- Email: [email protected]
UK-based company leads sealless technology innovation
SPECIALFOCU~,
UK-based company leads tech:nology m
UK based HMDIKontro, now part of the Global Sundyne Corporation, has recently extended its innovation in seailess pump technology with the launch of a unique pump design. Not only does this put HMDIKontro well to the fore in the design and development of sealless technology for the petro-chemica|, fine chemical, pharmaceutical and agri-chemical industries, but it also proves that the UK still boasts some of the finest research and development in the World,
HMD/Kontro's new technology, MagMax, combines the motor and secondary containment concept of the canned motor pump (CMP) with the efficiency, site serviceability and simplicity of the magnet drive pump. The result is the world's first line start synchronous canned magnet drive pump offering true secondary containment.
This technology was created out of the collaboration between the UK company's engineering, sales and manufacturing teams, with the initial drive coming from research conducted by the sales team to identify the key areas where pump specifiers were looking to make process improvements. This highlighted a number of areas where there
was room for namely:
improvement,
• energy efficiency • simplified solutions for complex or hazardous applications • safer liquid moving alternatives • increased reliability and robustness • reduced price envelope One of the main challenges for the company was to convert this feedback into a technically advanced solution, which was simple to manufacture under the current facilities available at the Eastbourne plant and was most of all, saleable. Traditionally most new product introductions have been technology led, but the team at HMDIKontro is well aware that a good engineering solution does not necessarily make it a sound manufacturing or sales proposition.
The engineering team, led by Dr Andrew Worley, senior engineering manager, soon realised from analysing the research that what the industry really wanted was all the benefits of a canned motor pump (CMP) at the lower price and cost of ownership of a magdrive pump (MDP), without compromising performance. The obvious route was to take the best elements from tried
~1~
WORI~DPIIIIIIPS
AuausT2001
and tested technology and add in-house knowledge and expertise, enabling the company to achieve a viable solution for the market. From existing sealed technology the team took the ANSI/ISO standard dimensions and performance. From the MDP they took the large internal clearances, simple cartridge design, and field serviceability. Finally from the CMP they took the secondary containment and integrated process cooled motor with single shaft, reduced number bearings and low noise. Not content with combining the technologies, HMD/Kontro went further by designing a proprietary motor for the pump, running at true synchronous speed and unaffected by pump load, and in keeping with the simplicity of the rest of the design, it's a component which can also be removed and replaced in the field. Unlike a conventional CMP, where the motor is welded into the housing, MagMax (:an be completely dismantled on-site. One of the other main engineering objectives to tackle, was to produce a modular backbone for the design, so that it produced a standard product which could be engineered up to suit requirements, reversing the typical trend of over-engineering and
www.wr)rldpumps.(om
.~ i ',~: ~'
providing standard features completely unnecessary for the majority of applications. Therefore, although it has been designed with added features in mind, those customers who don't want the extras don't pay for them.
:!~'ii
.' .~ ~ -%
Working closely with the engineering team, Steve Rose, operations manager, set about solving the manufacturing issues of producing a brand new technology. The company's extensive MDP range was already benefiting from an on-going re-evaluation of production methods and the implementation of a bold investment in an integrated manufacturing system. Over the last three years more than £1mitlion has been invested to extend HMDt Kontro's UK production capabilities, with over £700,000 spent on a new 'high velocity manufacturing' system - - a pullthrough process, roughly based on kan-ban theories. The Engineering team therefore carefully applied these advanced, in-house manufacturing techniques to the design of MagMax to maximise investment and reduce costs. One of the other ways of achieving the manufacturing aim was to utilise existing volume parts and components to support the new design, thereby keeping costs to a minimum and enabling the company to reduce the time to market. By using high quality, proven components, such as the silicon carbide already used in the companies successful MDP's, not only was the learning curve for manufacture reduced but it also means that stocks of certain components are already held. Therefore, HMD/Kontro is already prepared for volume manufacture of the revolutionary final design.
The response from the market first led HMD/Kontro to believe that it should produce a CMP to
www.woridpumps.com
\
complete its broad portfolio of sealless pumps. However, after analysing the feedback and working closely with the engineering and production teams it became apparent to Colin Guppy, general sales manager, and his team, that this would not satisfy all of the customer demands. The gap highlighted by the research became an exciting opportunity for the sales team and the conclusion was that something completely different was required. The idea was to develop and market a standard pump to suit a broad range of applications, opening doors for HMD/Kontro in areas they previously would not have had a solution.
