Plant West March/April 2013

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Volume 8, No. 01 >> Supplement, PLANT >> March/April 2013

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Cenovus SAPs its BITUMEN

Butane improves SAGD production and reduces emissions

PM 40069240

NEW TECHNOLOGY SECTION

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HIGHLIGHTS Microsensors enter the ‘wormhole’ Innovators make sustainability pay The Filter Shop clears the air Tribogyr is creating friction Mapping new oil sands technology 13-04-08 9:59 AM

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Green light for your production Transparency right from the beginning Toronto (905) 791-1553 · Montreal (514) 367-1124 · Vancouver (604) 946-5535 · Email: service@sew-eurodrive.ca 2-3-PLNTW.indd 2

13-03-22 9:50 AM

Editorial

d

ca

Keystone: in defence of a “dirty oil” pipeline

6 COVER PHOTO: CENOVUS ENERGY

T

he vocal opposition to TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline has been surprisingly successful at raising the spectre of global climate ruin if the project proceeds.

But there’s more at stake than a pipeline. It’s really about the “dirty oil” that comes from the Alberta and Saskatchewan oil sands. Should popular US opinion against Keystone mount, it would not be good for Canada’s energy business, or the economy.

That’s why federal cabinet ministers and premiers Alison Redford and Brad Wall have mounted a full-court press on Washington and influential business interests to obtain a favourable decision from the Obama administration.

First some perspective. The sins of the oil sands developments have been overblown.

They are responsible for about 0.1% of total global greenhouse gas emissions. And oh the irony, emissions and energy use in the US are in some respects much dirtier.

Greenhouse gas emissions are frequently listed as a per capita measurement, which places Canada high on the emitters list, thanks in part to cold winters and long travel distances. But it’s not a particularly relevant measurement since the climate change issue is global. It’s really about total emissions. Depending on which set of figures you consult, the US is either first or second for share of total emissions, but according to the EPA’s 2008 stats (the latest on its web site), China is responsible for 23%, the US 19% and Canada is down the list – behind the EU, Russia, India and Japan – at 2%. Eliminating the 0.1% of oil sands emissions would have a negligible impact on the global total.

Looking at the “dirty” factor, America surely wins with its hearty consumption of coal, which accounts for about 42% of the country’s electricity. That’s down from almost 53% in 1997 and 27 gigawatts will be phased out by 2016, but dirtier than Canada where 13% of its electricity comes from coal.

Not that all coal power should be categorized as “dirty.” The $1.24 billion Boundary Dam Carbon Capture and Storage Demonstration project near Estevan, Sask., for example, will rebuild an aging coal power generation facility with a fully integrated carbon capture and storage system. This new plant will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million tonnes annually. But such advancements won’t mollify the environmentalists who wish to hasten the end of all fossil fuel use.

Trouble is, until there are plentiful and affordable alternatives, the world will be combusting energy for many decades to come. Oil sands production will continue to be critical to North American energy security and to meet growing demand from Asia.

Meanwhile, the oil sands industry has been working on its green profile – not just for the optics, but because it makes good business sense – by making heavy investments in more efficient production, sustainability practices and emissions reduction projects.

And the Harper government is attempting to shed its environmental slacker image with regulations designed to keep abreast of US moves and meet a 2020 target to cut emissions by 17%.

A recent draft environmental assessment of the Keystone XL project by the US State Department has determined the pipeline would not contribute significantly to global emissions or spur additional development in the oil sands; and a final report will be tabled following a period for public comment. The Obama administration’s decision on Keystone will determine whether or not the opposition gets to score its first kill.

Joe Terrett, Editor Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca.

Vol. 8, No. 01, March/April 2013 A supplement to PLANT Executive Publisher: Tim Dimopoulos 416-510-5100 tdimopoulos@bizinfogroup.ca Publisher: Michael King 416-510-5107 mking@plant.ca, mking@cienmagazine.com

District Sales Managers: Amanda Bottomley 416-859-4527 abottomley@canadianmanufacturing.com Catherine Martineau (Quebec) 647-988-5559 cmartineau@bizinfogroup.ca Deborah St. Lawrence 416-510-6844 dstLawrence@canadianmanufacturing.com Derek Morrison 416-510-5224 dmorrison@canadianmanufacturing.com Ilana Fawcett 416-510-5202 ifawcett@canadianmanufacturing.com

Group Editorial Director: Lisa Wichmann 416-510-5101 lwichmann@canadianmanufacturing.com

Market Production: Barb Vowles 416-510-5103 vowlesb@bizinfogroup.ca

Editor: Joe Terrett 416-442-5600 ext. 3219 jterrett@plant.ca

Circulation Manager: Diane Rakoff 416-510-5216 drakoff@bizinfogroup.ca

Assistant Editor: Matt Powell 416-510-5145 mpowell@plant.ca

Editorial Advisory Board: Robert Hattin, Hattin Holdings • Ron Harper, Cogent Power • Greg MacDonald, Wentworth International Services • Roy Verstraete, Anchor Danly

Contributing Editors: Ron Richardson, Steve Gahbauer Art Director: Kathy Smith 416-442-5600 ext. 3215 ksmith@plant.ca

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BIG MAGAZINES LP Vice-President of Canadian Publishing: Alex Papanou President of Business Information Group: Bruce Creighton

8

9

Features

>> INNOVATION 6

EXTRACTION Cenovus uses butane to improve the efficiency of its SAGD production and cut greenhouse gas emissions.

7

R&D An overview of new technologies that are helping energy producers shrink their carbon footprints.

>> MANAGEMENT 8

PROFILE An Edmonton air filter manufacturer finds customers close to home.

>> OPERATIONS 9

TRIBOLOGY The Tribogyr test machine in Lyon, France puts bearings and lubricants to the test.

MAINTENANCE DataTrak Systems provides key performance indicators for measuring your CMMS.

>> TRENDS

10 ENVIRONMENT Sustainability doesn’t have to be a cost. Some companies are making it pay.

>> TECHNOLOGY

11 ENERGY Microsensor motes explore oil reservoirs before drilling.

PLANTWARE Hardware and software for managing plant operations.

12 PRODUCTS AND EQUIPMENT What’s new in industrial products, machinery and equipment.

Departments 4 Industry View Pulse 5 Careers 10 Events 14 Postscript

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Departments

>> Industry View

Forest products to add $20B by 2020: FPAC

>> Pulse CAPITAL SPENDING GROWTH

15

per cent

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2012 2013 plan

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

-20

2005

-15

SOURCE: STATISTICS CANADA

Lacklustre growth in 2013

A

lthough Canada’s economy limped to a close last year and growth will continue to be lacklustre for some time, there are reasons to believe the first quarter will be better, according to a CIBC World Markets report.

Employment dropped in January but hours worked are up, auto sales rebounded signalling consumer confidence and the resolution of energy sector disruptions has resulted in an increase in oil exports to the US through mid-February. However, CIBC says the improvement will be tepid with the economy tracking at a 1.7% growth rate through the year. This pace will see unemployment rise.

Avery Shenfeld, chief economist of CIBC World Markets, believes the weak close to 2012 and the modest rebound ahead will keep the Bank of Canada from raising rates until third quarter of 2014, two quarters later than previously forecast. The delay in raising rates will also result in the loonie remaining below parity with the US dollar until the second quarter of 2014.

Weak global growth has been holding back business investment, but the report says there is no real evidence that corporations are sitting on excess cash.

CIBC economists Benjamin Tal and Peter Buchanan say cash levels that have been consistent for more than 20 years.

The nearly $600 billion worth of cash holdings is at record or near-record highs, but they point out that all increases since the beginning of the recession can be fully explained by growth in GDP. Cash holdings are now only back to their pre-recession levels. However, their relative cash position has been offset by a decline in other current assets, such as inventories and accounts receivables.

