Measurement and control

Maintenance costs account for a large fraction of the total operating expenditure (opex) of a project. Because of the bath tub curve mentioned above, maintenance costs typically increase as the facilities age just when the production and hence revenues enter into decline. The measurement and control of opex often becomes a key issue during the producing lifetime of the field as discussed in Section 14.0. However, the problem should be anticipated when writing the FDP. 

The measurement of surface forces calls for a rigid apparatus that exhibits a high force sensitivity as well as distance measurement and control on a subnanometre scale [38]. Most SFAs make use of an optical interference teclmique to measure distances and hence forces between surfaces. Alternative distance measurements have been developed in recent years—predominantly capacitive techniques, which allow for faster and simpler acquisition of an averaged distance [H, 39, 40] or even allow for simultaneous dielectric loss measurements at a confined interface. 

Process industries frequently need to weigh and control the flow rate of bulk material for optimum performance of such devices as grinders or pulverizers, or for controlling additives, eg, to water suppHes. A scale can be installed in a belt conveyor, or a short belt feeder can be mounted on a platform scale. Either can be equipped with controls to maintain the feed rate within limits by controlling the operation of the device feeding the material to the conveyor. Direct mass measurement with a nuclear scale can also be used to measure and control such a continuous stream of material. 

A Procedurefor the Specijication, Calibration and Testing of Strain Gage Eoad Cells for Industrial Process Weighing and Force Measurement, Institute of Measurement and Control, London. 

Instrument Society of America 400 Stanwix Street Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222 Standards l ibrary for Measurement and Control, 12th ed., 1994. Instmmentation standards and recommended practices abstracted from those of 19 societies, the U.S. Government, the Canadian Standards Association, and the British Standards Institute. Covers control instmments, including rotameters, aimunciators, transducers, thermocouples, flow meters, and pneumatic systems (see... 

Scientific Apparatus Makers Association 1140 Coimecticut Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20036 Standards for analytical instmments, laboratory apparatus, measurement and test instmments, nuclear instmments, optical instmments, process measurement and control, and scientific laboratory furniture and equipment (see Analytical methods). 

Fig. 1. Control stmctures, where (----) is the process and (—) the measurement and control, for (a) feedback and (b) feedforward.

Orifice. Orifice viscometers, also called efflux or cup viscometers, are commonly used to measure and control flow properties in the manufacture, processing, and appHcation of inks, paints, adhesives, and lubricating oils. Their design answered the need for simple, easy-to-operate viscometers in areas where precision and accuracy are not particularly important. In these situations knowledge of a tme viscosity is uimecessary, and the efflux time of a fixed volume of Hquid is a sufficient indication of the fluidity of the material. Examples of orifice viscometers include the Ford, Zahn, and Shell cups used for paints and inks and the Saybolt Universal and Furol instmments used for oils (Table 5). 

After the SO converter has stabilized, the 6—7% SO gas stream can be further diluted with dry air, I, to provide the SO reaction gas at a prescribed concentration, ca 4 vol % for LAB sulfonation and ca 2.5% for alcohol ethoxylate sulfation. The molten sulfur is accurately measured and controlled by mass flow meters. The organic feedstock is also accurately controlled by mass flow meters and a variable speed-driven gear pump. The high velocity SO reaction gas and organic feedstock are introduced into the top of the sulfonation reactor,, in cocurrent downward flow where the reaction product and gas are separated in a cyclone separator, K, then pumped to a cooler, L, and circulated back into a quench cooling reservoir at the base of the reactor, unique to Chemithon concentric reactor systems. The gas stream from the cyclone separator, M, is sent to an electrostatic precipitator (ESP), N, which removes entrained acidic organics, and then sent to the packed tower, H, where SO2 and any SO traces are adsorbed in a dilute NaOH solution and finally vented, O. Even a 99% conversion of SO2 to SO contributes ca 500 ppm SO2 to the effluent gas. 

E. G. Brickwedde, ed.. Temperature, Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry, Vols. 3—6, Reinhold, New York, 1962—1992. 

The major water desalination processes that ate currendy in use or in advanced research stages are described herein. Information on detailed modeling can be found in the Hterature cited. The major texts on water desalination written since the 1980s are those by Spiegler and Laird (47), Khan (48), which contains many practical design aspects, Lior (49) on the measurements and control aspects, Heitman (40) on pretreatment and chemistry aspects, and Spiegler and El-Sayed (50), an overview primer. Extensive data sources are provided in References 39 and 51. 

N. Lior, ed.. Measurements and Control in Water Desalination, Elsevier, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 1986. 

In the steaming-out process excess chlorine is used and recycled. The major process conditions that are measured and controlled are temperature, pressure, pH, and oxidation potential. 

