Vacaero

Manufacturers of heat treating and brazing vacuum furnaces and controls, complete hot zone and vacuum furnace retrofits, thermal spray coatings, plasma, HVOF and paint coating services.

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Archives for June 2013

Methanol Pipeline Failure in the Canyon Express Pipeline System

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The Canyon Express Pipeline System (CEPS) was started up in November 2002 in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Louisiana. It is owned by six oil companies and collects hydrocarbons from ten wells at depths of ~6100, 7100 and 7200 feet.

The flow line system consists of two 12” diameter gas pipelines (“east” and “west”) connected to a header system, which carries the hydrocarbons 57 miles north to a fixed platform, the Canyon Station, in about 500 feet of water. Tankers come into the Canyon Station to fill up and carry the hydrocarbons to refineries. Just west of the “east” flow line is a 2.875” diameter, X-70 line pipe that carries methanol from the station to the header where it is injected to prevent freezing of the hydrocarbons. To the left of the methanol line is a 6” diameter umbilical line containing electrical power and hydraulic lines.

Gas Ballasting of Mechanical Oil Sealed Rotary Vacuum Pumps

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The correct use of the Gas Ballast valve on a mechanical oil sealed rotary vacuum pump has always been seen as “black science” or just plain guesswork. It is a very simple device and when used correctly can keep a vacuum pump working well even though it may be used on a very wet process and the oil becomes contaminated with condensed vapors.

One series of vacuum pumps I worked with had a gas ballast valve that had no stop when opened. If you unscrewed it enough the ballast knob would come off in your hand allowing maximum air to enter the pump, the pump to become noisier and a blast of oil mist to come out of the exhaust. I always thought that if a lab technician ever did that they would replace the knob and never ever touch the gas ballast valve again.

Coatings Division Receives Five Coating Approvals

VAC AERO Coatings division receives Five Thermal Spray Coating Approvals! Boucherville, Quebec (June 10, 2013) – VAC AERO Coatings division recently received approvals from Pratt & Whitney USA, Rolls-Royce Canada, Bell Helicopter and The SAFRAN Group (Messier-Bugatti) for a variety of thermal spray coatings. The facility was qualified to the stringent standards of Pratt & […]

Measuring Inclusion Content by ASTM E 1245

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table-1-wsOver the past forty-plus years, steelmakers have introduced improved practices for reducing the inclusion content of steels. The success of these practice changes can be monitored in a variety of ways. Chemical analysis of the bulk sulfur and oxygen contents provides a relatively simple means to assess the impact of these changes. However, microscopical test methods are still needed to assess the nature of the inclusions present.

Traditional chart-based measurement methods have wide acceptability, and their data are well understood by both purchaser and producer for heat acceptance purposes. These methods do have inherent weaknesses which limit their usefulness for quality control, SPC, and database applications. Image analysis-based chart measurements are an improvement over manually generated chart ratings, but the data still does not lend itself to databases and statistical comparisons. ASTM Committee E-4 on Metallography has developed a stereologically-based image analysis standard test method, E 1245, which provides the necessary data in a form which is easily databased and analyzed statistically. The presentation will describe E 1245 and show how data from different heats and melting practices can be compared statistically to ascertain valid test differences.