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Double magnetic filter makes crucial impact
18
Application
Filtration+Separation January/February 2016
Water & wastewater
Double magnetic filter makes crucial impact O
ne manufacturer of steel pipes for the offshore oil and gas industry was finding contaminated water affected its ultrasonic testing procedure. By installing a double magnetic filter the company was able to recycle the water used in the process and minimize downtime.
Vallourec is a manufacturer of tubular solutions primarily serving the energy markets. The plant designs, develops, and manufactures a comprehensive range of products for the offshore oil and gas industry, including steel pipes to be used as drill collars. Drill collars are
The Double Automag AM6 magnetic filter from Eclipse Magnetics.
www.filtsep.com
manufactured to specifications to meet and/or exceed API specifications. The plant processes 3500 units of carbon steel pipe per week, which include pipes of anything from 4 in to 16 in in width, and up to 14.7 metres long.
The challenge Due to the tight tolerances required by the off shore industry, it is imperative that the quality of the pipes is 100%. Product rejects can cost £1000 per piece and the consequences of a fault on the job can have huge financial consequences. In order to ensure the highest levels of quality, the pipes are sent through a tempering, descaling, rounding, and straightening process. The last stage is an ultrasonic testing procedure to check for any faults such as cracks or wall thickness irregularities. During this process, water is pumped around the ultrasonic test area at 100 litres per minute. Water is an excellent conductor; therefore it improves the reliability of the sound wave readings and makes the process more efficient. However, contamination in the water was affecting the readings, causing slow cycle times due to re-scanning and the possibility of a good product being rejected. Contamination caused a build up around the axles on the heads which rotate the pipe line, causing them to seize up. In addition, if back pressure builds, water pressure falls, and the line would be forced to stop due to contamination. The process required the use of a sand filter, 0015 1882/16 ©2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Application
Filtration+Separation January/February 2016
2 bag filters and hydrocyclones, which needed cleaning and changing twice in every shift. Changing this equipment when it became clogged with contamination
The solution Eclipse Magnetics has over 100 years of experience in the design and manufacture
"The filter means that we are able to use recycled water, which is saving us £1000 per week." caused the pressure to drop constantly, resulting in the line coming to a stop so that maintenance could be carried out. To put this into perspective, downtime costs the plant £60 per second. Vallourec were, therefore, faced with the challenge of retaining sufficient water quality for the process by recycling the water. They opted for a fresh mains water supply, which resulted in the use of approximately 1000 cubic metres of water, at a cost of over £1000 per week. However, the continuous stopping and starting of the process for maintenance due to contamination caused air bubbles, which were also a problem.
Naamloos-1 1
of high performance magnetic systems and serve worldwide markets such as industrial filtration. To address this issue the company provided Vallourec with a Double Automag AM6 magnetic filter. This filter is a fully automated unit ideal for 24/7 machining operations such as this. With high contamination collection capacity and an ability to handle high flow rates, Automag is widely used on high volume production lines, and its double feature means that there is always a failsafe back up. The Automag has been fitted after the settlement tank stage of the process and before the band filter, and extracts 0.56 kg of waste per day. Most of the particles
are concentrated between 6 and 15 microns, and the added advantage is that some particles which previously slipped through (less than 4 microns down to sub-micron size) are now extracted. Since fitting the Automag, it is claimed Vallourec’s maintenance time has dropped to zero. It also means that the company are able to use recycled water, which saves them significant weekly costs. Vallourec have kept a band filter for non-magnetic contamination, but this has had the same roll on it for 10 months without needing to be changed, making it incredibly efficient. They have also been able to abandon the sand filter, bag filters and cyclone entirely since the installation of the Automag. Vallourec’s principle engineer Kenneth McRae commented, “We are delighted with the Automag installation; it’s solved all the problems we were having previously with downtime and maintenance costs. The filter means that we are able to use recycled water, which is saving us £1000 per week!”
