BRITISH & METRIC FLUID CONVEYING PRODUCTS

Machine over Man 

Out on the oil patch, opportunity comes to the firm that can do the job more safely, cheaply and quickly. “The motivation for technical innovation has always been threefold,” says Mark Salkeld, president and chief executive officer of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada (PSAC) in Calgary. “First and always foremost, companies are striving to improve safety. Second, to reduce costs and improve margins, and third, to gain the edge that will win them the next contract.”

Salkeld served in the oil and gas business for 36 years before joining PSAC, the national trade association of the upstream petroleum industry. He started as a mechanic on drilling rigs before working his way up the ranks through maintenance, human resources, safety, operations, procurement and back to school for business and management degrees. He has seen oil at $20 a barrel and at $150 a barrel; he has also witnessed the oil business at its height and nadir.

When Salkeld started in the sector, crews would set up around hydraulic drilling rigs in their campers and school buses for the whole summer. “It was like a gypsy camp,” he recounts. “Many men brought their families along.” Today, with modern drill bit technology, high-tech rigs can eat through 2,500 metres in two-and-a-half days, and crews are always on the move. “I expect we will see totally robotic rigs in the field in the not-too-distant future.”

Not like the old days

“It is rare to see a worker even touch a piece of pipe on one of our automated drilling rigs,” says Bob Geddes, president and chief operating officer of Ensign Energy Services Inc. in Calgary. Ensign’s design team has worked to engineer out any manual intervention in the drilling process. For example, an automated skate-catwalk system brings the drill pipe up to rig floor, where the top drive grabs it and pulls it up, and an “iron-roughneck” makes the connection and lowers the pipe back to drilling.

Founded in Western Canada in the late 1980s, Ensign currently runs some 200 rigs across North America and around the world. Ten years ago, the company launched a $4 billion building program, adding state-of-the-art rigs, better controls and new features. “We design them to be faster and safer by testing technical innovations in the field and then make them part of the next generation of rigs,” Geddes says. “An $8 million old-style rig costs $20-to-25 million today, but drills a well in a quarter of the time of conventional rigs.”

The modern Automated Drilling Rig (ADR®) is not only highly mechanized; it is also more versatile. Using a hydraulic system, the self-walking ADR can crawl along the well pad to drill a series of wells 25 feet apart. And if relocation to a different site is necessary, the rig can be broken down and set up two to three times faster than the old models, cutting well-construction costs and improving safety.

Read more: Machine over Man 

Aircraft Global Hydraulic System Market 2017: Forecast on Top Key Regions 

Market Overview on Global Aircraft Hydraulic System Industry:

The research report titled Global Aircraft Hydraulic System Market offers useful insights into the trends and the factors that propel this Global market. This market study comprehensively discusses the salient features of the Global Aircraft Hydraulic System market in terms of the market structure and landscape, the challenges, demand factors, and the expected market performance.

The Aircraft Hydraulic System market is characterized by constant technological innovation to keep pace with the changing industrial needs. This Aircraft Hydraulic System Market report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Aircraft Hydraulic System from 2012-2017 and provides extensive market forecasts 2017-2022 by region/country and subsectors.

The Aircraft Hydraulic System market is characterized by constant technological innovation to keep pace with the changing industrial needs. This Aircraft Hydraulic System Market report provides detailed analysis of worldwide markets for Aircraft Hydraulic System from 2012-2017 and provides extensive market forecasts 2017-2022 by region/country and subsectors.

The report firstly introduced the Aircraft Hydraulic System Market basics: definitions, classifications, applications and market overview; product specifications; manufacturing processes; cost structures, raw materials and so on. Then it analyzed the world’s main region market conditions, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate and forecast etc. In the end, the report introduced new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.

Scope of the Report

This report studies the Global Aircraft Hydraulic System market, analyzes and researches the Aircraft Hydraulic System development status and forecast in Global, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia.

This report focuses on the Following top players:
United Technologies Corporation, Parker Hannifin Corporation, Safran S.A., Eaton Corporation PLC, Liebherr-International AG, Woodward, Inc., Triumph Group, Inc., Moog Inc., Arkwin Industries Inc., Beaver Aerospace & Defense

Read more: Global Aircraft Hydraulic System Market 2017: Forecast on Top Key Regions 

Increasing Reliability In Expandable Liners 

The first hanger designs specifically developed to run expandable liners were true to their descriptive name. The weight of the liner set mechanical slips in a vertical well, and cement was used to seal the liner top. These were mechanical devices that lacked reliability, particularly in deviated wellbores.

