Emech valve suits food industry. - 22th September 2004

The Emech three-inch or 80mm Water Temperature Valve (featured in DEMM’s Cover Story) is the latest design based around Emech Control’s world-beating rotary technology.

The 80mm valve provided a 300 percent increase in flow over the previous largest model (the 50mm valve) and now the valve is finding favour in a number of food-related industries where highly accurate mixing temperature control is critical.

The Emech solution provides an attractive product for new installations as well as being an easy retrofit solution to current installations, providing improvements in product quality and saving the manufacturer money.

The valve has already experienced widespread adoption in the food processing industry including the beef, pork, hide and rendering sectors, as well as the brewing industry.

According to Emech Control marketing manager Dave Parkinson the technology has already found favour in an ethanol corn milling plant in the US, and has applications in gelatine production and snack food processing.


Improved control, less costs.

The key benefit of Emech’s Water Temperature Control valve is improved control, and reduced resource costs. As the costs of resources increase (power, water, waste) manufacturers are driven to reduce these costs and yet increase production or factory throughput. The Emech system provides the customer access to this competitive advantage in both areas, often within existing plants – adding value to the business.

“Simplicity is the key word,” says Parkinson. “There is only one moving part in the valve, with the action being rotary rather than linear. Combined with our standard actuator and closed loop temperature sensing units, the result is a rotary action control valve that can offer superior speed and temperature control accuracy with very low maintenance.”

Parkinson says there is a significant future for the valve. “With our focus on industry applications where there is a requirement for tight control parameters, we are receiving enquiries from OEM manufacturers through Europe and North America wanting to integrate our system with their technology, bringing the benefits of our control system direct to their customers,” he says. Emech valve suits food industry Water temperature is critical for the stripping of pork casings at this US facility. Emech Actuator and new F4 80mm valve.


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AMI Emech Launch- A Simple Smart Solution - 19th September 2004

Background

In early 2003, Emech Control introduced the ceramic disc water mixing system to the North American market with the focus on solving temperature variance issues in the beef slaughter industry.

Previously unstable pressures resulted in unstable output temperatures, which conversely resulted in product spoilage and wasted water and energy. The Emech system is unique in that it can cope with pressure imbalances and react within 1.2 seconds to return to a setpoint within 0.9ºF. It does not require pressure balancing valves.

This patented system has been has been accepted by the top 3 meat processors in the USA and has been proven in the industry to provide increased production output, increased yield and has been documented to save water and energy.


Steam-Water Mixer: AMI launch

Emech will launch its first patented F5 steam-water mixer at the AMI Innovation Showcase in Nashville, TE. This mixer is based on the same patented features of the F3 water mixer.

The design is based on a shear action disc and an in-valve temperature probe. The combination of these features and a fast and precise actuator will provide unsurpassed accuracy for temperature control.

“The development of this steam-water mixer now brings our water mixing technology to a different level, whereby we can heat existing water with steam to provide a precise temperature quickly and accurately” said VP Sales & Marketing David Parkinson.

“What this means is that for specific applications within a plant, the simple Emech stand alone unit can offer tight controls to processes where this was previously difficult. This directly offers higher yield and a better use of limited resources”

Emech currently have a 1” and 1½” steam water system that can accommodate up to 145 psig saturated steam. A 2” x 2 1/2” system will be launched in the coming months.

Both steam-water and water mixer technology is being presented at the Birko Corporation stand, located at booth 303 at the AMI Show.

If you require an information pack sent to you, please complete your contact details on the Information Request Form.

For further information contact:

Birko Corporation (0800) 525 0476		Emech Control Ltd. (1866) 5839248

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Evangelists win US converts. - 10th September 2004
Article written and published by Georgina Bond, The New Zealand Herald, Sept 10 2004.

Fearless marketing has opened big doors for Auckland company Emech Control.

With strong recommendations for its technical valve from New Zealand's biggest meat processing and tanning plants, chief executive Marcel van Dijck and sales and marketing manager David Parkinson set out across the United States in March to door-knock big processing plants.