Tal and Buchanan say with soft prices and transport bottlenecks, the mining, oil and gas sector, which accounts for the largest slice of business investment, is poised to cut capital spending this year.

Global building retrofits and renovations to drive forest industry MONTREAL: Canada’s forest products industry is in a position to provide the global construction market with a greener, customized wood and pre-fabricated products of the highest environmental quality, says the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC).

If the industry takes up the challenge, FPAC says it could gain a larger slice of the estimated annual $8 trillion global construction market, which is growing by 8% a year.

A Construction Value PathAn industry resurgence with new wood products.

PHOTO: THINKSTOCK ways study by the FPAC and FPInnovations, a private non-profit research centre based in Pointe-Claire, Que., explores opportunities for forest products companies to diversify, transform and add value beyond their traditional markets and products. The FPAC has set a goal of generating another $20 billion in economic activity through new products and markets by 2020.

Jonathan Westeinde, founder of Windmill Development Group, an Ottawa-based green development firm and external project lead on the initiative, said the construction industry is undergoing significant change.

“Urbanization and intensification are driving a higher demand for multi-residential units globally.

There is an increasing trend to retrofit and renovate existing homes and buildings in mature Western markets where growth is slowing. The skilled labour shortage and desire for green building solutions are also changing the landscape.”

FPAC says re-engineering the forest products supply chain will allow for the production of emerging wood-based products and systems that equal or surpass the performance of other construction materials. This includes multi-functional panels, next generation engineered wood products, fibre-based insulation with structural properties, and pre-fabricated solutions for non-residential construction.

The association is calling on federal and provincial governments to revamp building codes to allow wood buildings of up to six storeys by 2015 and 30 storeys by 2020.

Contact, Pieridae form LNG partnership CALGARY: Contact Exploration Inc. and Pieridae Energy Ltd. are forming a new natural gas-focused exploration and production entity to provide feedstock to a proposed LNG terminal in Guysborough, NS. The Pieridae Production Limited Partnership (PPLP) will provide a significant portion of the feedstock for Pieridae’s Goldboro LNG Terminal.

The terminal will liquify and export up to about 10 million tonnes of natural gas per year and have an on-site storage capacity of 690,000 cubic metres of LNG. The partnership will focus on natural gas assets from Atlantic Canada and the eastern US. PPLP will hold about 50,000 acres of land for development within New Brunswick.

Initial ownership of PLPP will be 85% Contact, a Calgary-based oil and gas company, and 15% Pieridae, an energy infrastructure company that has opened an office in Halifax.

An additional $15.4 million of third-party equity funding is being sought. Once invested, Contact’s ownership will drop to 50%.

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CALGARY: Pembina Pipeline Corp. has reached the contractual threshold it needs to proceed with a $250 million expansion of its Peace River pipeline in Alberta.

The Calgary-based energy producer is working to complete the previously announced Phase 1 LVP expansion, which will bring crude oil and condensate (low vapour pressure or LVP) capacity up by an additional 40,000 bpd for a total of 195,000 bpd by October.

The Phase 2 LVP expansion will accommodate increased producer volumes from the Dawson Creek, Grande Prairie and the Kaybob/ Fox Creek areas of Alberta.

Following approvals, the expansion is to be in service by late 2014. Combined, the expansion projects will increase capacity by 61%.

Phase 2 will require five new pump stations, upgrades to six pump stations and additional operational storage. As well, Pembina will reconfigure existing pipelines and build a total of 10 kilometres of new pipeline from Gordondale to Spirit River.

China accused of dumping unitized wall modules CBSA investigating complaints from Canadian manufacturers OTTAWA: The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is investigating complaints from several Canadian companies of alleged dumping and subsidizing of unitized wall modules coming from China.

The complainants, including two from BC, claim the imports from the People’s Republic of China are harming Canadian producers by causing reduced market share, lost sales and orders, price depression and suppression, reduced capacity utilization, reduced employment and reduced profits.

Wall modules are aluminium-

framed engineered products that form the building envelope or facade for multi-story buildings. Unitized wall modules, which interlock with each other, are assembled at a production facility and shipped to a building site for installation.

The agency said the complaint is the second attempt by Canadian manufacturers to seek protection against wall unit imports deemed injurious. The Canadian International Trade Tribunal conducted a preliminary injury inquiry and concluded in September that the evidence did not “disclose injury” to the Canadian

Canadian manufacturers challenge wall modules from China. PHOTO: THINKSTOCK/ STOCKBYTE

4 PLANT

$250M pipeline expansion proceeds

industry.

The new complaint addresses deficiencies identified from the first attempt and the CBSA said it’s satisfied there’s a reasonable indication of injury.

The Tribunal will begin another inquiry to determine whether the imports are harming Canadian producers and will issue a decision by May 3.

Meanwhile, the CBSA will investigate whether the imports are being dumped and/ or subsidized, and will make a preliminary decision by June 3.

Complainants include: Allan Window Technologies (Concord, Ont.), Ferguson Neudorf (Beamsville, Ont.), Flynn Canada Ltd. (Mississauga, Ont.), Inland Glass & Aluminum Ltd./Aluminum Curtainwall Systems Inc. (Kamloops, BC), Oldcastle Building Envelope (Concord, Ont.), Sota Glazing Inc. (Brampton, Ont.), Starline Architectural Windows Ltd. (Langley, BC), State Window Corporation (Concord, Ont.), Toro Aluminum/Toro Glasswall Inc. (Concord, Ont.) and Windsor Glass Company (1992) Ltd. operating as Contract Glaziers (Windsor, Ont.).

March/April 2013

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Industry View << Departments

Dynamic year for energy transactions CALGARY: Growing pressures around cost and access to capital are setting the stage for a dynamic year of transaction activity in Canada’s oil and gas industry, with divestments taking on a greater strategic role, according to Ernst & Young.

“Getting access to capital at a fair price is top of mind for oil and gas companies – and it’s playing a big role in their decision making,” says Barry Munro, Ernst & Young’s Canadian oil and gas leader.

The consulting company’s 2012 Global corporate divestment study says 17% of global oil and gas respondents are currently in the process of shedding assets, and 20% plan to do the same over the next two years.

Munro says for 39% of oil and gas respondents, enhancing value to market means tailoring divestment information to potential buyers.

Companies can maximize their divestment success by adopting and executing on these five leading global practices: • Conduct structured and regular portfolio management.

• Consider the full range of potential buyers.

• Articulate a compelling value and growth story for each buyer.

• Prepare rigorously for the divestment process.

• Understand the importance of separation planning.

NEB to look at Enbridge pipeline reversal CALGARY: The National Energy Board (NEB) has issued a public hearing order for a requested change in direction of Enbridge Pipelines Inc.’s Ontario to Quebec Line 9 pipeline.

The Calgary-based company is seeking approval to reverse the flow of a 639-kilometre segment between North Westover, Ont. and Montreal to its original orientation, approved in 1975. The company also wants to increase the line’s capacity from 240,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 300,000 bpd, and allow it to carry heavy crude oil.

Enbridge says most of the proposed work would take place at existing company facilities and on surface leases, with no planned ground disturbance along the pipeline rightof-way.

Baytex to deliver gas surplus for power CALGARY: Baytex Energy Corp. has signed a 10-year agreement with Genalta Power Inc. to supply surplus gas from its Peace River, Alta. heavy oil production to a power generating facility planned for the area.

Baytex will build a pipeline that will connect its existing integrated gas collection system in the Harmon Valley and West Harmon areas to the Genalta facility.

The pipeline is to be completed in the first half of the year.

The Calgary-based oil and gas company described the initiative as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region.

