Taiwanese petrochemical company adopts Panametrics technology at key refinery
Summary
Compressed air is the second largest power source after electricity, with applications spanning various industries such as petroleum, chemicals, electricity, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. Reducing leaks in compressed air networks enhances efficiency and lowers energy costs from air compressors. Aligning with ISO 50001 standards and driving efficiencies, including leak reduction, are gaining increased traction among customers. However, achieving these goals requires stable and accurate gas flow measurement, which plays a crucial role in energy-saving assessments and transformations. This is precisely what Panametrics’ customer, a petrochemical company in Taiwan was seeking for its refinery.
Challenges
Flowmeters are used in compressed air systems to detect leaks by measuring the flow rate of air and identifying any discrepancies or unexpected drops in pressure, which indicate the presence of leaks.
However, the customer was using traditional differential pressure flowmeters, which turned out to be a limiting factor due to their small turndown ratio and poor flow reading stability. The customer urgently required a solution that provided stable readings, was easy to install, and had a large flow turndown ratio.
Specifications (OPT)
- Fluid: clean dry air
- Pipe diameter: DN500 (20”)
- Wall thickness: 8 mm (0.315”)
- Pipe material: SS304
- Process temperature: 20C (68°F)
- Flow sound speed: ~350 m/s (~1150 ft/s)
Solution
Immediately grasping the problem, Panametrics identified clamp-on flowmeters as the sole solution that could replace the original instrument without stopping the flow and interrupting operations.
However, the largest pipe size at the site was DN500 (20”) with a pressure of only 7-8 barg (101-116 psig). To ensure full flowmeter operation on all line sizes, Panametrics decided to perform a demonstration using its portable PT878GC with C-RW transducers. The demonstration was successful and proved the advantages of the solution. The permanent gas clamp-on GC868 flowmeter addressed the customer’s challenges of stable and reliable measurement across a wide flow range, thanks to the ultrasonic technology’s inherent large turndown ratio.
The customer was so pleased that it ordered three GC868 flowmeters with C-RW transducers. Consequently, it has identified and plugged several leaks across its compressed air network, which has led to improved efficiency and cost savings.
Benefits:
- Low maintenance
- No pressure drop
- No interruption to operations
- Long term stability and drift free characteristics