The TECO Process Control Blog Providing educational information on flowmeters, industrial control, process instrumentation, valves, and valve automation. Posts include interesting and unique industrial control applications, new product information, and ways of improving efficiency and saving money through proper maintenance, repair, service, and re-manufacturing. Courtesy of Thompson Equipment Company | TECO-INC.COM | (504) 833-6381 TECO COVID-19 Response March 18, 2020 To our Customers and Partners Re: TECO COVID-19 Response Dear Valued Customer or Partner: In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, TECO is committed to the safety and well-being of our customers, partners, and employees. We have made several adjustments to our business operations to ensure we can serve your needs now and into the future. Please be aware of the following measures that have been implemented: Sales and administrative staff are working remotely until further notice. The same contact methods you have used in the past to reach TECO representatives are still in place; Manufacturing, repair, shipping, and receiving operations remain open, and we will continually review our personnel required to safely operate in support of customer needs; Technical support is available by phone at 1-800-528-8997. Although all employees are strictly adhering to personal and work space hygiene guidance, our field techs are not available for site visits at this time. TECO will continue to monitor the guidance of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as state and local governments. We will keep you apprised of any additional changes in our operations, as our focus is on supporting your needs in these challenging times. We humans are resilient; mentally, spiritually, and biologically. We will find a path through what seems insurmountable. We always have. In the meantime, please keep yourself, your family, and your coworkers healthy and safe. Very truly yours, THOMPSON EQUIPMENT COMPANY, INC. Todd C. Thompson President Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Advanced Magmeter for Slurries A group of TECO slurry magmeters ready to be shipped. Custom magnetic flowmeter manufacturer, Thompson Equipment (TECO), offers a line of magnetic flowmeters with erosion and abrasion resistance. Their designs are capable of withstanding a variety of highly corrosive applications and erosive slurries and are targeted for applications in the mining, dredging, and fracking industries. The TECO SAM slurry magmeter provides a reliable and accurate flow measurement solution in applications where fluids contain sand, large solids, ore, or pulp. They use a combination of advanced technologies to prevent wear and signal loss. These include liners made from specialty materials, custom electrodes, exotic tube constructions, and specialty coatings. The TECO SAM By incorporating these advanced features, the TECO SAM Slurry Magnetic Flowmeter helps businesses in these industries overcome significant maintenance issues revolving around magnetic flowmeter wear. The advanced abrasion and erosion resistance reduces downtime and lowers repair and change-out cost. Businesses in the mining, dredging, and fracking achieve greater operational results and optimize the utilization of resources. For more information visit this TECO web page, or call them at 800-528-8997 for immediate service. Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: fracking, Mining, pulp, SAM, sand, slurry, slurry flow meter Happy Holidays from Thompson Equipment Company "Christmas gift suggestions: To your enemy, forgiveness. To an opponent, tolerance. To a friend, your heart. To a customer, service. To all, charity. To every child, a good example. To yourself, respect." — Oren Arnold Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Fracing vs. Fracking: Winning the Grammar Battle and Losing the Search Engine War Hydraulic fracturing is the drilling process where layers of bedrock are cracked and spilt using hydraulic fluids to free up and extract oil and natural gas trapped within. TECO is a manufacturer of severe service magnetic flowmeters designed specifically for the hydraulic fracturing industry. We at TECO believe its important to fully understand an industry's unique processes, challenges, and terminology. By doing so we gain a deep industry knowledge. This knowledge facilitates better communication. Better communication increases understanding and reduces mistakes and errors. There are very few situations where this isn't the best track to follow. But we found one. We always tried to do our best by being clear, accurate, and following industry standards. But sometimes you just have to know when to give up. Such is the case with the never-ending "fracing vs. fracking" debate. This isn't the first essay on the subject, and it won't be the last. It's just that, we here at TECO, have decided to change our online communications approach, based upon some pretty strong data. While the Oil and Gas industry prefer leaving that lower case "k" out, it's become quite clear that Mr. Google and Mr. Webster decided the "k" needs to be there. And when you're a company making great flow meters, and trying to let