It is often desirable to monitor the flow of a liquid being pumped in a process. In addition to metering the fluid, a simple flow switch can provide confirmation of flow or flow at a minimum acceptable volume for proper operation. For added pump protection, a dry line detector, indicator, or alarm is an ideal feature, especially for larger, expensive pumps in critical applications.

It is a common practice in any process industry to sample the product being produced and analyze it for quality assurance. Many industries are now using on line sampling systems to monitor their product quality. It is necessary to monitor and assure a minimum flow of a liquid or a gas being sampled from a process flow stream to provide an accurate representation of the actual product.

Emergency Safety Showers are a good idea and also required in commercial and industrial operations where hazardous fluids are used or being produced. A simple shower head and a pull chain to a valve to release the water is all that is needed to provide the safety function. But there can be more to it if the victim of a leak or spill activates the shower but is in need of more assistance. The emergency safety shower should have a monitor that indicates that it is in use.

Industrial processes that require super heating of a liquid product being produced typically use heat transfer fluids like Paratherm®, Therminol®, DowTherm ™, DuraTherm®, etc. These fluids can operate at temperatures exceeding 725ºF (385ºC). Monitoring the flow and level of these fluids at these higher temperatures is a challenge for many classical instrumentation technologies.

In heavy industries utilizing large numbers of rotating machines it is imperative to monitor the lubrication of the main bearings to avoid failures that could be of a safety concern and most certainly lead to downtime and lost productivity. Typically, lubrication oil is pumped or gravity fed through tubing to the bearings from a reservoir. A liquid flow switch installed in the tubing assures that lubrication is moving through to the bearings. With the addition of a temperature sensor as needed you have a complete bearing lubrication monitor.

Pressure Relief Valves (PRVs) are used in many industries and applications to assist in dangerous over-pressure conditions in pipelines, boilers and vessels. When it comes to PRVs there are two scenarios that most companies want to monitor and that is the case of a leak or an over-pressurized system. PRVs are susceptible to leaks which can be harmful to the environment, dangerous to personnel and reduce the efficiency of a process. Monitoring these leaks and breaches of product are critical in these types of applications.

Before igniting the gas in a large commercial or industrial oven a minimum of three (3) turnovers of the air in the oven is recommended in case there is an unsafe fuel leak or capture. Monitoring this air flow turnover is essential during the pre-ignition sequence. Typically a flow switch is installed in the exhaust stack to verify positive flow and turnover through the oven.

It is often desirable to monitor the flow of a liquid being pumped in a process. In addition to metering the fluid, a simple flow switch can provide confirmation of flow or flow at a minimum acceptable volume for proper operation. For added pump protection, a dry line detector, indicator, or alarm is an ideal feature, especially for larger, expensive pumps in critical applications.

Gas booster systems are used to keep up with demand in downstream piping as the process changes. Typically a gas flow switch is installed downstream from the gas booster fan. Once the downstream demand is met, the flow equalizes and there is no more flow at the switch. A relay in the switch can the shut the booster system fan off until flow is needed again.

A Soot Blower is a device designed to remove soot in heat exchangers, SCR, air preheaters and gas-gas heaters with dual lances. Various types of soot blowers use steam, air or high pressure water at flue gas temperatures for cleaning these heaters. This maximizes thermal efficiency and gas exit temperatures extending the life of the system. There must be a water supply to create steam or pressurized water and the flow rate of this supply can be monitored with a thermal mass flow switch.

Cooling towers and chillers are in operation to remove heat from a process fluid, mainly water. These systems all have in common the flow of water through pipes in various arrangements to achieve the heat removal process. Industries like oil refining, chemical, petrochemical, and power all have needs for excess process heat removal. Throughout these heat removal systems there are many locations where having confirmation of the fluid flow is necessary to provide for proper system operation.

It is often desirable to monitor and control the flow of a liquid or a gas between a lower and upper set point to maintain an ideal process condition. A flow meter with dual set points for control can be expensive when the accuracy of the flow control is of less concern than the budget. A flow switch with dual channels has the capability of setting two discrete flow set points for establishing the flow control function without the expense of a flow meter.

