Case study #107: Spectrum Dyes & Chemicals Pvt. Ltd.

A leading dye manufacturer is able to accurately measure the quantum of slurry flowing under high pressure.

Adept MagFlow 6410 is helping Spectrum Dyes to measure slurry feed to spray drier with ± 0.5% accuracy.

Spectrum Dyes & Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. (Spectrum) is one of the largest producers of Disperse Dyes in India with its factory in Surat. Established in 1991, Spectrum offers a wide range of over 150 dyes. With a contemporary production facility and a strong R&D team, Spectrum has the capability to meet customised requirements, especially of those dyes that are challenging to synthesise.

A dye is a coloured organic compound, which is available in various types. Disperse Dye is one of the types, which is insoluble in water and widely used for dyeing synthetic textiles. These dyes are finely ground and are available as paste or powder, which disperses in water.

When manufactured, the dyes are in slurry form and contain colour particles and water. This is commonly known as ‘feed’. These dyes are then extracted in powder form by a process called ‘Spray Drying’. In the spray drying process, the ‘feed’ is injected at high pressure into a drying chamber via a feed pump to convert it into powder form. To know the effective drying rate, the dye must be measured accurately while it is in slurry form as well as after drying.

Challenges

Spectrum is acclaimed globally for its high quality dyes and consistent supply. The quality of dyes is dependent on strict adherence to the process parameters at every stage of manufacturing. Converting slurry to powder form is almost the last step in the entire dye manufacturing process and hence becomes very critical. Even a slight error at this stage can result in the rejection of an entire batch, causing time and financial loss besides affecting despatch schedules.

To ensure the correctness of the spray drying process, the effective drying rate is calculated by measuring the amount of feed and the powder yield. Therefore, at this stage, measuring the slurry feed accurately becomes significant. This necessitates an advanced instrument to measure the flow rate of slurry and in turn determine its quantum.

The feed requires to be injected under high pressure(up to 80 kg/cm2) into a drying chamber and hence a Flowmeter should be capable of performing accurately under such conditions. It is also challenging to measure the slurry having conductivity of 33 mS/cm. Accuracy and precision in flow measurement is an important factor to ensure consistent quality of the product.

Another challenge was that the dyes are manufactured in batches and dyes of different colours are dried using the same chamber. Before the batch change, the spray drying chamber is washed with high pressure water. While doing so, there isa chance of leakage and water may enter the Flowmeter and damage its electronics. The situation called for providing leakage protection.

Solution

After a site visit to understand the dye manufacturing process and various critical application parameters, the Adept team recommended the use of its Electromagnetic Flowmeter model MagFlow 6410 with IP 68 class protection enclosure.

MagFlow 6410 is an advanced technology Flowmeter designed for demanding applications. It is capable of measuring the dye slurry within an accuracy level of ± 0.5% and provides pulse output of readings. Batching and dosing applications generally require a pulse output to measure volume of liquid over a certain period. Adept has supplied Electromagnetic Flowmeter model MagFlow 6410 suitable for 32 mm line size to Spectrum. These have been installed after the feed pump and before the drying chamber.

Display units of these Flowmeters are installed at a different location far away from the actual installation site. Due to this, it is possible for the operator to know the readings and monitor the flow from a remote location without physically going to the process station.

IP 68 protection class enclosure of MagFlow 6410 protects it from external influences and the resultant damage due to conditions such as leakage.

Solution for accurately measuring quantum of slurry flowing under high pressure and has a conductivity of 33 m Siemens/cm.

Adept has supplied Inline Mains Operated Electromagnetic Flowmeter Model – MagFlow 6410 having line size 32 mm.

