NEW MRO SHOW TO LAUNCH NEXT YEAR

Reed Exhibition Companies (REC) is launching a new trade event geared exclusively to Canada’s $26-billion MRO market. MRO Expo for Equipment & Machinery will take place Nov. 14-15, 2001, at the Toronto Congress Centre. The show will be held in alternate years from Canadian Manufacturing Week and will be co-located with the Supply Chain Management Expo.

“MRO Expo will be a vertically focused event geared to the maintenance, repair and plant operations market, which is a vital function applicable to all industries, markets and facilities,” says Dave Brown, group show manager.

The show is expected to attract over 200 exhibitors and feature air compression, bearings, daily operations, diagnostic and analytical instrumentation, electrical and electronic controls, energy management, hand and power tools, hydraulic and pneumatic components, maintenance shop supplies, mechanical power transmission, motion control technology, and predictive maintenance systems.

Supply Chain Management Expo (formerly Logistics Canada Expo) has been running since 1998 and has an established audience of senior industry buyers looking to source products for the entire supply chain. For more information, phone REC at (416) 491-7565 or visit www.reedexpo.ca.

TECHNIQUE DETECTS WATER CORROSION IN HEAT EXCHANGER BOLTS

Scientists at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in San Antonio, Texas, have modified the cylindrically guided wave technique to detect and characterize borated water corrosion in the all-thread bolts used by the nuclear power industry in heat exchanger flanges.

The only technique for detecting corrosion on these bolts before now was to visually inspect for discoloration. Suspect bolts were then physically removed for a closer inspection at great expense.

“In the nuclear power industry, heat exchanger flanges are clamped together by using a nut on each end of the all-thread bolt and tightening the nuts to the proper tension,” says Dr. Glenn M. Light, director of the SwRI Nondestructive Evaluation Science and Technology Department. “When used this way, most of the bolt is hidden by the heat exchanger flange, and it is difficult to inspect for corrosion.”

The cylindrically guided wave technique (CGWT), a zero-degree longitudinal wave method that allows ultrasonic energy to be injected into metal samples, measures changes in the characteristics of the ultrasonic energy propagation that signal the presence of corrosion and cracks.

Most types of corrosion leave rough, jagged surfaces which destroy the signals that make CGWT effective. In this application, however, the water running through the heat exchanger tubes is borated (mixed with borax or boric acid) to adjust the pH level which, in turn, minimizes corrosion. In the event of a flange leak, this borated water can flow over the threads of the bolt and corrosion can occur over time, resulting in a loss of bolt material.

The corrosion that results is unique because as the borated water corrodes the all-thread material, it leaves a very smooth, almost polished surface. This smooth surface allows the ultrasonic mode-converted signals to form and produces the information needed to assess damage.

This method can detect and characterize borated water corrosion levels on the order of 10 per cent of the bolt diameter, in bolts approximately 20-in. long and 1.5-in. dia. The ultrasonic data is monitored using an oscilloscope. By comparing the location of the end of the bolt signal and the time differences between the subsequent signals observed on the oscilloscope, the remaining diameter and amount of corrosion damage can be determined.

“We developed this technique about 20 years ago for inspecting any bolt except all-thread,” says Light. “Borated water corrosion presents unique circumstances that enable inspectors to use CGWT in a slightly different manner than has been used previously.”

SwRI is an independent, non-profit, applied research and development organization. For information, visit www.swri.org or telephone (210) 522-3305.

ONTARIO PUSHES AHEAD WITH EDUCATION OF WORKFORCE

In today’s technology-driven factories, it is no secret that educated and trained workers give companies a competitive edge. As a nation, Canada spends more per capita on education than all other G7 countries. As an example of this, according to the 1998 World Competitiveness Yearbook, business leaders ranked Ontario’s education system ahead of those in Japan and the United States in terms of ability to meet the needs of a competitive economy.

Almost half of Ontario’s workers have completed post-secondary education and nearly two-thirds have at least some college or university education. In addition to the province’s 17 universities, there is a network of 25 colleges of applied arts and technology.

Many of these colleges offer training programs tailored to the particular needs of specific industries and companies. This co-operative approach also is the key to the success of the province’s apprenticeship programs.

The province recently launched an initiative aimed at doubling the number of people entering into apprenticeships each year from 11,000 to 22,000. In addition, it is investing over $740 million to modernize and expand the infrastructure of its colleges and universities over the next five years.