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>> Careers

Christopher Helliwell Pipe inspection equipment manufacturer Envirosight in Randolph, NJ has hired Christopher Helliwell as western regional sales manager. He will oversee a territory stretching from California to Vancouver and east to Idaho, Colorado and Texas. Previously, he was a regional and account manager with Orenco Systems Inc., a wastewater treatment company from Sutherlin, Ore. Bruce Rintoul joins Empire Industries Ltd. as COO of the company’s Empire Iron Works Ltd. subsidiary. Rintoul comes to the Winnipeg manufacturer of engineered products for attractions from CEDA International Corp., a North American based industrial infrastructure contractor, where he was president and CEO. He’ll be responsible for fabrication and manufacturing operations in Vancouver, Edmonton, Stettler, Alta. and Winnipeg. He will also spearhead the increase of fabricated steel imports to Canada from its Chinese joint venture.

Fortress Paper Ltd. has appointed Yvon Pelletier president of its dissolving pulp business. He was previously the executive vice-president of Tembec Inc., an international manufacturer of forest products, and president of its specialty cellulose and chemical group. Fortress Paper is a global company based in Vancouver that also covers specialty papers and security paper products.

Vancouver-based lumber producer Western Forest Products Inc. has promoted Don Demens to CEO. He replaces Dominic Gammiero.

Demens, who was previously a COO and senior vice-president of sales and manufacturing, will retain the title of president.

Cancen Oil Canada Inc., a Calgary-based energy services company, has appointed a full time CFO and corporate secretary. Shankar Nandiwada was most recently CFO for Hammerstone Corp., a limestone mine located in the Athabasca oil sands region of Alberta. He replaces Jeffrey Love.

ENTREC Corp. has appointed Chris Good executive vice-president of business development and marketing. The Spruce Grove, Alta. company manages oversized cargo for the oil and gas, construction, petrochemical, mining and power generation industries. Good comes from Clean Harbors where he was senior vice-president of sales for the energy and industrial pillar.

Agricultural biotechnology firm Calyx Bio-Ventures Inc. in Vancouver has appointed Gray Taylor an advisor to the company. Taylor is presently co-leader and counsel of Bennett Jones’ Climate Change and Emission Trading practice.

Sunridge Energy Corp., a Calgary-based developer of petroleum projects, has appointed Gary Schellenberg to the board as a managing director, finance. Schellenberg has been a director and officer of several public companies, principally in the resource sectors. Scott Fleurie resigned as interim president and director.

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Innovation

>> Extraction

Cenovus uses a solvent enhancement to improve SAGD production efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.

Cenovus is rolling out SAP at its Narrows Lake oil sands project, which is expected to produce up to 130,000 barrels per day.

PHOTOS: CENOVUS ENERGY

It also examined the number of wells the development would need to maximize yield.

“We actually tested to see if we could use fewer wells, and that proved successful,” says Gupta, who sees environmental benefits as significant because the amount of natural gas burned to create steam is reduced. “If you’re reducing your natural gas use at an in-situ extraction operation, you’re essentially cutting the whole operation’s emissions by 25%.”

By Matt Powell, Assistant Editor

T

o most people, butane is something that fuels cigarette lighters, but it does have other uses. Soon it will be used in an innovative process that will boost bitumen recovery rates from Alberta’s oil sands.

Innovation is more critical than ever as energy producers work to reduce their carbon footprints, while improving efficiency as the need for oil sands production continues to grow. Indeed, global demand for energy is expected to increase 47% by 2035, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP).

Cenovus Energy, one of the most innovative companies operating in Alberta’s oil sands, plans to shell out more than $200 million on research and development this year. Some of that investment will go to the oil producer’s Narrows Lake development to demonstrate its solvent aided process (SAP) now that the project has received regulatory go-ahead from the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Board. By 2017, Cenovus expects Narrows Lake to produce up to 130,000 barrels per day.

“We have to develop enhanced technologies to ensure we’re progressively improving our environmental footprint,” says Subohd Gupta, Cenovus’ technology advancement advisor.

The company focuses solely on developing enhanced in-situ extraction because the oil it’s going after – as much as 450 metres underground – is too deep to mine. SAP, an enhancement to commonly used steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) extraction, involves coinjecting butane (or another solvent such as condensate) with steam to lower the viscosity of the bitumen for freer flow to the surface. The company expects the process to improve its overall steam-tooil ratio (SOR), which has environmental

Spend now, save later

SAPing bitumen

Butane taps freer flowing oil benefits, and boost oil production rates by up to 30%.

The plan for the Narrows Lake project is to achieve industry leading SORs as low as 1.6. A lower rating means the operation uses less water and natural gas, which results in lower levels of carbon emissions.

Initially, Cenovus will test the SAP process on 25% of its 150 wells during the first and second phases of the project.

“If the technology works out, we’ll go forward with the third phase of the

SAP involves co-injecting butane with steam to loosen more bitumen and boost production yields by up to 30%.

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development as well,” says Gupta.

Narrows Lake, a 50/50 partnership between Cenovus and ConocoPhillips, represents the industry’s first use of SAP with butane on a commercial scale. Testing started in 2009 at the Christina Lake development, where Cenovus examined many factors, including how much butane it would inject, the pressure required to maximize extraction yields and how much steam it could cut from production.

Compared to SAGD projects, SAP will have higher initial costs – up to 20%. And there will be higher capital costs at Narrows Lake since there’s no existing infrastructure. Surface operations will also be more complex. The equipment required to strip excess butane is expensive, but the company expects to make its money back by liberating another 100,000 barrels of oil that would have otherwise been trapped below.

Groundwork for the initial 45,000 barrels per day began in the fall and full SAP production is expected to start by 2017.

Competitors such as Imperial Oil Ltd., Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., and Laricina Energy Ltd. are also trying to perfect the process, which is one of the reasons, according to Gupta, Cenovus pumps so much money into technology development.

“We’ve got up to 150 technology projects on the go at any given time that are all designed to enhance our operations, and reduce energy use and environmental impact. Innovation is key to progressively getting better and staying ahead.”

But some innovations take time. The solvent process is not new. In fact, the Cenovus’ SAP process is 15 years in the making, with initial testing starting in 2002.

But it’s following a shorter timeline that another great extraction innovation, Gupta observes. “It took 30 years to get SAGD to where it is today.”

Comments? E-mail mpowell@plant.ca.

The project is expected to cut emissions by 25% because less steam is required, thus cutting natural gas use.

March/April 2013

13-03-08 7:26 AM

R&D << Innovation

ENERGY INNOVATIONS

More than $364 billion will be invested in Alberta’s oil sands over the next 25 years with environmental projects and extraction technologies accounting for a major portion of those investments. Energy producers are testing technologies that will make their operations more efficient and lessen their impact on the environment. Here are some of the key developments.

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. is adding carbon dioxide (CO2) to tailings streams to speed the release of water for reuse at its Horizon Oil Sands operation. This will reduce the volume of fresh water drawn from the Athabasca River and shrink the size of the tailings ponds at its Horizon operations.

Caustic soda (NaOH) is added to separate bitumen from sand during primary processing, resulting in a high pH level in the tailings water. This creates a charge that causes the fines to repel each other. The added CO2 reduces the alkalinity of the water, allowing the fines to consolidate and quickly settle out. www.cnrl.com

Suncor Energy is spending more than $1 billion to develop its tailings reduction operations. The plan is to reduce the reclamation process across its oil sands operations from 30 to just 10 years, reduce tailings inventory and eliminate the need for additional ponds.

The polymer flocculent, an anionic polyacrylamide, is an inert and safe class of chemical commonly used in municipal water treatment facilities to settle out solids. It will be used in a process that will transition fluid fine tailings (FFT) more rapidly into reclaimed landscaping. www.suncor.com

Canada Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (OSIA) researchers are developing a ceramic membrane to improve steamassisted gravity drainage (SAGD). Artificial membranes coated with enhanced surface layers will separate oil, suspended solids and minerals from typically very hot water.

