SUMP-SIDE FILTRATION IS A VIABLE OPTION IF THERE IS NO ROOM OR MONEY FOR A REMOTE MODULE

Sump-side filtration is one of the two options a plant can use to clean the coolant in stand alone machines without always dumping the fluid and without retrofitting a larger filtration system as a central facility. The two options are:

• Remote recovery modules with transporters carrying the coolant to and from the machine.
• Sump-side filtration.

Remote recovery modules are filtration systems designed to be positioned in a remote area. The remote module unit receives dirty metalworking fluid from the machines via transporters or pipe lines. The coolant is cleaned with an efficient cleaning device and held in a clean liquid tank for another transport or separate pipe line to send it back to the machines. This works well when there is space and money available for transporters. The module can clean the coolant off-line to level of clarity acceptable to the operations. It is like a remove and repair maintenance program.

Sump-side filtration is much closer to the machines. Instead of the coolant going to the filter the filter goes to the coolant. A sump-side unit moves to the side of the machine and with hoses removes the coolant, cleans it and immediately returns it to the machine. There is not swapping of batches as in the remote unit.

Both systems have advantages and each fits certain plant conditions better than the other.

Harrigan Solutions understands these conditions and can offer advice on when to use sump-side filtration. We offer engineering help on how to select the best option to fit your needs. We sell or rent new and used sump-side filtration units depending upon the customers economical goals. Harrigan Solutions offers service programs where technicians can operate the cleaning schedule or service the equipment for customers who do not have the staff to cover this area. For more information contact me, Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603.
Email at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com.
The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

USED FILTRATION EQUIPMENT HAS FLEXIBILITY SO SIZE IS NOT A DEAL KILLING ISSUE

If you need a filter or another coolant cleaning device quickly and your budget prevents the purchase of a new system, the used filtration equipment market is worth pursuing. The chances of getting used filtration equipment at the proper size may be remote, but fortunately you may not have to buy the exact size you need. You can consider the available devices whether they are smaller or larger than what you need. Filters and centrifuges have the flexibility be fit in different area of the system and at different flow rates. Two key points that must be first satisfied are; it is a good price for the project and it will meet the delivery schedule? If these are met then the other criteria will come into play. For example:

• If a filter is larger than needed the flow can be reduced. The filter will have a lighter load to yield cleaner fluid and use less media.

• If the filter is smaller than the needed flow it could be set up on a sidearm loop. Depending upon the percent of total flow through the sidearm loop, there is a high probability that the side arm flow will reach acceptable levels of fluid clarity and media consumption.

• A stack disc centrifuge has so much flexibility that its selection can handle large reservoirs. Its level of efficiency is so high that most of the time it is on sidearm loops anyway.

• If the goal is sump cleaning than portable sump-side units can be used. The variable is the scheduled cleaning frequency.

Harrigan Solutions understands these conditions and can offer advice on how to incorporate a used filtration equipment into your system. They offer engineering help on how to select, install and control the flow to the used filtration equipment. They sell or rent new and used filtration equipment depending upon the customers economical goals. Harrigan Solutions offers service programs where technicians can monitor the operation, perform routine maintenance, and train personnel for customers who do not have the staff to cover this area. For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603.
Email at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com.
The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT, USED COOLANT FILTERS CAN BE AN ECONOMICAL CHOICE EVEN IF THEY ARE BIGGER THAN WHAT YOU NEED

If you need a filter quickly and your budget prevents the purchase of a new filter you can go shopping for a used coolant filter. The chances of getting a used coolant filter at the proper size are remote. So consideration must be given to filters either smaller or larger than what the system would normally use. Over sized used coolant filters can be a good buy for many reasons, the first two of which are if the price is right and if delivery meets the needed target.

The other reasons are related to the filters’ performance. Filters are selected on the basis of flow per square foot of filter area which is established for each different application. The flow rate is based on field experience of the application which balances the filter ability to achieve the desired clarity with an acceptable media usage rate. A larger filter does not have its designated flow sent through it. If the system uses a lower flow than the designed flow rate of the filter and the filter only handles the needed flow, the used coolant filter will achieve better coolant clarity with less media consumption.

