Cleaner & Better Welds for Food and Beverage Tubing

When tubes and pipes used in the Food and Beverage Industry are welded, it is important that the undersides of the joints are free from oxidation that causes discoloration.

Weld roots that are not free from heavy oxidation may:

• protrude into the pipe and create traps where product may build up over time, creating conditions for bacterial growth which could contaminate the product moving through the pipe

corrode because the protective layer on the stainless steel has been lost due to oxidation

Measuring the oxygen level accurately before, during and after welding is one way to prevent these occurrences.

There are oxygen monitors on the market that are designed to monitor oxygen values just below and just above atmospheric levels for Health and Safety benefits however these aren’t suitable for measuring the oxygen content in weld purge gas.

Huntingdon Fusion Techniques invented the world’s first Weld Purge Monitor back in the 1970’s.  The unit was capable of reading from atmospheric levels down to 100 parts per million (ppm).  Since then, HFT have developed the monitors in line with changing industry standards and technology to the point at which today, they have developed a family range of seven Weld Purge Monitors®, most of which read down to 1ppm.

In order to achieve zero colour welds on stainless steel it is beneficial to reduce the oxygen level to 100 parts per million and below.  This can be measured accurately by using the PurgEye® 100 Weld Purge Monitor that is now recognised as the monitor of choice amongst international welders.

There is further information about the PurgEye® 100 below.

One step up in the range is the PurgEye® 300 Nano which is a low cost entry level monitor that allows users to read down to 1 ppm.  These ppm levels are required when welding duplex, super duplex, titanium and the more exotic alloys.  This monitor, together with the other monitors in the HFT range that read down to 1ppm, uses a zirconia sensor.

The PurgEye 300 Nano is a plug and play unit, powered from mains electricity.  Readings are displayed on a large OLED screen and the unit works in a free flow style from positive pressure in the purge gas.

In the event that users need to have quality control documents to verify conditions inside the pipe at all times, they can use the big brother to the Nano, which is simply called the PurgEye® 300. This model is fitted with PurgeLog software that will provide data capture for Quality Control purposes so post weld analysis can be carried out easily.

This model has additional features such as the ability to set audible and or visual alarms against settable upper and lower PPM levels or to start/stop welding power sources for example.

Further up the line, the PurgEye® 500 Desk model has the same features as the PurgEye® 300 and in addition is fitted with an electromechanical pump which constantly draws samples across the sensor with the results being shown immediately on the OLED display.

The PurgEye® 200 is a hand held version of the PurgEye® 500 with the same features including integral pump, PurgeLog® software, alarm features and ability to control welding power sources but with the advantage of working on either mains or long life rechargeable battery.

The PurgEye® 1500 Site is built into an indestructible case which is perfect for rugged site conditions while having the advantage of all the features of the PE500® Desk.  The unit runs on both mains electricity and battery, the battery being capable of lasting 10 hours before a recharge is required.

The PurgEye® 600 is a unique monitor because it contains two sensors enabling the unit to read from atmospheric levels right down to 1ppm.  It has a 3.5” colour screen on the front panel that can toggle from a digital reading to a graph.  A USB port is also featured on the front panel that can be used to collect data that can easily be transferred to a PC via the PurgeLog® software included with the unit

Finally, we have the PurgEye® 1000 suitable for applications where there is a requirement to monitor oxygen levels from up to 1km away.  The sensor is housed in a stainless steel torpedo like unit which can be placed inside the bore of the pipe or attached to a purging system.  Readings are sent via data cable back to the hand held monitor that is powered either by mains or battery.  This unit is invaluable in a pipeline situation.

Back to the PurgEye® 100, it has a clear, easy to read digital screen and runs on 2 x AA batteries. Low battery and sensor warning is shown pictorially on the display. When the monitor is not in use, an automatic sleep mode activates to conserve battery life.

The PurgEye® 100 is IP65 rated and comes with leak-tight push buttons, auto calibration features, a vacuum-sealed leak-tight probe assembly, wrist/neck strap and fitting for tripod mount.

A customer in the UK recently said: “We use your PurgEye® 100 Weld Purge Monitors twice a week on our five automatic welding machines for calibration purposes. I have to say that they are highly reliable and robust. If we need new units we know where to go.”

The long life sensor provides approximately 18 months life before it requires replacement. A low sensor indicator will appear on the screen, warning that a new sensor is required. Once that icon appears, it provides the user with adequate time to obtain a new sensor, which can be fitted as easily as changing a battery and the monitor can be re-calibrated easily by anybody by using the push button feature.

Ron Sewell, Chairman for HFT® said: “All of HFT®’s Weld Purge Monitors® and Inflatable Tube, Pipe and Pipeline Weld Purging Systems are manufactured in the UK. We do not sacrifice on quality. We guarantee to help you achieve zero colour welds, time and time again.”

PurgEye® 100 demonstration video can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/Q4MJTssaxN0.

Huntingdon Fusion Techniques HFT® have a Worldwide Exclusive Distributor network, which can be found at www.huntingdonfusion.com.