Author Archives: Renato Barbedo

Johnson Screens introduces a new solution to increase safety in vessel maintenance operations by avoiding work in confined spaces.

San Antonio, USA, March 26th,2024—Johnson Screens unveils the StaySafe™ hold-down screens with the exclusive No-Entry screen extraction system at the 2024 Ethylene Producers Conference, which will be held from March 25th to 29th at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, USA, in conjunction with the 2024 Spring Meeting and 20th Global Congress on Process Safety. 

Hold-down screens are common parts of fixed-bed reactors present in chemical plants. They are used to maintain the catalyst or absorbent media bed in place when the process flows through the vessels. As the media needs to be periodically replaced, partial or complete removal of those hold-down screens is required during facility maintenance and turnarounds. Even after a vessel is purged and flooded with inert gas to mitigate toxic gases and potential explosions, workers remain exposed to many significant hazards associated with operations in confined spaces. “Implementation and compliance with regulatory and industry guidelines for entering confined spaces are critical, yet complex and expensive to execute,” says Benjamin Schmitt, Global Business Unit Director for Energy and Processing Technologies – EPT – a division of Johnson Screens. “Also, companies have already begun to mandate that employees do not enter vessels when removing media during a turnaround, which creates challenges for process engineering teams managing those operations.” 

StaySafe™ screens solve that challenge by providing a system that allows their removal without requiring workers to enter confined spaces.” “The innovative StaySafe™ design incorporates interlocking components that are assembled in the vessel without tools and secured in place with a central locking hub,” says Kevin Chase, Product Manager for the EPT Division. “By using the No-Entry screen extraction system, we can easily disassemble and remove the screens from outside the vessel, eliminating the need for workers to enter the vessel to perform that operation.” 

StaySafe™ hold-down screens are available in two designs: floating and manway. Both are compatible with the No-Entry screen extraction system. 

About Johnson Screens 

Johnson Screens is the leading global provider of screening and auxiliary solutions. We support a wide range of industries, such as water wells, environmental, energy, chemicals, food and beverage, and mining, with our highly engineered and precisely fabricated products. 

Media 

Renato Barbedo – Global Marketing Director
renato.barbedo@johnsonscreens.com 

Chicago, October 3rd, 2023 – Continuing our commitment to innovation, Johnson Screens is  thrilled to unveil the all-new GreenFil Activated Filtration Media!

“Johnson Screens constantly works towards its vision of a world where protecting lives and our precious natural resources comes first by reducing harmful waste, providing clean water, and making the best use of our precious natural resources”, says Wilson Ragazzo, Director of Sales for IAS. “No other product encapsulates that motto better than the GreenFil media. Manufactured by up-cycling glass bottles, GreenFil is an inert, amorphous aluminosilicate media that provides at least double the performance of sand filter media for treatment of various water and wastewater sources without additional investments in infrastructure.”

GreenFil media is exposed to a unique three-step activation process to become self-sterilizing and acquire superior filtration properties. The result is a filtration media that inhibits bacterial growth and eliminates clumping, channelling, and passage of unfiltered water while providing a high surface area with superior mechanical filtration properties for the adsorption of fine particles. Furthermore, precise, consistent particle size distribution, shape, sphericity, and uniformity coefficient for outstanding hydraulic properties provide predictable, repeatable, and consistent nominal filtration performance.

“With all those remarkable properties, GreenFil media has a significant positive impact in operating cost by reducing the required volume for backwash water up to 50% and providing a quick Return on Investment within a two-year period on average”, adds Wilson.

GreenFil is available in two varieties – Polar and Nonpolar – that are, respectively, suited for the removal of positively charged particles such as heavy metals (e.g., Iron, Manganese and Arsenic) and superior mechanical filtration and efficient removal of hydrophobic contaminants such as hydrocarbons, organics, and microplastics in both hard and soft water.

GreenFil provides superior filtration solutions for municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatments when used with Johnson Screens’ Triton Underdrain System.

We are excited to expand our range of industrial filtration solutions! Want to learn more? View the product by clicking here.

About Johnson Screens

Johnson Screens is the leading global provider of screening and auxiliary solutions. We support a wide range of industries, such as water wells, environmental, energy, chemicals, food and beverage, and mining, with our highly engineered and precisely fabricated products.

