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For more than half a century, municipal councils, as well as industrial and mining companies throughout Australia and New Zealand have invested billions of dollars into equipment and infrastructure to process waste water and sewage. Corrosion of this infrastructure, and in some cases the subsequent leakage, costs industry in excess of $1B each year. The main assets that are impacted by corrosion in waste water treatment plants (WWTP) are the pipelines, storage tanks, clarifier ponds and sewage channels. As much of the WWTPs infrastructure is ageing, it is starting to require refurbishment or replacement. One method of refurbishment of these assets is to carry out surface repairs and then apply protective coatings. These coatings must be strong, flexible and resistant to chemical attack. Corrosion particularly affects the submerged parts of structures in WWTPs. “Special consideration has to be given when coating structures in sewage treatment plants,” stated Dennis Baker, Special Projects Engineer at Gold Coast-based Rhino Linings Australasia (RLA). “One of the more corrosive by-products of sewage is hydrogen sulphide gas.” “Hydrogen sulphide reacts with moisture on surfaces in a waste water plant and bubbles up to form sulphuric acid which really loves concrete,” added Baker. Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) attacks the cement, copper, iron and silver which gradually degrades the structure. In the case of a pipeline, this may ultimately result in the collapse of the pipe wall. The modern requirement for capping storages in order to control excessive odours has the drawback of also increasing gas concentrations. One type of coating from RLA that is ideally suited for waste water treatment is spray applied Polyurea. The company has been working with this material since the early 1990s and now manufactures in Australia a range of consistent formulations which are suitable for a variety applications. Pure Polyurea is a relatively […]

Low maintenance Air stroke actuators from Firestone provide a compact and easily installed way to continuously orient solar trackers’ payload towards the sun to optimize the amount of energy produced from installed power generating capacity. The rubber and fabric actuators – distributed throughout Australia by Air Springs Supply Pty Ltd – can be used to solve the problem of stationary solar collection panels becoming inefficient as the sun shifts from a 90-degree angle to the panels. Usually inflated or deflated by standard fixed or mobile compressed air (typically 7 bar (100 psi), they move photovoltaic systems to minimize and angle of incidence between the incoming sunlight and a photovoltaic array. Alternatively, an ingenious actuation alternative uses the expansion and contraction of Freon gas as it is heated and cooled within the actuators to extend and retract them and change the angle of the collection panels. “Airstrokes are particularly beneficial for commercial installations, where continuous focusing of the arrays through single or dual-axis arrangements enhances energy returns. Such installations – sometimes in remote locations and subject to climatic extremes over 24 hours – need extremely reliable actuators to continuously reposition payloads such as solar panels, reflectors, mirrors or lenses,” says Air springs Supply Sales and Marketing Manager Mr James Maslin. Airstroke bellows offered by for use by solar engineers and installers have been proven in widespread heavy duty industrial actuation throughout Australia, including providing millions of cycles of service on conveyors and mineral processing screens and vibrators, where they have to withstand dust, heat, moisture and extremes of Outback climate. “They are identical in construction to the airbags proven in truck and train suspension so they are extraordinarily tough. In addition to having no internal rods of seals to wear – unlike conventional metal cylinders – they have the ability to […]

One of Australia’s premier flange management companies, Projem, has used the latest Enerpac bolt tensioning technology to achieve outstanding flange sealing accuracy and tool reliability on a major project in the coal seam gas basin west of Brisbane. Projem is a specialist company, with branches in Gladstone and Brisbane and a strong focus on safety and quality. They offer a comprehensive flange management package to ensure everything is inspected and approved through all steps when completing bolted connections. They use a range of Enerpac bolting tools, which ideally complement the safety and quality focus. “In the past 18 months we’ve used Enerpac equipment to tension over 500 flange connections and it shows very little wear and tear,” says Mr Nathan Peachey, Mechanical Engineer, Projem. “All we need to do is calibrate the tensioning pump at appropriate intervals to keep the pressure as accurate as possible and Enerpac helps us with that too,” says Mr Peachey. In their recent Queensland project, Enerpac GT bolt tensioners were combined with an ATP-1500 air pump, as Projem worked on two new compressor stations and the main feed connection point on a pipeline to a Gladstone processing plant. They also assisted with pipe cutting and preparation of heavy wall pipes as well as on-site installation of pipework at Gladstone, which is a major gas processing hub for the State of Queensland, where coal seam gas has grown to become the dominant source of gas, supplying over 88 per cent of the Queensland market and over 98 per cent of remaining proved and probable gas reserves. The Enerpac tensioners, in capacities up to 2,845kN (320 ton) at 1500 bar, are particularly suitable where operators want to achieve known and accurate bolt loads across multiple applications, such as pipelines and flanges. Enerpac territory manager, SE Queensland and […]

The latest FAG radial insert ball bearing and housing units from Schaeffler Australia featuring easy mounting, smooth running, enhanced anti-corrosion protection and high reliability to allow particularly economical bearing arrangements. The new Black Series Ball Bearing Units FAG – featuring a DUROTECT B coating to provide improved anti-corrosion protection – are most suitable for challenging operating conditions where they require less maintenance and save operators time and money. The robust units are particularly suitable for medium-to-high load applications including: • Power transmission, conveying, materials handling, metals and steel • Mining and energy, construction and agricultural, textile, paper, packaging and woodworking machinery • Pumps and process industry exposed to wet conditions, including food and beverage, water and waste water, oil and gas processing plant Schaeffler Australia Pty Ltd – which markets the FAG and INA industrial and LuK automotive brands here – is part of the Schaeffler Group, one of Europe’s leading technology companies, with long-established Australasian operations, including its Bearing Engineering Services (BES) industrial bearing service centre and ASB competence centre focussing particularly on bearing and housing solutions for industry. Major benefits of the Black Series include: Simple mounting Misalignments are compensated by the matched design of the housing and the radial insert bearing and the plus tolerance of the bore. Reworking of the shaft is no longer required. In addition, two self-retaining set screws that are offset by 120° securely locate the inner ring on the shaft. A suitable Allen key is supplied with every ball bearing unit, reducing mounting outlay to a minimum. Quiet running, energy-saving low friction Optimised internal geometry, honed raceways and high ball quality ensure quiet running. The low frictional torque of the radial insert ball bearings reduces the energy requirements of applications. Energy efficiency is further improved with the extremely low-friction plastic cage. High […]