Sonic Horns Blog

Soot Blowers Go Sonic On Boilers

2012-02-20T08:54:00.000-08:00

Soot blowers have been used for many years for industrial boiler tube cleaning but their popularity is increasingly on the decline. Why? Well, client feedback tells us that the actual process of cleaning which steam soot blowers administer is abrasive and can lead to serious boiler tube erosion. That in turn delivers boiler inefficiency, downtime and potentially expensive repair costs.

Sonic horns, or sonic soot blowers as some people now call them, deliver an entirely different cleaning method which is non-abrasive, eradicating the worry of boiler tube erosion. Moreover, sonic horns offer the extra advantage of preventing material build-up in the first place.

It is not surprising, therefore, that as a sonic horn supplier, we find ourselves approached more and more often with the request to replace standard soot blowers with our sonic horn technology.

This video was filmed in a waste to energy plant in the UK where exactly this scenario took place. If you look closely (slightly left of centre and 'north west' of the engineer's orange safety helmet) you will see the sonic horn fitted to the side of the boiler economizer section.

Read more about why sonic horns are now the preferred soot blower alternative.

Cement Plant Pre-Heater Fan Acoustic Cleaning With Sonic Horns

2012-01-27T01:58:00.000-08:00

Silo cleaning (preventing side wall material build-up and eliminating bridging) is something we have written about extensively before. A good example is a sonic horns blog post from last year entitled Giving New Meaning To Silo Cleaning as well as this key page on our main sonic horns website about Cement Bulk Storage Bin Cleaning & Silo Cleaning.

Silos, however, are not the only part of a cement plant where material build-up can be a problem and we find ourselves servicing an increasing number of enquiries for the cleaning of other plant elements such as pre-heater ID fans.

Particulate build-up on the blades can cause a pre-heater fan to go out of balance and if this happens during production, the whole upstream plant has to be closed down, the fan manually cleaned and then the whole plant gradually restarted. Such unscheduled downtime is very expensive. Typically, the build-up is an extremely hard, brick-like substance which can break off during operation and cause serious imbalance and possibly damage to the fan casing.

This video shows our 120Hz sonic horn in operation on a pre-heater ID fan at a cement plant in Malaysia. You can actually see the particles being debonded as the sonic horn sounds. Sonic technology at its effective best!

Sonic Horns: The Solution For Baghouse Cleaning

2011-12-10T08:09:00.000-08:00

Power generation plants form a vital part of any country'sinfrastructure so their efficiency is of paramount importance. Downtime can bevery costly with many negative, knock-on effects.

Our sonic horns can help improve efficiency and avoiddowntime in power plants and we were particularly pleased with how we recentlyhelped a US power company solve their baghouse cleaning problems.

Scenario: The plant has a large baghouse with six compartments. The baghouse is located behind a scrubber so particlesare very fine. The product is coke and coal ash combination. The plant had beenexperiencing severe material build up on the filter bags which was not beingremoved by the conventional filter cleaning system of blowing high pressuredown the bags about every 15 seconds. So they approached us to see if we could help with our sonic horns.

Now we know from experience that such a build up causes abig increase in differential pressure across the filter bags which then behavelike a blocked vacuum cleaner and lose power. Also the life of the filter bags(which are not cheap in terms of purchasing replacements plus the time to stripout and refit) is greatly reduced. Moreover, if the filter subsequently fails then the wholeupstream plant has to be shut down. So this baghouse problem was really hurting them with regardto running both of their boilers.

Solution: We suggested the installation of our sonic horns and as theyneeded help fast but with no prior experience of acoustic cleaning, they wantedto tread carefully and so opted for a rental plan. They rented 4 of our 75Hzhorns in early August this year.

However, within 10 days they informed usthere was a problem - the horns only worked when the filter with its vacuum wasswitched off. We spent the next month getting them to check various thingsas we had not supplied the ancillary items - they had sourced these themselves.Each part was checked and found to be OK. So by mid September they were convinced that our horns wouldnot work under vacuum and were considering returning them to us. However, weknew for certain that our units do work well under vacuum as baghouse filterplants are a popular area for our sales.

The only solution was for our Technical Director to visitsite deep in Alexandria Louisiana. On October 12 he flew out and worked on sitewith the engineers during the night when the plant was not operating. He testedeverything and then found that they had installed the mountings for the hornsthe wrong way round. The moment these were changed the units worked perfectlyand the engineers on site were amazed at the amount of particulate theydebonded.

The company has since confirmed its intention to purchasethese four sonic horns and to purchase a further 8 units for installationduring their next shutdown.

Question: So why 75Hz as opposed to any other?

Answer: Our in-house computer modelling software (designedin conjunction with the University of Liverpool) indicated that this was themost appropriate model for the application in question. Two filters separatedinto 4 sections with one 75Hz horn per section.

