A Quarterly Newsletter of Parr Instrument Company

August 2018 | Vol. 5 No. 2

Tilt to Empty Feature
Gear Reducer Vent Plug Installation
Customer Resources
Dealer Training
Parr Team Member Focus
New Parr Communications Requirements
New Parr Dealer
Upcoming Events

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Tilt-to-Empty Feature

The applications for which Parr reactors are used vary widely, from catalyst testing and development, to pharmaceutical production, to ore leaching, to biomass digestion. Especially in some of our larger vessels, removing the contents of the vessel following reaction completion may not be trivial. For many years, Parr has offered flush mount bottom drain valves (BDV’s) to facilitate reactor emptying. However, for some processes, using a BDV is undesirable. Recently, we have had several requests for an alternative mechanism to empty a large reactor, and therefore have offered a “tilt-to-empty” mechanism.

Below are two examples of such mechanisms.

Custom 4554 Reactor with manual Tilt-to-Empty Feature

Custom 4584 Reactor with pneumatic Tilt-to-Empty Feature

The first, on a 2 gallon (7.5L) 4554 Reactor, employs a handle connected to a rod supported by two cradles. Manually moving the handle tilts the reactor forward, allowing the contents of the reactor to be collected in a customer supplied container. Locking pins secure the vessel during raising or lowering of the cylinder with the standard pneumatic lift.

The second, on a customized 5L 4584 Reactor, employs a pneumatically actuated rack and pinion dumping mechanism. Operation of the mechanism is illustrated in the video link above. Safety stops prevent the operator from unintentionally tilting the cylinder except when it is completely lowered.

Note that both reactors shown are of the fixed head configuration and both include clamp-on band heaters. Please contact Parr’s Technical Sales team for questions about how either mechanism might be incorporated into a project for your customers.

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Gear Reducer Vent Plug Installation

**Parr Geared Drive mounted to a Model 4553 Stirred Reactor System**

Parr offers gear reducers (gearboxes) that are typically used to increase the torque available to the magnetic drive. Other uses may include better low end speed stirring control or for the smaller form factor compared to a belt driven arrangement.

Parr’s standard gear reducers are supplied with a plastic vent plug. The gear drives have different efficiency factors due to frictional losses, which result in the creation of heat inside the drive. The vent plug allows the air pressure inside the gearbox to stay near atmospheric as the drive heats and cools. This prevents leaks and the possibility of vapor locking.

The vent plug is not installed here at Parr, as it could allow lubricating oil leakage during transport or installation. Instead, it is supplied along with the gearbox user manual as shown in Figure 1 below.

As a general rule, the vent plug is installed at the highest available location on the gearbox. The gearboxes are designed to be installed in various orientations. The gearboxes are provided with several plugged NPT holes to accommodate the various mounting orientations. The most typical location is on top as shown in the photos provided. The appropriate hole plug is removed and the vent plug is installed, by hand, in its place.

Note that for horizontal/vertical reactors the vent plug location is determined by the highest location when in the horizontal and vertical positions.

Figure 1
**Vent Plug and Gearbox Manual**

Figure 3
**Gearbox with vent plug installed**

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Customer Resources

Some of the materials included in ParrNotes are intended for our dealers only. The materials in this section were made for you to share with your Parr customers. Please copy and share!

A91VB Series Back Pressure Regulator — A90VB Series Back
Pressure Regulator

New Back Pressure Regulators

Parr Instrument Company is pleased to announce the availability of A90VB and A91VB back pressure regulators (BPR). Back pressure regulators are used to maintain the system pressure at a preset value in continuous flow (tubular) reactors, batch reactors, PVT studies and supercritical fluid tests. Parr A90VB and A91VB BPRs are direct acting, self-contained gas dome loaded units and may be used to control gases, liquids or a mixed stream of both. The dome, however, must always be pressurized with a gas.

Parr A90VB and A91VB BPRs use a simple and robust design having only one moving part in the form of a diaphragm. This design excels at controlling back pressure at flow rates typically encountered in laboratory scale equipment with two-phase flow. Unlike relief valves, these units are designed for continuous throttling service, while precisely maintaining the upstream system pressure. The regulator body and the diaphragm are the only process wetted parts.

