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Measuring Task Flow Measurement of

Monitoring the mass flow of Sonotherm in a DN 500 steel pipe at a Heat Transfer Oil at
temperature of 300°C (572°F) High Temperatures
The measurement site is located in an explosion hazard area.

Instruments Used Customer

• FLUXUS® ADM 8027
• Transducers M4N Ex
• WaveInjector® WI 400
Advantages
• Reliable, non-invasive measurement
• Dependable process control
Selling Points
• Uncomplicated upgrade without cutting into the pipe or interrupting Shell Nederland Chemie BV
the process
Moerdijk, The Netherlands
• No risk of toxic leaks
• Wear-free measurement – no process interruption for inspection or Shell Nederland Chemie BV pro-
maintenance duces raw materials for the chemi-
cal industry at its 500 hectare
Description chemical production site in the
western section of the municipality
In its Moerdijk chemical plant, Shell uses the product Sonotherm as heat of Moerdijk. The necessary starting
transfer oil. The oil is heated to 300°C (572°F) and distributed over a sys- substances – the raw oil fractions
tem of thermally isolated pipes to the distillation columns where it supplies naptha, gasoline and liquefied pe-
the process heat. The effective operation of this installation requires a troleum gas – are transported to
reliable flow measurement of the heat transfer oil. If the Sonotherm flow Moerdijk via a pipeline from the
drops below a certain value, the boiler is automatically shut off in order to nearby Shell refinery in Pernis.
avoid damage to the heating system.
Before the non-invasive ultrasonic flow measurement system was intro-
duced, the flow was determined by means of differential pressure meas-
urement. Operations had to be stopped in order to carry out the annual
inspection and maintenance of this system. Since Sonotherm is a carcino-
genic substance, all maintenance work required special preparation and
precautions.
The non-invasive flow measurement with the clamp-on transducers fixed
®
on the WaveInjector is a convenient and elegant solution to this measur-
ing challenge. Since the transducers do not come in contact with the me-
dium, the measurement process is wear-free and can be installed without
pipe work, thus avoiding all risks of leaks involving the dangerous me-
dium. The ultrasonic measurement thus offers the extra advantages that it
is environmentally friendly and improves plant safety and efficiency.

FLUXUS®, WaveInjector® and PIOX® are protected trademarks of FLEXIM GmbH. Copying and distribution allowed only with written permission of
FLEXIM GmbH. The copyright of this report, its components, and pictures are owned by FLEXIM or by third parties. All rights reserved. The aim of
this application report is solely to give general information about the application. It does not assure the suitability of a given procedure or instrument
for a specific purpose.
AR-200613-Shell-EN.doc

MeasurIT Technologies Ltd.

Craan, Craanford, email: info@measurIT.com Phone: +353 (0) 53 942 8962
Gorey, Co. Wexford, Ireland www.measurIT.com Fax: +353 (0) 53 942 8963