Proof that the sonic horn is the ideal solution for baghouse cleaning.

Improving Thermal Efficiency With Sonic Horns: Boiler Economizer Cleaning

2011-11-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

Economizing on energy consumption is vital for all types of industry but surprisingly this is no new concept.

It was more than 150 years ago in fact that the very first successful design of economizer was used - in steam engines. Patented by Edward Green in 1845, it increased the steam-raising efficiency of the boilers.

Today the need to reduce energy consumption is an even greater priority and applies to most industries around the world. For them, improving thermal efficiency and generating as much heat as possible from burnt fuel is key. This is where maintenance and correct functioning of economizers comes in. Keeping economizers clean is crucial. That may sound simple but it is not!

Many economizers have a complex tube configuration (plain tubes and finned tubes) which means that although traditional soot blowers might be installed to do basic cleaning, there can be problems leading to the shutdown of the boiler for manual cleaning. This is where sonic horns (aka sonic soot blowers) come into their own.

The following testimonial from one of our clients who operates a large waste-to-energy plant speaks for itself:

"We have had an internal problem with our Economizer mid bank steam soot blowers for some time. The tube configuration in that bank is such that it has plain tubes at the top and finned tubes at the bottom of the same bank. Historically, we would have had to shut the boiler down to go into the economizer pretty soon after the development of such a fault in order to repair the steam stoot blower and manually clean the tube bank because of the rate of fouling being so high. However, currently draught loss has remained insignificant thanks to the operation of the sonic horns. I would happily endorse your product to any interested party in the future".

This photograph shows 3 of our sonic horns fitted to the economizer of the waste to energy plant referred to in the above testimonial. Read more about our sonic horns for boiler economizer cleaning.

Sing Sing Sing & The Clarinet/Sonic Horn Analogy

2011-07-22T01:21:00.000-07:00

The one or two of you who regularly read my sonic horns blog who will know that I am a Big Band (swing and jazz) fan. I have just recently been to see the UK top big band, Chris Dean’s Sid Lawrence Orchestra at a lovely theatre set in the middle of the English Lake District – The Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, Cumbria.

The band played one of my favourite numbers "Sing Sing Sing", first made famous by the ‘King of Swing’ Benny Goodman. This number has a strong drum beat in it and Benny’s drummer was the fantastic Gene Krupa. You can watch a video of his band playing this great jazz swing number.

Benny Goodman’s trade mark was his clarinet which is an instrument made up from an end bell section, a main stem section and a top mouthpiece which contains the reed.

Most clarinets are either Bъ or A. The base note is produced by blowing air through the reed which is then amplified to a particular high or low note by a combination of the stem and the position of the open holes on the stem. If the base note produced by the reed can ‘escape’ out of the first hole, then a high note (high frequency – short wavelength) is produced. If the lowest positioned note on the stem is open then the base sound wave has to resonate up and down the stem causing it to form a longer wavelength and therefore a low note is produced.

This is exactly the same principle used by us in the design and construction of our range of sonic horns. The ‘reed’ is a titanium disc housed within the Wave Generator and when compressed air is introduced it vibrates rapidly causing a base note. Then by altering the size of the bell section we can produce a number of fixed key frequencies ranging from 420 Hz (high frequency) to 60 Hz (low frequency). Take a look at our sonic horn website if you would like a more detailed explanation. I have written a section dedicated to understanding sonic horns.

Our acoustic cleaners cannot play "Sing Sing Sing", but they are extremely effective at preventing particulate build up and providing material flow solutions in a wide range of both plant and industry applications.

Giving New Meaning To Silo Cleaning

2011-05-20T01:48:00.000-07:00

One of the primary industries where sonic horns bring particular advantage is that of the cement industry. In a large cement factory there can be many process and storage problems and sonic horns can really help by:

1. preventing particulate build-up (in id fans and electrostatic precipitators)
2. by improving material flow (eg. in cement silos and hoppers)

See our cement silo cleaning page for more information.

Photograph: our most powerful sonic horn (PAS-60) installed on a 30,000 ton capacity cement silo.

Today, however, I came across a 'first' ... a cement factory with no less than 30 cement silos where our sonic horns could not be installed! The reason? It has been converted into an architect's office!

Architect Ricardo Bofill discovered the 3,1000 m2 cement factory in Barcelona back in 1973 and spent 2 years redeveloping it into his head office/home. Surrounded by beautiful gardens it has to be one of the most unusual office/homes I've ever seen.

Read more on this story and view the pictures

Artistic Sonic Horns

2011-04-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

I'm generally not given to wandering around art galleries (any free time I have is absorbed by a passion for cooking and big band jazz!) but I was passing Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery in Carlisle recently when a poster for an unusual art exhibition caught my eye. Entitled "Underwater" it looked a little unusual and rather interesting. So I ventured in.