The media reduction is significant. For example, field data shows that if a filter operates at a flow rate at 25 percent less than the design rate and nothing else changes, media consumption drops almost in half. If the filter operates at 50 percent the media consumption drops almost 70 percent. Also, since the media is staying in the bed longer it has an opportunity to generate a tighter film or cake from the intercepted contaminants. The tighter cake is a better media and the fluid reaches a higher clarity level.

Harrigan Solutions understands this phenomenon and can offer advice on how to incorporate a used coolant filter into your system. We offer engineering help on how to select, install and control the flow to the used coolant filter. We sell or rent new and used coolant filters depending upon the customers economical goals. Harrigan Solutions offers service programs where technicians can monitor the operation, perform routine maintenance, and train personnel for customers who do not have the staff to cover this area. For more information contact me, Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603.
Email at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com.
The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

USED COOLANT CENTRIFUGES HANDLE MANY DIFFERENT COOLANT APPLICATIONS

Used coolant centrifuges can handle a wide range of cleaning needs for both waterbase and viscous oils. The most versatile is the disc stack high speed centrifuge. It has the ability to handle many typical applications:

1. Liquid/liquid-separating two fluids combined in an undesirable mixture
2. Liquid/solid- separating solids suspended in a fluid
3. Liquid/liquid/solid- separating the three components (two liquids and solids) in a mixture

Liquid/liquid separating applications:

• Tramp oil removal from waterbase fluids
• Tramp water removal from oil

Liquid/solid separating applications:

• Surface polishing operations
• Air scrubbers
• Cooling water
• Electrical discharge machining (EDM)
• Lapping
• Micro sizing
• Quenching oils

Liquid/liquid/solid separating applications:

• Parts washers
• Coolant clarification
• Waterbase quenchents

Used coolant centrifuges which have the bowl design can serve many of the liquid/solid separation applications and are not usually efficient on liquid/liquid separation.

Harrigan Solutions carries an inventory of reconditioned used coolant centrifuges which are priced economically and ready to ship from stock. They can sell or rent used centrifuges depending upon the customers economical goals. They also offer a line of new centrifuges. Harrigan Solutions can provide a range of service programs where their technicians can monitor the operation, perform routine maintenance, and train personnel for customers who do not have the staff to cover this area. For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603.
Email at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com.
The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

USED CENTRIFUGES SERVE MANY APPLICATIONS

Used centrifuges can handle a wide range of operations with waterbase and viscous oils. The most versatile is the disc stack high speed centrifuge. It has the ability to handle many typical liquid/liquid/solid separating needs. Some of which are but not limited to:

• Tramp oil removal from waterbase fluids
• Parts washers
• Coolant clarification
• Surface polishing operations
• Air scrubbers
• Cooling water
• Electrical discharge machining (EDM)
• Lapping
• Micro sizing
• Tramp water removal from oil
• Waste water pre-treatment

Used centrifuges which have the bowl design can serve many of the above but are mainly applicable to liquid/solid separation.

Harrigan Solutions carries an inventory of reconditioned used centrifuges which are priced economically and ready to ship from stock. We can sell or rent used centrifuges depending upon the customers economical goals. We also offer a line of new centrifuges. We can provide a range of service programs where our technicians can monitor the operation, perform routine maintenance, and train personnel for customers who do not have the staff to cover this area. For more information contact me, Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603.
Email at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com.
The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

CONTROL THE FLOW TO YOUR PRESSURE FILTERS AND YOU WILL CONTROL THE COSTS OF YOUR MEDIA

Flat bed, roll media pressure filters are selected for a given application at a specified flow rate so it can accomplish the cleaning function with an acceptable level of media usage. The flow through the filter is know as filter flow or filter flux and is measured in gallons per minute per square foot (liters per minute per square meter).

Once a system is started, the flows through the pressure filters are adjusted to meet the design flow rates. Control of the flow is important so it does not exceed the GPM per square foot rating because there is a correlation between flow rate and media consumption and performance. If the flow is higher than the designed rate the filter will use more media.

Many installations have allowed the filter flow through pressure filters to increase beyond the designated rate because:

1. More machines were put on the line without adding capacity of the filtration system.
2. Flow is increased because more flushing is perceived to be needed.
3. Valves are randomly opened without understanding actual flow design criteria.

