Blog posts tagged with 'agriculture'

Ever wondered why some anhydrous nurse tanks empty faster than others, or why your flow rates seem to fluctuate without warning? The secret lies in understanding the nuances of liquid withdrawal tank valves and the plumbing from nurse trailer to the tool bar affects the flow of anhydrous ammonia. In this post, we'll uncover the factors that alter these flow rates and reveal tips that can help you boost your efficiency.

Understanding Characteristics of Anhydrous Ammonia

Anhydrous Ammonia or more commonly known as Nh3 is a common fertilizer that provides a wonderful supply of Nitrogen to crops. First and foremost, let's get some basics down on this fertilizer. In its natural state, Nh3 is a gas. When pressurized, the anhydrous ammonia converts to liquid form. By pressurizing a vessel such as a nurse tank we can transport the nitrogen rich fertilizer from a bulk storage facility to the field. Because anhydrous ammonia is a gas, in its natural state, it wants to return to that state. Therefore, any pressure drop in a plumbing system allows the liquid to vaporize.

Once Nh3 vaporizes the plumbing system becomes exponentially less efficient and, therefore, you as an applicator become less efficient. Bottom line - if you have a poor or inefficient plumbing system you will spend more time in the field. Because you have to run your tractor at slower speeds in order to apply the same amount of Nh3. The longer we are able to keep the anhydrous ammonia in liquid form, the less product we lose to the atmosphere as it exits a knife orifice.

Testing Nurse Tank Valves

Now that we have covered a little background information on Nh3 let's discuss liquid withdrawal nurse tank valves. Nurse tank valves may be rated the same, but they are NOT built the same. Take it from Judd Stretcher with Continental Nh3 Products. Judd insists on nothing but top notch quality for the products that Continental turns out. If you could achieve 20% greater tractor speeds by simply changing out your nurse tank valves, would you? Let's look at a scenario from a recent field test that Continental Nh3 Products performed.

Continental lined up their B-1206E, B1206-F, A1406-F, A1406-FBV and A1507-F against some of the top names in industry. What Continental found was staggering. Through standard plumbing equipment, 1-1/4" hose, break away and 1-3/4" acme fittings and a single Continental 30GPM Heat Exchanger Judd was able to prove that quality and efficiency really do pay off.

NH3 Withdrawl Valve Flow Ratings Explained

Before we continue, let's clarify the ratings on valves. If a liquid withdrawal valve is rated to 42 gallons per minute (GPM), like the B-1206-E or F you MUST understand that this is not the product flow rate of the valve. A valve "rating" in the Nh3 world actually identifies the flow rate at which the excess flow check will engage. This is another safety feature mandated in the anhydrous ammonia world. A valve rated to 42 GPM will close and not allow product to flow from the nurse vessel if the flow rate EXCEEDS 42 GPM.

This is designed to protect the operator if there is a catastrophic release - such as a hose failure. The nurse vessel will remain sealed due to the excess flow check. By having this excess flow check in place we don't allow the tank to completely evacuate - thus protecting the operator. So, a valve that is rated to 42 GPM, by industry standards, will actually flow around 24 GPM of product through standard plumbing equipment listed above. In regards to this specific field test, we are concerned with product flow rates.

Continental was able to find that their valves actually outperformed the competition by 10-20 percent. Their valves are able to achieve this due to design and quality. Even a one to two PSI drop at the nurse tank valve can allow for a drastic expansion of product which then allows the Nh3 to vaporize.

The more vapor you put into a heat exchanger the less efficient the heat exchanger, or cooler, is and that ultimately leads to less product going in the ground. Which finally boils down to you spending more time in the field. I will ask the question again, if you can increase your tractor speed by 10-20%, because you have improved the efficiency of your plumbing system, would you?