As wells were drilled to greater depths, more reliability was needed and eventually obtained through the use of hydraulically set hangers. Once directional drilling and horizontal completions became more prevalent, many equipment suppliers adapted existing technology to the changes in well construction, with more focus on the running tools.

More robust running tools ensure liners can be deployed in deviated wellbores that require torque, washing and reaming. However, the basic concept of using slips with a cone remains at the heart of all conventional systems, and options are added to this basic offering to aid in functionality and reliability such as dual cones, liner top packers and high-strength running tools.

Trends in liner hangers

The latest developments in running liners include metal-formed liner hangers. Expandable systems have dominated development in liner hanger technology for the past 10 years. These systems are popular because of increased setting and deployment reliability. The advances in technology are apparent through the popularity of the expandable systems and the enhanced applications in different well profiles around the world. Still, expandable systems using hydraulic pressure to set the liner top come with their own risks (e.g., high hydraulic pressure on the rig floor). Other limitations include continued complexity, potential leaks in connections and incompatibility with some rig operations.

To combat these challenges, Seminole Services developed the Powerscrew Liner System, a tool utilizing a metal-forming process that does not require high hydraulic pressures and eliminates the risks associated with reaming to setting depth. The Powerscrew is a torsionally set metal-formed liner hanger that works by converting torque from the top drive into linear force to set and seal a liner top.

The assembly is deployed on drillpipe and conveys the liner to total depth (TD) with a unique running tool. In many cases, running a liner to TD requires compression, rotation and circulation. This is especially true for longer laterals, so special design emphasis has been placed on the running tool, which can take higher compressional loads associated with reaming.

Read more: Increasing Reliability In Expandable Liners 

Hydraulic Cylinder Market Rapidly Gaining Importance in the Global Industry 2017-2025 

Hydraulic cylinders, also known as hydraulic pumps, are sub-assemblies used in hydraulic power transfer systems. Hydraulic cylinders help transfer power in applications ranging from construction equipment to aviation. These cylinders are an assembly of several components, namely the barrel; cylinder caps and head; piston, which can be double acting or single acting; piston rod; seals; and rings. These cylinders are connected within the hydraulic system to form a continuous hydraulic circuit. Hydraulic cylinders are available in several configurations and functions; each is suited for a particular application. They can also be used to selectively resist the linear motion under heavy loads. Hence, these cylinders can be used in various applications.

Uninterrupted demand in industries where hydraulic systems play a vital role is the primary factor driving the hydraulic cylinder market. Irreplaceability of hydraulic systems in construction equipment, aviation, infrastructure, and manufacturing is anticipated to augment the hydraulic cylinder market. Furthermore, rapid industrialization and infrastructural development in developing nations are estimated to propel the hydraulic cylinder market. Growth in civil and military aviation in developing nations such as India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brazil is projected to drive the demand for hydraulic cylinder in aerospace applications. However, hydraulic systems and cylinders are usually bulky and messy in operation. They make the entire system or equipment heavy and large. Thus, several efforts are being made to either make them clean and compact or to find other alternate systems altogether. Hydraulics are substituted with pneumatics and electromechanical systems in several applications where cleanliness is imperative. These include food, beverage, pharmaceuticals, and medical. However, for heavy and sturdy operations there are potentially no other alternatives.

Based on the function of these cylinders, the hydraulic cylinder market can be bifurcated into single acting and double acting. The double acting segment can be further divided into single rod ended and double rod ended. In terms of type, the market can be segmented into plunger cylinders, telescopic cylinders, cable cylinders, diaphragm cylinders, and others. Each type finds niche use in particular applications. Based on application, the hydraulic cylinder market can be classified into mobile systems and stationary systems. Within mobile systems, the market can be sub-divided into construction equipment, aviation, marine, and others. The stationary systems segment can be sub-segmented into industrial machinery, infrastructure, and others. In terms of geography, the global hydraulic cylinder market can be classified into Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America and Europe are the major regions of the global hydraulic cylinder market, led by the presence of key construction equipment manufacturers such as Caterpillar and JCB. Asia Pacific is also a prominent region of the hydraulic cylinder market owing to the rise in industrialization and infrastructure growth. Demand for hydraulic cylinders is high in developed nations such as Germany, the U.S., Japan, France, and the U.K. Demand for hydraulic cylinders in industries such as construction equipment, industrial machine, aviation, and agricultural equipment is increasing at a fast pace in developing nations and regions such as China, India, Brazil, South Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Read more: Hydraulic Cylinder Market Rapidly Gaining Importance in the Global Industry 2017-2025 