The barrier removes fine oil droplets and solids in the initial phase of the treatment process, which improves the removal of dissolved minerals. www.cosia.ca

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HORIZON OIL SANDS

CHRISTINA LAKE

COLD LAKE

EDMONTON

CALGARY

BP, Cenovus, Chevron, Devon, Eni, MEG Energy, Petrobas, Praxair, Shell Canada, Statoil Canada and Suncor Energy have partnered on a carbon dioxide (CO2) capture project to demonstrate oxy-fuel combustion in once-through stream generators (OTSGs), which burn natural gas to produce steam used in SAGD. Fuel is burned using pure oxygen instead of air. The project at Cenovus’ Christina Lake site is expected to lower energy use as well as operating costs, while capturing up to 99% of CO2 emissions, reducing air emissions such as nitrogen oxides, and recovering water from flue gas to reduce overall water use. www.cosia.ca

Imperial Oil is aiming demonstrate a dramatic reduction in the amount of energy and water needed to recover heavy oil used by its $100 million pilot project at Cold Lake, Alta.

CSP uses solvents instead of steam to extract bitumen and reduce the used of energy and water. The energy producer is hopeful the technology will reduce direct greenhouse gas emissions by more than 90%. www.imperialoil.ca

Researchers at Edmonton’s Inline Dewatering Ltd. are conducting laboratory trials of a cross flow filtration (CFF) technology that removes more water from tailings streams heading into holding ponds. CFF is a pressure and flow-driven process that rapidly recycles water and heat energy. Increasing the solid contents of total tailings by more than 70% could prevent future production of FFTs. The process reduces greenhouse gas emissions and makes bitumen processing more efficient. www.inlinedewatering.com

University of Alberta researchers are developing silicon-based optofluidic sensors for environmental monitoring.

The sensors offer a high level of integration between fluidic and optical components, while reducing the cost and complexity of monitoring tailings water.

The university is also developing an in-situ ozonation technology that will help to consolidate tailings and improve the remediation process by increasing the settling rate of mature fine tailings (MFT). Removing organics and other hazardous components will increase the amount of recycled water that can be released into the environment. www.osrin.ualberta.ca

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Management

>> Profile

Edmonton air filter manufacturer finds success staying close to the home market.

Darrel Sutton and daughter Roberta MacGillivray, The Filter Shop’s new president.

PHOTOS: NORDAHL FLAKSTAD

By Nordahl Flakstad

F

or four decades, with skilful strategy and a bit of timely luck, The Filter Shop at B.G.E. has more than held its own against much larger international competitors. Now, after years with CEO Darrel Sutton in charge, this Albertabased, family run filter manufacturer is undergoing orderly succession with his daughter, Roberta MacGillivray, as its new president.

One might say Sutton got swept into the filter business. In 1968, after a year at the University of Alberta, he decided to halt studies and look for work while stipulating one condition of employment: it had to be a job where he could get enough time off to pursue his personal passion for competitive curling.

B. Guthrie Engineering, an Edmonton firm specializing in HVAC equipment, gave the promising young curler a shot.

Sutton was entrusted with a key sales position that covered Alberta and Saskatchewan in the engineering firm’s thennew offshoot, B.G.E. Service and Supply Ltd. The subsidiary distributed brand name HVAC filtration products from various manufacturers, among them American Air Filtration (later, AAF Canada).

Payback for believing in Sutton came not only from his sales success. That time off for practise delivered the Alberta rink – led by the legendary skip Hec Gervais and including Sutton – the 1974 Brier.

For Sutton, 1974 proved auspicious for another reason when owner Bud Guthrie named the curling champ general manager of B.G.E. Service and Supply.

Over six years, Sutton had learned much about filtration. He got into the business just as Alberta’s energy sector was poised for growth and when there were changes in the air for indoor air quality: it was getting more attention from industry, health and environmental regulators. That included countering the negative impact of near invisible, micron-sized particles from tobacco smoke and other sources on people and production. In short, filters were capturing not only dust but new business.

On Sutton’s watch from 1974 to 1981, B.G.E. experienced dramatic growth. It added branches in Calgary and Saskatoon and in 1981, the parent engineering firm offered to sell B.G.E. to several employees, including Sutton. The new stand-alone firm continued to operate as B.G.E. Service & Supply, but Darrel also coined a very appropriate trade name, The Filter Shop. As B.G.E. Service & Supply celebrates 45 years in business this year, it will be re-branded The Filter Shop at B.G.E. Eventually, Sutton bought out the other partners and The Filter Shop transformed itself into a privately held family concern. Darrel’s wife Dorothy and his brother Dean worked in accounting, while daughter Kelly was with the company for 11 years before stepping away to raise her family. The recently appointed president Roberta graduated from the University of Alberta in Commerce, and initially worked in IT before returning to the family fold.

It took some time for The Filter Shop to move beyond supply and servicing to manufacturing. That shift began in the 1980s – by accident more than design. Its major supplier, AAF Canada, discontinued a stamped-header bag filter popular with customers. Sutton still saw the

Going with the

flow

tially crippling disruption to its AAF supply chain. A small, 10-employee Edmonton manufacturer, FilterTech Industries, supplied the necessary inventory. That cooperation later led the two firms to join forces in 1989. The Filter Shop took over some FilterTech products that became part of a line-up of about 100 products that serve the commercial market, institutions (schools, government, and health care-facilities, including operating rooms), high-tech (pharmaceuticals, microelectronics), manufacturing and resource industries (oil sands, forestry and mining).

With the addition of FilterTech Industries to B.G.E., another Western Canadian-born product – Red Excell, was developed in conjunction with AAF. “The Red Excell combined with a BioPac filter is the Cadillac of filtration for our Western Canadian customers,” says Sutton.

Meanwhile, The Filter Shop kept acquiring properties adjacent to its south-central Edmonton home base. Production, warehouse and administrative space, plus a storefront customer order desk, are all located in two buildings across 70,000 square feet.

“We have looked at other property in Edmonton,” says MacGillivray, “but this is a great location for our staff, customers and contractors.”

A new Filter Shop opened in Regina last year, joining existing outlets in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Prince George, Fort McMurray, Vancouver and Winnipeg. The company now employs 160 people. In the face of lingering labour shortages in Alberta, The Filter Shop continues to look for ways to automate production. MacGillivray hopes that automation will allow the company to add a second shift without significant staff increases.

Besides obtaining products better suited to Western Canadian conditions, customers find sourcing bulky and sometimes custom-built filter products means delivery within hours or days, rather than weeks.

“We are not just offering solutions. We have the ability to get our products to our customers quickly,” says Sutton.

An emphasis on air-quality education doesn’t hurt either. While awareness about air exchange is far beyond where it once was, there is an ongoing need to educate designers, builders, operators and owners of buildings and industrial facilities. The Filter Shop personnel, Sutton included, continue to take the air-exchange message on the road at filter clinics organized for general and specialized audiences, such as school-board personnel and healthcare-facility managers.

The teaching task is far from done. To function well, advanced and automated manufacturing, data centres and power generation and transmission facilities require environments to be clean down to the micron level. The increased popularity of distributed cooling and heating systems – as alternatives to large, centralized HVAC systems – offer efficiencies but also negatively impact airflow.

MacGillivray says an informed clientele also benefits The Filter Shop.

“If we can educate people, they will understand our goal is providing clean air everywhere.”

At the Filter shop, it’s all about clean air

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need for this product and invented what is now known as the BioPac. The Filter Shop bought AAF’s remaining inventory of the stamped-header product – enough to keep existing customers supplied for about two years – and a short-term interruption was transformed into a long-term opportunity. “It was a bit like finding a diamond in the backyard,” says Sutton.