Kontro created a technically superior innovation to satisfy customer demands, offering considerable advances in terms of safety, reliability, cost and energy savings, it has put together all the material and in-house training required to fully support the product. For standard product lead times are as short as 2-4 weeks from order.
The objective was not to develop a product for 100% of applications, as this would mean offering a large number of features which all customers would ultimately have to pay for, but to focus on providing an alternative solution for the volume market. The company believes that the new MagMax platform gives customers a wider choice and is ideally suited for over 80% of all process pumping applications.
Thanks to the collaboration, the sales team now has a platform from which they can offer an alternative for process pumping in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. A product designed and developed in the UK, which is technically superior, ready for manufacture, but most importantly designed with the customer in mind.
MagMax is not a concept, it's a reality - - not only has HMD/
It has taken HMD/Kontro nearly five years to develop the product
Other visible signs of commitment to the new technology is a patent pending on the unique motor design, and its certification to the ATEX standard, a compulsory requirement by 2002 for equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres.
WOl~,l,I) P U M P S
August2001
~,
SPECIAL FOCUS: FOCLG
from original research, through concept to manufacture, as well as a huge commitment from all the teams involved. In particular though, the company believes that it's the commitment and belief from senior managers, such as John Veness, Managing Director, as well as its parent company, the Sundyne Corporation that has enabled them to succeed. Process pump requirements have been forecast fairly flat in
recent years, which would traditionally mean cutbacks in investment, particularly effecting a company's research and development budgets. However, there was immense belief that the organisation's in-house expertise could achieve the objectives set, and once again produce a new technology to match, if not exceed, the innovative reputation they have built since the development of the industry's first MagDrive product in 1946.
The purpose was to develop a technology platform for the industry, and MagMax is just that, there are many more ideas in the pipeline to strengthen the existing range that is set to become the future standard for process pumping. The company forecasts that by 2005 sealless pumps, in the end suction centrifugal sector, will command between 40-50% of the applications for process pumps, and only new technologies delivering real user benefits are set to gain market share.
ing pumps expensive M a n y specifiers are paying m o r e than they need b y o v e r s p e c i f y i n g h a z a r d o u s rated submersible pumps. Chris Harrison-Beck, sales director o f U K p u m p m a n u f a c t u r e r Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd, explains the m a j o r factors to be c o n s i d e r e d i n s p e c i f y i n g hazardous area e q u i p m e n t to avoid such over e x p e n d i t u r e and get the best f r o m your p u m p i n g system.
The majority of small to major sewage, storm water pumping station and collecting sumps utilising fully submersible pumps are now classified as hazardous areas by most England & Wales water plcs and some of the Scottish Regional Councils. Each hazardous area designated is rated into zones according to the level of hazard. All equipment installed in a hazardous area is therefore specified according to the zone rating. A misunderstanding of this zoning system is one of the factors which can lead to incorrect specification of submersible pumps resulting in over expense for both ca pital and running costs.
Hazardous area equipment is specified in order to demonstrate
~1~---i] WORLDIIMIIIINIDS August2001
that reasonable c a r e has been taken against the risk of an explosion occurring. Although such a risk can never be completely eliminated, the overall risk factor is defined by classifying individual hazardous areas as either Zone 1 or Zone 2. Areas classified as Zone 1 are by far the most hazardous and are defined as a zone in which an explosive atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation, w i t h the hazard present between 10 and 1000 hours per year. Zone 2 areas are much less hazardous. Zone 2 is defined as a zone in which an explosive atmosphere is not likely to occur in normal operation and, if it occurs, it will only exist for a short time. As a general guide,
the hazard must be present for less than 10 hours per year. Despite such a huge divergence between the levels of classification, many specifiers still opt for Zone 1 equipment for use in clearly identified Zone 2 applications, where the higher levels of safety equipment requirements are simply unnecessary. This often adopted 'to be on the safe side' attitude leads to increased costs which could be avoided if proper attention was paid to the exact requirements of each classification and the reasons for their being in place. When looking to suppliers, it must be remembered that only specialists in the field have the capability to overhaul pumps and provide assurances that the equipment is still suitable for use in the
www.worlctpumps.com
UK-based company leads tech:nology m
UK based HMDIKontro, now part of the Global Sundyne Corporation, has recently extended its innovation in seailess pump technology with the launch of a unique pump design. Not only does this put HMDIKontro well to the fore in the design and development of sealless technology for the petro-chemica|, fine chemical, pharmaceutical and agri-chemical industries, but it also proves that the UK still boasts some of the finest research and development in the World,
HMD/Kontro's new technology, MagMax, combines the motor and secondary containment concept of the canned motor pump (CMP) with the efficiency, site serviceability and simplicity of the magnet drive pump. The result is the world's first line start synchronous canned magnet drive pump offering true secondary containment.