Hydraulic Gear Pump Market Report Offers Intelligence and Forecast till 2017-2027 

Hydraulic gear pumps are mechanical devices that convert mechanical energy into hydraulic energy. Hydraulic gear pumps help in generating flow with substantial power so as to overcome the pressure induced by the pump load. A hydraulic gear pump is a type of fixed displacement pump, which creates a vacuum at the inlet in order to draw the fluid from the reservoir to the hydraulic system, and has a pre-decided flow rate. Hydraulic gear pumps use the meshing of gears to pump the fluid by displacement. They are commonly used for hydraulic fluid power applications. Hydraulic gear pumps are deployed to pump enormous amounts of fluid at a constant flow rate at a relatively low pressure. As most of the hydraulic machines demand a constant flow rate at low pressure for their operation, hydraulic gear pumps find applications in construction equipment, agricultural machineries and movable machines, among others. Considering the vital applications of hydraulic gear pumps pertaining to safety and security, the study of global hydraulic gear pumps market becomes a necessity.

Hydraulic Gear Pump Market Segmentation By Product Type – External gear hydraulic gear pumps, Internal gear hydraulic gear pumps; By End Use – Construction, Mining & Metallurgy, Automotive & Transportation, Material Handling, Chemicals & Petrochemicals, Others

Hydraulic gear pumps are found to be relatively less expensive than radial piston pumps, axial piston pumps and vane pumps due to their simple design and subsequent ease of construction. Hence, they are a preferred choice when limited capital expenditures restrict expensive purchases of pumping equipment. Their price effectiveness is hence expected to drive the hydraulic gear pump market in the near future.

Read more: Hydraulic Gear Pump Market Report Offers Intelligence and Forecast till 2017-2027 

All-in-One Hydraulic Actuator is Showcase of Simplicity 

A self-contained modular actuator continues the trend of driving a hydraulic actuator with a variable speed motor. But this one departs from convention with patent-pending features, including volume compensation to account for piston rod volume.

Today’s global actuation market is worth in excess of $30 billion, and is projected to continue growing as automation becomes the focus of increased production throughout the developing world. The majority of actuators used today provide simple linear motion for moving objects from one point to another. The need for advanced actuation increases along with the development of more sophisticated equipment.

Trends in automation to increase productivity are the driving factors for continued actuation growth and development. Yet, actuation enhancements are progressing at only a modest pace, presenting a challenge to keep up with the current and future market trends. Some of the factors include the need for less maintenance, higher efficiency, advanced connectivity (field buses), lower weight, and compact actuation solutions.

The three major types of actuation technology are electro-mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic. Each, of course, has its advantages and disadvantages.

The Electromechanical Solution
The electromechanical actuator (EMA) accounts for about 46% of the economic market. Furthermore, it is growing faster than hydraulics and pneumatics technologies, produces power on demand, and is more efficient than systems that run continuously to maintain pressure. There are many different methods for converting the rotary motion of the motor into linear motion of the rod.

Many EMAs use a motor connected to a gear-train or a belt drive to reduce output speed while increasing torque. An output nut then converts the rotary motion to linear motion, usually through an ACME screw or ball screw. In other cases, the motor is connected directly to a roller screw. Directly coupling the motor provides absolute position control via a position feedback sensor. Whichever drive setup is used to provide linear motion, the EMA operates from any ac or dc power.

A simple ac or dc system turns the motor on and off and rotates it at the given motor winding speed based on the applied voltage. The actuator transitions between extreme positions set via limit switches with no other position control. AC solutions can use a stepper motor, brushless servomotor, or ac induction motor with or without closed-loop control. More sophisticated ac and dc systems control position using a controller that varies motor output based on a signal from the position feedback sensor. Along with position control, the controller can also provide a fieldbus interface to connect and interact with other actuators, so as to synchronize multi-axial motion and provide control data transmission and diagnostics to a master PLC.