They returned with $400,000 in potential orders, including from industry giant Tyson, which has now specified this valve in selected plants.

For the eight-strong team at Emech, business is moving quickly. One of Parkinson's favourite sayings sums up their thinking: "It's not for the big to eat the small, but the fast to eat the slow."

The company produces an innovative precision valve that instantly mixes hot and cold water to a preset temperature - and maintains it regardless of fluctuations in inlet pressure. The simple design involves what is thought to be the world's first industrial ceramic disc valve, closed-loop control electric actuator and patented in-valve sensor.

Van Dijck and Parkinson say the product is revolutionising flow control for food manufacturers and meat processors, who operate within tight parameters for water temperature. Worldwide, this is strictly regulated, with on-site inspectors halting work if the right temperatures are not maintained.

Traditionally, meeting the criteria required large amounts of energy, water, labour and wastage. Parkinson says Emech valves improve the control and consistency of temperature and flow, providing savings in energy, water, maintenance and downtime costs.

The valve evolved from a common domestic bathroom complaint - founding engineers Peter Jeromson and Brad Houghton devised an electronic mixing valve to combat the sudden pressure and temperature changes suffered by shower-users when another tap is turned on in the house.

The technology was patented and, in late 1998, an alliance was formed with international shower company American Standard.

Within a year of branching into commercial applications in 2001, Emech had sold valves to 60 per cent of New Zealand's meat processing plants and 70 per cent of tanneries. Sales grew 400 per cent last year, largely the result of some serious groundwork by Parkinson and also by van Dijck, who joined the company late last year.

On their American roadshow, they travelled almost 6000km in two weeks, visiting 30 packhouses. Head office in central Auckland, where the valves are assembled, is a long way from the American market, where Emech is competing against some of the largest valve companies in the world.

"We had to look, feel, touch as good as them," says van Dijck.

Emech "Americanised" its brochures and packaging style, and adopted a dotcom website and a US freephone number. He said fronting up on the doorstep was the key to penetrating the American market. This type of boldness has characterised the company's marketing strategy, which centres on identifying industries where the valve could add value and pursuing them aggressively.

Parkinson says the company has taken its knowledge of New Zealand's brewing, meat processing and tannery industry, and is replicating it worldwide. Orders are coming quickly - more than 50 overseas installations have been made in the last year.

Emech has customers in Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Australia and the United States.

As a result of company representatives attending the World Brewing Congress in San Diego in July, the three largest brewers in North America have requested trials in their test facilities.

"We know we have a solution for the entire industry on a global basis," van Dijck says.

Customer advocacy is also a big part of their strategy.

"We're focused to get the key players in our key market segments. Then there's cross-fertilisation as they recommend to other players," he says.

So far in the US, every customer has recommended the valve to other plants. Van Dijck and Parkinson say this sort of customer verification gives them a real buzz.

Future plans include broadening distribution channels in the US and tapping into new markets in Europe, Australia and Brazil. Van Dijck says there are also plans to broaden applications in the food industry. He knows the opportunities are huge.

"We're out there evangelising our product. We're taking it globally and we're winning."



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Value adder: Alan Frampton believes in spending money to make it. - 20th July 2004
Article written by Nikki Mandow, Author - Unlimited Magazine. July 2004 Issue.

Alan Frampton’s just got a new job. So? People get new jobs every day. Yes, but Frampton’s 74 years old. And after spending more than 50 years in and around the dairy industry, culminating in the chairmanship of New Zealand’s most successful dairy company, Tatua, Frampton has just been appointed chairman of a company working in an entirely new field — engineering.

Actually, Frampton says, being chairman of Emech Control, an innovative young company making precision control valves for mixing hot and cold water and starting to hit the international market, isn’t that different from chairing Tatua. It’s all about applying the principles he espoused at Tatua — and before then as a successful academic — to a new industry.

