asepco_newsletter_april_2011_online

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2011 ASEPCO Corporation. All rights reserved. 1

In This Issue

Mission-Critical Equipment

Positive Material Identication (PMI):Intepreting Results

Dilbert

Contest

Calendar

CONTEST

Deadleg Killer Valve Name it

and win an iPad 2!

We need a fantastic name for our spiffy

new satallite valve. Come up with the

perfect name, and win an iPad 2! Go

here to enter: http://www.asepco.com/

news/2011/04/killer-app-satellite/

Word of the Month

Repartee

Pronunciation: (rep-er-tee, tey, -ahr-)

Meaning:

(noun) 1. A quick, witty reply.

2. Conversation full of such replies.

3. Skill in making such replies.

Sentence - We engaged in witty repartee

about our Dilbert cartoon.

Does Your Valve Perform Like

a Superhero? Introducing the1/2 Compact Inline Valve.

More info here: http://www.asepco.com/

news/2010/12/killer-app-compact-inline/

Mission-Critical

EquipmentWhat You Should Expect from Your Aseptic

Components

For many of you, the phrase mission-critical components might conjure up animage of the gold foil-covered shields foundon space satellites or the mil spec partsfound in an F-16. But in truth, you are usingmission-critical components in your facilityright now. In our industry, the combinationof product value along with the risk of

product compromise through contaminationdenitely requires a get-it-right-the-rst-time mentality. But is your equipmentdesigned to live up to these demands? Doesit help you meet your quality and productiongoals, or does it get in your way?

ASEPCO denes mission-critical-levelaseptic components as those that provideextremely consistent performance and

delivery of vital functionality in anapplication where downtime and productloss attributable to equipment failure cannotbe tolerated.

So, what should your equipment be ableto do if its designed for mission-criticaluse? We offer the following list of mission-critical characteristics as a measuring stickagainst which to evaluate all your asepticcomponents:

Proper operation is easy to implement.

Dilbert

Continued on page 2

by Paul L. Sturgill, Sturgill Welding & Code

Consulting

In any biopharmaceutical application,material specications are a criticalcomponent to the success of the project.Engineering rms specify the materials thatmust be used based on the process conditionsthose materials will be exposed to during

processing. Vendors like ASEPCO provideproducts that conform to these specications.When the products are received, end usersmust verify that the products conformto the specications. Positive MaterialIdentication (PMI) is one of the non-destructive techniques used verify materialconformance.

At Sturgill Welding & Code Consulting,we nd that PMI results are sometimesmisinterpreted, which can cause projectdelays and other issues. So, we thought it

Positive MaterialIdentication (PMI):

Interpreting Results

Continued on page 3
http://www.asepco.com/news/2011/04/killer-app-satellite/http://www.asepco.com/news/2011/04/killer-app-satellite/http://www.asepco.com/news/2010/12/killer-app-compact-inline/http://www.asepco.com/news/2010/12/killer-app-compact-inline/http://www.asepco.com/news/2010/12/killer-app-compact-inline/http://www.asepco.com/news/2010/12/killer-app-compact-inline/http://www.asepco.com/news/2011/04/killer-app-satellite/http://www.asepco.com/news/2011/04/killer-app-satellite/


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2011 ASEPCO Corporation. All rights reserved2

might be useful to briey discuss what PMIis, the equipment that is used to perform PMI,and how to evaluate the results produced bythe testing equipment.

Various techniques are used to determine the

chemical composition of metallic engineeringalloys, ranging from laboratory methods thatcan identify all of the elements (includinginterstitial elements such as carbon andsulfur) to employing portable units that candetermine only a limited number of alloyingelements. Positive Material Identication(PMI) is one of these techniques.

For this discussion, we focus on the portable hand-held units commonly usedin the biopharmaceutical industry for alloyverication. These units can operate in twomodes: They can either provide data as adiscreet list of alloying elements and their

amounts, or they can identify an alloy bycomparing the compositional data obtainedagainst a list of alloys whose partial nominalcompositions are stored in the units memory.This report explains that the most reasonableway to use PMI data is to compare both thediscreet list of alloying elements determined

by PMI and the interstitial elements listedon the MTR with the requirements of thematerial specication to which the materialwas purchased.

Background

The raw data collected by PMI units is theX-ray spectra that plots the intensity of outershell electron decay as a function of thecharacteristic energy level (wavelength) foreach element detected. PMI units convertthese spectra to lists of alloying elementsand their amounts. These units usually have

built-in alloy grade libraries that list partialcomposition ranges for many commercialalloys.

