Sustain2Green: Sustainability and Green Initiatives

Sustain2Green is a unique platform to bring forth interesting articles, thoughts, surveys, news, discussions and updates about Environment, Climate change, carbon, natural resources, water, waste, sustainability, social issues, clean technologies, renewables, CSR, green Initiatives and Supply Chain. Our aim is to bring people on this platform and make an impact for a sustainable world. Indexed by The Huffington Post.Ranked in the Top 50. Contact us at "sustain2green(at)sustain2green(dot)com".

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Corn supplies have been severely affected by the drought. Also due to improvement in demand from the ethanol refiners supplies are being diverted to production of ethanol.

Executives from European Union will start their discussion on the EU climate and energy rules.

Executives from European Union will start their discussion on the EU climate and energy rules. The region is trying to bring up a plan which will help them to reduce greenhouse gases and move towards clean energy and technology. The region is reeling under the debt crisis and is trying to bring up a balance between the short term compulsions and long term benefits.

Marine biologists will observe a rare phenomenon of coral spawning in Lakshwadeep. Corals release gametes into the water, which rise from bottom to the top to form larvae

Marine biologists will observe a rare phenomenon of coral spawning in Lakshwadeep. Corals release gametes into the water, which rise from bottom to the top to form larvae. The event can turn the water to turn brown, green, purple , pink.

Thousands of dead ducks found in a river in China. This incident comes a few days after many pigs were found dead in a river.

Thousands of dead ducks found in a river in China. This incident comes a few days after many pigs were found dead in a river. The incident caused a lot of concern among the people.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Yahoo is buying Summly which is a start up started by a 17 year old D'Aloisio. The mobile app makes reading news articles more convenient on the mobile.

Asian stock fell today as people fear the fallout of the Cyprus deal and also there is a rumor that China is becoming more stringent on property boom curbs.

Scientists have been able to revive an Australian frog species that was extinct for the last 30 years. Indian scientists have also been trying to revive the Asiatic Cheetah.

Scientists have been able to revive an Australian frog species that was extinct for the last 30 years. Indian scientists have also been trying to revive the Asiatic Cheetah. It this is successful they might also try to revive the pink headed duck and the mountain quail.

NRG Energy Inc. is a power provider in U.S. to utility companies. The company has now started to install solar panels on the rooftops and homes.

NRG Energy Inc. is a power provider in U.S. to utility companies. The company has now started to install solar panels on the rooftops and homes. This was disclosed by the Chief Executive officer David Crane.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Ford Cuts Global Water Use 8.5 Percent per Vehicle from 2011 to 2012; Total Usage Down 62 Percent Since 2000

· In late 2011, Ford announced its global water use reduction strategy would decrease the average amount of water used to make each vehicle by 30 percent between 2009 and 2015; water use already has been cut by 25 percent per vehicle since 2009

· Since 2000, Ford has decreased its total water use globally from 64 million cubic meters to 24 million cubic meters – the equivalent of about 10.6 billion gallons – due in large part to implementation of new methods for monitoring and managing how water is used at each facility

NEW DELHI, India, March 21, 2013 – Ford reduced the average amount of water used to make each vehicle by 8.5 percent between 2011 and 2012 – putting the company more than halfway toward its current goal of using an average of just 4 cubic meters per vehicle globally by 2015.

Since 2000, Ford has reduced the amount of water it uses in everything from cooling towers to parts washing and paint operations by 10.6 billion gallons, or 62 percent. That’s equal to the amount of water used by nearly 99,000 U.S. residences annually, or enough to fill 16,000 Olympic-size pools. Ford’s reduced consumption rates mean even more to regions around the world struggling with water-related issues like drought and extensive population growth.

Ford’s water reduction success is a result of the company’s commitment to reduce the amount of water it uses by aggressively monitoring and managing just about every drop of water going into and out of its facilities and properties, says Andy Hobbs, director, Environmental Quality Office.

Since 2000, Ford decreased the total amount of water used around the world annually from 64 million cubic meters to 24 million cubic meters.

“That’s about 10.6 billion gallons of water that was conserved and went to use somewhere else,” says Hobbs.

Ford voluntarily launched its Global Water Management Initiative in 2000, putting in place ways to manage water conservation, quality and reuse of storm and process water. Ford’s water strategy complements the company’s overall Code of Human Rights, Basic Working Conditions and Corporate Responsibilities.

“Ford recognizes the critical importance of water, and is committed to conserving water and using it responsibly,” says Robert Brown, vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. “Many vehicle manufacturing processes require water and the resource is used at every point in our supply chain.”

Ford aims to use an average of 1,056 gallons of water to make each vehicle globally –consistent with its overall goal of a 30 percent reduction in the amount of water used per vehicle between 2009 and 2015. That is slightly more than the 1,000 gallons fire engine tankers in the U.S. are required to contain in their tanks. One cubic meter of water is equal to 264 gallons.

Continuing the progress

Ford had a positive impact on the world’s water supply in many ways during 2012. The Ford Fund, for example, supported 19 different water-related projects in India, China, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Germany and South Africa.