This technology was created out of the collaboration between the UK company's engineering, sales and manufacturing teams, with the initial drive coming from research conducted by the sales team to identify the key areas where pump specifiers were looking to make process improvements. This highlighted a number of areas where there
was room for namely:
improvement,
• energy efficiency • simplified solutions for complex or hazardous applications • safer liquid moving alternatives • increased reliability and robustness • reduced price envelope One of the main challenges for the company was to convert this feedback into a technically advanced solution, which was simple to manufacture under the current facilities available at the Eastbourne plant and was most of all, saleable. Traditionally most new product introductions have been technology led, but the team at HMDIKontro is well aware that a good engineering solution does not necessarily make it a sound manufacturing or sales proposition.
The engineering team, led by Dr Andrew Worley, senior engineering manager, soon realised from analysing the research that what the industry really wanted was all the benefits of a canned motor pump (CMP) at the lower price and cost of ownership of a magdrive pump (MDP), without compromising performance. The obvious route was to take the best elements from tried
~1~
WORI~DPIIIIIIPS
AuausT2001
and tested technology and add in-house knowledge and expertise, enabling the company to achieve a viable solution for the market. From existing sealed technology the team took the ANSI/ISO standard dimensions and performance. From the MDP they took the large internal clearances, simple cartridge design, and field serviceability. Finally from the CMP they took the secondary containment and integrated process cooled motor with single shaft, reduced number bearings and low noise. Not content with combining the technologies, HMD/Kontro went further by designing a proprietary motor for the pump, running at true synchronous speed and unaffected by pump load, and in keeping with the simplicity of the rest of the design, it's a component which can also be removed and replaced in the field. Unlike a conventional CMP, where the motor is welded into the housing, MagMax (:an be completely dismantled on-site. One of the other main engineering objectives to tackle, was to produce a modular backbone for the design, so that it produced a standard product which could be engineered up to suit requirements, reversing the typical trend of over-engineering and
www.wr)rldpumps.(om
.~ i ',~: ~'
providing standard features completely unnecessary for the majority of applications. Therefore, although it has been designed with added features in mind, those customers who don't want the extras don't pay for them.
:!~'ii
.' .~ ~ -%
Working closely with the engineering team, Steve Rose, operations manager, set about solving the manufacturing issues of producing a brand new technology. The company's extensive MDP range was already benefiting from an on-going re-evaluation of production methods and the implementation of a bold investment in an integrated manufacturing system. Over the last three years more than £1mitlion has been invested to extend HMDt Kontro's UK production capabilities, with over £700,000 spent on a new 'high velocity manufacturing' system - - a pullthrough process, roughly based on kan-ban theories. The Engineering team therefore carefully applied these advanced, in-house manufacturing techniques to the design of MagMax to maximise investment and reduce costs. One of the other ways of achieving the manufacturing aim was to utilise existing volume parts and components to support the new design, thereby keeping costs to a minimum and enabling the company to reduce the time to market. By using high quality, proven components, such as the silicon carbide already used in the companies successful MDP's, not only was the learning curve for manufacture reduced but it also means that stocks of certain components are already held. Therefore, HMD/Kontro is already prepared for volume manufacture of the revolutionary final design.
The response from the market first led HMD/Kontro to believe that it should produce a CMP to
www.woridpumps.com
\
complete its broad portfolio of sealless pumps. However, after analysing the feedback and working closely with the engineering and production teams it became apparent to Colin Guppy, general sales manager, and his team, that this would not satisfy all of the customer demands. The gap highlighted by the research became an exciting opportunity for the sales team and the conclusion was that something completely different was required. The idea was to develop and market a standard pump to suit a broad range of applications, opening doors for HMD/Kontro in areas they previously would not have had a solution.