A PMI unit identies an alloy based upon thealloy library in the PMI units memory. Thisdata is based on a wide range of specicationsand sources including American Society forTesting and Materials (ASTM), Society forAutomotive Engineers (SAE), AmericanIron and Steel Institute (AISI), and

trademarked manufacturers such as Haynes,Carpenter, and Allegheny Ludlum (whichmake and patent certain alloys). This datamight be unrelated to the specications towhich the material or equipment in questionwas ordered. In addition, the PMI unit mightidentify a material as a specic alloy if itscomposition is close to that of an alloy in thePMI units library, not because it actuallymeets a set of criteria.

Portable X-ray uorescence (XRF)technology cannot detect elements whoseatomic numbers are less than 22 (whichcorresponds to titanium), so importantelements such as carbon, sulfur, silicon, and

phosphorus cannot be detected. However,material specications that govern materialsof construction for our industry specifyranges for these elements. As a result,PMI data, by denition, cannot be used todetermine an exact match to any ASTM orASME material specication.

For this reason, a PMI units display readingthat an alloy matches a 316 stainless steelcomposition cannot be used as proof thatthe alloy meets a material specicationrequirement. Only the material specication

and alloy grade requirementon the contractdocument is enforceable, not the PMI unitsstatement that an alloy is a match.

Applicable Standards and Specications

Vendors and equipment fabricators buildequipment based on written instructionsfrom engineering rms or end users.These instructions are usually in the formof a purchase order or a bill of materials(BOM), which is included in the drawing

package of requirements for a piece ofequipment. The construction material is

identied by two pieces of information: thematerial specication and the alloy grade ordesignation.

Material Specications

The material specication is one of a numberof common ASTM, ASME, or foreignspecications that list different alloy gradesof a single product form or for a singleintended use. Typical specications include:

A240/SA-240 for plate, sheet, and strip

Positive Material Identication: Interpreting Results

Continued on page 3

Fun and Games

Quote of the Month

If you could choose one characteristic

that would get you through life, choose a

sense of humor.

~Jennifer Jones~

Brain Teaser

Heart of Darkness,

Coat of Grain,

Was once alive,

Now feels no pain,

Never walks, but

Leaves a Trail.

Circle head and pointed tail.

Grows shorter as the day goes on-

Its waistline is a hexagon.

What am I?

Answer on page 4.

Jokes

Job Interview Techniques

Take the prospective employees you are

trying to place and put them in a room

with only a table and two chairs. Leave

them alone for two hours, without any

instruction. At the end of that time, go

back and see what they are doing.

If they have taken the table apart, putthem in Engineering.

If they are counting the butts in theashtray, assign them to Finance.

If they are waving their arms and talk-ing out loud, send them to Consulting.

If they are talking to the chairs, Person-nel is a good spot for them.

If they are wearing green sunglassesand need a haircut, Computer Informa-tion Systems is their niche.

If the room has a sweaty odor, perhapstheyre destined for the Help Desk.

If they mention what a good price wegot for the table and chairs, put theminto Purchasing.

If they mention that hardwood furnitureDOES NOT come from rainforests,Public Relations would suit them well.

If they are sleeping, they are Manage-ment material.

If they are writing up the experience,send them to the Technical Documentsteam.

If they dont even look up when youenter the room, assign them to Security.

If they try to tell you its not as bad asit looks, send them to Marketing.

...continued from page 1


3/4

2011 ASEPCO Corporation. All rights reserved. 3

The Jokes Keep Coming...

Engineering Marketing HypeTranslated

(From: nipperchipper (nipperchipper@

hotmail.com))

ALL NEW: Parts not interchangeablewith previous design.

ADVANCED DESIGN: Nobody

understands it.

YEARS OF DEVELOPMENT: Wenally got one that works.

REVOLUTIONARY: Its differentfrom our competitors.

ALL SOLID-STATE: Heavy as Hell!

UNPRECEDENTED PERFOR-MANCE: Nothing we ever had before

worked THIS way.

You might be an engineer if

... you only get jokes through email.

... Dilbert is your hero.

... you can quote the scenes from any

Monty Python movie.

... you talk about trellis code modulation

at parties.

... your favorite character on Gilligans

Island was The Professor.

... you laugh at jokes about mathemati-

cians.

... the Humane Society has you arrested

because you actually performed the Sch-

rodingers Cat experiment.

... the fun center in your brain hasdeteriorated from lack of use.

Our Last Contest and the Winneris...

In March, everybody was a winner! We

gave away nearly 200 bottles of great

California wine at Interphex and in our

March wine drawing. Cheers!

Smaller, lighter, and easier on

the wallet! ASEPCOs 1.5 Tank

Outlet Valves.

Learn more here: http://www.asepco.

com/news/2011/02/killer-app-new-1-5-

tank-outlet-valve/

It is difcult to make components fail (atASEPCO we call this bomb-proofeddesign).

The basic design requires very littletraining for operation.

Components are easily and quicklyvalidated.