The first item may show some justification since it may be less expensive to use more media than it is to revamp the total system for the added machines; assuming fluid clarity levels are acceptable. However, items 2 and 3 usually result in wasting money on media and sacrificing performance. The cost the extra media could be significant because the correlation between flow and media usage (when all other conditions are the same) is not linear. For example;

• Flow rate increase of 25 percent- media usage goes up 70 percent.
• Flow rate increase of 50 percent- media usage goes up 260 percent.
• Flow rate increase of 75 percent- media usage goes up 400 percent.

Harrigan Solutions understands this phenomenon and can offer advice on how to mitigate the problem. They offer engineering help on how to control the flow or how to improve your filtration system if enhancement is needed. They sell or rent new and used pressure filters depending upon the customers economical goals. They also have service programs where technicians can monitor the operation, perform routine maintenance, and train personnel for customers who do not have the staff to cover this area. For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603.
Email at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com.
The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

METALWORKING FLUIDS CAN INTERACT WITH ALUMINUM CHIPS AND FINES TO CREATE A PROBLEM WITH THE FLUIDS’ CHEMISTRY

When machining or grinding aluminum it has been found that the freshly cut surfaces which stay in the fluid for extended periods can react with the some metalworking fluids and create salts or soaps. The undesirable material can affect the lube package of the metalworking fluid and/or it hardness parameter. When the concentration of this undesirable material grows to a point where the coolant can no longer function and the fluid appears to “die.” Studies indicate that this reaction varies with metalworking fluids and often it does not occur until the fluids’ life has been extended by standard filtration.

One possible step which can be taken to minimize this problem is to enhance the filtration to remove more of the aluminum particles which are less than 8 micron. The high count of extremely fine material could be the main contributor to this problem. Better filtration will help.

Harrigan Solutions understands this phenomenon and can offer advice on how to mitigate the problem. We offer engineering help on how to improve your filtration system if enhancement is needed. We sell or rent new and used filters depending upon the customers economical goals. Service agreements are offered where our technicians will perform the maintenance functions for customers who do not have the staff to cover this area. Our crews can perform maintenance to any level the customer wishes. In addition, our technicians can assist in upgrading the actual filtration equipment wherever it is economically viable. For more information contact me Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603.
Email me at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com.
The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

OIL VISCOSITY IS AN IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTIC FOR APPLYING INDUSTRIAL LUBRICANTS

Viscosity in industrial lubricants is defined as resistance of an oil to flow or shear. It is one of the most important characteristics of an oil base industrial lubricant to perform its lubricating tasks. Typically high viscosity (called heavy) oils are used on parts where movement is slow and under high pressure. Low viscosity (light) oils are used on higher speed with lower pressures.

Other characteristics include:

• Viscosity Index – Indicates the rate of viscosity change with a change in
temperature.

• Pour Point- The lowest temperature a given oil will pour or flow under the
prescribe conditions.

• Oxidation Resistance – This is the ability to resist combining oxygen and
hydrocarbons which are called oxidation and could affect the performance of the
oil.

• Flash Point _ The temperature at which a momentary ignition occurs on the surface
of the oil when a flame is passed over it, but the oil does not continue to burn.

• Fire Point – The temperature at which the surface of the oil ignites as a flame is
passed over it and the oil continues to burn.

• Demulsibility – This is the ability of an oil to separate foreign water if it is
mixed into the oil.

• Neutralization Number- The value is an indicator of high acidity which could have
an undesirable chemical change in the industrial lubricant.

Harrigan Solutions understands these characteristics and can provide the engineering and management skills aid in selecting the proper industrial lubricants. They sell or rent equipment to remove tramp oils from a coolant reservoir when industrial lubricants enter the waterbase coolant. Harrigan Solutions also offers service agreements for companies who want to outsource some of their indirect maintenance needs to cover coolant and industrial lubricants filtration systems.
For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603. Email him at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com. The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

CUTTING FLUIDS ON ALUMINUM APPLICATIONS SOMETIMES DEVELOP STRANGE CHEMISTRY WHICH CAN SHORTEN THEIR LIFE

When machining aluminum it has been found that the freshly cut surfaces react with most cutting fluids and create salts or soaps which can affect the lube package and/or water hardness of the fluid. When the concentration of this undesirable material grows to a point where the coolant can no longer function and the fluid appears to “die.” Studies indicate that this reaction varies with coolants and often it does not occur until the fluids’ life has been extended by standard filtration.