Basically, Frampton believes, and has always believed, that New Zealand’s only chance of success is to stop competing in commodities and instead add value to our resources at the high-value, low-volume end of the market. And before you mutter, “knowledge economy bullshit”, remember this is a guy who’s been on about this stuff since the late 1950s, when 60% of New Zealand’s exports went to the UK, we had one of the highest living standards in the world and the closest we got to dairy value added was turning milk into butter before sending it overseas. Remember, too, that he’s a guy who’s practised what he preaches, taking a dairy company (Tatua) that mostly dealt in bog-standard commodities and turning it into a company producing high-value branded consumer products and nutritional compounds — from milk.

The new job? It’s all about helping do the same with valves.

Frampton started life as a dairy farmer. After leaving school, he ran the Morrinsville farm his father received as a WW1 returning serviceman. Then, in the 1950s, he was visited by a Dairy Board farm advisor who talked about the scientific developments around pasture production, animal nutrition and farm management. Frampton was hooked. At 25, with a wife and two children, he placed his farm under a manager and headed to Massey University to do an undergraduate degree and then a masters in agricultural science, later getting a scholarship to Cornell University in the US. Full-time farming was finished.

Frampton had an almost messianic vision of the future of agriculture. A quiet, determined man, he set about persuading the Massey hierarchy to set up New Zealand’s first market research centre, then a marketing department (shock horror! Marketing was hardly a subject worthy of a university, surely?) and finally a business school. Then, in 1973, agriculture minister Colin Moyle appointed this 40-something academic with radical views to the staid, commodity-focused Dairy Board. Over the next 10 years, Frampton determinedly — and successfully — pushed consumer products, packaging, and the international marketplace.

Two things separate Frampton from the entrepreneurial norm. First he’s not outgoing. Former colleagues describe him as a highly intelligent, organised, even-handed man with great integrity, who is skilled at gathering and using information, and able to handle situations dispassionately. But he isn’t ebullient.

Second, he came to business from a purely academic standpoint. It was only when he was appointed a Tatua director in 1983 (he became chairman in 1990) that he had the total freedom to see if his theories worked. “I believed a small company like Tatua could demonstrate to the rest of the industry what could be achieved in terms of high-value, profitable food products.” It did — and it’s paid off. Farmer payouts, revenue:asset ratios and revenue per employee have been consistently higher than rivals’ in recent years.

Frampton also brings his “high-value, low-volume” ­philosophy into his management style. Tatua, for example, has a higher percentage of tertiary-qualified staff than any other dairy company. “That’s been a deliberate policy to attract people that can work at the frontiers of science so we can keep ahead of the competition,” Frampton says.

“As long as your revenues are high enough, you can incur costs. The argument that New Zealand should be a low wage country is a recipe for disaster.”

It’s this value-added philosophy that led Auckland-based financiers Birnie Capital Partners to appoint Frampton to Emech. “He’s very perceptive in terms of knowledge-driven value,” says Birnie associate Dave Body. “His view is that niche products become commodities in five to ten years. To maintain your market, you have to be pushing ahead with understanding what your next product set is going to be and developing that.”


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Emech Control Awarded ISO9001:2000 Certification by BVQI - 18th May 2004

Emech Control Ltd. today announced that its Quality System, received certification from Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI) that it is in compliance with AS/NZS ISO9001:2000 for the Design, Manufacture and Distribution of Control Valves and Electronic Actuators.

Marcel van Dijck CEO for Emech says “The BVQI Accreditation is recognition of Emechs Quality System. We have always held Quality management and customer satisfaction in the highest regard. With certification, comes verification that the systems developed over nine years of Research and Development focusing on the Electronic and Mechanical Control of the Flow of Hot and Cold media, are truly in line with best practice”

ISO9001:2000 is an internationally recognised standard for Quality systems, and the most comprehensive standard at International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) for companies that design, develop and manufacture their own products. During the certification process, Bureau Veritas Quality International (BVQI) examined Emechs documentation, business processes, data and records, interviewed employees and observed actual work practices and organisational culture at Emechs manufacturing , research and development facilities.