CIP/SIP cycle times are short.

Component manufacturing methodseliminate defects inherent in the production

process (such as the pits and cracks foundin cast valves vs. those manufactured from

bar stock).

All components conform to relevantmanufacturing standards (such as ANSI,ASME, BPE, CE, and CFR).

Traceability is provided (certicates onsteel, ttings, and diaphragms, and heatnumbers on welded sub-components).

Maintenance instructions are simple and

are sent with every order. Delivery is fast, accurate, and on time.

At ASEPCO, we have structured ourmanufacturing processes and designedour components (valves, mixers, vesselconnectors, etc.) to meet these mission-critical component characteristics. And, wehope that by promising to comply with thislist, you will make us your preferred providerof aseptic processing components.

Over the years, youve come to expectthe highest design quality from ASEPCO.Thats why our tank valves are some ofthe most frequently used valves in criticalapplications. Now you can add inline valves,vessel connectors, and magnetic mixers tothat list.

See http://www.asepco.com/news/mission-critical/for the online version of this article.

Mission-Critical Equipment (continued)

Continued on page 4


for pressure vessels (heads and shells

of vessels are usually made from plateproducts produced to this specication)

A249/SA-249 for welded austenitic steelheat exchanger tubing

A213/SA-213 for seamless austenitic steelheat exchanger tubing

A484/SA-484 for stainless steel bars,billets, and forgings

A351/SA-351 for stainless steel castingsfor pressure containing parts

A182/SA-182 for forged or rolled alloysteel pipe anges, forged ttings, and

valves and parts for high-temperatureservice

Each of these specications lists a numberof alloy grades. In fact, each has a listing forthe chemical compositional requirements for316L stainless steel. This list of elementsand their compositional ranges is identical insome specications, but might have differentranges for certain elements in others. So, toevaluate any set of PMI readings, both thealloy grade andthe material specication areneeded for every piece tested.

Positive Material Identication: Interpreting Results (continued)

...continued from page 3Alloy Grade/Designation

The alloy grade is an informal description

that can be manufacturer specic, such asHastelloy C276, or it can be more generic,using the Unied Numbering System (UNS)for Alloy 276, UNS N10276. The UNSnumber is the industry standard for alloygrade or designation.

As an example, AL-6XN is a 6% molybdenumalloy manufactured by Allegheny Ludlum.Originally, this alloy was made and patented

by Allegheny Ludlum, and the specic alloyname, AL-6XN, is a registered trademark ofAllegheny Ludlum. The patent on this alloyhas expired and a number of manufacturers

now make this alloy. As a result, the moregeneric name for this alloy is UNS N08367.So, AL-6XN is not an alloy grade; it is atrade name and species UNS N08367 made

by Allegheny Ludlum.

PMI Accuracy

The accuracy of compositional data produced by PMI units must be evaluated prior tocomparing the data to any standard foracceptance. One factor that affects accuracy
mailto:nipperchipper%40hotmail.com?subject=marketing%20hypemailto:nipperchipper%40hotmail.com?subject=marketing%20hypehttp://www.asepco.com/news/2011/02/killer-app-new-1-5-tank-outlet-valve/http://www.asepco.com/news/2011/02/killer-app-new-1-5-tank-outlet-valve/http://www.asepco.com/news/2011/02/killer-app-new-1-5-tank-outlet-valve/http://www.asepco.com/pages/products/valves/valveInline.phphttp://www.asepco.com/pages/products/connectors.phphttp://www.asepco.com/pages/products/mixers/mixers.phphttp://www.asepco.com/news/mission-critical/http://www.asepco.com/news/mission-critical/http://www.asepco.com/pages/products/mixers/mixers.phphttp://www.asepco.com/pages/products/connectors.phphttp://www.asepco.com/pages/products/valves/valveInline.phphttp://www.asepco.com/news/2011/02/killer-app-new-1-5-tank-outlet-valve/http://www.asepco.com/news/2011/02/killer-app-new-1-5-tank-outlet-valve/http://www.asepco.com/news/2011/02/killer-app-new-1-5-tank-outlet-valve/mailto:nipperchipper%40hotmail.com?subject=marketing%20hypemailto:nipperchipper%40hotmail.com?subject=marketing%20hype


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2011 ASEPCO Corporation. All rights reserved4

Calendar

May 11, 2011

BioTech 2011

Boca Raton, FL

http://www.biospace.com/calendar_

event_details.aspx?CalendarEventEntity

Id=691413

May 30-31, 2011

Interphex Singapore Conference

SUNTEC, Singapore

http://www.interphexasia.com/

June 13-16, 2011

NSTI Nanotech Conference

Boston, MA

http://www.nsti.org/Nanotech2011/

June 27-30, 2011

Bio International Convention

Washington, D.C.

