Feature sponsored by Flow, level & control
The criTicaliTy of selecTing The righT TemperaTure device for your applicaTion
Even with the move to cleaner energy generation temperature measurement remains as important as ever and is often critical to ensure the reliable and safe operation of processes. Jon Davison, product manager temperature and pressure, ABB Measurement & Analytics UK and Eire, explains how developments in temperature measurement are helping to cut costs and reduce equipment failure in power generation applications and beyond.
W
e live in challenging times. Recent world events have put significant pressure on manufacturing and the wider supply chain through shortage
of key components and significant increases in material, fuel and energy costs.
ENERGY SOURCES AND DEMAND In the last two decades, the UK has transformed its energy supply. Prior to the Climate Change Act 2008, the majority of our electricity came from fossil fuels, with coal-fired power stations accounting for over a third of powered generated. Since then coal-fired power has been drastically scaled back, accounting for just 1.6 per cent of generation in 2020, and whilst fossil fuel use is still widespread this is now largely achieved by gas, which is cleaner than coal. Meanwhile, renewable sources such as hydro, wind and solar are increasingly coming online, accounting for a growing percentage of the energy mix with each year that passes and reducing the reliance on conventional power generation. The UK’s overall energy demand is in fact
falling, albeit gradually. This is in part due to a decline in heavy industry, but also improvements in energy efficiency have played an important part. The spectre of Net Zero looms large and demands the acceleration of decarbonisation as an absolute minimum. As such, more
16
renewables will necessarily have to be tapped in order to ease the burden on fossil fuels. Wind turbines are now a common sight in the
UK with over 11,000 installed providing a capacity of over 25 gigawatts (GW). In 2020 alone wind provided nearly 25 per cent of UK electricity supplied and plans are to increase this capacity to approaching 50 GW by 2030, mainly through offshore installation. One promising option is to make up the
difference between renewable capacity and overall demand is to increase the use of hydrogen as an energy alternative. It can be produced in a number of different ways from a variety of feedstocks making it resilient to market fluctuations, and crucially, it is a low or zero carbon fuel. Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, however producing pure and affordable hydrogen at scale is a challenge. Solutions are increasingly being developed to make it a viable alternative to natural gas and the UK’s gas grid is on track to be able to blend 20 per cent hydrogen into networks by 2023. Further initiatives could see combined cycle gas power stations transition to a hydrogen energy source, produced here in the UK, to provide homes and businesses with a secure homegrown energy supply.
FEELING THE HEAT Given this backdrop the optimisation of key industrial processes is more important than ever.
Optimal processes will lead to significant savings in both fuel costs and energy consumption. Temperature measurement is one of the most widely measured parameters and is often key to how a process behaves, the consistency of the final product and operational safety. For example, reliable temperature
measurement is critical in both boilers and furnaces to ensure a safe and a stable process. This will often involve multiple measurement points to ensure an even temperature distribution and to avoid hot or cold spots in the process which leads to inefficiency, increasing fuel costs, maintenance and downtime due to fouling plus reduced throughput and production quality. Temperature is also commonly used to monitor
performance of associated equipment within a process to ensure reliable operation. Bearing temperature, gear box fluid temperature, even surface temperature monitoring – all of these can provide advanced warning of a potential issue before it becomes unsafe and allow for early intervention before a catastrophic failure occurs. Even the humble wind turbine includes temperature monitoring to ensure the device is operating within expected parameters. All these applications set their own challenges.
Moving parts generate vibration, which can be significant for some processes. The required vibration tolerance of a temperature sensor is defined within the standard IEC60751 as 30m/sec2
January 2023 Instrumentation Monthly
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82
