Tag Archives: Security Sealing Devices

L-K Log July

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 L-K Log: July 2017 

L-K Fights Summer Stagnation
Trend, Embraces FUTURE

During vacation season, some businesses succumb to summer stagnation – but L-K Industries is actively using this summer to prepare for the future. L-K participates year-round in petroleum and industrial organizations such as API, ASTM and COQA (see June’s L-K Log) to stay abreast of industry changes. This summer, L-K is applying its technical prowess and knowledge gained from these industrial organizations to develop new products.

L-K Industries made its initial mark on the petroleum industry with the Melton Centrifuge in 1957. The first of the Benchmark Laboratory Centrifuge Series was developed in the late 1990s. The original Benchmark 2000 was modified and evolved into the Benchmark S in 2015. The Benchmark C was released in 2014, and is the first laboratory oil centrifuge with Class I, Division 2 certification. This fall, the Benchmark C will be modified to create the Benchmark Platinum. The new, improved machine will feature an all-in-one, interactive screen and a redesigned lid for easier bowl access. Additionally, the centrifuge spins at 2700+ rpm.

Recognizing that certain aspects of the oil industry are vulnerable to vandalism, L-K Industries recently began manufacturing and supplying Security Sealing Devices. Security sealing mechanisms provide evidence of theft or tampering of valves, piping junctions and other devices, and limit access to at-risk points such as lock nuts and needle valve handles. While security sealing does not prevent fraud or theft, having them in place facilitates compliance with OOC (Offshore Operators Committee) Best Practices and BSEE (Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement) requirements.

Security Sealing Devices

Another L-K advancement extends to field testing of crude oil samples. Basic sediment and water (BS&W) content is currently determined in the field via “shakeout test” and visual inspection. Test techniques vary from driver to driver, which can be problematic during custody transfer and result in significant economic consequences. The SMART Transport Centrifuge Series makes the shift toward automation. Its smart technology reduces human error, and provides testing traceability, real-time data, and improved efficiency. A smart device and microcomputer will operate the centrifuge, record and transmit field testing data to a server, and confirm tests run onsite to API/ASTM standards.

Patent-Pending SMART Transport Centrifuge

Today’s inventions fuel tomorrow’s petroleum business. Throughout its history, L-K Industries has been at the helm of the petroleum testing equipment industry. Even summer stagnation can’t slow decades of dedicated innovation. Contact L-K to order Security Sealing Devices (available now), and learn more about the Benchmark Platinum and SMART Transport centrifuges (coming in the fall).

Past – PRESENT – Future: Distributor Update

With its headquarters in Vernon Hills, IL, Cole-Parmer has been a leading global source of laboratory and industrial fluid handling products, instrumentation, equipment, and supplies since 1955 – and one of L-K’s distributors! Serving the scientific and engineering communities, Cole-Parmer is an important liaison highly valued by L-K. 

PAST – Present – Future

This is a blend of Past and Present… This 2011 photo showcases our Transport Centrifuge during the heart of the South Texas oil boom. Read the above article to see how L-K’s past and present invoke their future.

Use of Tubes In Benchmark Centrifuge Models

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Best Practices

L-K Industries centrifuge tubes are calibrated volumetrically in our manufacturing facility or gravimetrically in our ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory (in compliance with API/ASTM standards). Innovations such as 2-mm wall thickness, wide-neck threads, and customization make L-K Industries a market front-runner in glassware. For optimal results, use ONLY L-K Industries sample tubes and tube accessories (shields, cushions, and collars). The use of non-L-K products increases the risk of tube breakage and centrifuge damage. Use the following guidelines while operating a Benchmark Series Centrifuge.

Before Loading Samples

  • Visually inspect all tubes, collars, cushions and shields for damage.
  • Remove oil residue on cushions and ensure that cushions rest flat inside the bottom of each shield.
  • Inspect the inner bowl for foreign objects.
    NOTE: “B” style tubes DO NOT require cushions or collars. Damaged parts must not be centrifuged, as they may break and cause further damage.