One possible step which can be taken to minimize this problem is to enhance the filtration to remove aluminum particles that are less than 8 micron. The high count of extremely fine material could be the main contributor to this problem. Better filtration will help.

Harrigan Solutions understands this phenomenon and can offer advice on how to mitigate the problem. We offer engineering help on how to improve your filtration system if enhancement is needed. We sell or rent new and used filters depending upon the customers economical goals. We also have service agreements where our technicians will perform the maintenance functions for customers who do not have the staff to cover this area. We can maintain and train the existing staff. For more information contact me, Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603.
Email at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com.
The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

COOLANT RECOVERY PROJECTS CAN BE SERVED BY PORTABLE FILTRATION MODULES

Coolant recovery systems are often designed to remove the fluid from individual machines and clean the coolant at a remote operation. This works fine for many facilities. However there are cases where it is impossible or impractical to set up a remote facility so coolant can be transported over, cleaned and sent back to the machine. In these cases the other technique is to take the coolant cleaning module to the machine and clean the coolant while it is still in the machine.

Portable or mobile filtration modules are positioned next to the machine and with the use of hoses recirculated the dirty coolant through the cleaning device and send it back to the machine’s sump. Turnover is a key to achieving clarity so the units are normally set up to use multi-pass recirculation. When timed properly the sumps are cleaned relatively quickly without the need to empty them. A mobile unit can be scheduled to moved among the machines and clean their sumps on a routine basis. Down time is minimal.

Mobile units are designed different types of cleaning devices. These represent a popular selection since they are compact for tight spaces, portable for maneuverability and efficient for cleaning.

• Centrifuges
• Bag filter modules
• Cartridge filter modules
• Gravity filter with rolled media
• Pressure filters with rolled media

Liquid vacuum filters are a possibility but are not as convenient as the units listed above.

Gravity filters are growing in popularity because of the modern packaging allows for portability and efficiency at a reasonable cost.

Harrigan Solutions understands these different devices and has since added a unique gravity filter to their product line. They sell or rent new and used filters depending upon the customers economical goals. They also have service agreements where their technicians will perform the cleaning service and or maintain the equipment, if the customer wishes to outsource this function. For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603.
Email him at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com.
The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

COOLANT FILTRATION PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN FLUID MANAGEMENT

Coolant filtration systems greatly influence metalworking fluid management programs beyond keeping the liquid clean for better productivity.

Some of the areas where the influence is effective are:

1. Fluid Selection - Higher quality and safer fluids can be used because the longer life due to filtering offers justification.

2. Fluid Consolidation – Cleaner fluids would allow consideration to use the same fluid for other operations and reduce the number of different types of fluids used in the plant.

3. Health and Safety - Clean and quality fluids reduce some of the variables in operator sensitivity issues.

4. Fluid Care - There is less chemical dosing since the filtration function aids in protecting the fluids integrity.

5. Handling - Fewer manhours are consumed in dumping, cleaning and recycling fluids since they are cleaner and last longer.

6. Waste Treatment – Smaller volumes need disposing so treatment costs are lower.

7. Procurement – There are less fluids to buy because of consolidation and/or lower frequency of dumping.

8. Storage – Consolidation and lower usage reduce the need for warehousing space and traffic.


Harrigan Solutions understands these advantages and can provide the engineering and management skills to any size program. They sell or rent new and used filters depending upon the customers economical goals. Harrigan Solutions also offers service agreements for companies who want to outsource some of their indirect maintenance needs.
For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603. Email him at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com. The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

COOLANT FILTERS HAVE SEVERAL DIFFERENT ROLES IN A COOLANT FILTRATION SYSTEM

Coolant filters have many different titles in a coolant filtration system depending upon where they are positioned and what their primary objective is. The roles are usually referred to as:

1. Primary filter
2. Bypass filter
3. Sidearm filter
4. Polishing filter
5. Guard filter
6. Batch filter
7. Recovery filter
8. Secondary filter
9. Pre-filter

Each has a function which is important to the overall system. The selection process will consider the location in the system where the filter will perform. For example consider the difference between the Polishing filter and the Guard filter.