people know how good they are, it's makes a world of difference in getting found on the search engines. It's no secret that Oil and Gas industry people clearly prefer the use of frac or fracing. There are quite a few instances where industry leaders have strongly argued that frac or fracing are the only acceptable spellings. TECO too, decided the industry preferred version was the way to go, and decided that all of our efforts in online marketing and communications would follow suit. We were sure that by sticking to the use of the industry preferred spelling, we'd be in a perfect position to be seen by all the industry professionals searching for "fracing flow meters". But that didn't happen. Mr. Google wasn't buying it. Search engine results were disappointing. We needed to find out what we were doing wrong. After careful review of our online content, and use of keywords, we determined it was that lousy lowercase "k". Turns out it makes an insane amount of difference when people use a search engine. For example, in one test, using a generic keyword tracking tool, we found that the term "fracing" returns a total of 1187 searches, while the term "fracking" returns an astounding 87,836 searches! That means "fracking" is searched for 74 times more than "fracing". You can't ignore that. Additionally, when you review the Google Trends graph below, you see a vivid illustration of the usage (and trends) for the terms Frac, Frack, Fracing and Fracking (it's pretty clear that Fracking is the winner). Click for larger view. But this graph also reveals another important geographic clue. You'll note that the term Frac is used in the specific states where the actual drilling is happening, which makes sense because that's where the fracing industry professionals are. And we want to make sure we reach them. So, our conclusion and online marketing plan may not surprise you. We'll use both. 😀 Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: flow meters, frac, fracing, Fracing flowmeter, frack, fracking, fracking flowmeter, oil and gas, severe service Clamp-on, Ultrasonic Flow Meters Ultrasonic meters measure flow rate by propagating ultrasound waves into liquid filled pipes and measuring the reflections. There are two technologies to choose from based on the fluid properties; Transit Time and Doppler. Transit Time - Clean fluids with small amounts of suspended solids or aeration. For clean fluids with small amounts of suspended solids or aeration, transit time ultrasonic meters provide the best performance and can be used in a wide range of applications for pipes 1/2 inch and larger. Transit time flow meters have two transducers, which function as both ultrasonic transmitters and receivers. The flow meters operate by alternately transmitting and receiving a frequency modulated burst of ultrasound energy between the two transducers. The burst is first transmitted in the direction of fluid flow and then against fluid flow. Since ultrasound energy in a moving liquid is carried faster when it travels in the direction of fluid flow (downstream) than it does when traveling against fluid flow (upstream), a differential in the times of flight will occur. The ultrasound's time of flight is accurately measured in both directions, and the difference in time of flight is used to determine the velocity of the fluid. Doppler Flow Meters - Fluids with suspended solids. For fluids with significant amount of particles or air bubbles, such as slurries, sewage and plastics, Doppler ultrasonic meters provide the best performance. Each Doppler flow meter utilizes two separate transducer heads. Ultrasonic waves are transmitted from one transducer and reflected by reflectors suspended within the liquid and then recorded by a receiving transducer. If the reflectors are moving within the ultrasound transmission path, ultrasound waves will be reflected at a frequency shifted (Doppler shift) from the transmitted frequency. The difference between the transmitted frequencies and reflected frequencies is directly proportional to the speed of the ultrasonic reflectors. For more information about clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters, contact Thompson Equipment Company. Call them at 800-528-8997 or visit their web site at https://teco-inc.com. Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: Badger Meter, clamp-on flow meter, Dynasonics, TECO, ultrasonic flow Honoring the People Who Protect Our Freedom Through the observance of Veterans Day we celebrate and honor America's veterans for their patriotism, love of country, willingness to serve, and sacrifice for the common good. We recognize and celebrate those who have chosen to serve in the United States military and take an oath to defend the United States and our Constitution, from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Veterans Day was originally called Armistice Day because of the November 11 Armistice that ended World War I. In 1954 it was officially changed to Veterans Day to include Veterans of all wars. Thompson Equipment Company thanks our Veterans, past and present, for serving our country and protecting our freedom. Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: USA, Veterans Day What Are Valve Actuators? Valve actuators are categorized based upon a number of factors including power source available, torque necessary to operate the valve, installation location, and the need for automatic actuation. Actuators are devices which supply the force and motion to open and close valves. They can be manually, pneumatically, hydraulically, or electrically operated. In common industrial usage, the term actuator generally refers to a device which employs a non-human power source and can respond to a controlling signal. Types of actuators include: Manual handwheel or lever Electrical motor Pneumatic Hydraulic Gear Operator Manual Actuators Manual actuators are capable of placing the valve in any position but do not permit automatic operation. The most common type mechanical actuator is the handwheel. This type includes handwheels fixed to the stem, hammer handwheels, and handwheels connected to the stem through gears. Gear Operators If additional mechanical advantage is necessary for a manually-operated valve, the valve bonnet is fitted with manually-operated gear heads as illustrated in Figure 32. A special wrench or handwheel attached to the pinion shaft permits one individual to operate the valve when two individuals might be needed without the gear advantage. Because several turns of the pinion are necessary to produce one turn of the valve stem, the operating time of large valves is exceptionally long. The use of portable air motors connected to the pinion shaft decreases the valve operating time. Electric Actuators Electric Actuator Electric motors permit manual, semi-automatic, and automatic operation of the valve. Motors are used mostly for open-close functions, although they are adaptable to positioning the valve to any point opening as illustrated in Figure 33. The motor is usually a, reversible, high speed type connected through a gear train to reduce the motor speed and thereby increase the torque at the stem. Direction of motor rotation determines direction of disk motion. The electrical actuation can be semi-automatic, as when the motor is started by a control system. A handwheel, which can be engaged to the gear train, provides for manual operating of the valve. Limit switches are normally provided to stop the motor automatically at full open and full closed valve positions. Limit switches are operated either physically by position of the valve or torsionally by torque of the motor. Pneumatic Actuators Pneumatic Actuator Pneumatic actuators as illustrated in Figure 34 provide for automatic or semi- automatic valve operation. These actuators translate an air signal into valve stem motion by air pressure acting on a diaphragm or piston connected to the stem. Pneumatic actuators are used in throttle valves for open-close positioning where fast action is required. When air pressure closes the valve and spring action opens the valve, the actuator is termed direct- acting. When air pressure opens the valve and spring action closes the valve, the actuator is termed reverse- acting. Duplex actuators have air supplied to both sides of the diaphragm. The differential pressure across the diaphragm positions the valve stem. Automatic operation is provided when the air signals are automatically controlled by circuitry. Semi-automatic operation is provided by manual switches in the circuitry to the air control valves. Hydraulic Actuators Hydraulic Actuator Hydraulic actuators provide for semi-automatic or automatic positioning of the valve, similar to the pneumatic actuators. These actuators use a piston to convert a signal pressure into valve stem motion. Hydraulic fluid is fed to either side of the piston while the other side is drained or bled. Water or oil is used as the hydraulic fluid. Solenoid valves are typically used for automatic control of the hydraulic fluid to direct either opening or closing of the valve. Manual valves can also be used for controlling the hydraulic fluid; thus providing semi-automatic operation. For more information on valve actuators and valve automation, contact Thompson Equipment Company (TECO) by calling 800-528-8997 of visit the valve automation area of their web site here. Email This BlogThis! Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Share to Pinterest Labels: electric actuator, hydraulic actuator, pneumatic actuator, valve actuation, Valve Automation Older Posts Home Subscribe to: Posts (Atom) Search This Blog About TECO Headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Thompson Equipment Company (TECO) engineers, designs and applies industrial process instrumentation, provides calibration and field repair services, manufactures special purpose flow instruments, remanufactures all brands of flowmeters, and provides industrial valves and full valve automation capabilities. Contact info: 125 Industrial Avenue New Orleans, LA 70121 504.833.6381 phone (emergencies handled 24/7/365) 504.831.4664 fax 800.528.8997 toll free www.teco-inc.com Blog Archive ▼ 2020 (2) ▼ March (1) TECO COVID-19 Response ► January (1) ► 2019 (27) ► 2018 (37) ► 2017 (43) ► 2016 (11) ► 2014 (2) ► 2013 (9) ► 2012 (7) Simple theme. Powered by Blogger. 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