Of course, with these benefits come disadvantages inherent to electromechanical actuators. Because the motor is mechanically coupled to the output shaft, backlash occurs and worsens over time. Most EMAs can be back-driven, meaning the load can drive the output shaft backwards when the drive is not powered. For this reason, most EMAs require a brake to hold the load in position when the drive is at rest. Because the EMA is driven by an electric motor, exceeding rated duty cycles will cause overheating. In fact, most EMAs are specified with a duty cycle to allow heat to dissipate between work periods.

Electromechanical actuators are also unforgiving to modification. For example, if drive parameters must be changed to provide greater speed or force, the entire EMA generally must be replaced. Sometimes a gear ratio or can be changed, but doing so reduces either output force or speed. EMAs with a lead screw are also susceptible to contamination, leading to premature wear. Depending on many variables, the efficiency of an EMA (converting input electrical power to output mechanical power) generally ranges from 20% to 40%. The majority of the offerings available today require a customer to specify and setup their own motor and controller to connect to the desired actuator.

Read more: All-in-One Actuator is Showcase of Simplicity 

Hydraulic Deep sea mining 

Hydraulic Deep sea mining for minerals have been seen as a potential new source for in demand metals and rare earth elements. Offshore sector firms are eyeing the potential for a new revenue stream. Elaine Maslin reports.
Many are looking to a new resource, deep sea minerals, thanks to growth in demand from emerging economies and the development of new technologies that require increased supply of metals such as copper.
While interest in mining metals from the deeps has been ongoing since the 1960s, activity has remained low, due to low metal prices and the challenges of operating in deep sea environments. This activity is also the focus of strong local and environmental opposition.
Slowly, however, the pieces have been falling into place to permit this activity. In 1982, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) established the International Seabed Authority (ISA), based in Jamaica, to organize and regulate mineral-related activities in seabed areas beyond the limits of national jurisdictions.
More recently, the MIDAS project, which sought to assess the environmental hazards of deep sea mining, reported its findings. Many in the offshore sector, with technologies that could be complimentary to this space, are watching, but there are still concerns over its impact.

All that glitters
According to the MIDAS program, there are three types of resource: polymetallic (or manganese) nodules that occur in surficial seafloor sediments in abyssal plain muds, mainly in the Pacific and Indian Oceans; cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts (CRCs) that occur as a surface encrustation on seamounts and rock outcrops in all oceans, but with the richest deposits found in the western Pacific; and seafloor massive sulfides (SMS) that are formed at seafloor hot springs along ocean plate boundaries.
Polymetallic (manganese) nodules – 2-15cm in diameter– can be found some 4-6km deep, and could provide a source of copper, nickel, cobalt and manganese, as well as rare earth elements. Mining them, and others, requires a combination of remotely-operated or autonomous underwater vehicles, pumps, suction and riser pipes, Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri’s Marko Keber told the Offshore Mediterranean Conference (OMC) in Italy, in March.
Polymetallic sulfides, meanwhile, are found in 1500-3000m water depth and are made of sulfide minerals containing various metals, such as copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver. CRCs are found in 800-2400m water depth, and are composed of ferromanganese oxides and contain cobalt, nickel, manganese, tellurium, rare earth elements and possibly platinum, Keber says.
Activity
Since 2000, the ISA has signed 13, 15-year exploration contracts. Six of these contracts expired in 2016 and a seventh will expire in 2017. The areas being explored are in the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone, the Indian Ocean, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, South Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, according to an ISA report from last year.
There are concerns relating to impact of the mining systems on the sea floor, the creation of sediment plumes as a result of seabed operations, the integrity of the riser pipes and the release of waste materials following pre-processing of the minerals at the sea surface, says MIDAS, which conducted research from the Pelagia vessel from 2013-2016. “The scale of these impacts needs to be assessed so that the development of regulations to control mining activities can be properly informed.”
“New environmental issues need to be considered, such as the large surface areas affected by nodule mining, the potential risk of submarine landslides through sediment destabilization in gas hydrate extraction, or the release of toxic elements through oxidation of minerals during seafloor massive sulfides (SMS) mining,” MIDAS adds.
Some of MIDAS’ work on sediment-laden plumes showed that they could have significant impact on ecosystems tens of kilometers away from the mined sites. MIDAS project scientists said that investment in technology (to limit the generation of plumes during mining) and in legislation (to make sure all contractors adhere to best practice) would be needed, as well as more research. Even with legislation, opposition is likely to remain to this activity.

