Recycled Oil Containing Water

Adapting to the difficulties of unstable conditions and near-impossible measurement in oil flow with water, Yokogawa’s ADMAG CA series flowmeter provides a stable and reliable flow measurement.

 

The use of recycled oil as an energy source presents a significant processing problem. Because the composition of the fluid is not consistent and it also may contain impurities, the use of conventional flowmeter technologies is not practical. ADMAG CA Series, however, has been shown to provide reliable and stable flow measurements of recycled oil containing water.

Cement Production Plant with Kiln using Recycled Oil
 

Application

One cement producer uses recycled oil as a kiln fuel. A Coriolis mass flowmeter was used to control the recycled oil flow; however, the meter readings were very unstable which made reliable control impossible. The Coriolis meter's problems were related to the separation of the oil and water as the fluid traveled the length of the meter and the changing composition of the components (oil and water) resulted in unstable densities. In addition, the meter's zero was unstable and it was also difficult to clean the inside of the meter.
 

Solution

Initially, consideration was given to applying a conventional magnetic flowmeter. However, because the oil and other residuals showed a tendency to build up in the Coriolis meter, a similar situation was expected to occur in the magmeter, and the electrodes would be covered with an insulating coating. With ADMAG CA Series the non-wetted, capacitively coupled electrodes are immune to the effects of coating. In addition, the shorter lay length, as compared to the Coriolis meter, would better handle the potential layer separation of the oil and water.

Reverse Osmosis Filter Monitoring 

The ADMAG CA was tested in series with the Coriolis meter. The test conditions were as follows: 

Fluid Conductivity:	2.94-3.07 mS/cm
Fluid Composition:	48% oil, 43% water, 9% other
Flow Range:	0-5 tons/hr
Meter Size:	1"
Temperature:	30°C (86 deg F)
Pressure:	MPa (142 psi)
Meter damping:	3 seconds

 

The recorded output of the Coriolis meter shows large output fluctuations. The recorded output of ADMAG CA Series, however, shows the output is stable and tracks the set-point closely.

The suspected cause for the output fluctuation is the variation in the fluid's density	The ADMAG CA output is stable without large output fluctuations

• Be sure to measure the conductivity of the fluid to ensure that consistent values are obtained.
• The water content and potential water/oil separation can significantly affect the fluid conductivity. Examine a fluid sample to determine whether a two-layer separation occurs immediately or happens gradually. If separation occurs immediately, measurement even with ADMAG CA Series may not be possible.
   

Key Benefits

• Impervious to coating problems
• Measures ultralow conductivity fluids to 0.01 μS/cm
• Stable output with varying levels of oil and impurities
• Short lay length avoids problems due to fluid separation
• Transmitter Improvement
  • HART Communication
  • Wizard Function
  • Multilingual display
  • Micro SD
  • Verification Tool
• Inherit Sensor Structure
  • Slurry fluids
  • Adhesive fluids
  • Ultra-low conductive fluids
  • The same lay length

 

For more information about Yokogawa CA Series flowmeters, Magnetic Flowmeter CA Series | Yokogawa America.