“Emech Control from its inception has fostered a quality oriented culture, its systems and processes developed internally have been created to allow the business to access and compete in its international target markets”.said Paul Hickman, Quality Program co-ordinator for Emech “The BVQI Certification is a key milestone in the evolution and recognition of the commitment to continuous improvement inherent in Emechs Quality Systems”


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WHATS NEW: Emech develops Steam Rated Range - 20th April 2004

With the proven global market acceptance for the Emech F3 range of "3 Port Mixing Valves" and F2 range of "2 Port Control Valves". We are pleased to announce a new range of steam rated products.

Ongoing commitment to innovative R&D in support of customer needs has allowed Emech to make available a series of Steam rated products based on the same principles employed for the F3 and F2 Range.

Emech has developed the "F5 series of 3 port Steam/Water Mixing valves" and "F6 series of 2 port Steam Control Valves" Utilising the well documented feature sets from our F3 and F2 range, the new F5 and F6 steam rated range of products provide respectively, fast, accurate, steam/water mixing to produce precise temperature control of the output water temperature and superior steam flow control with lower maintenance costs for the end user.

The addition of these new valve products to the current Emech Product Portfolio allows for a more comprehensive solution set from which customers can choose to solve their industrial process control issues.

For inquiries about this New Product Set please contact Emech Control Ltd.

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Emech breaks into USA market - 25th February 2004

Article supplied courtesy Glenn Baker - Editor, Automation & Control Magazine

Emech Control's Water Temperature Control valve was already considered a star act. Now with the release of its new 3" version and breakthrough sales to US customers, the innovative mixing valve is achieving international recognition.

According to Emech Control's marketing manager Dave Parkinson, the original key to success for the Emech valve had been through market identification - identifying water temperature mixing applications in the meat processing and tanning sectors.

"We researched the New Zealand meat industry requirements, specifically the handwash, washdown and sterilisation temperatures and tolerances," says Parkinson. "Many plants were experiencing water supply pressure fluctuations, wasting valuable heating and water resources and on occasions causing plant shutdowns by abattoir inspectors.

"Plant managers could not find a system to provide and control the range of precision temperature points to keep their processes in specification," he says.

The first milestone was the installation of the Emech system in a New Zealand abattoir. Since the first successful installation, other New Zealand plants have followed, solving the same problems with the Emech system.

This led to the second milestone within the tanning industry where a range of precise water temperatures is required in a multiple batch environment with very high flow "After our first New Zealand installation, the customer calculated a three month payback for his investment from reduced water usage and heating costs," says Parkinson. "He also enjoys improved product quality which can command a premium."

Armed with a combination of its proven industry track record in NZ plus market knowledge, Emech approached top North American beef packers to research their market and applications. Emech discovered that the temperature control problems it had solved within New Zealand industries were in fact quite similar, and recognised a global market for the Temperature Control valve.

"The US beef packing industry, despite having a different process has very similar control issues and water temperature guidelines," explains Parkinson. "Every engineer we interviewed had experienced out of control processes and were looking for a workable solution."

Emech's first shipment was to Canada, and within minutes of installation the unit was controlling and supplying wash water at a precise temperature efficiently and effectively. Within two weeks, the same plant ordered two more units, advising their parent group of their savings which led to further installations at beef packers in Texas, Colorado and Nebraska.

These applications have broadened, and Emech now supplies a US manufacturer specialising in wash systems for the meat industries, as well as equipment for the brewing and food industries.


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Emech release three inch valve - 18th February 2004

The Emech three-inch or 80mm valve is a new valve design based around the same rotary technology. The 80mm valve offers a 300 percent increase in flow over the previous largest model, the 50mm valve. This innovation was developed with the tanning industry in mind, where high flow and temperature control are needed. The Emech design solution provides an attractive product for new installations as well as being an easy retrofit solution to current installations.

Previous systems in the tanning industry have been slow and inaccurate, costing time, product quality and resources. Emech has designed a valve that can achieve the required setpoint almost instantly, provide temperature accuracy and deliver a higher flow to improve productivity.

In addition to offering the valve and actuator, Emech has developed a control unit that can accept an air-signal and convert this to an electronic milliamp signal required by its actuator.