The Chennai manufacturing facility of Ford India has been able to conserve more than 264 million gallons of water in the last five years by adopting various water conservation methods and adopting state of art facilities like Membrane Bio Reactor and Zero Liquid Discharge systems. This is a 100% water recycling plant that is also ‘Best in Ford’ in terms of water consumption per car.

At the under-construction second manufacturing plant in Sanand, Gujarat, the focus is already on becoming a zero water discharge site. 100% of the wastewater generated will be treated on-site and re-used in the process or for irrigation of site green spaces.

One project in arid Southwest China, for instance, involved 60 Ford employees from Nanjing, who helped eight families build water cellars designed to capture water during the rainy season to store and use during drier times of the year.

At the same time, Ford’s biggest water-related projects were within its own facilities and included:

Cologne Engine Plant (Germany): Decreased water use by 50 percent per engine through implementation of a dry-machining process
Silverton Assembly Plant (South Africa): Began using a $2.5 million on-site wastewater treatment plant increasing the amount of water that can be reused by up to 15 percent
Chennai Assembly Plant (India): Installed a new system that began operating in September and allows the plant to recycle 100 percent of its water
Chongqing Assembly 1 and Chongqing Assembly 2 (China): Both plants added advanced water treatment equipment to improve recycling. CAF1 recycles an average 100,000 gallons daily, and CAF2 an average 65,000 gallons
Louisville Assembly Plant (U.S.): Recently replaced parking lot asphalt with pervious paving blocks to manage storm-water runoff, helping protect nearby bodies of freshwater

These accomplishments reflect Ford’s overall approach to water use, which emphasizes several goals:

Minimizing water use and consumption at Ford facilities
Finding ways to use alternative, lower-quality water sources
Prioritizing water technology investments based on local water scarcity and cost effectiveness
Meeting either local quality standards or Ford global standards for wastewater discharge – whichever is more stringent at each Ford location
Ensuring a stable water supply for Ford manufacturing facilities while working with local communities to minimize impact

More information about Ford’s water use-related efforts can be found in the company’s annual sustainability report that is released annually every June. The most recent version can be found here.

# # #

About Ford in India

Established in 1995, Ford India is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader. Ford India manufactures and distributes automobiles and engines made at its modern integrated manufacturing facilities at Maraimalai Nagar, near Chennai. The company’s models include the Figo, Ford Classic, Endeavour and the All-New global Fiesta.

Ford’s operations in the country also include Global Business Services, comprised of Ford Business Services Center and Ford Technology Services India. Located in Chennai, New Delhi and Coimbatore, these units support Ford globally in the areas of IT, accounting and finance, financial services and automotive operations support, global analytics and engineering services. Ford’s businesses in India employ 10,000 hard-working, dedicated men and women.

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 171,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.

For more information, visit www.india.ford.com

Contacts:

Todd Nissen Abhishek Mahapatra Madhulika Singh

+1-313-322-4898 +91-9811667727 +91-9999316705

tnissen@ford.com abhishek@ford.com madhulika.singh@bm.com

sent to sustain2green by email.

Earth Hour: 23 March 2013

“Developing nations waste over 1.1 billion tonnes of food every year,” announced the GSMA at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona a fortnight ago.

“Developing nations waste over 1.1 billion tonnes of food every year,” announced the GSMA at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona a fortnight ago. If this could be saved then it would be enough for us to feed a country of the size of Kenya for a year which has a population of 43 million.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

China based Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. the largest solar panel maker for 2010 and 2011 is talking to banks for restructuring

Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd. is a solar panel maker based out of China. It was the largest renewable solar panel maker in 2010 and 2011. It is talking to the banks for restructuring. The company has defaulted for payment of $ 541 million bonds.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

China is about to become the largest solar market this year. The country may however look into the solar subsidies.

China is about to become the largest solar market this year. The country may however look into the solar subsidies. It may start supporting smaller projects which come up in areas which have power shortage.

GreenChill Webinar: Service technicians are uniquely positioned to help GreenChill partners achieve their mission: to eliminate refrigerant emissions from supermarkets

Topic: Collaboration with Service Technicians

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2013

Time: 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm (Eastern time)

Description:

Service technicians are uniquely positioned to help GreenChill partners achieve their mission: to eliminate refrigerant emissions from supermarkets. This webinar will provide information on the numerous opportunities that are available to service technicians to increase their involvement with GreenChill. It will also provide information on the many ways in which service technicians and supermarkets both benefit when service technicians tackle supermarket refrigeration problems with the “GreenChill mindset.” The presenters for this webinar are Mitch Pearson from Hussmann, Brad Person from Source Refrigeration, and Bill Almquist from Almcoe.

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To join the webinar:

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1. Go to https://epa.connectsolutions.com/GCsvctech

2. Select "Enter as a Guest". It is important that you select the option to enter as a guest.

3. Enter your name.

4. Click "Enter Room".

5. Click "OK".

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For audio

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1. Call the toll free call-in number: 1-866-299-3188

2. Use Conference Code: 202 343 9742#

35 of the Best Blogs for Novice Container Gardeners

Container gardening is a simple and fulfilling hobby that has practical applications, too. You don’t have to own 200 acres of land or even have a garden to get involved with sustainable practices and learning to grow your own food. Anyone can become a novice container gardener, including people who live in high-rise apartment blocks. You can create an intricately ornate container garden in and around your home, or grow your own herbs right in your kitchen. The isolation of container plants all but eliminates the pain of dealing with weeds and soil contamination and allows you to move plants to where growing conditions are optimal. These 35 blogs will help you get your container garden under way with tips on plant and container types, and will give you ideas for getting more from your container garden than you put in.