Read more: Deep sea mining 

Submersible Hydraulic Pump Solutions for Offshore Sites

Submersible Hydraulic Pump Solutions are robust, low-maintenance pumps that feature only three main parts in the form of a top case, bottom volute, and an impeller that does not contact with the pump’s housing. The double-inlet pumps have no internal friction, which allows passage of heavy abrasive slurries and solids with minimal erosional damage.

Our self-priming solutions can produce significant flow rates compared to other small submersible pumps, facilitating the conveyance of drilling mud cuttings and environmental waste material weighing up to 20lb per gallon.

Fast Flow Pumps have proven consistently reliable and hardwearing in difficult service applications. In the event of rope ingestion or similar interruption, the pump heads’ simple design allows almost anyone to quickly carry out repairs without specialist training or removing them from their place of operation.

Bottom suction pumps for tank cleaning activities
Fast Flow’s range of pump systems includes units optimised for use in tank cleaning operations, featuring twin inlets that face the tank floor.

This pump is able to remove more than 500gal per minute of solids while keeping the level down to where spray nozzles can work effectively in a closed loop system. This speciality pump can maintain the necessary low level at less than 1in, allowing the high-volume 3D spray nozzles to efficiently blast clean the tank bottoms.

After reaching the point of low level cavitation a Vac truck can then be connected to the pump discharge to rapidly remove the remaining material from the tank, eliminating the need for slow air diaphragm pumps and air compressor systems at the job site.

Our twin-motor bottom suction pumps can handle the low-level cavitation and the constant loading and unloading of the impeller up to many times a minute, and the lack of shaft bearings allows the pump to Run Dry all day without damage. Other pumps that have mechanical seal bearings with internal friction cannot handle the constant hammering and low level cavitation.

Read more: Submersible Hydraulic Pump Solutions for Offshore Sites

Designed To Fail? Hydraulic System

One of our members described the layout of a rear-mounted knuckle crane on a truck, which was giving trouble, so it is designed to fail hydraulic system as follows:

“The pump is a bent axis Muncie pump 20 GPM, 4300 PSI. The pressure line is 3/4″ hose and steel tube. The pump intake line is a 2″ suction hose from the tank located on the crane base to a 1-3/4″ steel pipe under the truck bed and back up to a 2″ hose between the steel pipe and pump. Total length of each line (pressure and intake) is 33 feet. The intake line also features one, 45-degree fitting and three long-radius, 90-degree bends.”

One of the great advantages of a hydraulic system is that components can be mounted with little regard to alignment, and within reason, proximity to other components with which they must connect. But as I think the above set-up shows, this advantage can be taken too far.

In case you missed it, the hydraulic tank is incorporated in the knuckle crane, which is mounted on the rear of the truck. The pump of course has to be driven from the power take off, usually from the gear box, near the front of the truck. With the result, that on this truck, the length of the intake (and pressure) line is 33 feet.

It is very convenient to incorporate the hydraulic tank in the knuckle crane: once the crane is mounted, and the pump is mounted, there are just two hydraulic lines to run between the pump and crane. A cinch, on paper at least. Except running 1-3/4″ steel pipe most of the length of the chassis for the pump intake is certainly no cake walk. But of course the real kicker is having an intake line 33 feet long–not to mention the 45-degree elbow and three bends.

It’ll work, sure. But this long and torturous intake line will have a negative effect on pump service-life over time. And this is not a cheap pump we’re talking about (not that there is really any such thing as a cheap pump!). It’s a high-pressure, bent-axis piston pump.

Read more: Designed To Fail? 

Safety products: Portable battery hydraulic pump increases safety when cutting underground cables 

Safety products: Cembre Inc., a manufacturer of crimping and cutting tools, presents its newest product innovations at ICUEE 2017. The company launched its radio controlled, portable battery hydraulic pump for increasing safety when cutting underground cables, along with its newly designed cutting and crimping heads.

Cembre puts the safety and needs of the operators first, along with offering high technological standards and efficiency outcomes. This new system was developed by Cembre specifically to address the safety concerns of field personnel cutting cables that have the potential of still being live.

Cembre’s focus continues to be on providing solutions for crimping and cutting, while never forgetting about the practical needs and safety measures necessary to best operate. The new B68RC battery pump and matching heads allow operators to properly control the cutting of cables while standing well outside a manhole and away from the danger zone due to the remote control feature and sensors—completely avoiding any possible contact with live cables and its consequent risk to their safety on the job.

Read more: Safety products: Portable battery hydraulic pump increases safety when cutting underground cables 

Malone Specialty Inc.

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