University Campuses Greatly Reduce Energy Costs Retrofitting with Clamp-on Thermal Energy Meters

Flexim Clamp-on Thermal Meter

The cooling and heating of a university campus is one of the primary areas where better energy management, including improved efficiency and energy reduction, brings some of the highest returns.

Every university to some extent is now engaged in this process, and one of the first things that has to be addressed is the metering of distributed thermal energy. To effectively begin energy reduction initiatives, accurate and reliable thermal energy metering has to be in place.

Today, there is high priority for understanding that we need to be better stewards of energy consumption. Poor energy consumption harms the environment and creates much higher operating costs. Universities have become very involved in the move toward greener energy. Many universities began metering long ago while some are just beginning. Most are in the middle of the process.

Installation of clamp-on thermal meter (click for larger view).

Installation in under 4 hrs. (steps from image above):

• Step 1: Cut insulation where transducers and RTD will be located.
• Step 2: Install stainless bands around pipe under insulation.
• Step 3: Install transducers and RTD.
• Step 4: Cover transducers and RTD with insulation and tape.

There are many different types of meters, and often, many of these choices turn out to be unreliable. In order to achieve real accountability for energy usage at campus buildings, energy managers at leading universities are applying a “utility model.” In the utility model, building managers responsible for campus buildings are billed at utility grade costs for the thermal energy consumed. This creates an environment where focus falls to thermal energy conservation. It’s also vital that inefficiencies are identified and corrected through metering.

Many universities have gone through an evolution of trying to meter thermal energy consumption throughout their campus. The success of these ventures can be elusive when the meter chosen for the job doesn’t live up to expectations. Examples include insertion meters that over time will foul and meters that cannot respond to low velocities that are prevalent during off-peak metering.

On proven alternative is FLEXIM’s Thermal Energy / BTU Flow Meter. The technology, based upon FLEXIM's ultrasonic clamp-on meters, do not require shutdown and are very cost effective to install.

Clamp-on ultrasonic meters have been doing the job of BTU-metering for decades and the Flexim thermal energy meters are leading the effort towards more energy efficient buildings and facilities.

More than 150 colleges and universities throughout the country are using the FLEXIM product as their preferred thermal energy meter and attest to FLEXIM’s performance, reliability and support.

For more information on Flexim thermal energy products, contact Classic Controls by visiting https://classiccontrols.com or by calling 863-644-3642.

Classic Controls Coverage Area and Territory

Classic Controls is a total solutions, single-source provider of industrial process instruments serving Florida, South Georgia, Caribbean North, Caribbean South, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Suriname.

Listing by country or island:

Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, Saba, St. Barthélemy, St. Eustatius, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands.

Setting Limit Switches on AUMA SA Multi-Turn Actuators and SQ Part-Turn Actuators

AUMA SA Multi-Turn Actuator

Type SA multi-turn actuators and SQ part-turn actuators are the core products of the AUMA product portfolio.

AUMA SA electric multi-turn actuators are used for the automation of gate valves or globe valves.

AUMA SQ electric part-turn actuators are used where an automatic, electrically operated movement at a swing angle of less than 360 ° has to be implemented as it is the case for valves like butterfly and ball valves.

Below is a video that demonstrates how to set the limit switches for both SA and SQ.

This video is intended as a supplement to the operating instruction and/or manuals available from your local AUMA Representative.

Yokogawa TDLS8000 In-Situ Gas Analyzer

Yokogawa’s TDLS8000 houses all of the industry’s leading features in one robust device. The platform design is for in situ measurements which negate the need for sample extraction and conditioning. The non-contacting sensor allows for a variety of process types including corrosive, abrasive and condensing.