The Basics of Container Gardens

Before you start getting your hands dirty, it is best to know exactly what a container garden is. There are many variations available to suit every novice gardener’s needs, so deciding what you want from your garden makes it much easier to get started. These six blog entries deal with the basics of container gardening.

Pots, Containers and Window-Boxes

To ensure that you get the best results from your container garden, each plant or herb needs a home that suits its needs. Getting the right size, shape and type of containers will mean a long and happy life for your garden. You will want your container garden to add aesthetic value to your home, too. So keep the style and décor of your home in mind when making your purchases.

Choosing the Best Plants and Herbs

Not all plants are suited for growing inside, let alone in small pots or containers. The health of your garden wholly depends on choosing the right plants and making sure you grow them in the right conditions. These six blogs will guide you through the large variety of plant types for your container garden.

Planting Your Container Garden

Everything from the type of soil you use to how you arrange your plants will affect the quality of your container garden. You can save yourself a lot of time and frustration by getting it right the first time. These six blogs discuss planting your container garden to produce the best results.

Arranging Your Container Garden

To guarantee a thriving container garden you will need to ensure that your flowers, plants and herbs are located in optimum growing conditions. However, you also want your garden to look good, so knowing how to arrange your garden to get the best of both worlds is essential.

Caring for your Container Garden

Treat your container garden well and it will stand the test of time. You will have put a lot of work into creating your garden; however, it doesn’t end when you plant the final seed. Once the planting stage is done you will need to start nurturing and caring for your container garden, too.

http://www.housesittingjobs.com/blog/35-of-the-best-blogs-for-novice-container-gardeners/

Shared by email by Jeralyn Nelson

Friday 22nd March is World Water Day

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Friday, March 8, 2013

The Earth is slowly getting warmer. The findings of an extensive research done by researchers from Oregon State and Harvard universities have been published at Science Journal.

The Earth is slowly getting warmer. The findings of an extensive research done by researchers from Oregon State and Harvard universities have been published at Science Journal. The earth has become warmer when compared with 70-80 percent of the time from the Ice Age.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

SKF mainshaft bearings chosen for Hyosung’s first 5 MW offshore wind turbine

“For such an important and new development project we had to be as sure as possible with our choice of mainshaft bearing supplier”. So said Dong-Young Han, General Manager of System Engineering in Hyosung Wind Energy Division, responsible for one of the first 5 MW wind turbines expected to be erected in offshore Korean waters.

“Many parts of a wind turbine are important but if we talk about critical components, then the mainshaft bearings are certainly among those considered by all turbine manufacturers. These bearings are big, subject to very heavy and changing loads, and the generation of electricity cannot be made if they fail. Because the turbine is the first prototype of the series that we will supply to the Government initiated farm of 500 offshore turbines generating 2,500 MW, which will be Korea’s first offshore windfarm, we took the decision with great care to select SKF as the bearing supplier.”

“As all in the industry know, once these turbines, and bearings, are installed offshore they are exposed to the normal, but changeable, conditions of wind, rain, heat, variable loads etc, but in addition have to cope with salt water spray that puts additional emphasis on reliability of key components. Rectifying a bearing failure in a turbine out at sea can involve extremely high costs and is a complicated process due to the difficulty to get men and machinery to the ‘site’ in a way that enables the repair work to be carried out. With this in mind we looked to select a supplier with proven experience both in offshore wind turbines, and the design and manufacture of reliable bearings under such severe operating conditions.”

5 MW; a new experience

The Hyosung HS139-5MW turbine is a new project for the company who until now has produced 750 kW and 2 MW land based turbines. The scaling up to a 5 MW turbine for use offshore is not at all an easy thing to do, and a lot of engineering knowledge, calculations and test are needed to succeed. Regarding the choice of mainshaft bearing supplier Mr. Youk Song, Hyosung leader of drivetrain development explains, ‘we looked at 3 or 4 potential suppliers, but after thorough discussions in our team, quickly came to the conclusion that we felt SKF would be our best choice.

SKF has already delivered mainshaft bearings for other 5 MW offshore turbines in Europe and we felt their experience, engineering and calculation knowledge could be relied on.

Furthermore we had worked with them on our 750 kW and 2 MW turbines and were very happy with their calculations, bearing choices and the bearing performance, but also the cooperation and support offered with regard to a concern we had on drivetrain tolerances for our 2 MW turbine. Since that was a new turbine design for us at the time, we were not 100% sure of the drivetrain stack-up tolerances we calculated. SKF evaluated the tolerances, and we applied their recommended changes, which proved to be right thing to do. In addition we received full training on bearing mounting for the mainshaft, and their experience in these aspects of wind turbine design and construction was very useful and important for us.