It is a requirement to monitor the flow of a fluid (liquid or gas) being pumped in a fire suppression system. The monitor detects the fluid flow through the supply line once the fire has tripped a sprinkler head sensor automatically activating the suppression system. The flow monitor or switch would have a relay contact to activate an alarm and perhaps initiate an emergency call to a fire department or other interested parties.

Confirming the flow of product either liquid or gas in a process pipe is desirable for monitoring and control purposes. Typically flow monitors and indicators are simply flow switches installed in the process piping. There are many liquid and gas flow monitoring technologies, a better solution for liquid or gas flow detection at a specific point in a process line is the Thermal Differential Switch. The TD switch has two thermal sensing devices (RTD’s) encased in stainless steel tips.

A Soot Blower is a device designed to remove soot in heat exchangers, SCR, air preheaters and gas-gas heaters with dual lances. Various types of soot blowers use steam, air or high pressure water at flue gas temperatures for cleaning these heaters. This maximizes thermal efficiency and gas exit temperatures extending the life of the system. There must be a water supply to create steam or pressurized water and the flow rate of this supply can be monitored with a thermal mass flow switch.

Vapor Recovery is the process of recovering vapors that normally would be discarded by releasing to the atmosphere or flaring off during an offloading process. Due to EPA regulations releasing gasses into the atmosphere is no longer cheaper than recovery. Monitoring the activity of the compressor as it pumps vapor from one tank to the other may be useful for safety purposes. Knowing when your compressor is flowing or not flowing can let the operator know when it is time to disconnect and move to the next tank.

Industrial and commercial HVAC systems are basically air handling systems that supply quality air for the buildings and facilities in which they are installed. Confirmation of the air flow throughout the system is important and vital to the efficient and effective delivery of the conditioned air be it cooled or heated. There are several air flow monitoring technologies, a better solution for air flow detection at a specific point in a HVAC system is the Thermal Differential Switch.

Sanitation equipment is required in some industries like hospitals, human waste and sewer maintenance. Steam cleaners and detergent systems require water flow to operate correctly. The pumps that force the the fluids through the system can be costly to replace and need to be protected. A simple flow switch can provide confirmation of flow or flow at a minimum acceptable volume for proper operation. For added pump protection, a dry line detector, indicator, or alarm is an ideal feature, especially for larger, expensive pumps.

The food and beverage industries are challenged in their production and storage processes to maintain sanitary conditions in their pipes, lines, tanks, and vats. The milk industry recognized this early on and established the 3A Sanitary Guideline and specification rating system. Traditional flow switches needed to monitor and confirm liquid product flow in such process pipes do not satisfy the 3A Standards with their normal construction designs.

Treatment facilities around the world use injected air to promote the growth of healthy micro-organisms that clean and purify our water. Without accurately monitoring the amount of air being introduced into the plant’s aeration basins, our water treatment engineers cannot determine the optimum, cleanest bacterial eciency, or the most economical quantity of process air being used. Money can be wasted or water can be left only partially treated.

Industries worldwide spend vast amounts of revenue in their plants moving things with compressed air. Shipbuilders, food and beverage producers, wastewater treatment centers, & manufacturers of all types make and maintain compressed air. The dollars spent on kilowatts of energy for this purpose represents a staggering amount of wealth, and waste can be devastating to a company’s prot. Today’s manufacturers monitor their air usage continually using the VersaMassTer® Flow Meter by Delta M Corporation.

When tanks are installed underground it is quite often required that these tanks have 2 walls with an air space between the walls. It is important to know that these tanks are in good condition and not leaking. With the switches configured to detect interface you can be notified of the source of any leak. If the outer tank wall is leaking we would detect ground water entering the air space. If the inner wall is compromised then we would detect the contents of the tank leaking into the air space.

