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Flow Measurement of Heat Transfer Oil at High Temperatures

In a Dutch refinery, a special heat transfer oil is used to supply process heat for the distillation columns. The oil is heated up to 570 °F and conveyed through a system of thermally insulated pipes to the columns.

Effective operation of this installation requires reliable flow measurement of the oil. Before non-intrusive ultrasonic flow measurement technology was introduced, the flow was determined by means of a differential pressure measurement. Operations had to be stopped once a year in order to carry out the inspection and maintenance of the system. The medium is a car-cinogenic substance. Therefore all maintenance work required special preparation and precautions.

Non-intrusive flow measurement with clamp-on transducers and FLEXIM's WaveInjector^® is a convenient and elegant solution to this measuring challenge. Since the transducers do not come in contact with the medium, there is no mechanical or chemical wear and tear. The meter can also be installed without opening the pipe, thus avoiding all risks of potentially dangerous leaks. Ultrasonic flow measurement thus offers the extra advantages that it is environmentally safe and improves plant safety and efficiency.