A world forum

On 19-24 May, the 27th Achema takes place in Frankfurt, Germany. Hardly needing any introduction, this triennial extravaganza of chemical engineering, environmental protection and biotechnology remains the world’s leading event for all sectors of the process industries.

Around 4000 exhibiting companies and more than 200 000 visitors from all over the world make Achema what it is - a truly global forum for the exchange of ideas, information and innovations that consistently help shape the future of the process engineering profession and the industries it serves.

Despite its sheer size, Achema attempts to make life as easy as possible for visitors by grouping exhibits into readily recognisable themes. So, for example, Mechanical and Thermal Processes can be found in the adjacent Halls 4 and 5, where many of the major names in process engineering equipment and technologies set up home for the week.

Alfa Laval, for instance, has a strong presence in Hall 4.0. New products being premiered here include the AlfaCond plate condenser for vacuum vapour condensation in evaporation and distillation systems. Claimed as the first plate condenser in the world, the AlfaCond is expected to replace direct condensers in process industries such as paper, fish and sugar.

For the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, Alfa Laval is launching the Culturefuge 100 hermetic centrifuge, designed for the delicate separations of extremely shear-sensitive mammalian cells. Also specially developed for the pharma sector is the company’s new small single-seat valve, suitable for use as a two- or three-port stop valve, or as a three- to five-point changeover valve. And making its first showing at a European exhibition is Alfa Laval’s cross-flow membrane filtration module.

One of the well-known names in heat exchanger technology, SWEP, is unveiling a new corporate identity in Hall 4.0 as Tranter PHE. The new branding - coming into effect next month - is said to create a new global force in the plate heat exchanger (PHE) market.

On show at Achema is a wide range of gasketed and welded PHEs, including the compact all-welded Ultramax for high temperature corrosive applications, and the versatile Platecoil prime surface PHE, which features wide flow paths for high-fouling or viscous process media in applications such as pulp and paper, waste treatment and the pharmaceutical industries.

A new scraped surface heat exchanger is to be featured in Hall 4.1 by HRS Heat Exchangers. Currently in the final stages of development and type-testing, the new exchanger shares the HRS stand with the company’s Spiratube range of corrugated tube units and its patented, non-fouling scraped surface Dynamic heat exchanger. Also on show is HRS’s hygienic Piston Pump, developed to handle sensitive and particulate products without damaging them.

Over in Hall 5.0, UK centrifuge manufacturer Thomas Broadbent & Sons is highlighting one of its latest GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) horizontal peeler centrifuges, a validatable filtering or decanting machine for use in the ultra-clean conditions of the pharmaceutical industry. These machines feature fully opening front-end casings, for safe operator inspection of the interior, and to ensure total cleanliness there are no ‘dead’ areas inside or out. To eliminate contamination risks, the machines are built to a ‘through the wall’ design, so that servicing can take place outside of clean areas.

Among other centrifuge companies to be found in Hall 5.0, Krauss-Maffei is showing its innovative pharma design horizontal peeler centrifuge. This is said to offer excellent wash efficiency and up to 100 per cent product recovery with full CIP and SIP capabilities and automatic heel removal.

High levels of hygiene are also a feature of the latest pressure filter from Larox (Hall 5.0). The company’s C Series family is designed to provide compliant solid-liquid separations, with simplified downstream processing and the highest possible yields at the lowest cost per tonne of product.

Biotech applications

Sterilising applications are a speciality for Cuno’s new membrane filter Microfluor II, which can be used for biotech applications such as fermenter air inlet/outlet filtration that may require up to 200 in situ steaming cycles. The filter is available as standard cartridges from 5in to 40in, as mini cartridges and also as disposable filter capsules.

For industrial dry filtration, W L Gore’s stand in Hall 5 features a new addition to the company’s family of Gore-Tex high durability filter bags. Based on a blended PTFE and polyimide felt, these bags are designed for applications requiring significantly longer bag life. They are seen as a cost-effective alternative to membrane-acrylic or membrane-aramid felts used in the chemical industry. Meanwhile, Gore’s other stand in Hall 8 concentrates on the company’s sealing expertise in the field of ePTFE gasketing.

