News4

Industrial weighing and measuring

Petrochemicals & Derivates

Reduce costs byincreasing process efficiency

Weighing specialist METTLER TOLEDO has helped oil, gas and petrochemicals serv-

ices contractor RBG Limited to significantly reduce the amount of residual oil con-

tamination in solids recovered from offshore production operations in the North Sea.

Integrated into RBG’s Solids Management System, METTLER TOLEDO’s FlexMount®

weigh module, with an ATEX-certified load cell, ensures accurate weighing of pro-

duced solids to assess batch composition prior to dosing with cleaning agents.

Correct weighing of solids is essential as it allows RBG’s system to accurately manage batch size in order to dose the waste with the correct quantity of chemical. Accurate chemical dosing leads to optimised per-formance and reduces chemical usage.

“Oil recovered from the waste is reintro-duced into the process,” commented RBG’s Implementation Manager James Calderwood. “This improves yield and also removes contaminants from the waste, making it suitable for overboard discharge. Removing the recovered oil has significant cost savings for the cli-ent, as the waste would otherwise need to be shipped from the offshore platform to a specialist disposal contractor onshore” he added.

The Solids Management System also pro-vides an assurance that future legislative requirements for controlled overboard dis-charge can be met. The system’s benefits were recognised in 2007 when it was short listed for an Innovation Award by the Off-shore Contractors Association. RBG has constructed three such systems and plans to construct more in the coming year.

The 0958 FlexMount® weigh module used in RBG’s Solids Management System is highly versatile and can be adapted to virtually any application. The unit sup-plied to RBG was specially modified to suit the hostile North Sea environment and it is the first time such a unit has been used for this type of portable process weighing application. Courtesy RBG Limited

METTLER TOLEDO Petrochemicals & Derivates News 42

PublisherMettler-Toledo AGIndustrialHeuwinkelstrasseCH-8606 NänikonSwitzerland

ProductionMarCom IndustrialCH-8606 NänikonSwitzerland

Subject to technical changes© 07/2008 Mettler-Toledo AGPrinted in Switzerland

The FlexMount® modules are very easy to install, regardless of the application, and their self-checking function allows eco-nomical system integration and a wide range of thermal expansion and contrac-tion. Many arrangements are available to suit tanks, silos or hoppers with three or more legs in circular, square or rectan-gular patterns. The units’ ATEX certified stainless steel load cells are hermetically sealed to IP68 for the harshest industrial environments. The top plate of the units is rigidly located for easy installation and an anti-uplift bolt restrains the tank or silo and prevents it from tipping over. This

feature is especially useful in protecting against wind pressure in exposed, exte-rior locations.

The module was supplied to RBG with METTLER TOLEDO’s stainless steel IND429 weighing terminal. Protected to IP69 in accordance with DIN 40050 for water ingress, the portable terminals are Ex certified for Zone 2 hazardous are-as. A wide range of options are available for connecting the terminals to comput-ers and printers, with the interfaces lo-cated in a protected position at the back of the terminal, accessible via IP69K-pro-

tected sockets. Wireless LAN communica-tions options are also available.

METTLER TOLEDO’s Industrial Weighing Division is active in the food, pharmaceu-tical, chemistry, transport, logistics and offshore industries. It provides bespoke ap-plication solutions, software and service in areas such as raw materials, production, packaging and transport, mainly by direct channels but also via OEM/system integra-tor/SY partners and distributors. For more information please visit the company’s website at

www.mt.com/industrial

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FlexMount® weigh modules

• Anti-lift device restrains tank from tipping

• Carbon steel and stainless steel design• Accuracy: 3000e OIML & NTEP 5000e

class IIIM

• FlexMount® capacity range: 113 to 4400 kg (250 to 10 000 lb)

• Hazardous Area: ATEX and FM approvals Zone 1/21 or Division 1

IND429xx

The IND429xx weighing terminal is designed to meet the require-ments of the chemical industry. The stainless steel housing and the IP69K protection make it the ideal solution for the harshest envi-ronment. IND429xx is approved for hazardous area Zone 2/22.