Benefits

  Ease in measuring the amount of slurry being injected

  Higher accuracy while measuring conductive slurry helping the user in greater control over the process

  No pressure drop as there is no obstruction to flow

  Measurement is possible from a location away from the spray dryer

  Bi-directional flow measurement is possible

  Requires minimal maintenance as there are no moving parts

  Higher reliability and longer life because of IP 68 protection class enclosure

Spectrum Dyes & Chemicals Pvt. Ltd. (Spectrum) is one of the largest producers of Disperse Dyes in India with its factory in Surat. Established in 1991, Spectrum offers a wide range of over 150 dyes. With a contemporary production facility and a strong R&D team, Spectrum has the capability to meet customised requirements, especially of those dyes that are challenging to synthesise.

A dye is a coloured organic compound, which is available in various types. Disperse Dye is one of the types, which is insoluble in water and widely used for dyeing synthetic textiles. These dyes are finely ground and are available as paste or powder, which disperses in water.

When manufactured, the dyes are in slurry form and contain colour particles and water. This is commonly known as ‘feed’. These dyes are then extracted in powder form by a process called ‘Spray Drying’. In the spray drying process, the ‘feed’ is injected at high pressure into a drying chamber via a feed pump to convert it into powder form. To know the effective drying rate, the dye must be measured accurately while it is in slurry form as well as after drying.

 

Challenges

Spectrum is acclaimed globally for its high quality dyes and consistent supply. The quality of dyes is dependent on strict adherence to the process parameters at every stage of manufacturing. Converting slurry to powder form is almost the last step in the entire dye manufacturing process and hence becomes very critical. Even a slight error at this stage can result in the rejection of an entire batch, causing time and financial loss besides affecting despatch schedules.

To ensure the correctness of the spray drying process, the effective drying rate is calculated by measuring the amount of feed and the powder yield. Therefore, at this stage, measuring the slurry feed accurately becomes significant. This necessitates an advanced instrument to measure the flow rate of slurry and in turn determine its quantum.

The feed requires to be injected under high pressure
(up to 80 kg/cm2) into a drying chamber and hence a Flowmeter should be capable of performing accurately under such conditions. It is also challenging to measure the slurry having conductivity of 33 mS/cm. Accuracy and precision in flow measurement is an important factor to ensure consistent quality of the product.

Another challenge was that the dyes are manufactured in batches and dyes of different colours are dried using the same chamber. Before the batch change, the spray drying chamber is washed with high pressure water. While doing so, there is
a chance of leakage and water may enter the Flowmeter and damage its electronics. The situation called for providing leakage protection.

Solution

After a site visit to understand the dye manufacturing process and various critical application parameters, the Adept team recommended the use of its Electromagnetic Flowmeter model MagFlow 6410 with IP 68 class protection enclosure.

MagFlow 6410 is an advanced technology Flowmeter designed for demanding applications. It is capable of measuring the dye slurry within an accuracy level of ± 0.5% and provides pulse output of readings. Batching and dosing applications generally require a pulse output to measure volume of liquid over a certain period. Adept has supplied Electromagnetic Flowmeter model MagFlow 6410 suitable for 32 mm line size to Spectrum. These have been installed after the feed pump and before the drying chamber.

Display units of these Flowmeters are installed at a different location far away from the actual installation site. Due to this, it is possible for the operator to know the readings and monitor the flow from a remote location without physically going to the process station.

IP 68 protection class enclosure of MagFlow 6410 protects it from external influences and the resultant damage due to conditions such as leakage.

 

Solution for accurately measuring quantum of slurry flowing under high pressure and has a conductivity of 33 m Siemens/cm.

Adept has supplied Inline Mains Operated Electromagnetic Flowmeter Model – MagFlow 6410 having line size 32 mm.

Benefits

  Ease in measuring the amount of slurry being injected

  Higher accuracy while measuring conductive slurry helping the user in greater control over the process

  No pressure drop as there is no obstruction to flow

  Measurement is possible from a location away from the spray dryer

  Bi-directional flow measurement is possible

  Requires minimal maintenance as there are no moving parts

  Higher reliability and longer life because of IP 68 protection class enclosure

Adept Flowmeters and SCADA solutions are serving the textile industry for various applications such as water treatment plants, effluent treatment plants, batching and dosing applications, etc.

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