Money in Your Pocket

Let's look at a basic calculation for Nh3 application: If you are applying 200lbs/acre of Nh3 running 5 mph across a tool bar 55 feet wide you will need a system that can flow 27 GPM as you will be applying 1620 gallons per hour. So if the price of anhydrous ammonia is projected to retail for $350/ton in eastern Nebraska this fall. An application rate of 27 GPM. Means that you are spending $1560/hr (math calculations below). You could theoretically save $312/hr from increasing your plumbing efficiency by 20%. And that, you can take to the bank - calculate that over a 10 hour day and you're looking at savings of roughly $3,118/day. Put that number across an entire season and think what you could do with those savings! If you have further questions check us out at here or give us a shout at 1-800-228-9666.

Math Calculations:

8910lbs/2000lbs = 4.455 tons*$350 = $1559.25/hr - total expenditure on Nh3/hr

(Nh3 weighs 5.5lbs/gal so 1620 gallons = 8910lbs; then 8910lbs * .20 = 1782lbs/hr saved which = $312/hr.

*At the time of writing this Nh3 projections for fall in eastern Nebraska are around $350 retail. Nationwide average is approximately $300/ton.

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Properly sizing a centrifugal pump is a crucial step in any plumbing system. There are some important variables and qualifiers you need to first identify in order to ensure that your plumbing system(s) reach the desired output flow rates. Centrifugal pumps fall into a category of their own and need to be sized for various applications in a different manner than other pump families. In this post, you will learn some basic steps to help you properly size a centrifugal pump for your application.

The Basics

Many pump users mistakenly think that a centrifugal pump will provide its maximum published flow rate in all applications.

However, unlike positive displacement pumps (gear, roller, diaphragm and others), the flow rate from a centrifugal pump will vary significantly depending upon the details of the suction and discharge piping and other "head losses" in the user's system (restrictions to flow such as elbows, tees, reducers, strainers, meters, valves, etc) and the vertical rise (or drop) from the supply source to the discharge point.

Total Static Head

The total vertical rise in the system is commonly referred to as Total Static Head. Total Static Head consists of both Static Suction Head and Static Discharge Head, and each of these can be positive or negative, depending if the supply source and discharge point are located above or below the pump elevation. Also note that some systems have a pressurized supply and/or discharge point (pressure vessel or pressurized pipe); these will also add to the Total Static Head.

Once calculated, static head doesn't change for a system - unless a plumbing change is made.

If that sounded a little technical it's because it is! Long story short - your centrifugal pump doesn't dictate your flow rate - your plumbing system does.

Think of it this way - the speedometer on your car may say 160mph, but is your car capable of that speed? What if you put on larger mud tires or constrict the exhaust? The car certainly will not reach 160mph - and a centrifugal pump operates under this same premise. Now, back to today's lesson:

Total Dynamic Head

In addition, each system has a Total Dynamic Head (TDH) which is the sum of head losses due to friction through each foot of pipe, all fittings, valves, meters, strainers, etc. The reason these frictional head losses are called "dynamic" is that they vary with the flow rate moving through the system. As the desired flow rate goes up, the Total Dynamic Head goes up, and usually quite quickly.

The Total Head in a pumping/piping system is the sum of Total Static Head and Total Dynamic Head. A "System Curve" can be computed, for a variety of desired flow rates, and plotted against the particular "Pump Curve". The Centrifugal Pump Curve is published by the pump manufacturer.

The "Operating Point" (Gallons Per Minute Flow rate) of the pump, in a particular system, is at the intersection of the Centrifugal Pump Curve and the Plumbing System Curve.

If this sounds complicated, do not be concerned. Dultmeier Sales has experienced engineers on staff, along with pump flow computer programs, to properly compute and size centrifugal pumps for your applications.

Simply give our engineering department a call with your flow rate requirements and some basic details on your piping system, and we will properly size your centrifugal pump to meet your requirements. You may wish to check out our Technical Library, as well. Let us know if there is any other way we can be of service.

Looking for that perfect fuel transfer pump unit? Look no further. We assemble these units in Omaha, Nebraska in our production facility. These fuel transfer pump units are available in either 1" transfer or 1.5" transfer capacity - flow characteristics vary drastically between the two versions.