Another important issue for the 5 MW project was that we had a very tight time schedule, and SKF assured us they could deliver all that was necessary to propose and verify design solutions. In view of our past cooperation with SKF we felt confident that they would meet our targets. And they did!”

The new 5 MW turbine is a relatively compact design and has a new drivetrain concept for the 5MW class of turbines. It’s axially stiff rotor shaft assists in reduction of shaft dynamics that improves gearbox reliability. And the gearbox is constantly centered using an elastomer hydraulic gearbox arm support. It will have a hollow rotor shaft supported by two bearings in a single housing. This ‘unit’ design of the bearing assembly eases handling and mounting, and will reduce the weight at the top of the turbine by an estimated 10-15% compared to other potential solutions.

The choice of bearing types represents a new combination, since the selected double row cylindrical bearing at the upwind end, and the double row taper roller bearing that is downwind is a combination not used in previous large size geared turbines, and can operate in offshore locations with wind conditions ranging from low to strong. The wind conditions at the Korean offshore location are, on average, relatively low; 6-7 metres per sec.

While the bearing types are basically ‘standard’, these particular bearings have been manufactured with special features to optimize carrying capacity for this application such as; use of slim roller sets in the 1500 mm bore double row cylindrical bearing, profiled outer races to accommodate contact stresses, a special inner ring for the double row taper bearing to improve the mounting, and case hardening of the taper bearing (radially and axially) to reduce the effect of shock loads that could lead to ring cracking.

A full year of testing in 2013

The turbine will be assembled during 2012 and it is expected to gain full certification against the specifications required in the Government’s plans. The first two Hyosung offshore turbines are expected to be erected in the sea South West of Korea, as part of a 100 MW test site delivering electricity to the mainland. Further turbines will be added until 2019, when the full generating capacity will be realized. Summarizing what for Hysoung has been an exciting project Mr. Han said, ‘With this new first 5MW turbine we are very hopeful that many of the turbines that will finally be installed in the windfarm will bear the Hyosung name!”

For further information, please contact:

Colin Roberts

SKF Group Technical Press

colin.roberts@skf.com

The founder of Sobha Group is PNC Menon. He is based out of Dubai and has a personal wealth of 600 million. There news reports that he might donate about half of his wealth for social causes.

The founder of Sobha Group is PNC Menon. He is based out of Dubai and has a personal wealth of $ 600 million. There news reports that he might donate about half of his wealth for social causes. He is the 21st richest Indian as ranked by Gulf Cooperation Council.

SKF Energy Efficient bearings prove their worth at Indonesian textile plant

Along with the rest of Indonesian industry, PT. Leuwijaya Utama textile company, (Leuwitex), was confronted with a government enforced increase in electricity costs in July 2010. For Leuwitex it meant an increase of approximately 18%. For a company with 300 textile weaving machines and 176 twisting machines consuming 2,120 megawatt-hour (MWh)

per month in their Bandung factory, this represented a major increase in operating costs, and one that needed a speedy reaction in order to reduce the effect on the threat to bottom line profitablility.

Immediately after the increases were announced the management of the Leuwitex Bandung factory set about searching for ways to reduce energy consumption throughout the entire factory. As well as ensuring unnecessary lighting, standby machinery etc was switched off, they took a detailed look at the production. The factory, one of three in Indonesia, produces some of the most sought after fabrics in Indonesia, and exports to Middle East, Malaysia and Europe. Over the years Leuwitex have developed their design and manufacturing techniques to create a range of fabrics, including a lot of custom-made fabric, that customers report has exceptional feel, design and wear properties that has placed them among the top 10 producers in Indonesia.

Focus on twisting machines

To produce the daily volume of almost two tons of fabric the Bandung factory has the usual range of textile machinery including electric motors, weaving machines, spinning machines and twisting machines etc. First investigations showed that 30% of the factory’s energy consumption was consumed by the twisting machines, an important piece of machinery that is critical to fabric quality. So as well as taking measures to correct electric motor energy losses and optimizing frequency converters for the overall electricity supply, the energy consumption of the twisting machinery was discussed. Mechanically these machines are fairly straightforward; a series of lines of high precision spindles are driven by two powerful motors. Frictional losses…..energy losses, occur in the rotational motion as these machines operate 24 hours per day, by virtue of the quality of the bearings fitted at each end of each spindle. With 176 twisting machines, each having 256 spindles, this was clearly an opportunity for energy saving.

Evaluating the options

Mr Zenzen, Leuwitex Plant Manager decided on a very practical and specific way to investigate a way to reduce energy consumption for the long term. He would select three of the most likely ways to optimize bearing cost and frictional losses and put them to test in his spindles. The three potential ‘solutions’ were;

1. New bearings from the supplier of those in the original spindles (not SKF)

2. Low cost bearings of local Chinese manufacture

3. SKF Energy Efficient bearings, claiming up to 30% friction saving.

Mr Zenzen fitted the bearings to three separate spindle lines and ran them for three months, monitoring specifically the energy consumption of those three lines. The result was an overwhelming victory for the SKF Energy Efficient bearing, with around 10% total energy savings. Extrapolating this result to the expected lifetime of the spindles would conclusively save the most energy and deliver the lowest total cost of operation.