Meanwhile, with the blessing of AAF (which remains an exclusive supplier today) Sutton and company sought to replicate the BioPac, something the company did two years later just as the acquired inventory was running out. Patented in 1991, the BioPac filter was designed with a polypropylene diffusion panel header with double-reinforced pockets in custom lengths and capacities.

Transition to manufacturing The BioPac filter did more than help turn The Filter Shop into a manufacturer. It also underlined for Sutton a lesson learned by other Alberta suppliers and manufacturers – that products and components geared for use in Florida or Kentucky don’t always work well in Alberta’s extreme cold and heat.

Sutton didn’t rest on his laurels. Continuous improvement meant that once a bag reaches the end of its life, 70% of its components can be recycled and re-used by The Filter Shop to produce “new” filters.

In 1986, the company bolstered its credentials when it opened its Biolab Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Services Division, which offers air-quality testing and HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter certification. BioLab technicians are trained to test accredited biological containment cabinets – to ensure they meet stringent standards set by the National Sanitation Foundation in the US. Next, B.G.E. developed its own particle-size-based filter-testing laboratory to ensure its products’ quality and performance. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has subsequently adopted laser-based particle-sampling testing as a protocol.

In the late 1980s, The Filter Shop faced another poten-

Nordahl Flakstad is an Edmonton-based freelance writer. Contact him at nordahl@flakstad.edmonton.ab.ca.

Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca.

March/April 2013

13-03-08 7:46 AM

Tribology << Operations

Creating industrial friction

Tribogyr puts bearing contacts and lubricant film to the test

T

he Tribogyr test machine at the National Institute of Applied Sciences (INSA) in Lyon, France is breaking new ground in the study of interacting surfaces in relative motion, and the behaviour of lubricants under friction and wear, factors that influence bearing design.

Established in 1957, the institute is one of the largest engineering schools in France, providing a fully integrated approach to education, research and innovation. It collaborates with other leading universities internationally and fosters strong relationships with industry, such as its partnership with Swedish bearing manufacturer SKF. One area of focus is the multistage analysis of lubricated contacts, which is performed by the Tribogyr test machine, often referred to as “the Beast of Lyon.”

This complex, six-tonne contraption of metal alloys, sensors and computers housed in its own environmentally controlled room sits on a special pad to isolate it from outside vibration. It’s the largest and most sophisticated test machine ever built to measure friction and lubricant film thickness in heavily loaded bearing applications.

The machine, designed by the Contacts and Structural Mechanics Laboratory (LaMCoS) at INSA and operating since 2005, provides new insights into the behaviour of friction in rolling elements.

Tribogyr simulates the friction behaviour at full scale, which means it handles forces up to 3,000 N. It operates at speeds of up to 22,000 rpm, measuring frictional forces and moments in differ-

ent directions given independently by the two contacting surfaces – the rolling elements and the flange. The contact gap can be five millimetres – huge for heavily loaded lubricated contacts.

“At full operating conditions, the contact could generate more than 10 kilowatts of heat dissipation, compared with a large commercial test machine of less than one kilowatt,” explains Guillermo Morales-Espejel, a visiting professor at INSA and a senior scientist at the SKF Engineering and Research Centre in the Netherlands.

“Large size spinning contacts don’t behave like small-size sprinning contacts. Larger contacts have larger surface velocity asymmetry within it. Film thickness and friction are determined by the speed of [the moving] surfaces. Asymmetry in the speed means asymmetry in the film thickness and the created friction, which is not easily calculated.”

But it can be measured. The major benefit of the Tribogyr is its accuracy.

Thanks to new research it also measures film thickness. This supplies an image of lubricant flow that provides information about its behaviour.

Looking to the future, Tribogyr is opening up new testing and simulation opportunities as it continues to demonstrate how collaboration between research and industry delivers worthwhile results for both.

"The Beast of Lyon" measures friction and lubricant film thickness in heavily loaded bearing applications.

PHOTO: SKF

Source: Evolution – the business and technology magazine from SKF (www. skf.com).

Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca.

>> Maintenance

Measuring your CMMS Which KPIs should be used?

K

ey performance indicators (KPIs) are often a controversial subject in maintenance. Some praise them, others dismiss them as inconsequential and misleading, and there’s always the debate about what to measure, how to interpret collected data and necessary action.

Ben Stevens, principal of DataTrak Systems Inc., a worldwide maintenance consulting firm based in Godfrey, Ont., has some ideas about how KPIs should be used to measure CMMS. Depending on the stage reached in the CMMS, three types of KPIs should be considered.

Some key tasks will occur at the activity level for smaller projects or the milestone level for larger ones. He recommends building the project schedule around them. Where activities involve many repetitive tasks, KPIs should track progress towards completion. For example, major tasks will be the validation of data for input to the equipment list, the materials file and the work orders. Useful KPIs will show the percentage of progress towards the completion of these tasks.

Training will be another major task. A useful KPI is tracking training delivery or results based on the percent completion of the number of trainees and the number of training programs.

Next, there are the KPIs that show how well the CMMS is performing. Start by reviewing the objectives established in the planning and justification of the CMMS project. Relevant KPIs are those that measure the maintenance and materials processes, such as the ability of the system and the team to manage demand and quality. Focus on those areas that have the biggest impact.

Finally, use KPIs that show the improvement in maintenance effectiveness, such as: critical equipment reliability as shown by an MTBF trend; getting critical equipment back on line fast; controlling the cost of failure; the value of spare parts inventory and spare parts consumed; and KPIs that show rework plus repeat failures.

Each plant’s KPIs will be different, but they should be based on the objectives of the department and focus on where it wants to make the greatest improvements.

And find the right number. Too many KPIs waste time, too few limit insight and effectiveness.

Remember the value of KPIs lie in the action they prompt. If a KPI results in no reaction and does not lead to improvement, discard it.

www.plant.ca

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PLANT WEST 9

13-03-18 11:48 AM

Trends

>> Environment

E

Sustainability leads to

HIGHER PROFITS INNOVATORS FOCUS ON MARKET SHARE, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

rate of innovation and have the fewest business-model innovators.

The report notes these innovators are big on execution, more likely to place customers at the centre, they work closely with many stakeholders and drive sustainability objectives through skilful organizational change. They don’t

ametoronto.org

mbracing sustainability doesn’t have to be viewed as a cost. A new global study shows companies reporting a profit from sustainability efforts rose 23% last year to 37% of the total.

The Innovation Bottom Line by the MIT Sloan Management Review and The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) is based on a survey of 2,600 executives and managers from companies located around the world.

It found that nearly half of the respondents had changed their business models as a result of sustainability opportunities, a 20% jump over the previous year.

The report says “sustainability-driven innovators” in emerging markets change their business models at a far higher rate than those based in North America, where companies show the lowest

dwell on it as a cost issue. They focus on how their efforts can increase market share, boost energy efficiency and build competitive advantage.

The extent to which a company incorporates sustainability concerns into its business model often ties in with its increase in profit. For example: half of

the companies that changed three or four business model elements said they profited from their sustainability activities, compared with 37% of those that changed only one element.

When innovations to target segments and value-chain processes were among changes, those reporting added profits climbed from 50% to nearly 60%.

More than 60% of companies reporting sustainability as a permanent fixture on their management agendas have increased profits.

And companies that profit from sustainability are almost 200% more likely to develop sustainability business cases often integral to overall strategy.

The report recommends five practices: • Be prepared to change business models.

• Lead from the top, integrate effort.

• Measure and track sustainability goals and performance.

• Understand how customers think about sustainability and what products or services they are willing to pay for.

• Collaborate with individuals, customers, businesses and groups beyond the boundaries of the organization.

Visit www.bcg.com for more information and a copy of the report.

>> Events Share•Learn•Grow OCTOBER 21-25, 2013

SM

LET’S GET REAL...

Jim Womack

Dan Jones

John Shook

Mike Rother

I mean that’s what the Gemba is all about, right? Getting real.