"Our customer's brief was to design a simple retrofit control interface that could allow the easy installation of our system in their tannery and other tanneries worldwide," says Parkinson. "As a result we can now offer the industry options for precision temperature supply and control that are simple and cost effective."

The key benefit of Emech's water temperature control valve us improved productivity and reduced resource costs. This provides the customer with a competitive advantage, often within existing plants - adding value to the business.

The second benefit is reduced ongoing maintenance costs - primarily due to its design feature. "To describe its' design - simplicity is the key word," says Parkinson. "There is only one moving part in the valve, with the action being rotary rather than linear. The result is a control valve that can offer superior speed and temperature control with very low maintenance".


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Marcel van Dijck appointed as CEO for Emech Control - 15th December 2003

Marcel van Dijck has been appointed CEO by the Emech Control Board of Directors effective from the 15th of December 2003.

Marcel comes to Emech with over 15 years in the Technology Sector, most recently as General Manager for HPM and Tyco Electronics. Prior to this Marcel was based in Singapore as Director of an Asia/Pacific Business Unit for AMP Inc.

Having developed and led significant business growth in these organisations, via both sales, new product development, and technology business acquisitions, Marcel brings to Emech Control international business skills that will help Emech continue to embrace the rapid growth from Global opportunities that exist for the development of the business around its unique core mixing technology.

Marcel has an MSc and postgraduate business qualifications from the University of Auckland.


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Top breweries choose new temperature control valve - 2nd October 2003

At a rapidly growing craft brewery in Wellington, continued international success will relate to an innovative valve system which mixes and delivers critical water from a very compact package.

The Wellington Brewing Company produces Lion Brown and three craft beers which have recently won three international gold awards, of which two were for “Best in Class”.

For each beer recipe, the master brewer selects a different temperature between 55 and 82ºC for the strike liquor as it mixes with crushed malt during the critical mashing process. This process allows malt starch to convert to fermentable sugars. Temperature is critical in achieving the desired spectrum of sugars which influence the final flavour and body of the beer.

Impressed by advice from NZ Breweries in Auckland, Wellington Brewing Company head brewer Colin Paige has chosen an Emech control valve to produce the strike liquor. The Emech valve instantaneously mixes hot and cold supply water to the preset temperature with a variation of only 0.5ºC.

Mixing accuracy is maintained continuously despite a wide difference in the inlet pressures of the hot and cold water. Accuracy is also unaffected by wide fluctuations in both inlet pressures.

“Rapid, accurate control of water temperature is critical to the quality of each beer”, says Colin Paige. “It also ensures total consistency between batches which is something the customer really appreciates”.

At the NZ Breweries plant in Newmarket, brewing engineer Dave O’Carroll has had an Emech valve on-line continuously delivering steeping water to malting grain for over 18 months. This valve corrects output temperature to +/- 0.5°C within 2 seconds despite inlet pressure variations.

“The way the Emech valve mixes is magic”, says Dave O’Carroll. “Being able to sense, mix and measure hot and cold water instantly in a very compact package is sophisticated technology”, he says.

The Emech control valve has a body cast from 316 stainless steel and a disc seat built of ceramic material, making it ideal for the food and beverage industries.

Colin Paige is impressed with the construction of the valve and actuator as well as their ability to withstand plant washdown. “I’m very confident in this Emech valve”, he adds. “It’s more advanced than anything I’ve seen over many years of brewing in the UK.”

The Emech valve will be controlled remotely through the brewery’s existing SCADA software.


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New controller switches critical water temperatures - July 17 2003

Efficiency at a large New Zealand meatworks has been enhanced with the installation of innovative water temperature control technology described by the plant engineer as “a huge step forward”.

The latest addition is a new remote temperature controller designed to facilitate switching of output temperatures from a single control valve.

Located in a supervisor’s office 200 feet from the valve, the new controller switches water output temperature from 107°F for handwash to 131°F for washdown on the main slaughter floor. Both temperatures are subject to industry regulations which this system is capable of achieving within ±0.9°F.