SPECIFICATIONS	A90VB SERIES	A91VB SERIES
Inlet control pressure range	10 to 2000 psi (0.7 – 138 bar)	100 to 3000 psi (7 – 200 bar)
Body material	T316SS (available in other corrosion resistant alloys)	T316SS (available in other corrosion resistant alloys)
Dome material	Aluminum alloy	Aluminum alloy
Diaphragm	FKM	PTFE
Temperature range	0 to 93 °C	-54 to 93 °C
Maximum Kv	0.15	0.15
Approximate mass	1.1 kg	1.1 kg
Inlet and outlet process end porting	1/4 NPTF	1/4 NPTF
Dome connections	1/4 NPTF and 1/8 NPTF (interchangeable)	1/4 NPTF and 1/8 NPTF (interchangeable)

For more information please see 717M: A90VB, A91VB, & A93VB Back Pressure Regulators Operating Instructions.

Parr Design Codes and Certifications

We are often asked for a document describing the benefits of Parr products over our competitors. The number one reason we are the market leader in our industry is the safety and quality of the pressure products and systems we produce.

Parr Instrument Company’s ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certifies that all of our products are produced under a documented and approved quality management system. Beyond being ISO 9001:2015 certified, Parr carries many other certifications for our design, manufacturing, and testing processes.

More information regarding our certifications is explained in a recent letter Design Codes and Certifications by Mike Steffenson, our Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, and in Tech Note 304: Parr Instrument Company Certifications. Copies of all of Parr Instrument Company’s certifications are available for download on our Certifications page. Please share these documents with your customers who would like more information on Parr’s quality procedures.

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Dealer Training

Parr Instrument Company is committed to providing expert sales and technical support for our products. We believe that a big part of this is providing training to our representatives from around the world.

Periodically, Parr holds training sessions at our main office/manufacturing facility in Moline, Illinois. We do not charge for this training. Your only expenses would be travel and lodging.

Our next training session is October 8 – 12, 2018.

Please contact us at intl_inquiries@parrinst.com in advance if you would like to attend this session. We can help with letters of invitation and hotel reservations. Please let us know if there is any special training you would like and we will be happy to try to accommodate you.

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Parr Team Member Focus

The recent retirement of Parr’s Export Manager, Kay Frere, has led to some role changes within our organization.

Steve Lierly, Export Sales Manager & Calorimeter Product Manager

Steve has been Parr’s Calorimeter Project Manager since 2007 and now will also assume the role of Export Sales Manager. Steve’s primary duties in his new position will include dealer development and performance analysis, payment term and document management, and continued project work for both the calorimeter and reactor product lines. Steve will maintain his current involvement in calorimeter technical support. His many years of experience interacting with and travelling to visit dealers and customers around the world will be invaluable as he begins his new responsibilities.

Tony Dietzel, Senior Technical Sales Representative

Tony has been part of Parr’s Sales Team since 2010 and has been promoted to Senior Technical Sales. His primary duties will focus on specification and quotation of customized reactors and calorimeters, and he will continue to provide technical support for both product lines. Tony’s excellent work ethic and strong product knowledge will be significant contributors to his continued success as he assumes this new role.

Carolina Saguilan, Sales & Customer Service Specialist

After spending 14 years in Parr’s Accounting Department, Carolina has moved into the Sales Department where her primary duties will focus on phone and email sales and customer support. Carolina will also have additional responsibilities related to contract and export document review and preparation. Carolina’s extensive experience with customer financial matters and her familiarity with Parr’s ERP software will serve her well in her new position.

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New Parr Communications Requirements

Please remember to send all orders to: intl_orders@parrinst.com and all new inquiries (calorimeters, reactors, parts, warranty, service, etc.) to: intl_inquiries@parrinst.com.

For many of your orders and requests, just as in the past, your email will be forwarded to an appropriate person in the sales department, and you will receive a copy so you know to whom your email has been assigned. For all following correspondence about that order or inquiry, please contact that salesperson directly – without copying others in Parr’s sales team. Minimizing the number of emails sent to multiple people within the sales department will help clarify who is responsible for responding to your messages.

Please also discontinue use of Parr@parrinst.com and Sales@parrinst.com, again, even in cc.

Thank you for your help with these changes as we believe this system will help improve our response time to both inquiries and orders.

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New Parr Dealer for Turkey

After nearly 30 years of service as Parr’s Exclusive Dealer in Turkey, DOGA Ithalat Ihracat Insaat Pazarlama Ve Mumessillik LTD. STI., has closed it’s doors. All of us at Parr would like to thank Haluk and the entire team at DOGA for all of their years of service and friendship!