Hydrocarbon Processing - November 2021 - 19

Process Controls, Instrumentation and Automation
Where can it be used? Because this technology is suitable for
heat exchanger control and monitoring, it is applicable for every
operating plant around the world. Many heat exchangers lack inlet
or outlet temperature sensing, making optimization difficult.
Pumps are another application that can benefit-particularly
those in hazardous locations-from early detection and prevention
of overheating. Highly corrosive flows, where the harsh conditions
can often lead to the premature failure of thermowells,
are also a good candidate for non-invasive measurement, which
can also be used for validating existing temperature points. Installing
two thermowells to check the veracity of an existing
measurement can be risky and expensive, whereas a non-invasive
solution is quicker and safer to install and operate. Its versatility
makes it suitable for both new applications and retrofits.
Another benefit of non-invasive measurement is its versatility.
A typical plant has tens to hundreds of different dimensions of
piping, with an equivalent number of different thermowells, insets,
inset lengths and material configurations. With the non-invasive
approach, a single variant can be used for piping from DN40
to DN2500, and can apply to more than 70% of all measurement
points. It also reduces the amount of time and cost associated
with specifying and installing a thermowell, which can often take
several weeks from start to finish and requires wake calculations
and assessments of the device's design, size and type of material
required for the process medium. A typical non-invasive solution
can be installed in less than 1 hr without the need for drilling into
pipelines, as the sensor is attached by clamp collars (FIG. 2).
Digital enabler. Non-invasive measurement is also a key enabler
of the plant of the future. The addition of digitalization to
a previously analogue process opens up new opportunities for
the integration and application of process data across the plant.
Looking to the future, further developments in non-invasive
temperature measurement, along with smarter and more
specific software algorithms, will continue to help companies
transform their ability to measure an expanding range of flow
regimes and fluids with more complex heat transfer behavior,
such as gases, without compromising accuracy, reliability and
responsiveness.
FIG. 2. A typical non-invasive solution can be installed quickly and
easily without the need for drilling into pipelines, as the sensor is
attached by clamp collars.
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Hydrocarbon Processing | NOVEMBER 2021 19

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Hydrocarbon Processing - November 2021

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