Temperature, pH, and feed rate are often measured and controlled. Dissolved oxygen (DO) can be controlled using aeration, agitation, pressure, and/or feed rate. Oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide formation can be measured in the outgoing air to provide insight into the metaboHc status of the microorganism. No rehable on-line measurement exists for biomass, substrate, or products. Most optimization is based on empirical methods simulation of quantitative models may provide more efficient optimization of fermentation. 

J. Klimstra, Catalytic Converters for Natural Gas Engines—A Measurement and Control Problem, SAE 872165, Society of Automotive Engineers,... 

DATTA-BARUA Natural Gas Measurement and Control DEAN Lange s Handbook of Chemistry, Fourteenth Edition DESHOTELS, ZIMMERMAN Cost-Effective Risk Assessment for Process Design... 

International Society for Measurement and Control (ISA). The chemicals, refining, and foods industries generally follow this standard. 

Accuracy and Repeatability Definitions of terminology pertaining to process measurements can be obtained from standard S5I.I from the International Society of Measurment and Control (ISA) and standard RC20-II from the Scientific Apparatus Manufac turers Association (SAMA), both of which are updated periodically. An appreciation of accuracy and repeatability is especially important. Some apphcations depend on the accuracy of the instrument, but other apphcations depend on repeatability. Excellent accuracy imphes excellent repeatabihty however, an instrument can have poor accuracy but excellent repeatability. In some apphcations, this is acceptable, as discussed below. 

Also, the electronic control-valve device s level of immunity to, and emission of, electromagnetic interference (EMI) can be an issue in the chemical-valve environment. EMI requirements for the control-valve devices are presently mandatory in the European Community but voluntary in the United States, Japan, and the rest of the world. International Electrotechnical Commission (lEC) SOI, Parts I through 4, Electromagnetic Compatibihty for Industrial Process Measurement and Control Equipment, defines tests and requirements for control-device immunity. Immunity and emission standards are addressed in CENELEC (European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization) EN 50 081-1 1992, EN 50 081-2 1993, EN 50 082-1 1992, and prEN 50 082-2 1994. 

A turbine flowmeter consists of a straight flow tube containing a turbine which is free to rotate on a shaft supported by one or more bearings and located on the centerline of the tube. Means are provided for magnetic detection of the rotational speed, which is proportional to the volumetric flow rate. Its use is generally restric ted to clean, noncorrosive fluids. Additional information on construction, operation, range, and accuracy can be obtained from Holzbock (Instruments for Measurement and Control, 2d ed., Reinhold, New York, 1962, pp. 155-162). For performance characteristics of these meters with liquids, see Shafer,y. Basic Eng., 84,471-485 (December 1962) or May, Chem. Eng., 78(5), 105-108 (1971) and for the effect of density and Reynolds number when used in gas flowmetering, see Lee and Evans, y. Basic Eng., 82, 1043-1057 (December 1965). 

For best operation, the feed rate to rotating equipment should be closely controlled and uniform in quantity ana quality. Because sohds temperatures are difficult to measure and changes slowly detected, most rotating-equipment operations are controlled by indirect means. Inlet and exit gas temperatures are measured and controlled on direct-heat units such as direct dryers and kilns, steam temperature and pressure and exit-gas temperature and humidity are controlled on steam-tube units, and direct shell temperature measurements are taken on indirect calciners. Product temperature measurements are taken for secondaiy control purposes only in most instances. 

Large instrument spans required to address variety of operating condi-tions/requirements may result in inadequate measurement and control at the low or high end of their spans. 

ISA S71.04. 1986. Environmental Conditions for Process Measurement and Control Systems Airborne Contaminants. Instrument Society of America, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 

Air-dilute with necessary blowers, flow measurement, and control systems Use isokinetic sampling, refrigerated sample transport, and careful handling to minimize physical or chemical changes... 

The best anti-surge control is the simplest and most basic that will do the job. The most obvious parameter is minimum-flow measurement, or if there is a relatively steep pressure-flow characteristic, the differentia pressure may be used. The latter parameter allows for a much faster response system, as flow measurement response is generally slow however, the speed of response need only be fast enough to accept expected transients. One major problem with the conventional methods of measurement and control is the need to move the set point for initiation of the control signal away from the exact surge point to allow some safety factor for control response time and other parameters not directly included... 

Carlson, F.E., Phillips, E.K., Tenhaeff, S.C. and Detlefsen, W.D., Measuring and Controlling Volatile Organic Compound and Paniculate Emissions from Wood Processing Operations and Wood-Based Products. Forest Products Society, Madison WI, 1995, pp. 52-61. 

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