Chemical Engineering March 2017 - 67

Instrumentation & Control 2017 Special Advertising Section
Guided wave radar simplifies oil well cementing
Fast response time and full-probe-length measurement from Magnetrol guided wave radar
technology help drive performance for oil well cementing trucks
P
umping cement into a borehole is one
of the most critical steps in oil and gas
well production. The injected slurry hardens
to form a protective sheath that isolates the
well from surrounding geologic features.
Cementing is typically among the first operations
to prepare a well for production, and
one of the last before it is abandoned.
Cement is often mixed and injected
using mobile cementing trucks. These feature
bulk transport or batch mixing units,
control systems, and high-pressure pumps
to force the slurry down the casing.
The mixing system blends Portland cement,
water, and additives to control the
density, setting time, and other properties
of the slurry. Control systems typically include
automatic density control and data
recording systems. Level control within the
slurry storage tank is a key part of this.
Level measurements must be precise
and responsive, since delays can damage
cementing systems and shut down operations
when tanks exceed their high or low
level limits. In addition to being accurate,
capable probe installed in an external cage
with a 31 in. (800 mm) center-to-center measurement
range. The closed coaxial design
tends to reject false targets caused by foam,
while the probe's high accuracy ensures
safe and efficient operation. A convenient
user interface makes configuration and field
adjustments quick and easy.
Magnetrol won the business after the
Magnetrol's ECLIPSE system (upper right)
is key to accurate mixing and pumping
responsive, user-friendly and reliable, the
mobile level controls must also be extremely
robust to tolerate the day-in, day-out concussions
of oilfield travel.
A leading manufacturer of cementing
equipment in China needed level
controls that could match this specification.
The company selected Magnetrol
International's ECLIPSE guided wave radar
(GWR) level transmitter with an overfillECLIPSE
guided wave radar unit was tested
against competitive GWR instruments. Two
advantages gave ECLIPSE transmitters the
edge. First, their response time of less than
one second showed operators the level in
real time. Competitors' units required a full
10 seconds to respond.
Second, the overfill-safe probe delivered
outstanding performance, giving accurate
level readings to the top of the probe and
close to the very top of the tank. By demonstrating
best-in-class transmitter response
time and full probe measurement range,
Magnetrol won the order for more than 100
ECLIPSE GWR transmitters.
www.magnetrol.com
Towards modular automation in the process industries
Phoenix Contact is active in the evolution of " Industry 4.0 " , which uses modularization and
connectivity to make plants more agile and quicker to configure
o be successful in international competition,
companies need a great deal of
flexibility in responding to changing conditions
and adapting quickly to new requirements,
points out communications
and interface specialist Phoenix Contact.
Versatile plants are the way forward: modular
production provides the flexibility needed
to introduce new products to market
faster and at competitive prices.
This challenge in the process industry
can be mastered with the help of intelligent
technology. NAMUR, the User Association
of Automation Technology in the Process
Industries, and ZVEI, the German Electrical
and Electronic Manufacturers' Association,
are active in specifying the requirements for
automation technology and developing the
necessary solutions. NAMUR recommendation
NE 148, for instance, specifies what is
expected of a modern automation system
and thus defines what Industry 4.0 means
for the process industry. ZVEI, meanwhile,
is aiming to develop a common standard for
enabling modular automation in the proT
cess
industry on the basis of current control
systems.
Modular automation will create substantial
advantages, especially for pharmaceuticals
and fine chemicals. For example,
the time needed for engineering, implementation
and maintenance is cut by up to
50% (source: ZVEI white paper) because
modular automation summarizes procedural
functions and thus greatly reduces
complexity. Production is set up and tested
as a chain of modules, each of which is supplied
fully functional and includes a digital
description. Once the pipework is connected,
the higher-level process control only
needs to handle the parameterization that
orchestrates the interaction of the modules.
Increasing demand is handled by setting
up additional production units in parallel.
Even world-scale plants with central control
systems will benefit from the simple integration
of prefabricated modules, such as
compressors.
Phoenix Contact is very active on the
subject of Industry 4.0 in the process inCHEMICAL
ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
MARCH 2017
Central control system
Centralized
plant
Decentralized
plant automation
automation
Decentralized
plant automation
Even in large plants, modularization of
process control will bring advantages
dustry, working on the committees that are
drawing up the necessary technical standards.
Synergies between machine and
plant automation and the modular process
industry are used to advantage. In time,
modular automation in the process industry
will get new products to market much
quicker.
www.phoenixcontact.com
67

http://www.magnetrol.com http://www.phoenixcontact.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM

Chemical Engineering March 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering March 2017