Kontro created a technically superior innovation to satisfy customer demands, offering considerable advances in terms of safety, reliability, cost and energy savings, it has put together all the material and in-house training required to fully support the product. For standard product lead times are as short as 2-4 weeks from order.
The objective was not to develop a product for 100% of applications, as this would mean offering a large number of features which all customers would ultimately have to pay for, but to focus on providing an alternative solution for the volume market. The company believes that the new MagMax platform gives customers a wider choice and is ideally suited for over 80% of all process pumping applications.
Thanks to the collaboration, the sales team now has a platform from which they can offer an alternative for process pumping in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. A product designed and developed in the UK, which is technically superior, ready for manufacture, but most importantly designed with the customer in mind.
MagMax is not a concept, it's a reality - - not only has HMD/
It has taken HMD/Kontro nearly five years to develop the product
Other visible signs of commitment to the new technology is a patent pending on the unique motor design, and its certification to the ATEX standard, a compulsory requirement by 2002 for equipment used in potentially explosive atmospheres.
WOl~,l,I) P U M P S
August2001
~,
SPECIAL FOCUS: FOCLG
from original research, through concept to manufacture, as well as a huge commitment from all the teams involved. In particular though, the company believes that it's the commitment and belief from senior managers, such as John Veness, Managing Director, as well as its parent company, the Sundyne Corporation that has enabled them to succeed. Process pump requirements have been forecast fairly flat in
recent years, which would traditionally mean cutbacks in investment, particularly effecting a company's research and development budgets. However, there was immense belief that the organisation's in-house expertise could achieve the objectives set, and once again produce a new technology to match, if not exceed, the innovative reputation they have built since the development of the industry's first MagDrive product in 1946.
The purpose was to develop a technology platform for the industry, and MagMax is just that, there are many more ideas in the pipeline to strengthen the existing range that is set to become the future standard for process pumping. The company forecasts that by 2005 sealless pumps, in the end suction centrifugal sector, will command between 40-50% of the applications for process pumps, and only new technologies delivering real user benefits are set to gain market share.
ing pumps expensive M a n y specifiers are paying m o r e than they need b y o v e r s p e c i f y i n g h a z a r d o u s rated submersible pumps. Chris Harrison-Beck, sales director o f U K p u m p m a n u f a c t u r e r Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon Ltd, explains the m a j o r factors to be c o n s i d e r e d i n s p e c i f y i n g hazardous area e q u i p m e n t to avoid such over e x p e n d i t u r e and get the best f r o m your p u m p i n g system.
The majority of small to major sewage, storm water pumping station and collecting sumps utilising fully submersible pumps are now classified as hazardous areas by most England & Wales water plcs and some of the Scottish Regional Councils. Each hazardous area designated is rated into zones according to the level of hazard. All equipment installed in a hazardous area is therefore specified according to the zone rating. A misunderstanding of this zoning system is one of the factors which can lead to incorrect specification of submersible pumps resulting in over expense for both ca pital and running costs.
Hazardous area equipment is specified in order to demonstrate
~1~---i] WORLDIIMIIIINIDS August2001
that reasonable c a r e has been taken against the risk of an explosion occurring. Although such a risk can never be completely eliminated, the overall risk factor is defined by classifying individual hazardous areas as either Zone 1 or Zone 2. Areas classified as Zone 1 are by far the most hazardous and are defined as a zone in which an explosive atmosphere is likely to occur in normal operation, w i t h the hazard present between 10 and 1000 hours per year. Zone 2 areas are much less hazardous. Zone 2 is defined as a zone in which an explosive atmosphere is not likely to occur in normal operation and, if it occurs, it will only exist for a short time. As a general guide,
the hazard must be present for less than 10 hours per year. Despite such a huge divergence between the levels of classification, many specifiers still opt for Zone 1 equipment for use in clearly identified Zone 2 applications, where the higher levels of safety equipment requirements are simply unnecessary. This often adopted 'to be on the safe side' attitude leads to increased costs which could be avoided if proper attention was paid to the exact requirements of each classification and the reasons for their being in place. When looking to suppliers, it must be remembered that only specialists in the field have the capability to overhaul pumps and provide assurances that the equipment is still suitable for use in the
www.worlctpumps.com