The premise of the exhibition was clear .... artistic efforts by a range of contemporary artists to capture the essence of life beneath the oceans and remind us of our origins.

The art forms were certainly not of any standard type but varied and fascinating - from videos to drawings and photographs and there was even a motorized model submarine struggling to escape the clutches of a giant squid!

I walked around the quiet gallery, intrigued by all that I saw and then, as I wandered to the very back of the exhibition, I began to hear noises. I gravitated towards where the sound was coming from. As I stood at the entrance to this particular room, I was stopped in my tracks by what I saw ........... it was a series of sonic horn shaped, metallic horns suspended from the ceiling, eminating underwater recordings of fish and other sea creatures.

I walked around the room and in between the horns. It was a unique experience both visually and aurally. All credit to the artist Klaus Osterwald for his creativity.

Proof that art and engineering can combine to inspire!

Sounding The Sonic Horn For Disaster Relief

2011-03-18T02:22:00.000-07:00

Supplying sonic horns brings me into contact with a wide range of industries and the highly skilled, engineers and technicians associated with them.

These industries include:

Cement & Gypsum

Pharmaceutical

Petrochemical

Power Generation

Within the latter industry, I have been privileged over the years to encounter some of the finest engineers in the world – from fossil fuel power plants to nuclear power plants. In the nuclear power sector. nuclear waste encasement is an important issue and, through an extended involvement in cement production for that purpose, their engineers have become very familiar with sonic horns – used today as the preferred option for maintaining optimum silo performance.

Why mention this now? Well, nuclear power has always been a much debated topic and this week of course the debate has been heightened by the tragedy of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. It is a tragedy on a scale that defies belief but one where we can all help, if only just a little. Charities such as the Red Cross, Unicef and Save The Children are all working in support of the disaster relief effort. For more information on how to make a donation and for the latest updates on the Japanese crisis here is the Google Crisis Response page

Sonic Scrubbing - For Your Kitchen, Teeth & Car!

2011-02-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

Given that I have a sonic horn company, you might understand that my attention is drawn to any news items or articles with the word 'sonic'.

This week I received the usual batch of junk mail including mail order catalogs of different kinds. Just why I opened one and began to read it I don't quite know! Anyway, as I flicked through the pages I found my eye drawn to a heading 'Sonic Scrubbers'.

Sonic scrubbers are (apparently) the new power cleaning system being recommended by many retailers for effective household cleaning, particularly in the kitchen where parts of your cooker or nooks and crannies in work surfaces and around the sink can be difficult to clean.

I then moved on in the catalog and a few pages later there was another 'sonic' product - this time a sonic toothbrush!

With all this sonic technology advertorial I thought I would do some searching on Google and I even found a sonic scrubber video on YouTube being used for cleaning car wheel trims!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOPRuBLoF6E

So whether you want to clean your kitchen, your teeth or your wheel trims, it seems sonic power seems to be in fashion right now.

For my part, I will hang on to my kitchen cloth and mop, my old fashioned bristle toothbrush and my little, black wheel trim brush; I have enough sonic technology in my life with sonic horns, the preferred alternative to soot blower technology.

Choo Choo Sonic Horns

2010-12-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

I am sure that steam trains hold a fascination for most of us – whether it is their sleek design, quality of build or simply just their sheer power!

Coming from Ireland, my boyhood experience of steam trains was via The Belfast & County Down Railway formed in 1848. It had several key lines, however as I lived in a country town of Dromore, the main line from Belfast to Newcastle was ‘my’ railway line, especially as my love of Newcastle, County Down has never waned.

This particular line opened in 1869 and as was the case through the Victorian railway heyday period, the railway companies built grand hotels at the end of key rail terminals. Having recently attended another Big Band Concert and listened to one of my favourite Glen Miller songs – The Chattanooga Choo Choo (first recorded by him in 1941), I was interested to learn a little about the history on which this marvellous song was founded.

The first Chattanooga Choo Choo Train was Cincinnati Southern Railroad's small wood burning steam locomotive that started its journey through history from Cincinnati, Ohio on March 5, 1880. Nearly all trains travelling to the South passed through Chattanooga. The wood-burning "Choo Choo" was the first to provide non-stop service. In the Miller era, Mack Gordon’s song traces the progress of the train from New York’s Pennsylvania Station south to Chattanooga’s sprawling Terminal Station, making ‘Track 29’ famous. The original old fashioned wood burning trains were replaced by modern trains which were superb in their design, construction and performance and certainly stood the test of time. Likewise our Primasonics Sonic Horns lead the way in exactly those three essential attributes – design, construction and performance.

Back in Ireland of course as excited young boys, my brother and I were forever poking our heads out of the carriage window which usually resulted in us getting particles of soot being ‘deposited’ in our eyes. The main means of removal was for our mother to lick the end of her hanky and poke out the offending ‘soot build up’ – such simple but happy excursions!

