Measuring amplifiers ensure oil stays at correct temperature

Russia is the second largest oil producer worldwide after Saudi Arabia. Russia produces nearly ten million barrels of black gold a day. However, before the oil generates a profit, it must be transported from the wellheads to one of Russia’s many refineries or to an industrial port for shipment to Germany, the Czech Republic, China and other countries.

Correct temperature is one of the most important process parameters during the production and transportation of this precious resource. When crude oil is converted to feedstock and then refined to produce marketable fuels, heating oil, and lubricants, it must be kept at the right temperature at all times during the various production, processing, and transportation steps.

OAO SpecElectroMechanika, one of the leading Russian players in the automation sector, delivers automation systems for the entire production chain in the oil industry, from pre-processing, through to transportation and refining of this valuable resource. Because handling oil is dangerous, the components that the company builds into its automation systems must meet stringent requirements.

SpecElectroMechanika, based in the Krasnodar region, has integrated Turck interface technology into its automation systems to continuously monitor the temperature of the oil, even when the oil is not going through one of the refinery processes. MK32 measuring amplifiers monitor the input signals of the Pt100 temperature control sensors on the oil tanks in the huge oil terminal at Russia’s largest seaport in Novorossiysk. In this Black Sea port—located in the Krasnodar region at the northwest end of the Caucasus—petroleum and petroleum products brought in by train are loaded onto ships every day. These ships have a loading capacity of up to 15,000 DWT. The partially automated systems must be immune to dust, oil, water, vibration, and even impact.

Intrinsically safe MK32 measuring amplifiers with galvanic isolation between the input and output circuits reliably detect temperature-related changes in resistance in the Pt100 sensors. The subsystem operates safely in hazardous areas and sends an analog output signal to a controller. The 3 or 4 wire, 1-channel measuring amplifiers also feature extensive diagnostic, monitoring and parameterization functions. For example, a switch on the front panel activates wire break detection on the input circuit. With a single switch, you can set parameters that define current output characteristics when an error is detected in the input circuit.

If input circuit error detection is turned on, the output current is either 0 mA or 22 mA, and a red LED illuminates to indicate the fault condition. If input circuit error detection is deactivated, the output signal tracks the direction of the input signal (0 mA if a wire breaks, 22 mA if a short circuit occurs).

Turck products also encompass a wide measurement range, from –50° C to +600° C, enabling engineers at SpecElectroMechanika and oil terminal owners to reduce the installation and maintenance costs of the automation systems. Another aspect the automation supplier from Russia appreciates is that the MK interfaces are easy to install on a DIN rail, which has shortened the installation time considerably and increased machine availability.

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