Loading Samples

  • Open the sliding door and place filled sample tubes into shields with collars resting at the top of the shields.
  • Ensure that the tip of each tube rests firmly in the cushion. Keep the sliding door closed as often as possible to minimize heat loss from tube samples.
    NOTE: Take extra precaution while loading and unloading samples by engaging the “EMERGENCY MOTOR OFF SWITCH” while working inside the bowl.

Tube Breakage

  • If a tube breaks during operation, press the “EMERGENCY MOTOR OFF SWITCH.”
  • Once troubleshooting is complete and it is safe to resume operation, twist and pull out the emergency switch.
    NOTE: DO NOT open the sliding door immediately after the emergency switch has been engaged. The motor is still in free fall and any dislodged objects may be launched out of the centrifuge.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting

  • Periodically check the tube cushions for excess wear and tubes for hairline cracks or chips.
  • If a cushion is stuck inside a shield, gently tap the side of the shield until the cushion is dislodged and inspect for damage.
    NOTE: If a tube has broken, the cushion MUST be replaced. Glass particles (not visible to the naked eye) can become embedded in the cushions and cause future breakages.

Centrifuge Tube Types

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Available Markings, Tops & Threads

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Tips & Definitions

  • Standard tubes have detailed markings up to the 10-ml (20%) mark; detailed tubes have detailed markings up to the 100-ml (200%) mark.
  • When using 100-ml tubes, ADD the BS&W volume of two separate samples to account for dilution.
  • When using 200% tubes, take the AVERAGE of two sample tubes.
  • Certified – marked tubes are gravimetrically calibrated by ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory.
  • Verified – marked tubes are volumetrically checked in a manufacturing facility.
  • Non-verified – marked tubes sold directly to the customer off the production line without verification.

LK Industries ISO/IEC 17025 Lab: Accreditation Process Creates Higher Standards

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Houston, Texas; December, 2016

Earlier this year, L-K Industries proudly opened its newly accredited ISO/IEC 17025 Lab as a result of acquiring Miller-Weber, Inc. Known fondly as the New York thermometer company, Miller-Weber joined L-K Industries, renowned oil testing equipment manufacturer, and relocated to Houston, Texas to become an official part of the L-K Industries’ family. The alliance results in L-K’s ability to offer both manufacturing and accredited calibration under one roof: a unique and highly desirable combination.

Established jointly in 1999 by the International Standards Organization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), ISO/IEC 17025 is one of the most well respected accreditations for testing and calibration laboratories. Accreditation is limited to labs that are willing to undergo a rigorous third-party assessment. This process creates an uncompromising standard of quality.

The company’s focus on accreditation and standards ensures that customers have a high level of confidence in the calibrations performed by Miller-Weber Texas (MWTX).  Key attributes include:

  • established traceability of its own measurement standards and measuring instruments to the International System of Units (SI) by means of an unbroken chain of calibrations;
  • application of procedures to estimate the uncertainty of measurement for all calibrations performed, and the assurance that the calibration uncertainties are sufficiently small so that the adequacy of the measurement is not affected;
  • an ASTM Fellow on staff as the Laboratory Technical Manager;
  • an unblemished inspection record with zero findings in the laboratory’s history.

In addition, each calibration certificate issued by MWTX contains the measurement results, the measurement uncertainty, and/or a statement of compliance with an identified metrological specification. For clients, the most important outcomes of L-K’s efforts are the exponential benefits they receive. “Beyond the international distinction, recognition, and inherent credibility gained from the accreditation process,” says Owner/Engineer Eric Calderon, “are the benefits for those we serve. We can confidently offer those who purchase our merchandise a testing and calibration service that’s truly unique. For customers who demand a higher standard, we can deliver.” The lab certifies temperature from – 80 to 405 degrees, density from 0.6250 to 1.910 relative density (SG), gravimetric calibration up to 100 ml, and rotational speed up to 6,000 rpm.