It perhaps is somewhat ironic that today our range of Sonic Horns have replaced the old fashioned steam soot blowers because they offer a modern, proven, non destructive means to prevent and remove soot/ash build up from occurring within industrial boilers, superheaters, economisers and air heaters etc within the power generation industry thus significantly improving the boiler’s thermal efficiency and reducing fuel usage. The photograph shows one of our new range of horns (1 of 17 installed) located on a boiler with the now redundant steam sootblower to the left.

My Sonic Dog

2010-11-01T08:15:00.000-07:00

Within the Primasonics International organisation, one of the key jobs is that of head of security and that position is admirably filled by Miss Tina Tiddlemouse – my little Jack Russell terrier. Tina is now seven and I got her when she was five months old and already had three owners, the last one locked her in a barn with horses for 23 hours out of 24.

As you can see she is a lovely and indeed loving little dog and she comes to the office or to customer’s site with me every working day. Her favourite pastime is chasing Peskies (rabbits), Pussies (cats) and Pheasies (pheasants) – Irish words you understand! She sits in my office with me and every so often will run out of my office to the main office door, just before the person wanting admission rings the buzzer – simply because of her much superior hearing.

Us humans may think we have good hearing, but Tina and her canine friends hear a lot better hearing and can detect sounds as low as the 16 to 20Hz frequency range (compared to 20 to 70 Hz for humans) and above 45 kHz (compared to 13 to 20 kHz for humans). In addition they can pinpoint the source of the sound much faster because their ears are incredibly mobile due to having eighteen different muscles that can tilt, rotate and raise or lower a dog’s ear. If that wasn’t enough, they can detect sounds up to four times the distance that us humans are able to do.

At Primasonics, as part of our strict compliance with our ISO requirements, we test every single sonic horn after assembly and prior to packing. We do this in an anechoic chamber so that we do not hear the sound pressure generated, especially in our busy offices. However Tina does hear each acoustic cleaner being tested and soon lets me know!

It just goes to show the power of our Primasonics Acoustic Cleaners. Within a host of industrial applications, they can employ their powerful sonic sound waves to prevent the build up of particulate and ensure maximum flow of dry materials. Industries within this context include Power Generation, Cement, Petrochemicals.

Read more about sonic horns for power generation plants and cement silo cleaning.

A Read 'Dish' Miss Gish!

2010-05-11T06:35:00.000-07:00

OK maybe it’s an age thing but I struggle to appreciate the special effects and computer animations of modern films. I prefer the simple sincerity of the special effects of old black & white films, especially the silent films.

In one of my ‘senior moments’ I was thinking about a documentary I saw many years ago on the making of silent films with their simple special effects, especially snow storms. It made me think of one of the real ‘darlings’ of the silver screen – Lillian Gish (and indeed also her sister Dorothy Gish) who, along with many other ‘screen virgins’ such as Mary Pickford, started in many of D W Griffith’s great silent movies.

Lillian Diana Gish was born in October 14, 1893 and passed away in February 27, 1993. She had a remarkable 75 year career in films, television and stage from 1921 until 1987. She rightly earned the title as ‘The First Lady of the Silent Screen’ and it was hinted that she had a brief ‘entanglement’ with D W Griffith. Her last film, made in 1987 at the age of 93, was ‘The Whales of August’ staring Vincent Price, Ann Sothern and Betty Davis. However it was for her Griffith films that she was most remembered – such as Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, Way Down East and Orphans of the Storm. In this film there was a ‘snow scene’ which like all snow scenes of the silent films, was created by throwing handfuls of artificial snow in front of a large fan on the set. On occasions, the fake snow got clogged onto the fan blades so filming had to be stopped in order to clean the fan.

This Orphans of the Storm film can be seen on a unique web site - http://www.archive.org/details/OrphansoftheStorm. It was considered to be Griffith’s last major commercial success. It centred on the French revolution and the rise of Bolshevism. This lady has her own web site at - http://www.lilliangish.com/

Believe it or not, in most dry processing industries such as cement, metal recovery etc., they can suffer from particulate building up on the blades of ID Fans causing the fan to go off balance which in turn makes it necessary to shut down the plant in order to manually clean the impeller blades. However thanks to Primasonics Acoustic Cleaners such problems are a thing of the past. The acoustic cleaner’s sound waves prevent the build up of particulate on the fan blades thus eliminating the need for unscheduled plant shut downs. Find our more on this innovative, safe and efficient means of preventing fan imbalance by following the following link - http://www.primasonics.com/fan_applications.htm

A tribute to ‘The First Lady of the Silent Screen’ from the Primasonics International – ‘The Innovators in Sonic Horn Cleaning Technologies’.

Funny Irish Food!