Media

Renato Barbedo – Global Marketing Director
renato.barbedo@johnsonscreens.com 

The Contra-Shear Next Generation is Here! 

Melbourne, July 25th, 2023 - Following its predecessor’s tradition and long track record, the Contra-Shear Next Generation is here at last! With this design, Johnson Screens is proud to offer improved features and innovations that will assist every user in realizing their environmental sustainability goals.  

 “There were several goals in mind when designing the Contra-Shear Next Generation“, says Denys Visser, Global Research and Product Manager for Johnson Screens. “Our main focus was to increase solids dewatering and capture rate provided by the previous generation’s equipment. That expands the range of applications for the Contra-Shear Next Generation and makes it the ideal liquid-solid separation solution for many industries.”  

 As with the traditional Contra-Shear, the self-cleaning, internally fed rotary fine screen relies on the shear force effect created by the drum rotation to enhance the separation of solids from the effluent. Screened effluent passes through the Vee-Wire® slots into a tank from which it is pumped for further processing. Solids in the dewatering zone amalgamate and are continuously rolled thanks to the rotation of the screen drum, resulting in further reduction of liquid content.  

“We incorporated solutions to enhance the quality of the processes while reducing operating costs,” says Denys. The new design includes an external rack and pinion drive mounted on the clean side of the screen, leaving no impurities on drive elements and good accessibility during maintenance. No chains, sprockets, oilers, or other wearing parts or lubrication are required. An angled frame rail prevents the settling of solids/liquids inside the machine by removing flat surfaces. “That remarkably improves process hygiene by reducing contamination risk.” Lastly, Denys adds, “the redesigned trommel support wheels allow replacement in situ without drum removal or lifting, which significantly simplifies maintenance by reducing the associated labour and downtime costs.” 

 Maximizing process control and efficiency was another guideline while designing the Contra-Shear Next Generation. The addition of clear side view hatches enables direct process observation and improves process visibility. Johnson Screens’ knowledge of Contra-Shear technology also allows our specialists to accomplish the same level of dewatering as the previous generation Contra-Shear with fewer and/or smaller Next Generation models.  

The Contra-Shear Next Generation is available in 304 & 316 stainless steel and provides efficient solids separation, thickening, and dewatering! 

 Want to learn more? View the product by clicking here. 

About Johnson Screens

Johnson Screens is the leading global provider of screening and auxiliary solutions. We support a wide range of industries, such as water wells, environmental, energy, chemicals, food and beverage, and mining, with our highly engineered and precisely fabricated products.

Media

Renato Barbedo – Global Marketing Director
renato.barbedo@johnsonscreens.com 

Johnson Screens Takes the Lead in Chlorine Alternatives 

New Brighton, June 15, 2023 – Johnson Screens is proud to announce an addition to the Nu-well® well cleaning and development chemical family, a staple of our historic Water Well division. How could this product line get any stronger? With Chlor-Safe, a safe and effective alternative to traditional chlorine (bleach) for disinfecting water wells. 

Like all Nu-Well products used within the well, Chlor-Safe NW-420 is NSF-certified for potable water use (certified by NSF to NSF/ANSI/CAN 60.) Used to disinfect wells without needing pH control, this dry, granular product is simple and has a long shelf life. Chlor-Safe is added to a water container at the surface and dissolved before disbursing to the entire well. This ensures that the chemical is in solution before putting it downhole, allowing the Chlor-Safe to combat bacteria throughout the entire well effectively. 

“We developed Chlor-Safe to dissolve faster than SterileneTM and other chlorine products, so it activates sooner when disinfecting wells and removing bacteria and other contaminating organisms, such as coliform, iron bacteria, E. coli, and other bacteria that cause that tiresome rotten egg smell.”, says Wayne Meyer, Product Manager for Johnson Screens’ Water Wells Business Unit. “Chlor-Safe can also be used to treat near wellbore damage and reduce congestion caused by clays or residual drilling mud.”, he adds. 

 Chlor-Safe is available now through our outstanding network of water well distributors. As with all of our Nu-Well products, please use and dispose of Chlor-Safe NW-420 in accordance with local rules, regulations, and ordinances. 

About Johnson Screens

Johnson Screens is the leading global provider of screening and auxiliary solutions. We support a wide range of industries, such as water wells, environmental, energy, chemicals, food and beverage, and mining, with our highly engineered and precisely fabricated products.