The ceramic disc valve and remote temperature controller were developed by Emech Control as a custom package for the meat industry.

At the Alliance Group’s plant at Pukeuri, the technology has impressed engineering manager, Frank Steans, with its simplicity and reliability. “Previous systems didn’t work very well”, he says. “There was nothing like Emech’s technology on the market”.

“At first I was skeptical of the performance claims made by Emech. I thought the specifications were too good to be true. But everything worked perfectly and now I’m very confident in it”, he says.

The installation process is simple for both the valve and the new remote temperature controller. The controller is housed in a small box water resistant to IP66 and requires only a two-wire connection to the actuator. Additional communication cable and power supply are not required.

The controller changes water temperature at the valve outlet instantly. Only one valve system and associated pipework are required for various temperature outlet operations which can occur at different times of the day.

“I see the Emech water temperature control technology as a huge step forward”, says Frank Steans. “It is definitely state-of-the-art”.

Two further Emech ceramic disc control valve systems are on order for Pukeuri, which currently employs about 1000 workers.


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Emech exports to USA - May 8 2003

Following successful installations in the New Zealand Meat Industry, Emech have secured export orders with installations in Canada and USA.

"In partnership with New Zealand meat processors, Emech studied critical water temperature applications with government authorites and quickly discovered that handwash and sterilization tempered water was a critical part of the plant. We also discovered that water loss was significant" says Marketing Manager David Parkinson.

"In USA water temperature controls are just as critical, especially in carcass wash pasteurization applications where critical temperatures are required to achieve FSIS standards. And again we can prove that our system reduces water and energy consumption"


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Rapid payback achieved with new control valve - 2 May 2003

Soon after installing a new high-tech water temperature control system, a primary processor has reported several clear benefits including energy savings, water cost savings, labour savings and product quality improvements.

The system was installed last January at Te Aroha Skin Processors Ltd, in the Waikato, to replace a problem-prone setup used to control water for tanning hides from sheep, cattle and deer. Water temperature is critical to protect leather pelts from shrinkage, cracks and poor chemical penetration.

“The new system came with a guarantee that it would perform to exceptional specifications”, says general manager Pat Bennett. “It seemed too good to be true”.
The previous system, though reputed to be the industry standard, had caused the factory managers and operating staff much concern for its inconsistency despite repeated expert servicing.

Developed and supplied by specialized flow control company Emech Control, of Auckland, the new system comprises a very compact control valve and actuator. It delivers water for the tanning process at five or more different temperatures between 28 and 50ºC to a ±0.5ºC accuracy.

Flow can range from 1000 to 1500 litres/minute. Even at the highest rate, correct temperature is achieved in 1¼ second whereas the old system took about 45 seconds.

The previous system diverted water back to the boiler which often overflowed to waste. Now the diverter has been eliminated and $150 worth of diesel fuel has been saved each week.

“We’re saving up to 4000 litres of hot water per day”, says Pat Bennett. “Metered water usage charges are about $120 less per week and waste water charges are down by around $150 per week. Time saving cuts about another $420 from labour costs each week.

“So with total weekly savings of over $800, payback will be in less than three months. We’re very, very pleased with the value for money”, he adds.

Installing the new Emech system was simple and straightforward. A 100 mm diameter hot water feed pipe was replaced with a new 50 mm pipe which meets all requirements. The existing plant plc was re-programmed smoothly for the new system. Should the plc ever fail, the Emech actuator can operate independently.

“It seems to us that this new system is well ahead of its time. Its performance defies logic”, he says. He’s impressed with the valve’s ceramic disc technology and self-cleaning capabilities, and its operation is easy. He adds that Emech’s service has been impeccable including frequent follow-ups to ensure total customer satisfaction.

“The main benefit has been our new confidence in reliability”, says Pat Bennett. “The old system was unreliable and this was a constant worry for our managers and customers. In the three months since we commissioned the new installation, we’ve seen no variations or problems of any kind”.

The new control system is patented and won the “best control valve” award from the New Zealand Institute of Measurement & Control. Overseas interest is said to be keen.


