Literature > Case Studies > Exceeding Expectations: Vortec Creates Custom-Design for Pulp and Paper Industry Application

Exceeding Expectations: Vortec Creates Custom-Design for Pulp and Paper Industry Application

Overview

Honeywell Process Solutions has been providing advanced technology applications to industry for three decades. Honeywell employs over 10,000 people in 95 countries, including its four global engineering centers in India, Romania, Argentina and China. The Phoenix, Arizona headquartered company, a division of Honeywell ACS, delivers automation and control solutions designed to improve customers’ business performance. Honeywell’s technology enables their clients to improve energy efficiency, increasing the return on assets by reducing costs and improving uptime. Honeywell’s customer base represents a wide range of industries including oil and gas; pulp, paper and printing; power generation; chemicals and petrochemicals; minerals and mining. 

The Challenge

The Vancouver, British Columbia office of Honeywell Process Solutions specializes in Pulp and Paper applications and Continuous Web Solutions (CWS). “Essentially,” says Mechanical Engineer Stuart Heath, “CWS is anything made in sheet form—plastics, metals, flooring material, roofing materials. We design and manufacture complex multi-measurement sensors for Pulp and Paper and CWS manufacturing facilities.” For several years, Honeywell utilized the Vortec airflow amplifier model 901 in an application for pulp and paper plants. “We used Vortec’s airflow amplifier in a different way than what it was initially designed to be,” notes Heath. “In our application, the airflow amplifier was employed to aspirate air from a gap between a source and a receiver in order to measure the temperature of the air in that gap. Every paper maker needs these measurements our application provides. We began using Vortec’s product because it was unique. I have never seen a similar product made by anyone else. The Vortec airflow amplifier became a very important component in the design of our application.”

Recently, Vortec re-designed the airflow amplifier Honeywell used as a vacuum generator to help make the basis weight measurement in its paper and pulp application.

The re-design to 901A improved the amplifier for most situations in which the product was used. However, since Honeywell’s method of utilizing the Vortec airflow amplifier was unusual ,the re-design made the product less suitable for Honeywell’s needs. “Altering our application to accommodate the new version of the airflow amplifier would have involved tremendous expense,” Heath observes.

The Solution

Fortunately, those expensive changes were rendered unnecessary. “Vortec understood our situation in regards to our highly specialized use of their product,” says Heath. “They worked with us to create a custom version of the airflow amplifier which allowed us to continue to provide this application which is so crucial to serving our clients in the paper industry.”

Conclusion

“Vortec does an excellent job of grasping customer needs” Heath observes. “They are highly responsive and provide excellent service.” He notes that Honeywell also uses Vortec productsin cabinet cooling applications. “Their expertise in air technology helps us to continue to provide excellent applications to our customers.”
Literature > Case Studies > Exceeding Expectations: Vortec Creates Custom-Design for Pulp and Paper Industry Application

Exceeding Expectations: Vortec Creates Custom-Design for Pulp and Paper Industry Application

Overview

Honeywell Process Solutions has been providing advanced technology applications to industry for three decades. Honeywell employs over 10,000 people in 95 countries, including its four global engineering centers in India, Romania, Argentina and China. The Phoenix, Arizona headquartered company, a division of Honeywell ACS, delivers automation and control solutions designed to improve customers’ business performance. Honeywell’s technology enables their clients to improve energy efficiency, increasing the return on assets by reducing costs and improving uptime. Honeywell’s customer base represents a wide range of industries including oil and gas; pulp, paper and printing; power generation; chemicals and petrochemicals; minerals and mining. 

The Challenge

The Vancouver, British Columbia office of Honeywell Process Solutions specializes in Pulp and Paper applications and Continuous Web Solutions (CWS). “Essentially,” says Mechanical Engineer Stuart Heath, “CWS is anything made in sheet form—plastics, metals, flooring material, roofing materials. We design and manufacture complex multi-measurement sensors for Pulp and Paper and CWS manufacturing facilities.” For several years, Honeywell utilized the Vortec airflow amplifier model 901 in an application for pulp and paper plants. “We used Vortec’s airflow amplifier in a different way than what it was initially designed to be,” notes Heath. “In our application, the airflow amplifier was employed to aspirate air from a gap between a source and a receiver in order to measure the temperature of the air in that gap. Every paper maker needs these measurements our application provides. We began using Vortec’s product because it was unique. I have never seen a similar product made by anyone else. The Vortec airflow amplifier became a very important component in the design of our application.”

Recently, Vortec re-designed the airflow amplifier Honeywell used as a vacuum generator to help make the basis weight measurement in its paper and pulp application.

The re-design to 901A improved the amplifier for most situations in which the product was used. However, since Honeywell’s method of utilizing the Vortec airflow amplifier was unusual ,the re-design made the product less suitable for Honeywell’s needs. “Altering our application to accommodate the new version of the airflow amplifier would have involved tremendous expense,” Heath observes.

The Solution

Fortunately, those expensive changes were rendered unnecessary. “Vortec understood our situation in regards to our highly specialized use of their product,” says Heath. “They worked with us to create a custom version of the airflow amplifier which allowed us to continue to provide this application which is so crucial to serving our clients in the paper industry.”

Conclusion

“Vortec does an excellent job of grasping customer needs” Heath observes. “They are highly responsive and provide excellent service.” He notes that Honeywell also uses Vortec productsin cabinet cooling applications. “Their expertise in air technology helps us to continue to provide excellent applications to our customers.”