Media

Renato Barbedo – Global Marketing Manager
renato.barbedo@johnsonscreens.com 

Johnson Screens introduces a new family of splined anti-rotational drop pipes.

Las Vegas, December 7, 2022 – Johnson Screens is happy to announce the JSL Family of splined anti-rotational drop pipes launch at the National Groundwater Association (NGWA) Groundwater Week 2022. 

Based on the original design, the JSL Family of drop pipes brings new configurations and materials that cover a broad range of drop pipe needs. The first two members of this product line are the new JSL Standard stainless steel drop pipe, and the JSL Deep Stainless Steel drop pipe for Extreme Applications. 

“The new JSL Standard stainless steel drop pipe comes from improvements on the original splined connection design”, says Wayne Meyer, Product Manager for Johnson Screens’ Water Well Business Unit. “It utilizes a nylon spline which allows for a reduction in size and weight on the fittings. That provides our customers with a more cost-effective solution for normal applications.”  

“The JSL Deep drop pipe has been crafted for the most demanding applications and is the best choice when it comes to installing extremely deep wells due to its high tensile strength”, adds Wayne.  

In both the JSL Standard and the JSL Deep drop pipes, a stud neutralizes the twisting forces on pump startup and shutdown on the male end, which engages in a notch on the female end. In addition to preventing torque rotation, This enables a single-button spline connection that requires no tools for assembly and disassembly and reduces pump running time. 

The new JSL Family of drop pipes will continue to expand with the upcoming addition of products in different materials and designs.

About Johnson Screens

Johnson Screens is the leading global provider of screening and auxiliary solutions. We support a wide range of industries, such as water wells, environmental, energy, chemicals, food and beverage, and mining, with our highly engineered and precisely fabricated products.

Media

Renato Barbedo – Global Marketing Manager
renato.barbedo@johnsonscreens.com 

A partnership between Johnson Screens and Mounds View Public Schools helps students prepare for manufacturing careers.

How do we help high school students answer the question – “what’s next?”

Transitioning from high school to life’s next chapter can take many different forms. Some students might want to attend college, others might opt to seek a job around graduation, and others might still be more interested in learning trades or technical skills. In Mounds View Public Schools, the preparation necessary to make this transition is often provided through Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses.

Before graduating, students enrolled in CTE courses are offered an opportunity to explore career options, earn college credit, and in some cases, work towards completing career or technical programs. Today, over 1,000 Irondale and Mounds View students are participating in CTE courses ranging from accounting and automotive education to fashion design and engineering and everything in between. Community partnerships play a huge role in the success of these courses, and today the school district is partnered with 40 local organizations to bring real-world experience to students.

Johnson Screens is proud to be among these partner organizations, and presently we are thrilled to be hosting four Irondale students learning welding at our New Brighton facility.

“Students bring us instant value,” says Dewey Josephson, Johnson Screens’ Operations Manager. “Within a couple of weeks to a month, they’ve passed all the training and certifications for the welding, and they are able to do production welding.” For our organization and the students learning our trade, it’s been a mutually enjoyable experience. “I really like CTE classes,” said Area Learning Center senior Ryan Larson (pictured). “They help us get an OSHA 10 certification very soon in life, so going into the trades, I have a little bit more knowledge than other kids coming in. It really opens up doors for better job opportunities.”

Historically, preparing students for the jump to college has been a point of emphasis for many school systems and their curricula. While this is certainly important, it can leave students for whom college does not seem like the right next step without proper guidance on how to make the transition to their desired career path post-graduation.

“Graduating seniors are often asked, ‘What college are you going to?’” says Chris Lennox, superintendent for the Mounds View Public School District. “We’re shifting that narrative to “What is it you want to be, and how can we help you on the pathway to whatever that is?’”

Johnson Screens is honoured to participate in this wonderful opportunity to provide students with work experience to help prepare them for their future. We couldn’t be happier with our student welders!

Photo credit: JJ Killins Photography

About Johnson Screens

Johnson Screens is the leading global provider of screening and auxiliary solutions. We support a wide range of industries, such as water wells, environmental, energy, chemicals, food and beverage, and mining, with our highly engineered and precisely fabricated products.

Mounds View Public Schools