•
www.eclipsemagnetics.com
02-02-2016 13:55:42
www.filtsep.com
19
Application
Filtration+Separation January/February 2016
Water & wastewater
Double magnetic filter makes crucial impact O
ne manufacturer of steel pipes for the offshore oil and gas industry was finding contaminated water affected its ultrasonic testing procedure. By installing a double magnetic filter the company was able to recycle the water used in the process and minimize downtime.
Vallourec is a manufacturer of tubular solutions primarily serving the energy markets. The plant designs, develops, and manufactures a comprehensive range of products for the offshore oil and gas industry, including steel pipes to be used as drill collars. Drill collars are
The Double Automag AM6 magnetic filter from Eclipse Magnetics.
www.filtsep.com
manufactured to specifications to meet and/or exceed API specifications. The plant processes 3500 units of carbon steel pipe per week, which include pipes of anything from 4 in to 16 in in width, and up to 14.7 metres long.
The challenge Due to the tight tolerances required by the off shore industry, it is imperative that the quality of the pipes is 100%. Product rejects can cost £1000 per piece and the consequences of a fault on the job can have huge financial consequences. In order to ensure the highest levels of quality, the pipes are sent through a tempering, descaling, rounding, and straightening process. The last stage is an ultrasonic testing procedure to check for any faults such as cracks or wall thickness irregularities. During this process, water is pumped around the ultrasonic test area at 100 litres per minute. Water is an excellent conductor; therefore it improves the reliability of the sound wave readings and makes the process more efficient. However, contamination in the water was affecting the readings, causing slow cycle times due to re-scanning and the possibility of a good product being rejected. Contamination caused a build up around the axles on the heads which rotate the pipe line, causing them to seize up. In addition, if back pressure builds, water pressure falls, and the line would be forced to stop due to contamination. The process required the use of a sand filter, 0015 1882/16 ©2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Application
Filtration+Separation January/February 2016
2 bag filters and hydrocyclones, which needed cleaning and changing twice in every shift. Changing this equipment when it became clogged with contamination
The solution Eclipse Magnetics has over 100 years of experience in the design and manufacture
"The filter means that we are able to use recycled water, which is saving us £1000 per week." caused the pressure to drop constantly, resulting in the line coming to a stop so that maintenance could be carried out. To put this into perspective, downtime costs the plant £60 per second. Vallourec were, therefore, faced with the challenge of retaining sufficient water quality for the process by recycling the water. They opted for a fresh mains water supply, which resulted in the use of approximately 1000 cubic metres of water, at a cost of over £1000 per week. However, the continuous stopping and starting of the process for maintenance due to contamination caused air bubbles, which were also a problem.
Naamloos-1 1
of high performance magnetic systems and serve worldwide markets such as industrial filtration. To address this issue the company provided Vallourec with a Double Automag AM6 magnetic filter. This filter is a fully automated unit ideal for 24/7 machining operations such as this. With high contamination collection capacity and an ability to handle high flow rates, Automag is widely used on high volume production lines, and its double feature means that there is always a failsafe back up. The Automag has been fitted after the settlement tank stage of the process and before the band filter, and extracts 0.56 kg of waste per day. Most of the particles
are concentrated between 6 and 15 microns, and the added advantage is that some particles which previously slipped through (less than 4 microns down to sub-micron size) are now extracted. Since fitting the Automag, it is claimed Vallourec’s maintenance time has dropped to zero. It also means that the company are able to use recycled water, which saves them significant weekly costs. Vallourec have kept a band filter for non-magnetic contamination, but this has had the same roll on it for 10 months without needing to be changed, making it incredibly efficient. They have also been able to abandon the sand filter, bag filters and cyclone entirely since the installation of the Automag. Vallourec’s principle engineer Kenneth McRae commented, “We are delighted with the Automag installation; it’s solved all the problems we were having previously with downtime and maintenance costs. The filter means that we are able to use recycled water, which is saving us £1000 per week!”
•
www.eclipsemagnetics.com
02-02-2016 13:55:42
www.filtsep.com
19