Overfilling or overflowing a liquid product in a tanker truck or tanker rail car can create a safety and environmental hazard, not to mention the loss of valuable product. Knowing when the level of the liquid product is filling close to the top of the tank or vessel can provide a warning to take preventative measures against an overflow. There are many liquid level monitoring technologies, a better solution for liquid level detection at a specific point in the tanker trucks and rail cars is the Thermal Differential Switch.

While a vessel or reactor is being charged, you can compare DELTA M switch point indications to any continuous unit’s output. The DELTA M switch indicating points can’t change once installed making them very reliable as backups to other forms of level measurement. When charging a critical reactor, the operator or the control system compares our switch point indications to the output from the continuous level instrument. If they agree, charge continues. If not, the reaction is aborted and a possibly serious accident is prevented.

A shielded VERSA-SWITCH® VS5100 probe is installed in the tank with Channel 1 set to detect foam; Channel 2 is set to detect liquid. When foam reaches the switch, the switch turns on a pump that feeds liquid to nozzles in top of the tank and the spray knocks the foam down (shield keeps spray from tripping Channel 2). When the liquid reaches the switch it shuts down the feed pump and the foam knockdown pump. This allows greater storage capacity in tank and prevents product overflow or wastage.

Several large northern city rapid transit authorities continuously remove water from fuel storage tanks. Two switches are mounted close to the bottom of the tank with one being slightly higher than the other. As water separates from the fuel, it settles to the bottom. When the DELTA M switch mounted higher in the tank detects water, it activates a pump which pulls the water from the bottom of the tank. When fuel reaches the switch mounted closest to the bottom of the tank, the switch senses the presence of the fuel and shuts off the pump.

In many manufacturing facilities, sumps can be a big problem. Seldom do you know what is going to end up in the sump; it can be anything from acid to tar. In a situation like this, the DELTA M thermal differential level switch is ideal since it has no moving parts to stick and is available in many exotic materials that are compatible with most chemicals. The DELTA M multi-point level switch is ideal for these applications. In power plants, for example, you may want additional points for booster or back-up points.

It is often desirable to monitor the level of a liquid in a process tank or vessel. In addition to the level of the fluid, a dual channel sensing switch can also be configured to indicate when agitation is taking place in the tank (i.e. stirring action). A level switch with dual channels has the capability of setting two discrete liquid level interaction set points. The first channel would be set for a high level condition but with a time delay. The second channel is then calibrated to trip a second relay when the agitation (stirring) is taking place.

Separation Tanks are common in industrial situations where mixtures of water and hydrocarbon products are produced by the process. Pumping oil from the ground and pumping gas from the ground using “fracking” fluids both produced mixtures of hydrocarbon and water that must be separated. Separation Tanks allow the mixtures to seperate but the key is to monitor the interface between the hydrocarbon and water to ensure each is discharged through the correct valve.

Immersion heaters are widely used in various industries where tanks, vats, and other vessels are needed to provide an elevated temperature change in the production process. Examples include heating a chemical bath in a plating operation, annealing of metal parts, and even deep frying of potato chips. The problem comes when the level of the fluid in the vessel drops below the heater and allows the heater to rise above normal temperatures. This causes the heater element to burn-out or create a severe and hazardous situation.

Overfilling or overflowing a liquid product storage tank or vessel can create a safety and environmental hazard, not to mention the loss of valuable product. Having a way to know when the level of the liquid product is getting close to the top of the tank or vessel would provide a warning to take preventative measures against an overflow. There are many liquid level monitoring technologies including: manual sticking, site glass, floats, conductivity probes, capacitance probes, vibrating forks, etc.

Overfilling or overflowing a liquid product storage tank or vessel can create a safety and environmental hazard, not to mention the loss of valuable product. Having a way to know when the level of the liquid product is getting close to the top of the tank or vessel would provide a warning to take preventative measures against an overflow. There are many liquid level monitoring technologies including: manual sticking, site glass, floats, conductivity probes, capacitance probes, vibrating forks, etc.