L-K Industries manufactures and calibrates a full range of liquid and glass thermometers, hydrometers, and centrifuge tubes. They’re already providing thermometers to the petrochemical industry and local hospitals, and look forward to expanding into the healthcare and agricultural markets within the next few months.

L-K Industries has enjoyed 86 years manufacturing centrifuges and related oilfield testing equipment, and continues to develop ground-breaking technology under the helm of Owner/ Engineer Eric Calderon. Recent acquisition of Miller-Weber of Texas allows them to furnish clients with a complete array of thermometers, hydrometers, and related glassware, and an accredited on-site laboratory secures their position in the oil industry and the Houston community. Visit their website at www.lk-ind.com; contact them at (713) 926-2623 or sales@lk-ind.com.

For more information about this article, contact media@lk-ind.com.

L-K Industries Acquires Miller-Weber, Inc.

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Houston, Texas; November, 2016

Combining the delicate art of glassblowing with the reliable engineering of centrifugation, the oil testing industry applauds the acquisition of Miller-Weber, Inc. by L-K Industries.

Founded in 1930 as L-K Pump Valve Company, L-K Industries swiftly became a premier name in oil testing equipment. Their first centrifuge, the Melton, developed in 1957, still sets the industry standard for measuring basic sediment and water “BS&W” content in crude oil. The company expanded over the course of 85 years by continuing to manufacture state-of-the-art centrifuges and related oilfield testing equipment.

On April 16, 2015, L-K Industries was purchased by Houston native Eric Calderon. “At the age of 89, owner Joseph Hugghins decided to retire. He wanted to sell to a local, someone committed to preserving the company’s rich history and maintaining its Houston home.”

Calderon, an experienced petroleum engineer and Harvard Business School graduate, took two courses that changed the direction of his career – and his life. “HBS’s small business acquisition courses provided me with a dramatic, tangible opportunity to become a small business owner immediately after earning an MBA.” Professors Royce Yudkoff and Richard Ruback co-teach a second year case course called The Financial Management of Smaller Firms and a field course dubbed Entrepreneurship through Acquisition. Fondly known by MBA students as Rick and Royce, the partners do more than just teach theories behind buying small businesses; they have provided a handful of their former students with the financial backing to do so – Calderon included. The New York Times chronicled the success of their program, and their students, in their March 2016 article You’ve Bought a Small Business. Now What?

 For Calderon, the Now What? meant building on the legacy of L-K Industries by adding another layer of industry-leading merchandise through the purchase of Miller-Weber, Inc. The iconic New York thermometer manufacturing company opened its doors in 1941 as the Charles Miller Precision Thermometer Company under the leadership of its namesake, a talented glassblower, and his wife Elizabeth. Three generations and a name change later, the company thrived by providing thermometer manufacturing and calibrating services across varied industries.

When Miller & Weber’s owner contemplated retirement, Calderon purchased the company, allowing L-K to offer a full range of liquid and glass thermometers and an accredited calibration service – all housed in Houston, Texas. In fact, the company, operating as Miller-Weber of Texas, offers the only manufactured products of their kind made in the southern U.S. The ISO/IEC 17025, accredited on-site laboratory, which opened its doors July 7th of 2016, offers exponential benefits to clients. “The acquisition of Miller-Weber allows us to expand our footprint,” says Calderon, “not only to clients in the oil business, but to those in diverse fields such as dairy, agriculture, and medicine.” The company has already begun providing thermometers to local hospitals and clients in the food service industry.

Miller-Weber of Texas Thermometers Manufactured in the Houston Facility

L-K Industries has enjoyed 86 years manufacturing centrifuges and related oilfield testing equipment, and continues to develop ground-breaking technology under the helm of Owner/ Engineer Eric Calderon. The recent acquisition of Miller-Weber, Inc. allows them to furnish clients with a complete array of thermometers, hydrometers, and related glassware, and an accredited on-site laboratory secures their position in the oil industry and the Houston community. Visit their website at www.lk-ind.com; contact them at (713) 926-2623 or sales@lk-ind.com.

For more information about this article, contact media@lk-ind.com