http://convention.bio.org/

August 8-9, 2011

BioProcessing Facilities 2011

San Diego, CA

http://www.tradelineinc.com/conferences/

DDF52B3B-F4CA-1FA4-3D1D00D-

F53A7B347

September 7-9, 2011

BioPharm America 2011

Boston, MAhttp://www.ebdgroup.com/bpa/index.php

October 20-21, 2011

Interphex Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico

http://www.interphexpuertorico.com/

Answer to Brain Teaser:

Pencil

Positive Material Identication: Interpreting Results (continued)

Contact Us

355 Pioneer Way,

Mountain View, California 94041

Toll-Free: 800.882.3886

Fax: 650.691.9600

E-mail: [email protected]

Customer Support

[email protected]

http://support.asepco.com


is exposure time; that is, the time that thedetector in the PMI unit is receiving energyfrom the decay of the excited electrons in thematerial The typical minimum exposure timefor accurate readings is 30 seconds, and thelonger the exposure time, the more accuratethe reading. Some of the older gamma-ray

source units require the operator to depressand hold the trigger manually for the fullexposure time to keep the shutter open.Inaccurate readings obtained on the olderunits can be due to single pulse depressions ofthe trigger, which result in only momentaryX-ray exposure, and, as a result, incompletedata. The newer units automatically holdthe shutter open for the necessary exposuretime without the operator having to hold thetrigger.

In addition, the data output usually has aheader of Element +/- Prec. This reects

the accuracy tolerance in wt. % of the readingindicated on the display of the PMI unit. Ifthe reading is 58.21 +/- 0.86, the real readingis anywhere between 57.35 and 59.07. Asa result, this precision tolerance must beadded to and subtracted from the displayedvalue to see if the range produced generatesa value within the acceptance range in theappropriate ASTM material specication.

Product Analysis Tolerance

If the PMI unit reports a range outside thecompositional range listed in the appropriatematerial specication, do not automaticallyreject the material. Domestic materialspecications list compositional rangesfor the elements in a given alloy. Thematerial purchaser is allowed to perform a

product analysis to verify the identity of thefurnished material; PMI is a form of this

product analysis. The material specicationlists the tolerance that can be applied to such

product analysis, or states that the producttolerances are found in some other materialspecication, referred to in this report assecondary specications. This is theamount by which the product analysis, when

requested by the purchaser, can be eitherover the maximum or under the minimumlimit and still be acceptable. These tolerancesare a function of the nominal amount of thespecic alloying element in the material andincrease as the amount of the element in thealloy increases. For instance, for nominalspecied molybdenum contents between 7

15 wt. %, the product analysis toleranceis +/- 0.15 wt. % (in some specications).So, for UNS N06022, having a speciedmolybdenum range of 12.5 to 14.5 wt. %, the

product analysis tolerance of +/- 0.15 wt. %results in an acceptable range for PMI datafor molybdenum of 12.35 to 14.65 wt. %.

For product analysis tolerances, ASTMB880 is the secondary specication foundin several ASTM specications for nickel-

based products. ASTM B751 contains the

product analysis tolerances for nickel-basedtubing, including AL-6XN as listed in ASTMB676.

For the purposes of evaluating PMI data,these product analysis tolerances, alongwith the precision tolerance of the PMI unit

being used, must be considered together todetermine acceptability of the PMI data.

Meeting the Molybdenum Range

Bear in mind that the amount of molybdenumpresent in N06022 (or any other molybdenum-bearing alloy) will not be in the middle of the

specication range of 12.5 14.5 wt. % forthis alloy. To minimize the cost of the alloy,the amount added by producers is typicallythe smallest amount required to meet thespecication range (12.50 to 12.70 wt. %).As a result, the PMI data generated on thesehigher alloys can result in some data thatis under the low limit for the importantand expensive alloying elements, such asmolybdenum or nickel. This underscoresthe importance of understanding how touse the product analysis tolerance values inconjunction with PMI precision to evaluatemarginal alloy PMI data. In addition, because

the hand-held PMI units cannot determinecarbon, silicon, sulfur, and phosphorus,PMI data must be used with the data on theMTR to determine compliance to a materialspecication and to the alloy requirements ofthe user specication.

Summary

Sturgill Welding & Code Consultingrecommends that PMI data be used inconjunction with the interstitial elementdata on the MTR to determine materialcompliance to a specication. Thoseoperating the PMI unit must be trainedindividuals who ensure that each reading isthe result of a full exposure cycle. Operatorsmust apply the appropriate product analysistolerance and precision tolerance to eachreading before evaluation. Remeasuringto obtain an acceptable or unacceptableresult is NOT permissible for acquiring andevaluating PMI data.

See http://www.asepco.com/news/pmi-interpreting-results/ for the online versionof this article.
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