DS-OCT24-PG22+23_Layout 1 15/10/2024 13:25 Page 2
HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS
3. Poor fluid health - unstable fluid concentration and pH can be a sign of poor fluid health, which can lead to increased costs from overconsumption or the need for completely recharging. The latter means a fluid dump and refill, which also increases costs from disposal of old fluids and replenishment of new fluids. Traditionally there has been a lot of guesswork
involved in managing fluids manually. Many manufacturers monitor a fluid bath simply by sight and do not properly track any meaningful data. In these scenarios, fluids are added manually only when visually appearing as low or worse, only when a downstream problem pops up. This is basically operating in the dark in terms of fluid quantity, concentration, and health – a reactive approach to problems, rather than a proactive approach to preventing downstream problems. Using automation technology to monitor fluid
concentration and other key parameters that help determine fluid health, manufacturers can get out of the dark and affect predictable outcomes. Adding automated control technology, informed by regular data capture and analytics, further enables the manufacturer to do more with less – less labour, less downtime, less fluid consumption, and overall lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
ADDING INTELLIGENCE Quaker Houghton has developed a platform that specifically addresses such challenges and allows manufacturers to benefit from optimising fluids and processes. QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE provides real-time
monitoring and control of fluid performance and cost, delivering fast, accurate, and actionable insights. Customisable, scalable, and easily integrated into manufacturing operations, it drives down waste, risk, and total cost of ownership. The platform combines four key elements:
Quaker Houghton’s world class fluids, application expertise, hardware, and software. Specific to hardware, the QH FLUIDMONITOR family of hardware uses proprietary sensor technologies for automatic real-time measurement of key fluid and process parameters. This reduces manual sampling and analysis. The QH FLUIDCONTROL family of hardware integrates proprietary sensors and control equipment for automatic measurement and physical control of key fluid and process parameters. These hardware families work in tandem with the third element, QH FLUIDTREND, an intuitive, user-friendly software for viewing the real-time and historical data and analytics from QH FLUIDMONITOR and QH FLUIDCONTROL. QH FLUIDTREND offers manufacturers not just data, but insights on how to optimise fluids and processes. This improves predictability of outcomes, something prized by all manufacturers. The combined elements of the QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE platform deliver insights that help with three words every engineer knows well: measure, control, optimise: • Use accurate and effective automation to measure the most impactful parameters for fluid performance; • Control those parameters using reliable automation technology; and
• Use data to derive insights to optimise fluids and processes. The end result is a predictable, tangible
outcome, such as improved productivity, longer equipment and tool life, optimised labour efficiency, improved health and safety, and in some cases even enhanced sustainability. The bottom line is manufacturers can use the QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE platform to further reduce their TCO – an imperative in today’s competitive and inflationary environment.
A PROVEN PRODUCT While the QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE platform is a relatively new go-to-market model for Quaker Houghton, several major manufacturers have already successfully applied it – and the results are impressive. One global automotive company that implemented QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE to optimise fluids used in its grinding processes saved $300,000 per year, decreased downtime by 75%, and improved productivity by 1,000 hours annually. In the aerospace sector, a manufacturer of wing ribs is benefitting on multiple fronts from QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE. Using the platform, they are saving on manual labour for filling and maintaining coolant; extending coolant life span; reducing waste and downtime from coolant changeover; improving tool life and reducing defects, both by maintaining consistent fluid concentration. The list of industry segments interested in the
QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE platform and viable applications is extensive – from conversion coatings for surface treatments to aluminium hot rolling to steel cold rolling and a variety of metalworking applications.
THE FUTURE OF FLUIDS When it comes to automation technology for
FEATURE
process fluids, a key difference in Quaker Houghton’s offering is that the QH FLUIDMONITOR and QH FLUIDCONTROL hardware products are designed and calibrated in-house by a dedicated team of engineers and chemists well-versed in not only industrial sensor technologies but also industrial process fluid formulations and applications. It’s with this expertise that Quaker Houghton
has developed unique, proprietary know-how on the calibration of sensors to process fluids to reduce risk of false readings or drift, and ensure they remain accurate even in harsh operating conditions – something that others have been unable to accomplish. Similarly, the analytics embedded in QH
FLUIDTREND and resulting optimisation recommendations were developed by QH software engineers and informed by the institutional knowledge of QH technical experts. Quaker Houghton’s in-house expertise of chemists, physicists, engineers and application experts, are leveraged and considered from the start, during the product development process, not as an afterthought during product launch. What Industry 4.0 has brought to the primary manufacturing process is what Quaker Houghton is now bringing to manufacturing’s ancillary supporting processes. Quaker Houghton has successfully harnessed automation and control technologies to digitise and optimise these often-forgotten piece of the puzzle. Whether you are a die casting business or a steel mill, the QH FLUID INTELLIGENCE platform can help increase the predictability of outcomes while enabling you to decrease waste, improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Quaker Houghton
https://home.quakerhoughton.com/ qhfluidintelligence/
WATER PUMPING SOLUTION MEETS DEMANDS
Menzel Elektromotoren has manufactured two pump drives with extra-long piping for water supply in Angola. The pumps draw water from the Kwanza River and transport it over a distance of 17km, climbing 135m to a water treatment plant just outside the capital Luanda. As the existing pumps are installed inside the pipework and cannot be removed, the operator ordered complete pump systems including drive and connection pipework. Menzel had already assisted this customer in the past, supplying replacement motors at short notice. However, in this case, the company provided tailor-made pump systems that could easily replace the existing structures. Production of the units took place at Pawils Elektromaschinenbau. Pumps of the right
performance class were chosen, and then the mechanical interfaces were adapted to the installation on site. These were then fitted them with pipes and motors, which were also designed specifically for the application. The entire units are about 12m long each. The pump systems have a flow rate of 900m³/min each. In addition, the motors have a nominal
power of 500kW, an operating voltage of 6000V and a speed of 1475rpm. Initially, two out of three identical pump systems were replaced, while the third ensured the continued operation of the water supply.
Menzel Elektromotoren
www.menzel-motors.com/pump-drive/
OCTOBER 2024 DESIGN SOLUTIONS 23
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