And that’s exactly what AME TORONTO 2013 is doing.

For the first time ever at an AME conference, four of the world’s leading lean thought leaders Jim Womack, Dan Jones, John Shook and Mike Rother will each share real value stream experiences and present these lessons on stage.

Don’t miss it!

SAVE WITH EARLY BIRD DISCOUNTS % % % IF YOU REGISTER BY

30 25 20 groups 25+

If you don’t learn at least one new idea in Toronto that you can bring back to your organization, we’ll refund your entire registration fee. We have been offering this guarantee for the last three conferences and have never had refund requests. We think that speaks volumes about the value attendees have received.

teams of 10–24

MARCH. 31, 2013

1–9 people

BEST PRICE•BOOK NOW

We pride ourselves in providing a solid learning experience at an unbelievable price. Register now and get early bird discounts that can save you a bundle.

Register at: ametoronto.org

With many thanks to our Patron/Cornerstone Sponsors and Collaborating Partners

Plant Visit: Decor Cabinet Company Innovation Insights/CME April 30, Morden, Man. Learn about the theory of constraints and the manufacturing of semi-custom cabinets in a small batch environment. Presented by Innovations Insights and Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME). Visit www. tvp-ii.org/en/events.

CIM Convention 2013 30th CIM Exhibition CIM May 5-8, Toronto Presented by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum. Sessions will focus on challenges and best practices.

Visit http://web.cim.org/toronto2013.

Gas & Oil Expo North America 2013 SPE Heavy Oil Conference-Canada DMG World Media June 11, Calgary The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) conference provides perspectives on best practices and technological advances in the production of heavy oil. Visit http:// www.spe.org/events/hocc/2013.

NDT in Canada 2013 CINDE/CANSMART/IZFP Oct. 7-10, Calgary Presented by the Canadian Institute for NDE (CINDE), The Cansmart Group (CANSMART), and the Fraunhofer Institute for Nondestructive Testing (IZFP). Developments in NDT, smart materials, and structural health monitoring will be discussed, along with topics relating to energy. Visit http://events.cinde.ca.

For more events visit www.plant.ca, Fabrication, EVENTS.

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March/April 2013

13-03-21 11:46 AM

energy << Technology

>> Plantware

Intel Core i processor.

miX CPu ChoiCES

The tiny sensors, just 7 mm in diameter, travel through wormholes and send signals back to 3D mapping software.

into the

WORMHOLE microsensor motes scan the empty spaces in oil reservoirs before drilling By mAtt PoWell, ASSiStAnt eDitor

E

nergy producers in Canada could soon have a new set of eyes underground that will tap a lucrative network of ‘wormholes’ and boost oil production yields by more than 10%, thanks to a project originally destined to uncork the 25 billion barrels of heavy oil under the plains of northwestern Saskatchewan.

In November, microsensor motes were sent into a heavy oil reservoir at an undisclosed location (near Bonnyville, in Eastern Alberta) through an injection well and retrieved via a production well as part of a field trial conducted by the PI Innovation Centre. This joint venture involves the Canadian Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) and INCAS3, its Dutch-based partner and independent, non-profit research institute

www.plant.ca

11-13-PLNTW.indd 11

PHOTO: PTRC

the newest third generation intel core i technology is at the heart of B&r’s Automation Pc 910 box Pc. the i3, i5 and i7 cPus with up to four cores combine with the new Qm77 express chipset. As with previous Automation Pcs, the user mixes and matches cPu performance with different sized main units as needed. For example a quadcore cPu will go in a single-slot housing or a single core celeron can be used in a five-slot housing.

A serial AtA-based cFast card replaces the compactFlash and there are two ports for gigabit ethernet, plus one serial and one modular serial port (such as rS485 or cAn), together with uSB 3.0 ports.

B&r is a roswell, Ga. manufacturer of industrial automation technology. www.br-automation.com

eXPlorinG HeAVy oil’S inner SPAceS

that developed the sensor motes.

PTRC, based in Regina, was established in 1998 by Natural Resources Canada, the Saskatchewan government, the University of Regina, and the Saskatchewan Research Council, to research and develop enhanced oil recovery and carbon storage methods. It’s headed by Malcolm Wilson, who says the sensors will help the province’s producers improve bitumen recovery rates.

INCAS3 performs industrial research projects led by doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers and senior scientists at its headquarters in Assen, The Netherlands. The venture is co-financed by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, the province of Drenthe, the European Fund for Regional Development and the Municipality of Assen.

“This is a breakthrough in terms of information technologies for energy producers,” says Wilson. “We’re marrying Canada’s knowledge of oil reservoirs and extraction methods with the Dutch hightech sector. Microsensor technology will equip us with a lot more knowledge about extraction processes and make

them as efficient as we can.

Saskatchewan’s oil production is second only to Alberta, accounting for 20% of Canada’s total natural resource output. Energy developments produced 157.7 million barrels in 2011 earning more than $12.7 billion. More than $5.1 billion was spent on exploration and development projects.

Saskatchewan’s heavy oil reservoirs are typically shallow resources under low pressure, which creates a need for an extraction process that uses sand to force oil to the surface. Unlike light crude found in Alberta’s oil sands, heavy oil can be extracted using conventional cold production methods (with or without enhanced recovery techniques using water, solvent and gas injection) or with heat (steam or hot water). Oil sands bitumen is extracted almost exclusively using heat and steam using techniques, such as steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD).

But heavy oil reservoirs in the Lloydminster-Kerrobert-Kindersley regions see only a 5% to 8% recovery rate using existing recovery methods such as CHOPS

New encoders.

EThErNET-CoNNECTEd SicK’s AFS60 and AFm60 industrial ethernet encoders provide ethernet/iP, ProFinet rt and ethercAt connectivity. embedded switch functionality in the singleturn AFS60 and the multiturn AFm60 reduces external switching components and re-routes data when cable breaks in the network are detected.

Diagnostic functions include temperature and acceleration monitoring, and a durable metal code disc that’s resistant to shock and high temperatures, and customizable resolution for applications using resolution scaling or endless shaft functionality. they’re also rated iP 67/65 for applications that require precise and reliable position accuracy with ethernet/iP network connectivity.

SicK, based in minneapolis, is a manufacturer of sensors, safety systems, machine vision, encoders and automatic identification products. www.sickusa.com

Continued on page 12

PLANT WEST 11

13-03-20 1:22 PM

CiEN

improving extraction

teSt AnD meASurement

Continued from page 11

(cold heavy oil production with sand).

“We’re leaving 92% of this huge resource in the ground,” says Wilson.

“That’s a significant issue.”

CHOPS involves a sand and oil mixture that’s extracted from the heavy oilfield, which leads to the creation of empty spaces or ‘wormholes’ in the reservoir. Cold production is a pressure driven process that transports both heavy oil and sand to the surface using a progressive cavity pump. Extraction creates high-pressure gradients in the reservoir causing failures in the unconsolidated sand matrix, which flows to the well and creates ‘wormholes.’

“If we know what these wormhole networks look like, we can pick and choose where to drill next,” says Wilson. “Knowing what’s happening below is critical.”

Wormholes cause reservoir pressure to fall below the bubble point, resulting in dissolved-gas coming out of solution to form foamy oil. They grow in a 3D radial pattern within the layers of an oil reservoir, forming an immense network of channels in unconsolidated sandstone that prevent pressurization of the reservoir and hamper the efficiency of oil production.

Boosting yields The microsensors, no more than 7 millimetres in diameter, travel through these wormholes and send individual signals back to 3D mapping software that paints a picture of the vast underground networks.

The PTRC believes if the oil industry can better characterize these reservoirs, it can improve extraction methods and boost yields by up to 20%, while lessening environmental effects by targeting oil supplies more efficiently. This will reduce water use in cold flow extraction processes, such as CHOPS. “That means a lot more money into the economy, and possibly more energy efficient processes for getting hydrocarbons out of the ground,” says Wilson.