2010-04-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

There is a town in Northern Ireland called Ballycastle in Country Antrim where I was taken as a small boy for a special treat. Ever since 1612, Ballycastle has hosted a special ‘Irish’ event – The Auld Lammas Fair. It is held every year on the last Monday or sometimes, Tuesday of August and is associated with the Lammas harvest festival.

The four things I remember most about my visit there were, all the various stalls, people riding in horse & trap, Yellowman and Dulse. No doubt the last two will need some explaining ...

Yellowman is simply a type of toffee to which sodium bicarbonate has been added so that it is full of honeycomb bubbles when it is boiled and set. It has a unique taste and it is such a long time since I have tasted it. I recently found a recipe for it – try it!

However the main reason for my introduction is to acquaint you with Irish Dulse – which is a type of edible seaweed, more commonly known in Ireland as Dillisk. It is a red/purple coloured algae usually found on the rocks around the northern shores of Ireland. It is usually eaten (by Irishmen anyway) in its raw, semi-dried form as a snack. Indeed it contains all essential vitamins and minerals as well as being high in protein - up to 20% - see this nutritional guide

It can easily ordered on-line from such companies as http://www.seaweg.co.uk/ and I always have a bad of dulse on my desk to both keep may brain on max power and to remind me of home. Dulse can be used in many recipes so here is one which is truly Irish – Irish Soda Dulse Soda Scones – try this as well. And while you are at it, also take a look at our sonic horns web site for some material flow problem solving inspiration!

At War With Acoustics!

2010-02-21T09:10:00.000-08:00

From time to time I comment on some of the wide range of totally different applications which have involved ‘acoustic energy’ in one form or another.

One such interesting field was the development ‘acoustic location’ devices for the passive detection of aircraft by picking up the noise of their engines. It was also employed to try and determine the presence and position of ships in fog. These ‘devices’ came in many design shapes & sizes from mid World War 1 until the early years of World War 2. However they were rendered obsolete by the introduction or radar which proved to be considerably more effective. Such horns provided both acoustic gain and directionality and because of the increased inter-horn spacing compared with human ears, increased the observer’s ability to localise the direction of the sound.

The earliest audio-location device, used to assist navigation in fog was Professor Mayer’s Topophone devised in 1880 (photograph 1).

My second photograph shows a massive two-horn system being tested at Bolling Field, close to the US Army War College at Fort McNair in 1921. Most every advanced country designed and developed their own unique detection devices – none more so than Japan!

My final photograph, taken in the 1930s, shows the Japanese War Tubas with what appears to be two horns in a horizontal plane and two more in a vertical plane mounted on four wheel carriages. On the right of this photograph is the Japanese emperor Horohito and behind him are the AA guns intended to be used in conjunction with the acoustic locators.

Of course the complete opposite is true with Primasonics Sonic Horns – they are now very much the new proven innovative acoustic cleaning technology which is replacing older, ‘devices’ such as soot blowers and air cannons. Take a look at our sonic horn web site to see for yourself how these acoustic cleaners provide a safe, automated, solution for the effective prevention and removal of dry powder and particulate build-ups and blockages.

The Magic of Acoustic Energy

2010-01-22T09:20:00.000-08:00

Here at Primasonics® we like to think that we are pretty inventive. Indeed we always have at least one R&D programme ‘on the go’ with a leading UK university’s acoustic research unit. As well as looking for ways to improve and expand our existing range of Audiosonic™ Acoustic Cleaners, we are also working on ways to evaluate and harness different forms of acoustic energy in order to provide effective prevention of material build up in the most difficult and hazardous industrial applications.

The power of sound never ceases to amaze me and I recently read a fascinating article which stated that our body’s own DNA emits sound waves. Scientists are now developing an incredible new technology which will both record and amplify the minute acoustic signals given off not only by our DNA molecules but also by bacteria and viruses. Imagine what profound implications there would be for the medical world – the ability to identify specific viruses or cancer cells by the acoustic energy they emit.

On a more ‘refreshing’ note a device has already been created that uses only sound energy to refrigerate ice cream, making it therefore much easier to produce some of the delicious ice creams and sorbets which I have found on this delightful ice cream recipes web site.

Reading wonderful articles such as these gives me added enthusiasm to maintain Primasonics® International as the world leader in the design and manufacture of the best acoustic cleaning technologies. So why don’t you try our well proven sonic horn technologies to prevent material build up in your process facility, power station of dry material storage plant.

Cool Horn – Red Hot Performance

2009-12-22T03:21:00.000-08:00

I was thinking of how I could link our innovative range of sonic horns with some of my favourite film stars and in the end the answer was simple - Bix Beiderbecke!

Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, jazz pianist, and composer. With Louis Armstrong, Beiderbecke was one of the two most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s. A native of Davenport, Iowa, Beiderbecke taught himself to play cornet largely by ear, leading him to adopt a non-standard fingering that some critics have connected to his original sound. He first recorded with the Midwestern jazz ensemble the Wolverines in 1924.