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Local leather processor saves money - 15 April 2003

Significant savings has been achieved by a local processor by replacing an existing water mixing system with an Emech mixing system.

"The biggest advantage is the mixing time, which with the Huni would take up to 2 minutes and now takes about 4 seconds" says Scott Mather, Production Manager, Lowe Corporation Onehunga.

"This alone saves us about 1 hr per day of queuing time. Not to mention the estimated 30,000 plus litres of water that is re circulating to the hot water on a daily basis".

Over the next few months, gas usage will be monitored to further evaluate savings produced.





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New water temperature control system saves water & energy - 18 Nov 2002

Significant savings in energy, water and labour are reported by a meatworks following the commissioning of a process control system that delivers warm water within very close temperature limits.

Installed in September at the Richmond Ltd works at Hawkes Bay, the system is reliably meeting a critical interruptible-load demand for hand washing water on two lamb slaughtering chains.

The previous system suffered troublesome temperature fluctuations and needed frequent monitoring for six days every week to keep the water within the 38ºC to 44ºC ( 100ºF to 111ºF ) range of industry requirements.

“The new system copes admirably”, says plant engineer Ray Jenkins. “Though it involves new technology, we were pleased to find it works exactly as predicted”.

Comprising a ceramic disc valve, an intelligent actuator and associated electronics, the new control system delivers up to 500 litres/minute ( 132 US Gallons/minute ) of water at 42ºC +/- 1ºC ( 108ºF +/- 1.8ºF ). After turn-on in the early hours of each morning, the system takes only ten minutes to become fully operational.

Throughout the day the system copes with pressure fluctuations in both the hot and cold input feed lines and there is no evidence of sine wave corrections discernible at the outlets. Even if the cold inlet is flicked off and on, the +/- 1ºC ( +/- 1.8ºF ) outlet temperature is regained in only about 5 seconds.

Ray Jenkins recalls that his project engineering staff searched for ten years for a workable solution. They had tried and rejected the costly option of mixing hot and cold water in tanks.

“With the new Emech system we’ve been able to reduce the operating pressure from 2.5 Bar to 1.5 Bar, we’ve saved energy and we’ve saved water”, he says. “Most importantly, we’ve removed a possible cause of disruption to the killing chains”.

A further benefit of the new control system is that by doing without a secondary warm water storage tank, it has eliminated a possible source of bacterial contamination.

Richmond engineers are already thinking about using the technology again on a casing line application. Emech marketing manager David Parkinson says other applications in New Zealand have proved successful and industries in USA are also showing interest.


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Big benefits proved for patented disc valve - 28 July 2002

Higher productivity has been achieved in a large toiletries and cosmetics manufacturing plant following the trial installation of a new-generation valve and actuator unit developed in New Zealand.

Controlling delivery of de-ionised hot water in a heat exchanger ring main, the 3-port valve and actuator unit (illustrated center left) contains unique technology yielding extremely rapid response, very high accuracy and enhanced reliability.

Ideally suited to temperature control applications in fluid handling, the unit has undergone extensive testing in-house and is now in full production with delivery ex-stock.

The stainless steel valve comes in four sizes from 20 to 50 mm ( ¾" to 2" ) diameter and the actuator delivers either 35 or 100 Nm ( 310 or 885 in.lb ) torque. The actuator can be mounted separately if required.

According to David Naidu, production manager at PSM Healthcare Ltd, in Auckland, the valve’s high performance based on ceramic disc technology, and the intelligent actuator, mean the unit may become a new generic option in hydraulic process control.

“We needed rapid 2 – 3 second response time and 100% accuracy at all times”, says Naidu. “It has proved to be ideal for our application”.

Emech Control Marketing Manager, David Parkinson describes the simplicity of the unit and its ±0.5ºC ( ±1ºF ) accuracy as unique. It can typically change ring main temperature from 30ºC to 80ºC ( 86ºF to 176ºF ) in under 3 seconds.

The ceramic disc technology is subject to a patent application.