Back in Hall 5.0, the various Hosokawa companies from around the world will be making their presence felt. Hosokawa Micron, for example, is demonstrating its new Intellimill system for solids processing. This is an intelligent milling system that measures particle size distribution and automatically adjusts its milling parameters to give improved batch consistency and batch-to-batch comparability. Visitors will also see the Hosokawa Vitalair laminar flow booth for operator protection from dust and fumes; the Hosokawa Scott isolator technology providing containment levels of less than 5µg/m3; and the Hosokawa Rietz angle disintegrator, designed for hygienic grinding and delumping.

Continuing the themed groupings of exhibits, over in Hall 4.2 the Kemutec Group is showing its new KEK air classifier mill, along with the well-known Mucon butterfly valves for the processing and handling of dry bulk solids. The new mill increases the company’s range of size reduction equipment and is said to offer operational savings and improved user efficiencies. Kemutec is confidently expecting great interest in the latest KEK centrifugal sifters and Gardner mixers. Both of these ranges have been upgraded to incorporate cantilevered drive shafts, eliminating one set of bearings and seals, and simplifying the internals to offer high levels of hygiene and easier cleaning.

In the same Hall 4.2, Matcon is launching a new IBC (intermediate bulk container) system for tablet and capsule handling. Suitable for high containment applications, the system includes a ‘gentle’ Cone Valve IBC that allows over 1000 litres of tablets to be safely filled, stored and discharged without crushing or breakages.

Other solids handling expertise in Hall 4.2 comes from Flexicon, who will be announcing a new bulk bag filler featuring a twin-centrepost frame for greater strength and improved accessibility to the bag hooks. Also on show is the company’s latest generation of bag dischargers.

One floor down, Hall 4.1 is home to the exhibition group covering ‘Industrial and Labour Safety’. Representative of the type of equipment to be found here is the Bond-Rite static grounding clamp from Newson Gale. This ATEX approved, intrinsically safe clamp has been developed to enable static bonding connections to be continuously checked and verified in potentially explosive atmospheres. Such clamps are a requirement wherever mobile or portable conductive plant items, such as drums, containers and vessels, are used in hazardous areas. The Bond-Rite ensures that connections are continuously checked and monitored.

New products on show

Fluids handling to the fore

After the Mechanical and Thermal Processes parts of Achema, the largest individual equipment grouping is that devoted to Pumps, Compressors, Valves and Fittings. Traditionally filling the cavernous Hall 8, this section has this year overflowed into the adjacent Hall 9, which also houses ‘Engineering’ (as in plant and process design).

Among the many UK companies to be found in these two halls, Watson-Marlow Bredel Pumps is showing two new product developments in Hall 8. These are the SPX25 and SPX32 high-pressure hose pumps for the chemical, water treatment and food process industries, and the 700 series peristaltic pumps for the chemical, pharmaceutical and food processing industries.

The 700 series peristaltics feature LoadSure tubing elements that are supplied ready-to-fit with industrial cam and groove connectors. These ensure that the tube is correctly positioned and tensioned over its whole life, removing the need for any periodic adjustments.

Celebrating its centenary of pump production, Albany Engineering is launching in Hall 9.1 a new range of modular gear pumps, capable of running at very high inlet pressures, typically above 60bar. The range covers sizes from ½in to 2in, with applications including compressor lubrication and sampling from high-pressure oil pipelines.

Also in Hall 9 will be several companies form the global FCX group of fluids handling specialists, including FCX GHR, Orton, Truflo Rona, IMF and Thompson Valves. New products on show include Orton’s MV Royal cryogenic valve and several items from Thompson Valves’ Maxseal IVP range.

Elfab, in Hall 9.0, is launching its Optigard pressure relief safety system. Operating across a wide range of burst pressures, the Optigard facilitates pressure management for design engineers and operators. The product’s wetted parts are made from corrosion-resistant Hastelloy as standard and the disc has a performance tolerance down to 3 per cent. The system also features both a new universal holder and the ATEX-approved Flo-Tel switch.

