ITT Corporation announced its agreement to purchase privately held Godwin Pumps. Godwin is a leading supplier of automatic self-priming portable pumps used in the growing markets for drainage pump rental, services and sales serving the global industrial, construction, mining, municipal, oil and gas segments.

ITT has agreed to purchase Godwin from its principal shareholders for $585 million. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2010, pending customary regulatory approvals.

“This acquisition is another example of ITT’s strategy to expand our core businesses and build on our strong global positions in water, wastewater and industrial process,” said Gretchen McClain, president of ITT’s Fluid and Motion Control group. “Godwin’s business is a great complement to our existing fluid technology portfolio, and is expected to establish ITT among the leaders in the growing and profitable $3 billion global market for dewatering pumps and rental services.” ...(+)

Emerson Process Management announced the introduction of the Ovation™ Ethernet Link Controller I/O Module. This flexible, redundant module offers I/O-level Ethernet interface capability that is tightly coupled with the Ovation™ expert control system. This translates into a number of integration, decision-support, and security benefits for power and water utilities that utilize Ovation technology in their plants.
The module's dedicated processor significantly expands the number and types of third-party devices and systems that can be supported by an Ovation controller, as well as the increasingly sophisticated data they provide. The module, which offloads all communications protocol processing previously handled by the controller, also offers faster access to the data from these devices and more efficiently integrates the information into the Ovation system.

“The expanded capabilities of the Ovation Ethernet Link Controller I/O Module give plant operators additional insight into their facilities – insight they can use to make informed decisions that will optimize the availability, efficiency and reliability of their plants,” said Steve Schilling, vice president, product development for the Power & Water Solutions division of Emerson... (+)

Emerson Process Management has received two contracts to modernize controls at the Ekibastuz GRES-1 thermal power plant with its PlantWebTM digital plant architecture and OvationTM expert control system. The largest power plant in Kazakhstan, the 4,000 MW facility produces 13 percent of the country’s power. It is located in Ekibastuz, the industrial center of a bituminous coal-mining basin that has coal reserves estimated at 8 billion tons. This modernization project will help ensure the plant is operating efficiently so that it is better able to meet the growing electricity needs of the country.
Under the first contract, Emerson will modernize the controls for the steam turbine and turbine drives for feedwater pumps at six 500-MW units (Units 3-8). Emerson's Ovation technology will monitor and control the Turboatom turbines at two of the units and LMZ turbines at the other four; as well as two KTZ turbine drives for feedwater pumps at each unit. The contract also includes retrofitting the turbine protection system and turbine DEH (digital electro hydraulic) system. The controls upgrade for two of the units will be completed in 2010, and the other four will be finished in 2011-2012.

ABB won a contract worth $155 million from the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) for a turnkey project to design and build a new crude-oil transit line and associated ancillary systems.

The project includes the expansion of an existing manifold (a pipeline consolidation installation) at Point A, a location in the north of the country, and the installation of the new transit line. The 123 km, 30-inch-diameter transit line will run between oil fields in the north of the country and a storage facility in the south. It will be equipped with pipeline inspection gauges at 15 km intervals, a leak-detection system and metering stations.

The new installations are designed to transport up to 665 thousand barrels of oil per day from Point A to a tank farm in southern Kuwait. More than half of the oil will come from the newly established Jurassic field in northern Kuwait...(+)

Emerson Process Management has extended its Fisher Vee-Ball family to include the V150E expanded outlet version. The valve features a transitional flow contour that increases in flow area from inlet to outlet. The V150E is designed for installation directly to a medium consistency pump discharge flange, and the expanded outlet will accommodate larger diameter transfer lines. The single piece body design has no gasket joints which eliminates potential leak paths.

A critical part of the design is the segmented V-notch ball as the control element which has a natural shearing action good for pulp stock or slurry flows. This segmented V-notched ball also provides excellent rangeability and an unobstructed flow passage which makes it ideal for this type of service.

The valve is offered in sizes down to NPS 3x4 (DN 80x100) and up to NPS 10x12 (DN 250x300) and mates with ASME Class 150 or PN 10/16 raised-face flanges...(+)