“Having satisfied myself on the energy savings issue, said Mr Zenzen, I needed to also be sure that the overall SKF bearing performance was equally reliable in the spindles that are so critical to the final product quality. The twisting machines have two contra spinning spindles rotating in synchrony in opposite directions. To maintain product quality it is of utmost importance that these two spindles are rotating exactly as expected through the entire and continuous spinning/twisting operation”.

Extending tests to a production run

So Mr Zenzen’s next test was to fit SKF Energy Efficient bearings to 10 twisting machines and begin a ‘production run’. “I was delighted to find that the product quality was exactly the same as before with constant, uniform delivery of the various designs, material thickness and feel. This was especially important because we were in the process of expanding and also replacing some machinery in readiness for a new fabric product, and needed to be sure we could rely on the machinery”

This initial test was extended by adding more lines of spindles while keeping the original 10 operating. Regular product quality checks among all the machines convinced Mr Zenzen that he had indeed found his answer to the best bearings for his textile machinery from both energy efficiency and bearing performance point of view. “I was extremely happy at the outcome of this ‘project’, said Mr Zenzen. We took the right amount of time to be sure we had done all that was needed to be certain we had chosen the best solution for our original short term energy cost problem, and at the same time came to agree that it was equally the correct solution for our long term plans as well “

Reaping the rewards

The Leuwitex Bandung factory now has 25.600 SKF Energy Efficient bearings installed on its machinery and are reaping the energy and financial rewards that Mr Zenzen first envisaged when he started his energy efficient project.

SKF Energy Efficient bearings

The SKF Energy Efficient (E2) deep groove ball bearing is one of the SKF performance class of energy efficient bearings. SKF E2 deep groove ball bearings reduce frictional losses in a bearing by 30% or more when compared to a comparably sized standard SKF bearing. The performance increase comes from an optimized internal geometry, low friction grease and a special low-friction polyamide cage. Designed for grease lubricated, light- to-normal load applications, SKF E2 deep groove ball bearings also consume less lubricant than comparable SKF Explorer bearings and enable longer bearing service.

Shielded SKF Energy Efficient deep groove ball bearings can last twice as long as comparably sized shielded standard SKF bearings. This means that the number of bearings needed to run an application over its lifetime can be halved. In instances where an application is run-to-failure, these E2 bearings can conceivably outlast other components in the application.

Typical examples of applications for SKF E2 deep groove ball bearings include electric motors, pumps, conveyors, fans, textile spindles etc

For more information please contact:

Colin Roberts

Head of SKF Group Technical Press

SKF Group Communication

P.O. Box 2350, NL-3430 DT Nieuwegein

The Netherlands

Tel: +31 (0) 30 607 56 08 Mobile: +31 (0) 653 944 111

Fax: +31 (0) 30 604 38 12

colin.roberts@skf.com www.skf.com

A new monitoring system takes the guesswork out of mooring mega vessels. This article is available in several languages

Smooth arrival

A new monitoring system takes the guesswork out of mooring mega vessels.

Mooring of large vessels in the LNG, petrochemical and container sectors is an intricate and critical procedure. The process entails bringing together a moving object with a static object, and with the imminent advent of even larger vessels (liquefied natural gas tankers with a capacity of 200,000 cubic meters and container ships with a capacity of 22,000 TEU*), the forces involved are enormous.

For tankers and bulk carriers, mooring frequently takes place alongside jetties at the end of finger piers, and even a gentle impact from a ship displacing more than 100,000 tons can have serious consequences. In the case of container ships docking at riverside wharves, excessive speed is likely to damage the ship more than the wharf. Even when safely berthed, fore and aft movement caused by incorrect tensioning of mooring lines can cause damage to fenders.

Fenders are primarily designed to withstand the onshore motion of a ship against jetties, wharfs and quaysides by minimizing impact damage and withstanding parallel ship movements. Any incident that causes unplanned downtime or safety issues has obvious economic implications, and it has become increasingly important to be able to determine liability for damage in the event of an incident – ship owners and leasers or port authorities and dock owners.

Trelleborg has developed a unique technological solution to the challenges of unscheduled downtime in port and data collection for insurance purposes. Called the Marine Fender Load Monitoring System (LMS), it’s designed to monitor and improve docking and berthing dynamics. The system draws on the unprecedented progress in recent decades in electronics, computers and software, and combines this technology with Trelleborg’s design and manufacture of advanced marine fender systems.

The purpose of the system is to reduce costs by increasing efficiency at ports, enhancing safety for crew and dockside personnel, optimizing mooring operations and protecting port owners’ assets. Two types of technology are used: load cell and laser based. Both systems measure impact against fenders as well as the continuing forces of a ship bearing against them.