PANTONE 294

RBG LOGO (SPOT COLOUR)

RBG:CIS Issue 01. Revision 01 March 2006

PANTONE Process Cyan

METTLER TOLEDO Petrochemicals & Derivates News 4 3

Avoid excess moisturePlastics adhere to any shape, offer an un-limited range of functional possibilities and are the preferred material of indus-trial designers. Before processing, the raw material delivered as granules or pellets is dried to the moisture content specified by the supplier. Drying is needed as most pellets absorb moisture easily from am-bient air during storage. Excess moisture remaining in the pellets will evaporate at the temperatures reached during mold-ing and cause structural damage and sur-face irregularities of the finished parts. Depending on type of plastic and additives used, allowable moisture content is in the range of 200 ppm for ABS, PA6, POM and even less for polycarbonate.

Efficient process control with the HR83Moisture analysis as part of the molding process is essential for effective processing and optimum product quality. Halogen moisture analysers from METTLER TOLEDO determine this important parameter fast, accurate and on-site on the production floor. The HR83 monitors moisture con-tent up to the third decimal place (0.001% MC*). The results are highly reproducible and are perfectly matching those obtained by the reference method Karl Fischer Titra-tion. Within 15 minutes and without the need of chemicals or trained personnel the HR83 provides the information needed to continue processing.* 1000ppm = 0,1% MC (moisture content)

High precision for low moisture content Rapid moisture determination in plastic pellets

The moisture content of plastic pellets prior to molding is key for optimal quality

of molded parts. Allowable moisture content is as low as 200ppm and below and

decides whether the pellets can be processed or not. METTLER TOLEDO’s halogen

moisture analyser determines very low water contents with high accuracy, is fast,

reliable and easy to handle at the same time.

Key benefits• Short analysis time: time to result is re-

duced to few minutes• Increase uptime of injection molding

machines• Outstanding reproducibility and reliability• Fulfill quality system regulation• No chemicals needed• In factory-at-line

METTLER TOLEDO provides the entire solution for the HR83, including:• Qualified installation (IQ, OQ, PQ) with

IPac moisture• Temperature calibration of HR83

exactly at point of use• Application methods for most plastics

METTLER TOLEDO Petrochemicals & Derivates News 44

The formulation of industrial polymers needs traceable accuracy. We deliver it.

METTLER TOLEDO‘s formulation solution meets the requirements of the polymers

manufacturing industry. Users are efficiently supported in their daily work by the

multifunctional networked software FormWeigh.Net. The most important source

of errors in the whole process – operator mistakes – are brought under control

whilst implementing tracking and tracing of the process steps.

“We need a system to control and man-age the weighing steps of our formulation process.” Dong Mei, Production Manager of Compounding Plant.

The polycarbonate project of Bayer Poly-mers (Shanghai) Co., Ltd is one of the big-gest chemistry projects in Shanghai’s Jin Shan Chemistry District. The compound-ing plant is the core of this project yield-ing about 40 000 metric tons per year. In the production process, where formulation was manual, a performing system for reci-pes management, dispensing and charg-ing was required.

Customer’s original requirements:• The “color ticket” (production order) is

prepared by the production department

and given to the operators in printed form. The recipe has been developed in the laboratories.

• The operators weigh the materials and write by hand the recorded values onto the color ticket. The batch of weighed material is then transferred with the color ticked to the charging room.

• The charging operators will verify that the material from the dispensing room correspond to the color ticket and if no mistake is detected proceed with pro-duction. All protocols are recorded in writing.

• After production is completed, the color ticket is taken back to the production management and the data is reported in the production software.

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METTLER TOLEDO Petrochemicals & Derivates News 4 �

The formulation of industrial polymers needs traceable accuracy. We deliver it.

