With cooler weather on the way, you may not be too worried about rising oil temperatures, but the fact is, any industrial hydraulic system running higher than 140 degrees is too hot. Consider that for every 18-degree increase in temperature above 140 degrees, the life of the oil is cut in half. Systems that operate at high temperatures can produce sludge and varnish, which result in the sticking of valve spools.

Pumps and hydraulic motors bypass more oil at high temperatures, causing the machine to operate at a slower speed. In some cases, high oil temperatures can waste electrical energy by making the pump drive motor pull more current to operate the system. O-rings also harden at higher temperatures, leading to more leaks in the system. So what checks and tests should you perform if the oil temperature is higher than 140 degrees?

Causes of Heat Generation

Every hydraulic system generates a certain amount of heat. Approximately 25 percent of the input electrical horsepower will be used to overcome heat losses in the system. Whenever oil is ported back to the reservoir and no useful work is done, heat will be generated.

The tolerances inside pumps and valves are normally in the ten-thousandths of an inch. These tolerances permit a small amount of oil to continuously bypass the internal components, causing the fluid temperature to rise. When oil is flowing through the lines, a series of resistances will be encountered. For example, flow controls, proportional valves and servo valves control the oil’s flow rate by restricting flow. When oil flows through the valves, a “pressure drop” occurs. This means that a higher pressure will exist at the valve’s inlet port than the outlet port. Anytime oil flows from a higher pressure to a lower pressure, heat is generated and absorbed in the oil.

When a system is initially designed, the reservoir and heat exchangers are sized to remove the generated heat. The reservoir allows some of the heat to dissipate through the walls to the atmosphere. If properly sized, heat exchangers should remove the balance of the heat, enabling the system to operate at approximately 120 degrees F…

To check out the full article visit Machinery Lubrication.com.

Exposed pipes can be the biggest headache for plant managers and maintenance personnel in the harsh winter months. Any sort of pump, valve, or process pipe that is exposed to the harsh effects of the Winter is susceptible to freezing and bursting. As you can imagine, this can create havoc in critical systems.

There are many ways to heat these pipes, but in extreme climates, one of the most effective methods is to apply glycol tracing. Since glycol does not freeze and doesn’t require any special handling in environments that need to be explosion-proof, it makes it an ideal solution.

Glycol has a very low freezing point which allows it to remain in the liquid phase, even in very cold temperatures. The exceptional thermal transfer characteristics also make it the obvious choice for a cost-effective heating medium.

How We Can Help.

ThermOmegaTech manufactures many valves that control the flow of, and maximize the effect of glycol through these systems. Our most popular valves for use in glycol tracing include HAT and TV/HAT.

Our valves are not reliant on electricity to operate. To regulate the flow of glycol, each of these valves contains a thermostatic element inside that modulates open or closed to maintain a constant discharge temperature.

Each of them improves system efficiency by automatically varying the rate at which glycol is pumped through the system.

From Green Lodging News

By Nick Tallos

“I turned on the water in the shower and waited for 10 minutes. Warm water finally started flowing, however, it never lasted more than a minute and alternated mostly with cool to cold water.”

Image via Pexels.

That’s the exact quote extracted from an online review of a guest who rated a hotel in Pennsylvania on Tripadvisor.com. The reviewer gave the hotel a rating of two out of a possible five. The site is full of similar comments from guests complaining about how long it took them to get hot water when they wanted to take a shower or wash their hands.

In the hospitality industry, when a guest turns on the hot water in their room, most wait patiently for the water to run a while to the proper temperature. Guests do not like to wait too long for their hot water according to the International Hospitality Association.

In fact, they specifically address “the availability of hot water” as a factor for consideration in their quality standards and star rating systems that they set as the bar for multi-star ratings.

The cost to deliver domestic hot water to ensure customer satisfaction means the domestic hot water system must be balanced in a way that keeps the delivery time low. Until recently, that meant larger recirculating pumps, more recirculating flow, more wear and tear on your hot water system, and more cost.

Read more on Green Lodging News about domestic hot water systems.

Keystone Edge recently profiled Jim Logue, President, CEO, for their “Innovation & Job News” section. Jim discusses ThermOmegaTech’s journey into Lean Manufacturing and the growth that we’ve seen with it.

From www.keystoneedge.com:
“A few years ago, when Jim Logue, President, CEO, joined ThermOmegaTech,  a Warminster valve maker, he found a solid, old-line manufacturer. Still, he recalls, the assembly shop and the machine shop were not clearly communicating, leading to inefficiencies and delays.

No more Since 2010, Therm has been “on a lean journey,” says Logue. Mentored by the Delaware Valley Industrial Resources Center, Therm has taken steps to eliminate waste in its manufacturing processes and, equally important, change the plant’s culture by sharing information and ensuring that all 60 employees understand the big picture.”

“We basically have empowered every employee to have a say in how to improve their work area, or what they see elsewhere,” says Logue. “It gives purpose to coming to work.”

Since adapting the principles of lean manufacturing, Logue says, people are working better and smarter and operations are more coordinated and efficient. The company has seen 70% growth in revenues in its top products and has grown jobs by 10%. Logue anticipates adding another three positions in the next six to 12 months.

Read more.

We came across this article on return temperatures. It addresses some key issues in regards to domestic hot water balancing. Our new CircuitSolver™ can be a great way to fix, and even eliminate problems with hot water delivery.

The Importance of Return Temperatures

Delivery & Return Temperatures are the two most critical numbers; these are the temperatures available to the residents at the beginning and at the end of the hot water loop. Too hot is unsafe, too low is unacceptable for cleaning or comfort.

Low Return Temperature is commonly ignored because diagnosis can be tedious and it doesn’t seem like a dangerous problem. Wrong.

Do not ignore a Low Return Temperature Warning! A drop in temperature from delivery to return means that:

1. Households are quietly suffering with low water temperature,
2. Residents might be scalded by dangerous fluctuations in water temperature, and,
3. You are wasting fuel through heat loss.

Return Temperature is like a canary in a coal mine: if there is anything wrong with the hot water system it is often the first alarm to go off. If your return temperature chart isn’t in the pink, your boilers are probably in fine order. But, if you’re seeing a lot of pink, it’s time to fix things before your residents start seeing red

More…

Special thanks to EDC Technologies, Inc. for letting us re-post this.