The project’s goal is to better understand the structure of the reservoirs, and if a network of wormholes exists, the sensors could provide details about their number, diameter, direction and location.

Better targeting will lessen the amount of water needed to push into a well.

Wilson says the PTRC and INCAS3 face challenges related to the size of the sensors and how they handle conditions below the surface.

“We’ve got to figure how we get these things to do what we want them to do.”

Wilson says the next step is to analyze the test results and to set up a research program that moves to the next phase of trials, which will be aimed at establishing stronger communication levels between the sensors below and surface operations.

“Actually seeing and better understanding these wormholes will enable us to develop improved recovery techniques.”

Comments? E-mail mpowell@plant.ca.

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other impairments, providing engineers with deep insight into the root cause of constellation distortions beyond 32 Gbaud.

Users process the raw digitized data coming from the optical coherent receiver using the Microsoft .NET framework and include the results as a user-provided library. Any number of algorithms are handled in a user-selectable sequence.

Agilent Technologies is a manufacturer of measurement instruments based in Santa Clara, Calif. www.agilent.com

SiNgLE PuLSE SySTEm for LEd biNNiNg

Reduces chemical waste.

PumP iNCrEASES ProduCTiviTy Watson-Marlow Pumps Group says its novalve metering Qdos 30 pump eliminates ancillary equipment, improves productivity and reduces chemical waste through more accurate, linear, and repeatable metering than typical solenoid or stepper driven diaphragm metering pumps.

It delivers 5,000:1 flow from 0.002 to 8.0 gph at 100 psi, and integrates through IP66 manual, analogue and PROFIBUS control options.

Using ReNu pumphead technology, the Qdos 30 is fully sealed for safe, tool-free maintenance. This means fluids that are caustic, abrasive, viscous, shear-sensitive, gaseous, slurries or contain suspended solids can be safely and securely handled.

Advanced control features include fluid level monitoring, fluid recovery, line priming and intuitive flow calibration.

Applications include: disinfection and pH adjustment of drinking water and industrial process water; flocculation; industrial cooling water preparation; and reagent dosing in mineral processing.

Watson-Marlow is a Wilmington, Ma.based manufacturer of peristaltic pumps. www.wmpg.com

Slight differences in LED characteristics occur as a result of mass production.

Sorting the LEDs into bin classes based on luminous flux and colour properties provides a means of cataloguing them. Gigahertz-Optik has developed a measurement system consisting of the BTS256-LED tester and LPS-20-1500 LED power supply with S-BTS256 software working in tandem to assist with single pulse LED binning.

True plug and play.

zirconium and nickel alloys, measures oxygen levels down to 10 ppm.

It attaches to welding chambers, boxes and enclosures to ensure internal atmosphere is reduced to 10 ppm or less of oxygen. It’s accurate enough to check the quality of weld purge gases at the source, and check for leaks in gas purge lines.

There are no knobs, buttons, controls, pump, moving parts and no programming for true plug and play.

Huntingdon Fusion Techniques is a UK-based manufacturer of weld purging products. www.huntingdonfusion.com

gAugE NoNfErrouS mATEriALS

Tests in single-pulse mode.

The LPS-20-1500 is a microprocessorbased current and voltage source that operates up to 1,500 mA with 30 µA resolution and up to 24 V with 0.5 mV resolution. It’s set up for full remote control operation in CW or single pulse operation mode.

Software supports the set-up of the measurement device and source, and the synchronized measurement.

Gigahertz-Optik is a German-based manufacturer of light measurement instrumentation. www.gigahertz-optik.de

The Magna-Mike 8600 Hall Effect portable gauge from Olympus NDT uses simple magnetics to measure thicknesses of nonferrous materials.

Typical applications include thin-wall measurements on blow moulded plastic bottles, thermal-formed plastic trays, extruded tubing, and automotive tear seams.

It’s also usable on glass and composites, and on any nonferrous metal (aluminum, brass, copper, titanium) with a thickness range from 0.001 to 25.4 mm.

The gauge measures both straight and angled magnetic probes. Nondestructive measurement capabilities capture pinpoint thickness readings in tight corners and grooves. A full colour LCD display boosts quality readability, and a simple keypad makes important functions easy to access.

ChECk WELd PurgE gASES AT SourCE The PurgEye 300 Nano Weld Purge Monitor from Huntingdon Fusion Techniques Ltd. for stainless, duplex and super duplex steels as well as titanium,

Employs simple magnetics

controlS dC/dC hANdLES high TEmPErATurES Signal analysis.

gET iNSidE CoNSTELLATioN diSTorTioNS Agilent Technologies Inc.’s N4391A optical modulation analyzer provides real-time sampling on four channels, each with 33GHz of bandwidth, in a single oscilloscope.

Researchers characterize the latest coherent receivers and ultrafast transmitters with a sample rate of 160 GSa/s at 63 GHz electrical bandwidth.

Its tools analyze and quantify the integrity of a vector-modulated signal for errorvector magnitude, quadrature error and

the 75-W Qcm chassis mount Dc/Dc from calex mfg. co. now has a Din mount adapter for industrial process control applications and an input range of 18 to 36 VDc, and 36 to 75 vdc with output voltages from 3.3 to 24 VDc. the unit is fully encapsulated with easily accessible recessed barrier strips. isolation voltage is 1,544 VDc and it handles temperatures up to 100 degrees c. calex, a manufacturer of instrumentation and power conversion products based in concord, calif., says all Qmc Input range up to 36 VDC. models include remote on/oFF and output voltage trim, with a range of +/-10%. the units have reverse input voltage protection, pulse by pulse current limiting, dead short current limiting and over-temperature protection.

All models meet ul 60950. www.calex.com

March/April 2013

13-03-20 1:22 PM

Products and Equipment << Technology The unit comes standard with USB, RS-232, and VGA outputs.

An internal data logger stores more than 475,000 thickness readings in various file formats and a micro SD card slot is also included.

Olympus NDT is a manufacturer of testing instruments based in Waltham, Mass. www.olympus-ims.com

mum power-to-volume ratios and a high degree of protection (IP67), the SPX line delivers continuous torque ratings from 1.4 to 23 Nm. All servomotors are available with single- or multi-turn digital encoders with medium, 20-bit resolution and plus/ minus 60 arcseconds accuracy. www.num.com

Automation Cut energy use by up to 20% THL300 and THL400 SCARA robots, made with lightweight aluminum arms that reach up to 400 mm, from Toshiba Machine increase payload capacities (up to 5 kg).

Toshiba Machine, a manufacturer of industrial equipment based in Numazu, Japan, says the robot’s lightweight construction requires up to 20% less power than previous THL technologies.

High rpm motors and easy-to-maintain gearboxes run at high speeds to boost cycle times.

Robots handle heavier loads.

The robots handle small parts handling and assembly applications, such as cellular phones, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, small automotive parts and consumer products.

The company has Canadian support operations in Markham, Ont. www.toshiba-machine.com

Motion control Servomotors cut CNC machining costs NUM’s SHX and SPX brushless servomotors for CNC machinery applications eliminate separate encoder cables to reduce costs by up to 20% per axis and enable machine builders using single drive-to-motor cables for each motion axis to speed up installation times to improve overall system performance.

The servomotors, available in 75-, 95-, 126- and 155-mm frame sizes and three different lengths, feature high mass moments of rotor inertia, optimized for machine tool feed axes to keep the system running smoothly, even at low speeds.

NUM, a producer of CNC control products based in Switzerland, says its SHX servomotors are best-suited for costsensitive applications, including models with continuous torque outputs from 1.2 to 20 Nm. For motors with maxi-

Eliminates separate encoder cables.

www.plant.ca

11-13-PLNTW.indd 13

Mounts easily on crowded DIN rails.