So what is the link with ‘the stars’?

Well following Dorothy Baker’s book, loosely based on the life of Bix Beiderbeche, a film was made in 1950 which starred three of my all time favorites – Kirk Douglas (Bix), Lauren Bacall (Amy North) and my darling Doris Day (Jo Jordan). The firm was directed by Michael Curtiz (of Casablanca fame) and produced by Jerry Wald. It was a white-hot drama about a red-hot jazzman. It was the legendary Harry James who dubbed Douglas’ hornwork and of course another fine instrument was featured in the film, the voice of Doris Day!

The Primasonics range of Sonic Horns offer red hot performance and dynamic solutions in eliminating particular build up that never fails to impressl

Just like the horn blowing of Bix!

Worried Pigeons, Sonic Art & Cumbria Floods

2009-11-27T00:43:00.000-08:00

As you will know from reading this Sonic Horns Blog, my everyday working life revolves around audiosonics and, in particular sonic horn technologies. It is therefore not surprising that pretty much anything involving 'sonics' of any kind always attracts my interest and attention. A good example happened this last February when I wrote a Sonic Valentine post; my fiancee Shirley's purchase of a new jewelry cleaner became an item of fascination for me - it was a "Sonic Wave Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner" of all things. How appropriate is that?!

Recently a BBC radio programme discussing new art forms caught my ear. They were discussing 'Sonic Art' and in particular "the world's first permanent outdoor 3D soundfield" which had been installed in Workington in Cumbria. Essentially it is a canopy with speakers inside that create an all-round-the room sound experience that you get in the very best cinemas - but more so! The installation has what the creators call a 'soundscape' with recorded noises of all manner of things including birds, trains, bells and human voices. Apparently local pigeons hearing seagulls but not being able to see them were reported to look rather bemused!

What is perhaps most appropriate about this post is not just the 'sonic' element but the fact that this unique piece of Sonic Art is in Workington Cumbria - a place that has featured in the world's headlines the last few days because of the unprecedented flooding in that particular area of Britain. The devastation around Workington included collapsed bridges and the tragedy of a local policeman's death plus many people losing their homes and possessions to the flood waters. Whether the town's 3D outdoor soundfield is still intact I don't know. I have Google'd a few searches on it but no relevant news has been forthcoming. If I find out, I will let you know.

In the meantime, if you would like to help, the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund is accepting donations online from anyone who would like to help the people of Workington and the other affected areas of Cumbria.

A Technical Director's View

2009-10-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

As part of my job I often visit some of the UK’s universities which have specialisms in bulk materials or acoustics. Not long ago I was at Liverpool University’s Acoustic Research Unit testing a new prototype. The Principal Experimental Officer within the Unit is Gary Seiffert who as well as being very knowledgeable is a very funny and friendly fellow. He was talking about some of the other research projects being carried out at the University and one really caught my attention. In the engineering building both staff and students are working with Ford to put lasers in place of spark plugs.

The lasers can be split to create multiple ignition points leading to greater efficiency and better starting. Now what we do with better efficiency is of course up to us we can create hi-tech low carbon foot print cars with the same power and experience to drive we are used to or we could make a laser ignited screaming hotrod that only uses the same amount of fuel as your current car.

What I really like about this project is you could go down to the lab and they could start the engine up for you, far from being just a theory this was literally up and running. It made me think about some of the engines that we see that make big promises but never get out of solid works or only ever seem to be running on compressed air. Perhaps now that valves don’t need to be routed out of the way of spark plugs some of the more radical engine designs such as the “Round Engine” will receive the little spark they need to really launch them into the world.

Working with universities is something I really like doing when I see different departments and disciplines working together and making new connections it can provide real inspiration. As much as we get out of Universities in terms of access to specialist equipment and consultation we have in the passed been able to pay some of this back. Occasionally a simple letter from someone in industry saying you could see a possible practical use is all that is needed to allow a young researcher to get a grant and continue their studies or donating just a small amount of time can help students a great deal. Spending time with the brightest and best of a generation is never a waste of time and when it helps both of us I can’t think of a better way to spend a day.
..... Alex Bergus

A Word In Your Ear ...

2009-09-29T06:33:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful device our ear is - a complex structure which converts pressure fluctuations (sound waves) in the main manner by which we communicate with each other. Let me give you a brief outline of how this ingenious mechanism operates.

Pressure fluctuations in the form of sound waves enter our outer ear.

These travel down our ear canal.

This makes our ear drum vibrate.

In turn this causes our tiny ossicle bones to vibrate.

They then set off wave-like motions in the fluid inside our snail shaped cochlea.

This stimulates sensory hail cells in our cochlea.

A nerve impulse is then generated which travels along our cochlear nerve to our brain.

The region of our brain that processes these impulses and converts them into sound is called the temporal lobe.