Features:

• SIL2 TruePeak combined with smart laser Technology
• Intuitive touchscreen HMI
• HART and Modbus TCP communications standard
• 8-stage auto-gain adapts to difficult applications
• Fully field repairable with 50 days of data and spectra storage
• Compact design for one-man installation without sacrificing ruggedness
• Area classification Zone2/Div2 or Zone1/Div1

https://classiccontrols.com
863-644-3642

Wireless Remote Asset Monitoring & Control

SignalFire’s unique patent-pending two-way mesh technology provides the power and stability needed for reliable data transfer over long node-to-node distances. They couple an innovative message-forwarding architecture with low-cost, high-power ISM-band radios, creating a simple, affordable system that’s easy to deploy. Their technology is ideal for applications calling for many assets widely dispersed (up to 4 miles point-to-point), such as flow, level, pressure, and temperature, and can control devices such as pumps, valves, fans, and lighting.

For more information on SignalFire, visit https://classiccontrols.com or call 863-644-3642.

Signal Fire Wireless Telemetry Catalog from Classic Controls, Inc.

Classic Controls: Your Total Solutions Provider for Instrumentation, Valves and Process Equipment

Classic Controls, Inc. is a total solutions, single-source provider of industrial process instruments serving Florida, southern Georgia, and the entire Caribbean. Along with representing “best-in-class” manufacturers, Classic Control's employees are people driven by total customer satisfaction, with a field salesforce who are technically strong, conscientious, and who can properly apply, train, and support the products they specify.

https://classiccontrols.com
863-644-3642

Application of Non-Invasive Flow Meter Technology to Extreme Temperature Lines

One configuration of Flexim WaveInjector, allowing
non-invasive flow measurement at extreme temperatures.
Image courtesy Flexim Americas Corp.

The development of condensate in super heater and re-heater drains can lead to trouble in combined cycle and cogeneration plants with heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs). The need to reliably detect and measure condensate in these drain lines has emerged as an area needing attention.

The Problem

Heat recovery steam generators were never designed for cyclic service. The move toward renewable energy resources (such as wind and photovoltaic), in tandem with the ability of the combined cycle plant to start-up and stop quickly, is expanding the role of the combined cycle plant as a backup source of power. With frequent starts/stops condensate management can be challenging. Draining the condensate is critically important for the safe and reliable operation of the boiler. While the problem of condensate drainage has been around for years, the problem is greater now in installations with a higher frequency of cycling. The importance of finding a good solution for detecting condensate in the HRSG drain lines is growing.

Boiler manufacturers address this situation through the use of condensate pots, level instruments, site glasses, and valves. None of these technologies provide a satisfactory combination of reliability, economy, and efficiency. Knowing when steam converts to water is difficult with this approach. Plus, over cautious systems sometimes release steam instead of condensate, wasting energy. A more reliable and consistent way to sense the presence of water in drain lines had to be found.

The Solution

By designing specialized mounting and tooling, modifying their sensing diagnostics, putting in hundreds of hours of field testing, and investing hundreds of hours improving their firmware for water detection, the manufacturer Flexim developed an ultrasonic flow meter that elegantly and reliably solves the HRSG drain line problem.

These clamp-on sensors work by measuring the transit-time difference of an ultrasonic signal, at varying flow velocities, through the process media. Ultrasonic, clamp-on flow meters have no moving parts, are not affected by density, and are mounted directly to the pipe in a non-invasive fashion.

The most challenging aspects of this application are the exposure of the sensing units to high temperature and the thick-walled pipes with small diameters commonly used for drains. To handle the high temperatures, specialized mounting and tooling were developed for the sensor allowing for pipe temperatures up to 750 deg. F. To overcome the small diameter / thick pipe issue, Flexim engineers reconfigured the sensor’s firmware to change from measuring flow rate, and instead measure noise (decibels) as an innovative way to distinguish steam from water.

Flexim’s unique ability to measure the presence of liquid in condensate drain pipes is a revolutionary development. This valuable solution helps customers run longer and safer, minimizing downtime. Share your measurement challenges with process measurement specialists, leveraging your own knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop an effective solution.