Sigma Thermal Blog

Sigma Thermal will be attending the upcoming ADIPEC 2015 event, which takes place from Nov. 9-12. The conference gathers 2,000 industry leaders exhibiting across 23 national pavilions, and over 80,000 attendees are expected. The theme of this year’s show is Innovation & Sustainability in a New Energy World.

With crude oil prices at rock-bottom levels, petroleum companies are looking for new ways to optimize the crude oil production process. Doing so requires investment in advanced energy recovery technology from established industry leaders such as Sigma Thermal.

 

From October 14-16, leaders from government and industry will meet in Vancouver for the third annual International LNG in BC Conference. This year the theme is Clean Energy. Reliable Partner. The Conference proceedings will focus on matters relating to investment, innovation, and partnerships in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry.

British Columbia’s LNG industry is approaching a tipping point. The provincial government is dedicated to supporting the industry through a favorable tax regime and generous financial support.

All of the major LNG companies operating in the region will be at the conference, so this will be a fantastic opportunity for Sigma Thermal to showcase its industry-leading products and services for professionals in the industry.

We are in the midst of a U.S. shale revolution: advancements in shale oil and gas extraction techniques have led to greater natural gas production levels and a renewed demand for natural gas in industrial and power applications. Because of the increased level of competition in the industry, process efficiency is paramount. Bringing natural gas to market cost effectively hinges on the optimal design and operation of the natural gas sweetening process.

Natural gas produced from reserves in almost never pure; rather, it contains acid gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. One way to remove these impurities is amine gas treatment. An amine plant (also known as a sweetening plant) is used to remove the carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from the gas solution so that pure natural gas can be efficiently transported to end users via pipeline.

Our latest white paper, Effective Heating Helps Amine Plants Purify Natural Gas, describes how to improve the natural gas purification process with effective heating. It also reviews the optimal conditions and system settings for controlling the amine regeneration temperature and optimizing the efficiency of the process.

Industrial facilities rely on a variety of equipment to support their vital processes. Factors such as increases in customer demand and exceptionally harsh applications can be taxing on the equipment, causing equipment malfunction or failure that takes production off-line.  For this reason it is imperative for facilities to keep the most crucial spare parts on-hand, preventing costly interruptions or shutdowns.

Many professionals tend to avoid the practice of stocking parts, but there are numerous benefits to this method. One such benefit is cost savings.  Assuming your plant is operating around the clock, you could potentially save thousands of dollars by having critical items readily available.

The biennial Ligna event, widely considered as the world's premier woodworking trade fair, is returning to Hannover, Germany. Set against the backdrop of the state capital of Lower Saxony, Ligna 2015 will be a platform for an array of machinery concepts and technological advancements in tooling. The event takes place from May 11 to May 15, and Sigma Thermal will be a featured exhibitor.

Retrofitting equipment can be a frustrating process if not planned and executed properly. Sigma Thermal has worked on a variety of retrofitting projects, including heater coil replacements, heater modifications, custom thermal system solutions and much more. To learn how Sigma Thermal can help you with your equipment, read on.

Fire safety is an ever-present concern for operators of thermal oil heating systems. To understand the scope of the problem, let’s review the salient facts.  

First and foremost, this is a relatively rare and well-understood threat to users of thermal oil heating systems. Plant owners and operators have been dealing with fire prevention issues for the better part of a century, according to an article in Chemical Processing magazine. So there are a lot of best practices in place to address this specific risk within the industry.

Stringent air quality standards have been imposed on the installation of new fossil-fuel burning equipment, as well as with measures imposed on industrial manufacturers and facilities to reduce existing emission rates. These trends suggest that there is an obligation on management to intensify efforts to reduce energy related expenses as well as potentially hazardous emissions from fossil fuel burning equipment.

Unfortunately, owners and managers are left to face new and challenging requirements while dealing with the escalation in fuel prices and the dramatic increases in raw steel cost. Combustion Control System upgrades can answer many of those challenges in a cost effect way. Automation solutions such as the following are fairly inexpensive and simple to implement and will have years of cost saving benefits.

High Turndown Burners & Fuel Trains

Why implement a waste heat recovery system into your application? With natural gas prices currently trending at historical lows there is no question that the potential payback from waste heat recovery projects has fallen considerably.  That being said, solid economic justification still exists for many simple thermal efficiency improvements. 

Sustainability in manufacturing, as defined by the National Council for Advanced Manufacturing (NACFAM), can be looked at in two ways: meeting the needs of the present without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their own needs; and the creation of products using non-polluting, energy-conserving processes, that are safe for people and the environment.

Either way it is defined, it is a practice and a topic that is generating a lot of attention. There are many reasons why companies choose to manufacture sustainably. These decisions can range from the financial to the responsible—companies that utilize sustainable manufacturing often save money and gain a better reputation (translating to more money), and many do so simply because environmental awareness is important to them.