The Dilemma & Our Solution for You

The 1" fuel transfer pump unit (DUFPU1P) will produce a flow rate of 32 GPM - at the nozzle. This is a true representation of the flow rate that the end user can expect - at the end of the plumbing system. While competitive systems will notate "max flow rate", many of them are portraying the flow rate the fuel transfer pump outputs at an open discharge. Open discharge means unrestricted flow and isn't an accurate representation of what an end user will experience, in terms of flow rate at the nozzle, once the fuel transfer pump is installed into a plumbing system. Here is a quick example of how friction loss is calculated through a plumbing system to determine flow rate - at the nozzle.

Our 1.5" fuel transfer pump unit will produce a flow rate of 60 GPM - at the nozzle. Most 12V diesel fuel transfer pumps will produce a flow rate of approximately 18-20 GPM at the nozzle. This is making the assumption the plumbing system consists of approximately 30 feet of 1" fuel transfer hose.

By making the transition from lower volume 12 Volt or 115 Volt fuel transfer pumps to the 1" DUFPU1P, end users can effectively decrease their fill times by 78%. If you choose to bump up to the, larger, DUFPU1.5P you can decrease fill times by 233%.

That is a serious cost savings when looking at the operational expenses of paying operators to wait around while large equipment fuel tanks are being filled. If you are able to save 15 minutes of fill time, per fill, how much money does that save you in a week? How about a month or a year?

Reduce waste, reduce cost, and increase efficiencies of your operation. Bigger, faster, stronger is the name of the game and these Dultmeier fuel transfer pump units will help you achieve that status.

Either fuel pump transfer unit option, that we manufacture, is fitted with the MP Pumps PetrolMaxx 2" self priming diesel fuel transfer pump. These fuel pump transfer units are designed to safely handle diesel or bio-diesel fuels and significantly reduce operating expenses and improve the efficiency of your operation.

Product Demonstration

Our, larger volume, DUFPU1.5P boasts the following features:

• CRX 6.5 HP manual start engine with C.A.R.B. rating.
• MP PetrolMaxx 2" self-priming cast iron pump with Type 21 Viton® mechanical seal designed for diesel fuel
• Hannay spring rewind hose reel
• Husky high flow automatic nozzle with swivel.
• Cimtek 1-1/2" 60 GPM fuel filter with 2-30 micron Hydrosorb elements,
• 38' of 1-1/2" fuel transfer hose and Husky 1690 1-1/2" high flow automatic nozzle.
• Mounted on steel base plate (powder-coat finish)

Here is a video to help further display the unit. Enjoy!

How do I match my pump rotation? This is a commonality that we address on almost a daily basis but many people do not understand how to accomplish this task. At Dultmeier Sales we are glad to help out and explain over the phone or you can get your answer right here:

First off, let's address how we look at a pump - the direction of rotation is always determined when FACING THE SHAFT. Centrifugal pumps are available in two options, either Counter Clockwise (CCW) or Clockwise (CW). To match the pump shaft with a drive shaft we always MATCH THE OPPOSITE ROTATION.

A gasoline engine will match up to a CW drive centrifugal pump. A front tractor crankshaft PTO rotates in CCW direction and therefore must be mated to a CW centrifugal pump. While a rear PTO shaft drive (CW rotation) application must be mated to a CCW pump. This is somewhat counter intuitive to those new to the concept but a "standard drive" centrifugal pump will actually be CCW rotation. Therefore, a "reverse" drive pump is actually CW.

Confused yet? Check out Ace Pumps description for further clarification along with pictures. A common symptom of not properly matching shaft rotation is no pressure generation by the pump. We receive calls from people describing that their brand new pump won't create any pressure and immediately point at the pump as the culprit. More often than not, it's not the pump's fault - generally there is an application error or human error causing the issue. In the scenario described above the first thing to confirm is that we have the correct pump shaft rotation matched with drive shaft choice. More often than not, this is the root of the headache. If you are still struggling give us a buzz and we will be happy to lend a hand.

Let us know if this was useful content. We certainly hope so. If there are other topics you would like addressed in future posts, by all means, let us know!

Be good out there.