Complimentary temperature calibration training.

Irish Power & Process (IPP) are holding a complimentary Fluke Temperature Calibration Training Seminar, September 25th & 28th, 2017 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dublin (IRL).

This event is intended for technical personnel or calibration personnel who are responsible for the use or calibration of temperature measuring instruments and standards. The emphasis will be on the practical aspects of Temperature Measurement and Calibration.

It will be hosted by Tom Harper, Head of Flukes UKAS Accredited Laboratory and Senior Metrologist with Fluke UK. Tom is an expert in the field of Electrical, Temperature, Pressure and Flow Calibration.

It will coincide with the ISPE Biotechnology Conference which IPP will also be attending.

For further details email IPP's  Karen Connery.

@irishpwrprocess  #PAuto @FlukeCorp #Ireland

Enhanced two-wire Magnetic Flowmeters

Noel Heary of Irish Power & Process (IPP) tells us that Yokogawa has just released an enhanced version of the ADMAG AXR two-wire magnetic flowmeter. This enhanced flowmeter has been certified for use in safety integrity level 2 (SIL2) applications, as stipulated by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), and it supports the latest HART 7 protocol (See below).

The enhanced ADMAG AXR two-wire magnetic flowmeter exhibits a level of performance comparable to that of the ADMAG AXF four-wire magnetic flowmeter. With these two flowmeters, Yokogawa aims to take the top position in the global magnetic flowmeter market.

Development Background
Magnetic flowmeters are used to measure the flow rates of water, chemicals, and other conductive fluids. Two kinds of magnetic flowmeters are in general use today, the four-wire and the two-wire type. The former has two pairs of cables, one for power supply and the other for signal output, and achieves high accuracy and performance; the latter has a single pair of cables for both signal output and power supply, and achieves excellent cost performance. First introduced to the market in 2009 and installed in large numbers worldwide, our ADMAG AXR two-wire magnetic flowmeters compare favorably to 4-wire devices in terms of measurement accuracy and low noise characteristics.

To meet our customers’ needs for safer plant operations, Yokogawa has enhanced the ADMAG AXR magnetic flowmeters by providing the following features.

Product Features
• SIL2 certification
The enhanced ADMAG AXR has been certified for use in SIL2 applications typically encountered in the oil, petrochemicals, chemical, and other industries, and can be installed in areas that require functional safety. By pairing two ADMAG AXR flowmeters, SIL3 applications can be supported.

• HART 7 support
In addition to HART 5, the new ADMAG AXR supports HART 7, the latest HART protocol, eliminating the need for convertors to connect with HART-compliant control systems. HART 7 also supports and enables the automatic issuance of alarms when the device’s settings are modified or a problem is detected by self-diagnostics.

About the ADMAG AXR
The ADMAG AXR was the first flowmeter to use the dual frequency excitation method*3, with low-frequency excitation that ensures stable measurement of flow rates and high-frequency excitation that delivers high noise resistance, thus realizing stable measurement in a wide range of fluid conditions. This high-performance two-wire flowmeter can be used in both monitoring and control applications. Its installation and maintenance costs are significantly lower because two-wire magnetic flowmeters do not require a dedicated power supply unit and use only a single pair of cables. Their low power consumption also reduces running costs. In addition, explosion-proof types suitable for installation in hazardous areas are now available for the entire product lineup, covering bore diameters from 25 mm to 200 mm.

Takashi Nishijima, a Director and Senior Vice President, and Head of the Industrial Automation Platform Business Headquarters, comments, "With field digital technologies that make it easier to use field devices, Yokogawa is helping its customers realize the VigilantPlant concept.  We believe that this enhanced magnetic flowmeter gives customers a wider range of choices in digital communications and allows for greater safety in their utilisation."

New partnership!

An agreement has been reached between between Irish Power and Process (IPP) and the infrared instrument company NDC.

NDC On-line NIR Moisture Gauges and At-line Analysers are used for production control and quality assurance to measure constituents such as moisture, fat or oil, protein and coating thickness or coatweight.

Noel Heery, of IPP adds, "This new partnership includes sales of new equipment and service cover for existing users."

Tougher and safer than mercury thermometers

Noel Heary of Irish Power & Process (IPP) tells us that Fluke Calibration has introduced the 1551A Ex and 1552A Ex “Stik” Thermometers, engineered to give temperature calibration specialists the durable, intrinsically-safe digital instrument they need for precision temperature calibration.

The 1551A and 1552A “Stik” thermometers provide a highly precise and durable digital replacement for mercury-in-glass thermometers. They are intrinsically safe (ATEX and IECEx compliant), so they can be used safely where potentially explosive gases may be present. More durable than mercury-in-glass thermometers, they can be used reliably outdoors or on the production floor.

Process manufacturers of chemical, pharmaceutical, food or petroleum products require accurate temperature measurements. Since temperature sensors are subject to drift with time, regular calibration or verification against a reliable reference thermometer is required. But finding a reference thermometer that is accurate, repeatable and robust has been a challenge.

Although mercury thermometers are accurate and repeatable, they are fragile and pose the risk of a mercury spill, which can endanger the environment and human health. Several U.S. states and numerous European Union countries have banned their use in industrial applications. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has funded research to identify alternatives. But such initiatives have been hampered by the lack of an electronic alternative that was intrinsically safe, repeatable and accurate.

The Fluke “Stik” Thermometers help solve this problem, and get production managers out of a potential bind, by providing the measurement accuracy, durability and safety required in industries such as oil and gas production and petrochemicals—with no mercury hazard.
The 1551A Ex “Stik” Thermometer covers a temperature range of –50 °C to 160 °C (–58 °F to 320 °F). The model 1552A Ex covers a range of –80 °C to 300 °C (–112 °F to 572 °F). Both models are accurate to ± 0.05 °C over their full temperature range.

The stainless steel probe and digital readout of the Fluke 1551A Ex/1152A Ex “Stik” Thermometers are fixed together and calibrated as a system. The accuracy specification is easy to understand since it includes all uncertainty components, including drift, for up to one year. Unlike competing products, the large backlit LCD display rotates 90 degrees, making it easy to read from any angle.
A user-configurable stability/trend indicator lets the technician know when temperature is stable enough to record an accurate measurement. A user-settable auto-off function extends typical battery life to three hundred hours. A low-battery indicator and stop-measure function prevent erroneous measurements from being made due to low battery life. A simple three-point calibration function allows you to easily and accurately calibrate the “Stik” Thermometer. Data logging to internal memory of up to 10,000 time-stamped measurements is optionally available.

Free calibration!

Nice touch from IPP!

All visitors to the Irish Power & Process Stand at the RDS next week for Facilities Ireland show 23rd and 24th March at Stand C15 can register their Thermal Imager or Thermometer with them and have it calibrated free of charge - then just ship to them and they will return it calibrated to you.