Relays sealed for wash-downs The 782H hermetically sealed ice cube relay from Dwyer Instruments mounts easily and is safety sealed for wash-down conditions.

It has gold flashed contacts and is compatible with most hazardous locations (class 1, division 2). Plug-in socketing makes mounting and removal from crowded DIN rails easy.

Dwyer Instruments, a manufacturer of industrial controls and instrumentation based in Michigan City, Ind., offers the relay in 4PDT and 1-5 A (AC DC) power options. www.dywer-inst.com

Sensors Rotary sensor includes integrated PCB The MTS-360 mechanical mount rotary position sensor from Piher Sensors & Controls, available in 3 pin or 6 pin configurations, includes an integrated PCB to ease mounting, which eliminates the need for engineers to design one.

Use in automated SMD assembly systems.

The unit relies on patented Hall effect technology for true non-contacting through-hole shaft sensing using standard SMD features. The offset throughhole accommodates the vacuum pick-up tool so the unit can be used in automated SMD assembly systems. It features a 4-mm double D-flat shaft and an eight pad SMD footprint that’s compatible in most reflow soldering systems.

The device offers electrical angles up to 360 degrees with no dead band and linearity as low as ±0.5%. Rated for use at -40 to 150 degrees C, the sensor can be programmed at full scale output with angles shorter than 360 degrees. Output is selectable between analogue, PWM 12 bits or Serial Protocol (SPI) at 14 bits, and includes a second output channel.

Piher, a manufacturer of position

sensor and control products based in Tudela, Spain, recommends the assembly for industrial applications that include HVAC systems, automotive control systems, valve position sensors and automation feedback systems. www.piher.net

Safety

Sensors handle high pressures The special construction of Sensortechnics HMA pressure sensors from First Sensor arrange sensitive electrical components on the side of the piezoresistive sensor element to increase media compatibility on one pressure port in gas and liquid measurement applications.

The HMA sensors, which handle pressures up to 150 psi (10 bar), use precision digital signal conditioning for total error bands (TEB) better than ±1.5 % FSS at temperatures up to 85 degrees C. The devices amplify analogue output signals in 5- and 3-V versions in SIL and DIP housings with a number of pressure ports for tubing connections or manifold mountings. Digital I²C and SPI bus interfaces are also available. Use the pressure sensors for industrial, pneumatic and environmental controls, HVAC, and pressure management applications.

Available in Digital I²C and SPI bus interfaces.

First Sensor, part of Sensortechnics, is a sensor manufacturer based in Puchheim, Germany. www.sensortechnics.com

FORKLIFTS

Economy Hi-Vis.

Support for heavy lifters Allegro Industries has several back support systems for the folks doing the heavy lifting in industrial workplaces.

The 5-in. rigid foam Liftbak’s belt’s buckle and locking closure hold securely yet allow easy adjustment.

More durability and strength are provided by the Deluxe Spanbak, Spanbak and Bodybelt. The Deluxe Spanbak’s breathable spandex backed with rubber grip webbing prevents ride-up and the Spankbak comes in five sizes. Each of these belts is available with suspenders.

Other styles include the Flexbak with a three-part closure that ensures a custom fit and superior lumbar support and the Maxbak, a weightlifting-style belt with a dual-side closure that provides a comfortable, non-pinching fit. The Economy Hi-Vis adds high-visibility green suspenders and side elastic panels. And the All Fit comes with neoprene pad support.

Allegro is a Piedmont, SC manufacturer of safety gear. www.allegrosafety.com

MO25 eases order picking Yale Materials Handling Corp.’s MO25 centre rider lift truck eases second level order picking with adjustable electronic power steering, automatic speed reduction during cornering and a suspended platform with an operator sensing floor mat.

Electric steering reduces effort by 90%, while the control handle reduces the arm movement needed to change directions.

This helps to reduce fatigue and allows the operator to remain inside the truck footprint for protection.

Reduces steering effort.

And the truck’s electro-mechanical disc brakes are top mounted for easy maintenance or inspection.

Yale Materials Handling is part of NACCO Materials Handling Group Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hyster-Yale Materials Handling Inc. in Cleveland. www.yale.com

Emergency plant shutdowns.

Safety enhancements for ProSafe RS Yokogawa Electric Corp. has enhanced its ProSafe-RS safety instrumented system with input/output modules that are reliable in high-temperature conditions.

Mounted closely together, the new modules operate at ambient temperatures up to 70 degrees C. The R3.02.00 version for emergency plant shutdowns in the oil, natural gas, petrochemical and other process industries also has an open communications Modbus/ TCP protocol for compatibility with other vendors’ distributed control systems.

ProSafe-RS conforms to the IEC61508 international safety standard for use in SIL3 applications.

Yokogawa, based in Newnan, Ga., makes industrial automation and control systems and test and measurement instruments. www.yokogawa.com

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Departments

>> Postscript

More large-scale businesses needed

By Jock Finlayson

C

anada ranks as one of the best places in the world to start a new business, according to an annual survey by the World Bank, but does less well at encouraging businesses to grow and generate private sector innovation.

The two phenomena are linked: an economic environment that supports business growth should also produce a high level of innovation, since growthoriented companies are more likely to adopt innovative business strategies.

Only a tiny share of small businesses ever evolve to reach “medium-size… ” Canadian policymakers would be wise to focus on the outsized economic contributions made by rapidly growing small and medium-sized enterprises. A 2010 study by the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship estimates that in a typical year, the top-performing 5% of US businesses – measured by their rates of employment growth – create two-thirds of all new jobs. And the top 1% is responsible for a remarkable 40% of net new jobs.

The picture that emerges from this research is that over a period of several years, a few thousand US companies grow from small to a substantial size, employing 2,000 to 10,000 people each.

The story is broadly similar in Canada, although there are no published studies based on the methodology used by the Kauffman Foundation.

Fast-growing firms exist in many industries, but they are far from the norm.

Only a tiny share of small businesses ever evolve to reach medium-size, and among those an even thinner slice – 1.4% a year, according to a recent Business Development Bank of Canada report – graduate to the large business category.

The challenge to building a more productive private sector economy is to grow more large-scale enterprises and support a healthy mix of medium-sized firms with solid roots.

On average, larger companies offer better wages and benefits, in part because they deploy more capital per employee and are able to reap various other advantages associated with size and scale.

As smaller businesses expand, they have a greater propensity to participate in international markets through exporting, which is a principal means by which small jurisdictions like BC become richer.

Help companies grow And a substantial body of research shows the presence of both large “anchor” firms with growing medium-sized companies in a region boosts productivity and innovation. Globally big firms are responsible for 80% to 90% of private sector research and development, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Larger companies have a greater capacity to finance innovation; commercialize new ideas; hire and develop scientists, engineers and product managers; and participate in collaborative arrangements with universities as well as external research organizations.

Government policy can help to shape an economic environment in which companies are more likely to grow, export and innovate. Making it simple to start a new business is a good first step. Ensuring that capital is available to fund start-ups and to enable the further development of growthoriented businesses is vitally important.

This includes venture capital and other sources of financing such as mezzanine capital, private/public equity, bank loans and strong “angel’ investor networks.

Implementing tax policies that reward success and encourage companies to invest, expand, and employ more people is also crucial. In Canada, the tax system creates incentives for businesses not to grow by offering small business firms significantly lower income tax rates and more generous R&D incentives. Some provinces, such as Ontario and Manitoba, also impose higher payroll tax rates on enterprises that add more employees.

This feature of Canadian business tax policy requires some rethinking if governments are keen to see more companies grow.

Jock Finlayson is executive vice-president of the Business Council of British Columbia. This column is distributed

by Troy Media in Calgary. Visit www. troymedia.com.

Comments? E-mail jterrett@plant.ca.

14 PLANT WEST

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