes different media, even when temperatures fluctuate significantly, helping to reduce the loss of stored cleaning agents. After one cleaning cycle, the CombiLyz accurately measures the concentration of the remaining chemicals in the rinse water. With this information, the programmable logic controller (PLC) can control the predefined media circuits using valve nodes, reducing the risk of contamination by residual chemicals. A compact design reduces flow resistance in the process line, and deposits and impurities can be easily flushed out of the system. — Baumer Ltd., Swindon, U.K.
Vortec
Working in extreme environments can take a toll on workers, but these dual-action personal air conditioners (PACs; photo) keep workers comfortable in either hot or cold working conditions. PACs minimize heat stress and fatigue in elevated temperatures, or with simple adjustment, they raise vest and body temperatures to ward off the cold. A dual-action PAC generates cold or hot air to provide airflow to the worker, along with a cooling/heating vest that diffuses the air flows around the worker’s torso. They do not restrict movement, do not absorb sweat or other contaminants, and can be worn under other protective clothing. When wearing PACs, workers require fewer and shorter cooling and warming work breaks, increasing overall productivity. Tubes convert compressed air to a low-pressure cold or warm air source. A compressed air stream enters the vortex tube where it spins rapidly, splitting into hot and cold air streams. — Vortec, Cincinnati, Ohio