Trelleborg’s Scott Smith, Regional Director Asia Pacific for marine systems, comments: “Load cell monitoring can be located within the fender as a stand-alone installation or integrated into a common platform that also incorporates load monitoring of Quick Release Hooks, the SmartDock Laser system and the SmartDock GPS system.” A second smaller and less costly system utilizes lasers. These measure the degree of fender deflection, and the readings can be used to trigger an alarm in the event of over-compression of a fender. The third aspect of the system makes use of lasers as a docking aid system, measuring actual velocities of a vessel approaching a berth. This system can be configured as a fixed or portable installation. “The data collected via the LMS are invaluable in helping port operators plan how far they can maximize facilities without undertaking major infrastructure developments and provide them with categorical information about ships berthing outside specified parameters,” says Smith.

Advantages of the LMS system include the capability of highly accurate measurement of loads applied to wharf and docking structures and the logging of collected data over an extended period. The system can be retrofitted and engineered to suit most competitors’ fenders. As with all marine products, standards of manufacture are critical, particularly for products in use at petrochemical or LNG berths.

There is the obvious issue of electronics in the wharf “splash zone,” as well as the need to have explosion-proof enclosures. Available space for the installations can be very restricted and the loads being monitored can be in the hundreds of tons, so smart designs are essential. Crucially, the system also enables the customer to have additional insurance at the berth and a categorical evaluation as to whether a particular vessel is berthing outside specification, which can make damage and replacement a clear liability for the ship owners.

Lasers promote safe, efficient docking

The Marine Fender Load Monitoring System uses laser and load cell technology, can be fixed or portable and can be integrated with other Trelleborg products – Quick Release Hooks, the SmartDock Laser system and the SmartDock GPS system. It is designed specifically to reduce port downtime and promote safer, effective docking while providing port owners/operators with a real-time data monitoring and collection system that gives them clear indications of whether a vessel is berthing outside agreed parameters – essential in the case of damage and subsequent insurance claims.

For more information

please contact:

news@trelleborg.com

New Environmental Compliance E-Book: Paired Case Study & White Paper

Keeping up with EH&S news and regulation is not an easy task. Yes, you can read a news article every now and then or watch a webinar but making the transition from a theoretical concept to real life application and putting it all together can be a challenge.

Just as peanut butter + jelly perfectly complement each other, our most recent Paired: White Paper & Case Study E-book presents environmental compliance theory side by side real life case studies. Get access to the latest best practices in Environmental Compliance and Sustainability management:

Air Emissions recordkeeping, reporting, integration and management
Systems integration
Cloud computing
Data management and preservation

Plus, learn how companies such as American Electric Power, Fujifilm, Los Angeles World Airports, Koch, NCRA, Patriot Coal and many more have successfully implemented these concepts into their organization.

Sent by email to sustain2green by Enviance

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Reinventing the wheel: Instead of chasing speed, auto manufacturers today are chasing reduced carbon emissions. One solution is electric traction.

The race is on! Instead of chasing speed, auto manufacturers today are chasing reduced carbon emissions. One solution is electric traction.

Reinventing the wheel

The race is on! Instead of chasing speed, auto manufacturers today are chasing reduced carbon emissions. One solution is electric traction.

In the push to reduce carbon emissions and meet government targets quickly enough, vehicle manufacturers are looking for ways that allow them to incorporate new elements into existing designs.

One such innovative element comes from Protean Electric. The company’s electric motor is housed inside the wheel hub.

The technology is a modern development of an old idea. Ferdinand Porsche sold 300 cars using electric in-wheel motors more than a century ago. The ready availability of cheap gasoline put an end to that. Now, however, the escalating economic and environmental costs of gasoline are bringing the potential for in-wheel motors back.

Ken Stewart, Vice President, Business Development at Protean Electric, says the philosophy behind the idea is simple: “Why not put the torque at the wheel? That’s where you need it.”

The idea also has the advantage of freeing up space inside the vehicle. “Not only does the motor fit inside wasted space,” Stewart says, “you don’t need drive shafts, transmission, differential or any mechanical connections. You just press the throttle pedal, which sends a command along a wire to provide more torque at the wheel.”

Protean is still testing the motor on prototypes and expects to go into serial production in 2014.

The motor would be ideal for retrofitting on a car to augment the existing powertrain. One of the main uses Protean sees in the medium term is for fleet operators who can improve the carbon footprint of their fleet by making all their cars into hybrids with two electric-driven and two conventionally driven wheels, all controlled by smart software. It will also be useful for manufacturers that are redesigning existing models. “Companies realize they can meet the increasingly tough environmental norms over the next two or three years with their own technology, but after that they need larger reductions,” Stewart says.

And looking to the future, wheel-based power could lead to the total redesign of the automobile, with, for example, pod-like vehicles moving sideways into parking spaces.

But if the wheel is an ideal home for the motor in some ways, in others it’s the worst possible place. It’s subject to vibrations and road irregularities, it gets splashed with water, and it is often knocked against curbs. So the seals within the in-wheel motors have a difficult job to do. They have to keep foreign matter out of the gap between the rotor and the stator. Says Tony Fagg, a Key Account Manager at the Trelleborg marketing company for sealing solutions: “This application requires that the seals meet a combination of thermal and physical challenges. It has needed a number of design and material iterations during development to meet these demands.”

The challenge is the wide variety of conditions under which the seal has to work. “The car could be parked in a puddle in Alaska that freezes overnight,” Fagg says, “but when the motor starts, the seal quickly reaches a potential friction heat of 160 degrees Celsius.”

