Back from a few days off always means wading through an enormous pile of email. Lurking in mine was the release below. Siemens is apparently taking its strategy of bringing its products right to visitors in portable shows to the next level. This time, it's not just show and tell. It's bringing technology you may well need right to your site where it will do the most good. Here's the release.
SIEMENS BRINGS FIRST MOBILE ESP CONTROLS TEST UNIT TO NORTH AMERICA
Unit offers electrostatic precipitator (ESP) operators a mobile option for on-site testing and optimization of collecting efficiency.
ATLANTA, July 7, 2010 – Siemens Industry, Inc. (NYSE: SI) today announced that a Siemens mobile test unit for electrostatic precipitators will make its North American debut July 19–20, at the 2010 APC Round Table & Expo in Concord, N.C.
Electrostatic precipitators filter the exhaust gases emitted from industrial plants, power plants and refuse incineration plants, collecting and removing pollutants such as dust, soot and aerosols. Sometimes, changes in operational conditions or new emissions regulations require an increase in ESP collecting efficiency. When this happens, plant operators can either mechanically expand the precipitator itself or upgrade by installing new control equipment.
Installing new equipment is a faster, lower cost solution than mechanical expansion. Plant operators can gather information about the status of an ESP and its optimization potential by installing test equipment that mimics the planned controls upgrade. Test operation usually involves rounding-up all the necessary components, transporting them to the site, setting them up and connecting them to the ESP. This work can take several days and may lead to interruptions in ESP operation – possibly bringing the entire plant to a standstill.
Previously available only in Europe, Siemens’ container-based mobile test unit provides the plant operator with information about the status of a connected ESP within the shortest possible time, while also providing data on ways to improve performance and save energy. Easy transport and quick installation eliminate the need for complete precipitator shutdown.
"Our aim is to provide our customers with a quick and inexpensive way to gather the data they need to make informed decisions about upgrading their plants," said Roland Metz, principal business developer, Siemens Industry Solutions Division, Siemens Industry, Inc.
On the outside, the testing unit looks like a standard, blue shipping container. Inside the 20-foot-long container, however, are a high-voltage power supply and all the control and optimization systems necessary to operate one ESP field on-site. The pre-installed equipment includes an IGBT-based inverter, a high-voltage transformer rectifier, a PC with monitoring and optimization software and all necessary cables.
The container comes equipped with a PC workstation for running pre-installed test procedures and requires only minor adjustments to adapt to specific local conditions. Its advanced power electronics and proprietary software optimize energy use and reduce harmful plant emissions. The test unit can also be used to bridge malfunctions and ESP failures.
"Our European customers really benefitted from having us bring the test unit out to their facilities so they could see for themselves the emissions reductions and energy savings provided by Siemens’ ESP technology," said Metz. "So, we decided to offer the same service to plant operators in the United States."
The device will stay in the United States indefinitely, travelling by truck from plant to plant in response to customer requests. Setup and commissioning of the mobile test unit takes one business day, roughly a third of the time required to construct a test installation on-site from the ground up. In addition, the unit can be installed with no interruptions to ESP operation.
The Siemens ESP mobile testing unit will be on display during the APC Roundtable & Expo, July 19-20, 2010, in the parking lot of the Concord, N.C. Embassy Suites Resort Hotel.
