Innovations
New ASTM test method measures organic chlorides in crude oil
New ASTM test method measures organic chlorides in crude oil
Metrohm USA has released a new standard leveraging its combustion ion chromatography (CIC) systems. This new standard, ASTM D8150, provides a test method for the determination of harmful organic chlorides in crude oil.
Organic chlorides do not occur naturally in crude oil; they result from operations during the refinery process. These organic chlorides are harmful to productivity and profitability, causing corrosion and damage to important catalysts. Using CIC for measurement allows the detection of individual halide species, such as chloride and fluoride, to trace sources of contamination.
Petroleum companies will benefit from this method as they monitor their internal processes and crude feedstocks. Contract testing laboratories that support petroleum products will also benefit from this method.
As a member of ASTM’s largest committee (D02), Metrohm USA helps develop test methods that ensure the safety of products across the petroleum industry, including crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, motor oil and liquid propane. The company’s innovative titration and ion chromatography products, paired with the work of ASTM, serve the demands of the industry and support the quality, distribution and delivery of petroleum products.
In 2017, the partnership between Metrohm and ASTM resulted in two significant method releases: ASTM D8045 for the determination of acid number (AN) in crude oil and petroleum products by thermometric titration; and ASTM D7994, which establishes CIC as a standard test method to determine total fluorine, chlorine and sulfur in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
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FIG. 1. Flow energy tool for management and usage optimization.
Advanced flow management technologies for air, gas, water and steam
Sierra Instruments recently launched its new flow energy solution for managing and optimizing flow measurement for industrial facilities of all sizes. It features Sierra’s QuadraTherm 640i/780i thermal flowmeters (FIG. 1), the InnovaMass 240i/241i vortex flowmeters, and the new InnovaSonic 207i ultrasonic flowmeter. Designed, built and calibrated in the US by Sierra, the three flowmeters share the same revolutionary Raptor firmware and many of the same software apps. They are a complete flow energy solution for flows like compressed air, natural gas, steam, and hot and chilled water. Together, they set a new standard in ease of purchase, performance, accuracy, reliability and ease of use.
The three flowmeters share common firmware and software for easy integration, setup and serviceability, enabling operators to leverage their knowledge between the different platforms. All patented flowmeter sensors provide unparalleled accuracy, extensive flow knowledge through multivariable functionality, and benefit from the Raptor operating system to manage sensor inputs.
- QuadraTherm iSeries thermal sensors offer a no-drift sensor with a lifetime warranty and accuracy of +/–0.5% of reading. QuadraTherm’s four-sensor technology provides the critical inputs for Raptor’s algorithm set and gas database to accurately manage changes in gas and pipe selection, gas temperature, gas pressure and outside temperature.
- InnovaMass vortex sensors, combined with the Raptor OS, offer a patented Mass Balance sensor, improved DSP, and flows below 1 fps. The InnovaMass iSeries measures up to five process variables—volumetric flowrate, mass flow, density, pressure and temperature—with one process connection, which is ideal for highly accurate steam flow measurement.
- The InnovaSonic 207i ultrasonic flowmeter ensures accuracy of +/–0.5% of reading from 0.16 ft/sec–40 ft/sec (0.05 m/sec–12 m/sec). This is maintained even if liquid density changes as the temperature of a flowing liquid moves up and down over time. Sensors are designed for temperature compensation to ensure the correct speed of sound for increased accuracy and ease of installation.
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FIG. 2. Trainee using the NAPCON Games Furnace simulator.
Online operator training simulator game for industrial furnaces
NAPCON Games Furnace (FIG. 2) is a new addition to the license-based NAPCON Games portfolio. The online training game is targeted at operators and other industry professionals to help them enhance and test their skills in operating an industrial furnace.
NAPCON launched an operator training game for the process industry last autumn—the first in the world. The gamified training tools can be combined with traditional operator training methods to maximize training benefits and improve operator understanding. NAPCON Games’ furnace training game has several carefully designed features. Learning with the game is interactive, engaging and fun, making training very effective.
Sophisticated scoring systems and constant feedback enable the operators to track their progress and study areas of improvement. Scoring systems give the trainer the ability to view areas of improvement and plan training accordingly. Modular architecture allows setting up an optimal training path with a series of tasks of varying difficulty and scope. This enables operators at all levels to engage in challenging training sessions.
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FIG. 3. Home screen for water treatment operator mobile app.
Mobile app for water treatment plant
SUEZ Water Technologies and Solutions unveiled a new mobile app, ModuleTrac, (FIG. 3) for water treatment plant operators to track, monitor and analyze their ZeeWeed ultrafiltration membranes.
ModuleTrac drives efficiency and productivity for drinking water and wastewater treatment plant operators by simplifying data collection and record-keeping activities related to ZeeWeed membranes. It also provides enhanced visibility into data at the module, cassette and train levels through InSight, a secure asset performance management (APM) solution for monitoring and optimizing water treatment systems.
The ModuleTrac app uses an operator’s mobile device to scan and track the location and maintenance history of ZeeWeed membranes using a unique bar code placed on each module. This information is then fed into InSight, which analyzes, archives and reports on the data at a train, cassette or module level. From there, users can view data, run reports, and create graphics and charts to monitor and optimize their water treatment systems.
ModuleTrac can help users:
- Simplify the tracking and analyzing of module repair history
- Organize information into one easy-to-use application vs. multiple manual spreadsheets
- Understand the best- and least-performing modules
- Uncover the root cause of issues and their location relationships.
Available for iOS and Android devices, the app also utilizes an “offline” mode to capture data without an Internet connection, offering users additional flexibility to work anytime, anywhere.
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Intrusion detection for managed security operations
Radiflow’s Intrusion Detection System (iSID) is a main component in a toolkit offered to managed security service providers (MSSPs) that want to enter the operational technology (OT) space. This offering is a collaboration with the cybersecurity division of Yanai Engineering.
The iSID protects OT networks and ICS and SCADA environments by alerting to breach attempts and cyberattacks on the OT network. It flags potential risks based on deep network learning and asset mapping.
The security alerts reported by Radiflow’s iSID are analyzed to evaluate their operational impact, using an engineering methodology developed by Yanai. For the OT SOC operators, the tool set also includes Radiflow’s iSAP Smart Probe for collecting and transferring OT network traffic from customer sites to the managed SOC. HP
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