Tests are ongoing. Fagg says that with the current design “nothing has failed yet,” but he expects that small changes will still be necessary. Comments Stewart: “This is a critical design point for the motor, and I’m confident it’ll work.”

The Motor Within

Protean Electric has been making in-wheel motors since 2005. The company has featured in a variety of prototype vehicles, from a Mini Cooper to a Brabus Mercedes and a Vauxhall delivery van. Though now based in Detroit, Michigan, in the U.S., its engineering is in Farnham,

England, and there are plans for a production facility in China.

Worldwide network of specialists

Tony Fagg, a Key Account Manager for sealing solutions at Trelleborg, is pleased with the way this project has come together. “This has been a real international affair, combining our expertise from around the world,” he says.

“The Trelleborg manufacturing and development facility in Malta has the knowledge of materials to engineer the right elastomer and will be carrying out volume production,” Fagg continues. “We’ve been able to call on the assistance of our facilities in England in the initial stages. Tewkesbury has the skill to manufacture prototypes, and our site in Bridgewater has the specialist test equipment needed. In addition, we’ll be able to serve the factory in China with our Global Supply Chain Management network and give local support from our marketing company there.”

For more information

please contact:

news@trelleborg.com

The stunning look of the new Hyper-hybrid LaFerrari. The car Ratan Tata thinks is 'terrific'

The stunning looks of the new Hyper-hybrid LaFerrari: The car Ratan Tata thinks is 'terrific'. the car was uncovered at 83rd Geneva Car Show at the Palexpo Arena in Geneva.

Safety on the Subway

SAFETY ON THE SUBWAY

Fires in underground train tunnels can be catastrophic because the heat and smoke have nowhere to escape. A new coating for suspension components can help buy the crucial few minutes necessary for the train to get to the safety of the next station.

Ever since the devastating fire at London’s King’s Cross Station in 1987, railways around the world have made fire safety a priority. Fire safety is particularly important in urban systems, where most of the tracks run below ground, such as the London Underground, the Paris Metro and the New York City subway, as well as in other railway tunnel situations.

The challenge with railway tunnels is the environment. A restricted cross-section means that, although heat rises, there is not enough space for smoke and heat to rise above the passengers. Meanwhile the risk of rapid spread of fire is increased through convection and radiative feedback.

Most urban underground transit systems have relatively short distances between stations in the tunnel sections. In the London Underground, a train is on average no more than four minutes away from a station. In the event of an onboard fire, train drivers are required wherever possible to drive the train to the nearest station before evacuating. This means that in an ideal situation, there should be measures in place to buy time. With a train fire, a few minutes can make the difference between life and death.

The most important elements in minimizing the risk of an underground tunnel fire are limiting the use of combustible materials and, when such materials are essential in tunnels and on trains, treating them with effective fire retardants.

For the past 10 years, with the help of a SPARK award, designed to link larger UK companies with universities, engineers at Trelleborg have collaborated with university researchers to develop a unique solution – a flexible coating for all primary and secondary suspension fittings and anti-vibration components – that effectively buys those vital life-saving few minutes. The coating is exceptionally durable, fire retardant and, under certain circumstances, self-extinguishing.

Rod Holroyd, Trelleborg’s Global Market Manager Rail, explains: “The challenge was to develop a flexible coating that could be applied to a flexible component. DragonCoat is a unique response to a potentially life-threatening situation – a train fire inside a tunnel. Our solution is a polymer-based fire-retardant coating that can be applied to suspension components.

The extreme flexibility and durability of DragonCoat ensures that it maintains its integrity despite constant movement of suspension components. It has a life expectancy that matches that of the suspension component, and it’s also highly resistant to environmental factors – rain, snow, heat, cold and the materials used in under-train cleaning. DragonCoat provides that vital few minutes of delay of the release of toxic gases, smoke, flame and heat, allowing a train driver to get the train and passengers to a station for evacuation and also providing a delay that allows firefighters safer access to the source of the fire.”

Bill Mortel, Director of Advanced Technologies for Trelleborg’s industrial antivibration systems, comments: “Although many of the natural and rubber components

used in primary and secondary suspension components don’t cause fires, they are essentially fuels that will feed a fire. DragonCoat has no effect on the performance of a natural rubber spring; in fact, it enhances a component’s oil resistance. Combined with Trelleborg’s Metacone and Chevron primary suspension springs and the hourglass secondary suspension springs, we can deliver a unique, long-lasting product that makes a real contribution to fire safety on railway systems.”

The concept of applying a flexible coating to a flexible component is unique and is a world first for Trelleborg. DragonCoat has been approved for an EU patent, and the reaction to the recent launch at InnoTrans 2012 has been very positive from both train operators and train builders.

ANTI-VIBRATION SYSTEMS

Trelleborg provides spring, suspension and vibration-isolating components and engineered fabrics for a wide range of marine, rail, vehicle, aerospace and industrial applications. Combining innovation with manufacturing excellence, Trelleborg’s rubber-to-metal bonded components set new standards in engineering progress.