Process sealing is the theme of DuPont Dow Elastomers’ stand in Hall 9. Unveiled will be the high performance Kalrez Spectrum 7075 perfluoroelastomer parts for severe sealing applications, and the latest speciality types of Viton fluorelastomer made with Advanced Polymer Architecture called Viton TBR-S and Viton ETP-S for improved oil and base resistance.

Biotechnology boost

One of the cornerstones of Achema has been its attention to biotechnology and related equipment. This year there will also be a world-class biotechnology conference, and pride of place for biotechnology exhibitors in the newest Hall on the fairgrounds, the Forum.

Elsewhere, equipment for the pharmaceuticals sector can be found in Hall 3, sharing the space with packaging and storage techniques. Coating and tableting specialist Manesty can be found here, launching its Model Xpress 700 tablet press - the largest from the company to date. The press can be seen as a working model producing tablets during the show, while alongside will be a static Xpress 500 model.

On the coating front, Manesty is introducing a plant-scale XL lab02 tablet coating machine. This accommodates drums with nominal capacities of 75, 35 and 16 litres, and is a development of the pilot scale XL lab01 coating machine launched at the last Achema in 2000.

Also in Hall 3, All-Fill International is showing a selection of its vertical auger-based powder filling systems. The automatic and semi-automatic machines now feature PLC control with touch screen HMI panels, replacing the old style keypad controls. A particularly useful feature is an optional graphical trend display, which shows the fill weight performance in real time as the machine is operating. The AFI Series 100 single head, in-line automatic filling system will be shown filling into narrow neck bottles.

Hall 3 is also home to the Materials Technology and Testing exhibits. Typical of the companies here is DuPont Fluoropolymers, which is showing a comprehensive range of chemical resistant Teflon fluoropolymers for use in chemical plant construction, with a focus on bio, food and pharma production.

Everything under control

Though not as comprehensive as dedicated automation events such as Interkama, Hall 10 at Achema nevertheless serves up an offering of process control and instrumentation companies that would of itself make a decent sized UK exhibition.

And from the UK, gas analyser specialist Servomex says it will be at Achema in style in Hall 10.2. Alongside its most recent modular high-performance process oxygen analyser, the 2200, will be a new version of the company’s katharometer-based gas analyser, the K650. This was specially designed to measure the presence of hydrogen (0-5 per cent) in chlorine (0-100 per cent) during chlorine production. Also on the stand will be the 2700 combustion analyser, the 2500 range of infrared process gas analysers, the 1900 process oxygen analyser for hazardous areas, and the 4100 gas purity analyser.

As an aid to process analysis and sample-handling, Swagelok is showing for the first time in Europe its new modular platform components, together with configurator software. These are said to make it easy to develop and assemble complete analyser and sample-handling systems using an ANSI/ISA 76.00.02 compliant miniature modular design. System designers can now greatly reduce the size, weight and flow path volume of their analysis and sampling systems, while reducing the costs required to design, build and maintain them.

The modular platform components meet all requirements of the ANSI/ISA specification for a 1.5in footprint.

Control valves of a somewhat larger scale will be found on Schubert & Salzer’s stand in Hall 10.1. These are sliding gate control valves designed for large differential pressure applications. Their special construction makes them resistant to cavitation, leading to a longer working life than conventional control valves. The sliding gate valves are produced in sizes up to PN 100, which can mean a pressure drop of 50 to 60bar in one stage - a high enough DeltaP to lead to damaging cavitation in conventional valves if the flowing liquid flashes off as it passes through the valve.

On the instrumentation front, in Hall 10.2 Berthold Technolgies is showing its Super-Sens level detectors. These relatively low power radiation-based instruments feature a level of sensitivity that makes possible for the first time non-contact level measurements on extremely thick-walled vessels. According to new radiation protection regulations, a strong shielding is normally required for these types of instruments, but the Super-Sens can be retrofitted into existing installations, doubling the useful life of the existing source.