Ingenious isn’t it? Just like our sonic horns which operate in a reverse manner. A base sound wave is produced within the Wave Generator by passing compressed air over a titanium disc located within a very specially designed housing. This base sound is converted into a range of pre-selected frequencies (420 – 350 – 230 – 120 – 75 – 60 Hz) which then act as a series of very rapid pressure pulses at different wavelengths, depending on the application.

These powerful pressure pulses are extremely effective at both debonding dry powders and particulate from both each other and the surface to which they have bonded and also to prevent the particulate from bonding with any surface in the first place. It is SO exciting that we can learn from one of our body’s key mechanisms in order to design a range of Sonic Horns which can be employed throughout a wide range of industries and plant applications to prevent material build up, improve material flow and thermal efficiency!

Keeping The Ash Out Of The Amber

2009-08-30T01:34:00.000-07:00

Not such a strange title when you consider that the word electricity is derived from the Latin word ‘ēlectricus’ or ‘amber like’, due to the English physician William Gilbert's careful study of electricity and magnetism, distinguishing the lodestone effect from static electricity produced by rubbing amber. I could fill pages writing about the fascinating early history of electricity; this phenomenon has been studied through the centuries, though advances in the science were not made until the 17th and 18th centuries. Even then, practical applications for electricity were limited and it was not until the late 19th century that engineers were able to put it to industrial and residential use. The rapid expansion in electrical technology at this time transformed industry and society. Electricity's amazing versatility as a source of energy means it has now found almost limitless uses within transport, heating, lighting and communications. The backbone of modern industrial and domestic society for the foreseeable future can be expected to remain the use of electrical power. Through the ages, many others such as Benjamin Franklin conducted extensive research in electricity.

The modern steam turbine was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884. Today it generates about 80% of the electric power in the world using a variety of heat sources, mainly fossil fuels. I suppose that coal fired power generation stations are amongst the best known. In the UK the now defunct Battersea Power Station in London is one of the most famous of its time. It was actually made up of two plants – Plant A built in the 1930s and Plant B built in the 1950s. Although the plants ceased generating electricity in 1983, this iconic landmark has made numerous cultural appearances, which include a shot in The Beatles' 1965 movie ‘Help!’ and being used in the cover art of Pink Floyd's 1977 album ‘Animals’.

Primasonics Sonic Horns make many permanent ‘appearances’ within a wide range of power generation plants. Their acoustic sound waves prevent ash from building up on the heat tubes thus not only significantly increasing the plant’s thermal efficiency but also reducing repair and maintenance costs by replacing older potentially damaging cleaning systems such as steam soot blowers.

Take a closer look at how Primasonics Acoustic Cleaners help keep the ‘ash out of the amber!’

Alien Material Build Up

2009-07-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

OK I admit it, I can remember watching 1950’s black and white ‘sci-fi flicks’ – but as a very, very young boy! When I see some of the computer designed special effects of today’s films, it only enhances my admiration for those who created the special effects in these early films. One such film, which is rather special for a reason I will mention later, was ‘The Earth versus The Flying Saucers’, directed by Fred F Sears and released in 1956.

To be brief, the earth is attacked by aliens in their flying saucers who set out to destroy all the major world cities, killing everyone except the two principle US scientists, Dr and Mrs Marvin. The reason I still remember this particular film is that in the end, the alien saucers were defeated over the skies of Washington by a device which used high-power sound (just like our sonic horns do) that stopped the saucers’ propulsion systems. If you would like to see the trailer for this movie click here.

Our extensive range of sonic horn products have not as yet been used to prevent aliens from landing on earth but have certainly been successful in preventing particulate build up and material blocking in such applications as silos, boilers, fans, baghouse filters etc.

By the way the guy responsible for the special effects in that early film is a movie legend – Ray Frederick Harryhausen, who went on to create special effects for such films as "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad" and "Jason and the Argonauts" which featured the famous sword fight against seven skeleton warriors.

The Ideal ‘Ergonomic’ Solution!

2009-06-27T04:46:00.000-07:00

I am sure that we have all heard of the word ‘ergonomics’ but do not fully appreciate either the science of ergonomics or the benefits obtained from its application within industry. Ergonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment and workplace to fit the worker.

Within industry, ergonomics takes into account both the capability and limitations of both the item of plant and the employee and then seeks to ensure that tasks, equipment, information and the environment suit each employee.

There are five main aspects of Ergonomics:

Safety – Comfort – Ease of Use – Performance – Aesthetics

So what has all this got to do with Primasonics sonic horns?

Ferro Corporation is the leading global supplier of technology based performance materials for manufacturers. In July 08, Lisa Wagoner, EHS Manager contacted Primasonics to discuss problems their Cleveland plant were having with potassium nitrate building up on the side walls of their blending silos. After careful study of dimensional drawings and photographs, Primasonics recommended the installation of Model PAS-230 located on top of the silo. As Ferro Corporation did not have any previous knowledge or experience of our acoustic cleaners, they initially opted for the Primasonics Rental Plan and installed their rental unit in October 08.