DragonCoat

Passenger safety through innovation

• Provides a unique, durable and highly flexible fire-retardant coating for rubber primary and secondary train suspension units

• First technology to offer significant fire protection in the field

• Based on Trelleborg polymer technology

• Prioritizes fire safety and survivability in rail fires

• Provides an additional and critical safety margin for passenger evacuation

For more information

please contact:

news@trelleborg.com

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

European Finance ministers are now contemplating to let EU member countries to have relaxed budget.

European Finance ministers are now contemplating to let EU member countries to have relaxed budget. This follows after the recent backlash against the austere budgets in Italy. Even France has been putting up a defiant stance.

Keeping greenhouses green

A greenhouse hose is a critical – and problematic – element for the agricultural industry in the Netherlands. Trelleborg helped to develop a flexible hose solution that answered the challenge.

The Netherlands is a leading producer of fruit and vegetables, accounting for a quarter of Europe’s vegetable exports. Its diverse agricultural sector includes arable, dairy and livestock farming, garden plants, bulbs and flowers, as well as a highly developed greenhouse industry growing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and eggplants.

The Netherlands leads the world in both greenhouse cultivation and the technologies necessary to maintain optimum growing conditions and output. In 2010, the total area for vegetables under glass was 12,000 acres, producing 3,390 million pounds of exported fresh greenhouse vegetables.

There are three main types of greenhouse: “cold,” using the sun as a heat source; “frost,” in which a low-power heating system maintains a small temperature difference between outside and inside temperatures; and “warm.” This last condition is the greenhouse environment typically used by Dutch growers, deploying new technologies and methods in robotics, water and waste recycling, lighting and energy efficiency.

The main Dutch system of greenhouse heating uses an overhead suspended hot water steel pipe network interconnected with flexible hoses that can be raised or lowered to make room for equipment and machinery used inside the greenhouses and to deliver heat to the optimum position of growth for a plant. In the 1980s the hoses used in these systems were constantly giving growers problems, one of the most serious being the release of toxic gases from the hose material that could kill crops.

Explains Olivier Libes, Marketing and Product Development Manager for fluid handling solutions at Trelleborg: “In response to serious problems with the hoses being used in many greenhouses, we developed a dedicated hose, Kledam, which has become the de facto standard. We worked in collaboration with Dutch greenhouse builders and installers, with substantial input from heating technicians and agricultural engineers, to produce a hose that has exceptional resistance to wearing, aging and weathering. It’s flexible and remarkably reliable, with zero emissions of toxic gases.”

Each year the Kledam hose undergoes and passes rigorous testing by the Wageningen University Research Centre, the most authoritative agrifood and nutrition research facility in Europe. It’s a testimony to Trelleborg’s commitment to solutions of the highest quality.

Andre Persoon is the heating engineer at Certhon, one of Holland’s leading greenhouse design, construction and installation companies. “We supply greenhouses and installations worldwide and have a reputation for excellence in greenhouse horticulture solutions. It’s vital for us to know that components in our systems are the best. There are three critical criteria for the hoses that we use to connect the steel heating loops: The hose material cannot give off any toxic gases, it needs to be flexible and strong to cope with the variations in height of the heating loops, and it must seal cleanly and tightly over the connectors. The Kledam hose system fulfills all these requirements and has never let us down.”

Equally enthusiastic is Arjen Bonneman, director of Arbon Agenturen BV, sole distributor for the Kledam hose in the Netherlands. “The hose is made of a special EPDM [ethylene propylene diene monomer] compound developed by Trelleborg for the inner tube, reinforced with synthetic textile material,” he says. “It’s able to withstand temperature ranges of –30° C to +95° C and performs superbly. It has rope-like flexibility, the strength of steel, does not leak, and despite wide variations in environmental conditions is very durable. The Kledam hose has become the benchmark for products in this field, and Trelleborg is the undisputed market leader.”

Certhon

In 2011, two leading companies in greenhouse horticulture, Wilk van der Sande (technical installations) and Bosch Inveka (greenhouse construction), joined under a new group name: Certhon. Certhon is a market leader in high-tech integrated horticultural solutions, supplying greenhouses and technical installations worldwide. One of its most recent projects is the Dube TradePort Agrizone, South Africa’s largest greenhouse project, covering some 40 acres.

The kledam hose

Trelleborg offers solutions to the food, chemical and petrochemical, construction, environmental and

agribusiness industries. Working with Dutch greenhouse designers, builders and installers, Trelleborg developed the Kledam flexible hose, a solution to quality problems in flexible hoses used in greenhouse heating systems in the Netherlands. The Kledam hose uses special EPDM material and synthetic yarn reinforcement and is approved by the Wageningen University Research Unit for use in greenhouse heating systems. It has become a worldwide benchmark for products of its kind.

For more information

please contact:

news@trelleborg.com

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Ford Cuts Global Water Use 8.5 Percent per Vehicle from 2011 to 2012; Total Usage Down 62 Percent Since 2000

“Developing nations waste over 1.1 billion tonnes of food every year,” announced the GSMA at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona a fortnight ago. If this could be saved then it would be enough for us to feed a country of the size of Kenya for a year which has a population of 43 million.

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