A polishing filter is a secondary filter selected to intercept material which may migrate through the primary cleaning device. It is positioned as a full flow or sidearm unit depending upon the systems needs. The filter is sized to intercept the finer material and enhance the overall clarity of the coolant.

A guard filter is also a secondary filter but it is selected to protect a component or operation from a surge of contaminants if something goes wrong with the primary filter. It is positioned just ahead of the area it is protecting and sized to handle the flow with relatively high contamination for the emergency period until the main filter’s problem has been resolved.

Harrigan Solutions understands the difference in the two functions and can provide the engineering and equipment for each need. They sell or rent new and used filters depending upon the customers economical goals. Harrigan solutions also offers service agreements for companies who want to outsource some of they indirect maintenance needs.
For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603. Email him at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com. The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm

ALFA LAVAL SERVICE IS READILY AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO OUTSOURCE MAINTENANCE ON THEIR CENTRIFUGES

Alfa Laval parts for Alfa Laval service can be provided in six categories:

1. As needed service when there is a unforeseen breakdown

2. Routine PM service at varying degrees of involvement to preclude unforeseen breakdowns

3. Scheduled Intermediate Service; recommended frequency of every 3 months or 2000 hours

4. Scheduled Major Service to overhaul the complete separator every 12 months or 8000 hours

5. Scheduled 3-year service to cover coupling bearings, frame intermediate part and frame feet

6. Complete upgrade on older centrifuges where modernizing (including controls) is feasible

Harrigan Solutions can provide these and offer advice on the service procedures. Their service agreements are tailored to fit the customers’ needs and can vary from performing the work to training plant personnel. PM programs can be simple monitoring and reporting or actually assuming responsibility to perform all maintenance. All work is in coordination with the plants existing maintenance department.

Harrigan Solutions also sells or rents new and used centrifuges which is often advantageous for a backup or when maintenance work on the existing unit is not justified.

For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603. Email him at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com. The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm.

ALFA LAVAL PARTS ARE READILY AVAILABLE FOR SERVICING ALFA LAVAL CENTRIFUGES

Alfa Laval parts for Alfa Laval centrifuges are supplied in four categories:

1. Random parts as required due to wear and tear or isolated accidents
2. Intermediate Service kits for overhauling the separator bowl
3. Major Service kits to overhaul the complete separator
4. 3-year service to service to coupling bearings, frame intermediate part and frame feet.
   
   

Harrigan Solutions can provide these and offer advice on the service procedures. They provide service agreements for companies who want to outsource their centrifuge maintenance; either as a Preventive Maintenance (PM) program or as an on-call support for work as required. Harrigan Solutions also sells or rents new and used centrifuges which is often advantageous for a backup or when maintenance work on the existing unit is not justified.

For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603. Email him at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com. The website is www.harrigansoluitons.com/index.htm.

CENTRIFUGES PLAY KEY ROLES IN SOLID-LIQUID SEPARATION

Alfa Laval centrifuges like most disc stacked centrifuges play key roles in the separation of contaminants in metalworking fluids. There are a total of 8 typical roles for centrifugation;

The 8 roles are;
• Separation
• Clarification
• Classification
• Degritting
• Thickening
• Dewatering
• Washing Separation and Repulping

Two of them are popular for cleaning metalworking fluids.

Separation - treating a dirty coolant by either two-phase separation for solid /solid separation as in removing particulate from the fluid; or, three-phase for liquid/liquid/solid separation as in removing tramp oil and particulate from a waterbase coolant.

Polishing – further cleaning a coolant after it has been treated by a primary clarifier to remove any unwanted material which migrated through the primary device

Harrigan Solutions has the know-how to select and position centrifuges so the centrifuge can perform its role and accomplish the desired goals. They sell or rent new and used centrifuges depending upon the customers economical goals. Harrigan Solutions also offers service agreements for companies who want to outsource the maintenance needs for centrifuges.
For more information contact Bill Harrigan at 1-888-685-9603. Email him at bharrigan@harrigansolutions.com. The website is www.harrigansolutions.com/index.htm.