WIKA has decades of expertise in designing, manufacturing, and installing high-performance temperature measurement systems for refineries, an industry that requires accurate and robust thermocouple assemblies to keep their applications running smoothly and safely. Our products, including the innovative Gayesco Flex-R® multipoint thermocouple assemblies and the Gayesco Refracto-Pad®, WIKA V-Pad®, and Gayesco Xtracto-Pad® tubeskin thermocouple assemblies, are found in refineries all over the world.
As safety, environmental, and performance demands increase, refineries have an ever greater need for temperature measurement systems that are accurate and reliable. Plant engineers must closely monitor the temperature of catalyst beds, distillation columns, tubeskins, and rundown lines – both to ensure that the feedstock is being processed efficiently and that reactors do not operate within an unsafe temperature zone.
Temperature Measurement Products in Refinery Applications
Gayesco International, which WIKA acquired in 2012, has been designing innovative devices for refineries since 1958. Taking into account the particular needs of the oil and gas sector, our experts have developed a range of products that meet the challenging demands of refining processes. Today, these temperature measurement solutions can be found at the core of most refinery applications around the world.
The most popular products for refinery applications include:
- Multipoint Temperature Measurement Systems. The Gayesco Flex-R® multipoint thermocouple assembly is an effective, flexible tool for refiners to get radial temperature information. More than 125,000 of these dependable and long-lasting temperature measurement sensors can be found in almost 2,400 reactors around the world. They are so robust that refiners include them in safety systems, such as automatic reactor depressurization units. They are also extremely reliable. In fact, some earlier models lasted almost three decades before they were updated. (For optimal performance, WIKA recommends verifying the health of the system during catalyst change-outs and replacing it with a new thermocouple assembly every 15–25 years.)
Gayesco Flex-R® systems are routinely used in fixed bed catalyst reactors, catalyst regenerators, and column and contactor applications in:
- Hydrocrackers
- Hydrotreaters
- Continuous catalytic reformers
- Fluid catalytic crackers
- Isomerization units
- Crude and vacuum distillation units
Besides the Gayesco Flex-R®, WIKA also makes Gayesco T-Bar multipoints, Gayesco Flex-O™ pipewell multipoints, and mini multipoints. This variety of options allows us to design systems that measure temperature precisely where it is needed in order to ensure safety and optimize operations.
- Tubeskin Temperature Measurement Systems
Gayesco Refracto-Pad® is a shielded tubeskin thermocouple assembly designed with an innovative opaque insulation that better represents tubeskin temperature in furnaces and boilers. The latest version, the Gayesco Xtracto-Pad®, features a removable thermocouple that eliminates the need for additional welding when replaced. The WIKA V-Pad® tubeskin thermocouple has an engineered block design and a V-shaped sensor for a full-penetration welded connection.
- Reactor Skin Temperature Measurement Systems
WIKA makes traditional thermocouple systems and thermowell reactor skin temperature measurement assemblies for high-temperature and heavy-duty applications. To bring the most innovative products to the market, We have partnered with several leading suppliers to incorporate fiber optics technology in order to improve reactor skin temperature measurements.
- Pilot Light Detectors
WIKA manufactures a complete line of flame rods for furnace safety systems. The GFR-3, for example, is an extremely robust and reliable flame rod that is commonly used to detect pilot lights in crude furnaces, hydrotreater furnaces, and hydrocracking furnaces.
- Specialty Measurement Systems
WIKA’s experts can create innovative solutions for temperature measurement in a variety of refinery units. They work closely with customers to find the best options and then engineer a system customized to the specific requirements of each application.
With a thorough understanding of the unique challenges that refineries face, WIKA USA offers high-quality technology, installation, and calibration to help refineries meet the industry’s increasing demands. Contact our experienced engineers and product managers for more information about temperature measurement solutions created specifically for the oil & gas and petrochemical sectors.
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very nice and informative article. Well written.