This Primasonics sonic horn proved to be such an effective solution that they proceeded to purchase and informed us that there will be many more further orders to come. Why did they choose to contact Primasonics? Well, the answer is very interesting. Initially they consulted with a company called Humantech who specialise in human performance ergonomics who in turn recommended the innovative Primasonics solution. Lisa commented – ‘Very simply, the acoustic cleaner worked, and worked well. The guys love it. They no longer have to try to scrape the material off the walls. The acoustic cleaner eliminated an ergonomic and fall hazard for us’.

High Performance Sonic Horns = Elimination of Ergonomic Hazards!

A Blue Ribbon For The Sonic Red Dot!

2009-05-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

Originating as I did from Northern Ireland, I have always maintained a great interest in the famous liner build in 1909 at Harland & Wolff’s Belfast site – The Titanic. Indeed the history of this great ship and it’s sister ships, the Olympic and the Britannic was brought back to me recently by a BBC video news item which showed how the entire waste dockland area where these great liners were built is now the subject to one of the largest and most ambitious regeneration plans - take a look at this video clip.

A very special young friend of mine, Oliver, bought me a fantastic book on the Titanic called The Titanic Experience and it begins by highlighting how major transatlantic shipping lines competed to win the coveted Blue Riband. Three of the main competitors were Cunard, the Hamburg-America Line and the White Star Line, which were the owners of the Titanic. Of the 33 Atlantic lines which won this prestigious award, 33 were British, 5 were German, 3 American and 1 each, Italy and France.

With all these great luxury liners, speed was paramount as was winning the Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing. It also reminded me about two good reasons why Primasonics® Sonic Horns provide such a powerful and efficient means of preventing particulate build up and maintaining material flow – Speed & Radius! The acoustic sound waves produced by our Primasonics® Sonic Horns travel through air at a speed of 224 m/second (1100 feet/second), much faster through solids and with a 360° radius. Read more about sonic horn technology.

So where does the red dot come into the equation? Well we have just updated our company logo and documentation to include a red dot.

Likewise as from now when you see a sonic horn with a red top – you will know that it is the finest sonic horn available – A Primasonics® Sonic Horn!

The Hidden Power In The Airwaves!

2009-04-17T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would first of all pass on what I consider to be a very useful piece of helpful advice and then to relate the same principle to a true acoustic cleaner story from Italy.

If you lock yourself out of your car and it has a remote control lock/unlock system, then there is an easy way in which you can unlock your car. If you keep a set of spare keys either at home or your office call them on their mobile from your cell phone. Then hold your cell phone close to your car door and have the person at your home or office press the unlock button on the spare set of keys whilst holding it close to the mobile at their end. Hey presto – your car will unlock! It really does not matter how far you are away from your office or home, it will work!

Now for my true story. Some years ago an Italian food processor purchased a Model PAS-75 Sonic Horn Horn to be mounted on top of one of his two rice husk storage silos. The rice husk was not flowing properly and causing ‘ratholing’. In the adjoining silo the problem, although still present, was not as severe. So when he installed the Primasonics Acoustic cleaner on top of his silo and sounded it, the rice husk debonded from the silo walls and the side wall build up disappeared. However a few days later he noticed that not only was the rice husk flowing perfectly from his troublesome silo but the rice husk in the adjoining silo was now also flowing much better – the hidden sonic cleaning power within the airwaves!

Photo: A sonic horn on top of a food plant silo

When Bonding Is More Important Than De-Bonding!

2009-03-04T09:50:00.000-08:00

On the home page of our Primasonics Sonic Horns web site, I mentioned that the Pilgrim Fathers first landed at Provincetown on 11 November 1690 thus forging the initial powerful bond between two great nations.

This week has seen that unique bond between the US and the UK further strengthened by the visit our UK Prime Minister, Gordon Brown to the White House to meet with President Obama. The two countries have stood shoulder to shoulder throughout many wars and the current constant threat from terrorism.

At the end of their discussions, President Obama stated – ‘Great Britain is one of our closest and strongest allies and there is a link and bond there that will not break’.

Also on our web site front page, I wrote – ‘British innovative technology, renowned for its quality of design and build, has always been welcomed by American industry’

Over the last year or so, those words have proved to ‘sound’ true and now Primasonics Sonic Horns are providing safe, automated, effective solution to both preventing particulate build up and aiding material flow wherever ash, powders or granules are generated, processed or stored.

In addition those of you who are new to the power of acoustic cleaning our new Sonic Horn Rental program is proving to be very popular. I will provide full details of this new ‘innovation’ in a future blog post. In the meantime, details of this rental programme can be found on our Sonic Horn Rental page.