FormWeigh.Net® formulation processesmanaged and controlled efficiently

As a result of an intensive exchange between Bayer’s and METTLER TOLEDO’s specialists,

it was decided to implement METTLER TOLEDOI’s FormWeigh.Net® to manage the formulation

processes at Bayer Polymers compounding plant.

The whole system comprises a data server, a management client, two dispensing rooms and one charging room.

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METTLER TOLEDO Petrochemicals & Derivates News 46

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1) The raw materials and end products are defined and entered to FormWeigh.Net® by the system supervisors. The formulas and recipes are programmed according to the lab department specifications. The production shift leaders issue daily pro-duction schedules.

2) In the dispensing room the opera-tors follow the instructions generated by FormWeigh.Net® (running on an ID30 industrial PC) to weigh in the raw material according to the formula. Raw materials are identified unequivocally via barcode reader. After confirmation of correct mate-

3) The charging operators report via bar- code reader all the delivered materials to FormWeigh.Net® (a local ID30 industrial

New work flow with FormWeigh.Net®

A traceable system surpassing customer’s initial requirements

rial selection, FormWeigh.Net® gives clear-ance to operators for weighing into the ap- propriate container. A local printer generates a label (with barcode) to be affixed onto the corresponding container. After completion of recipe, all the containers are forwarded to the charging room for production.

PC is also in the charging room). The soft-ware gives production clearance only after materials can be matched to order recipe.

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METTLER TOLEDO Petrochemicals & Derivates News 4 7

Key benefits• Reduce manual data input to mini-

mum and avoid mistakes. The qual-ity of the recipe is secured through FormWeigh.Net®.

• Improve efficiency. No more manual records. All the information is trans-ferred in real time.

• Process under control. All the produc-tion steps are monitored efficiently by the system, including material, recipe, order, dispensing and charging.

• Automatic quality control. All the data is recorded in the database and it is easy to review. Human intervention is minimized, saving costs. The quality is tracked and becomes traceable.

• Ease of operation. More than 30 oper-ators were familiar with system opera-tion shortly after installation.

Customer’s testimonialMETTLER TOLEDO’s FormWeigh.Net® formulation solution for our compound-ing plant integrates our weighing equip-ment. It helps us improve the work flow and avoid some uncontrolled factors. The most important thing is that this system gives us great support for our production management. We can also record and an-alyze batch data allowing us to improve the understanding of our manufacturing process. I believe that we will have deep-er cooperation with METTLER TOLEDO in the future.

Production Manager Compounding Plant

4) The weighing report as well as the charging report are stored onto the data server and can be uploaded and printed at the management client after charging is completed.

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www.mt.com/petrochemicalsFor more information

Mettler-Toledo AGCH-8606 GreifenseeSwitzerlandTel. + 41 44 944 22 11Fax + 41 44 944 30 60

Your METTLER TOLEDO contact:

Petrochemicals & Derivates

Boundless liberty in hazardous areasmaterialize weighing application dreams

This requires production flexibility, adapt-ability of product quality and elevated resource management even in explosive environments.

To help achieve this, you need to have equipment in place to support your plan. With weighing equipment from METTLER TOLEDO, it is easy to dance to the music.

Flexible, intelligent, safe• With the freely programmable solu-

tion ID7sx SYS Pac, flexibility is just like a walk in the park. The capabil-ity to quickly change the application

to accommodate changes in produc-tion makes the SYS Pac an indispensa-ble utility.

• The ability to adapt to different product quality requirements is another virtue of the SYS Pac. Either connect an analog load cell weighing platform for low-demand production tolerances or a digital platform where high resolution and high accuracy are required – or both together. Your quality requirements set the pace.

• The ID7sx SYS Pac solution is safe for explosive areas classified as Zone 1/21 and Class I, Division 1.

Changing industry landscapes, such as more volatile market demands

and intensified competitive pressure, may force you to manage produc-

tion with greater flexibility.

ID7sx weighing indicator

ZONE 1/21

DIVISION 1