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This article is based on a white paper written by John Carissimi and Jeremy Payne in 2015 and rewritten on May 6, 2024. Sour gas and crude oil operations involve harsh conditions with a high risk of corrosion. Metals and alloys used in environments with hydrogen sulfide (H2S) are especially prone to corrosion and stress cracking, which can lead to material failure and dangerous fluid leaks in your system. To enhance safety and prevent equipment failures, the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) established control standards for any instrumentation used in these types of applications. As the Product Marketing Leader for process gauges at Ashcroft, a global leader in pressure and temperature instrumentation, I have spent the past 15 years answering questions and guiding customers on the importance of ensuring compatibility between your instruments and process media. In this article, you will get an overview of the NACE standards that specifically address corrosion that can occur with exposure to sour gas or sour crude. You will also learn what to look for when selecting pressure and temperature instruments for your sour gas and crude applications. When you are done reading, you will be able to access additional resources to help make informed decisions about selecting instrumentation for corrosive operations.

This article was originally published on July 24, 2023, by Rick Zerafin and was updated on April 29, 2024, by Dave Dlugos. Maintenance, reliability, process and Health Safety Environment (HSE) teams rely on accurate and stable temperature measurements to meet their goals. Thermocouples, new out of the box, are a critical tool for these measurements that help plant personnel maintain safe and efficient operations. Today, instrument designers use a wide array of thermocouple types, such as Type K, Type E and Type T to measure temperatures in applications ranging from cryogenic temperatures of -196 °C to the extremes of 1700 °C. This article will discuss how thermocouple calibration offers added benefits that promote process improvements and support compliance requirements. When you are done reading, you will also find additional related resources that can help you gain more insight into these important instruments.

This article was originally published on February 9, 2022, and was updated on April 3, 2024. Pressure gauges are often used in challenging environments where they could be exposed to extreme temperatures that may damage them or impact their accuracy. These extreme temperatures can come from a variety of sources such as the surrounding environment (ambient temperature), or the temperature of the process media being measured (media temperature). How do you minimize the effects of temperature on your instrumentation and protect your pressure gauges from damage? Read on to learn the effects that temperature can have on pressure gauges and their performance. Plus, you will gain insights into how you can address these issues to keep your gauge working at peak performance.

This article was originally published on March 27, 2023, and was updated on March 27, 2024. Working in the oil and gas or chemical industries means your process and your people are exposed to dangerous acids and chemicals. Chemicals such as hydrofluoric acid and others can create dangerous conditions and corrode certain materials, which could result in hazardous leaks. That's why it is imperative to select pressure and temperature instrumentation that can safeguard your entire operation from the potentially damaging effects of these applications. While dangerous acids have been safely used in industrial applications for many years, specifying proper pressure instrumentation with the appropriate wetted materials for these locations, requires unique expertise. That's where Ashcroft can help. With decades of experience in pressure and temperature instrumentation for the process industry, we have guided customers to the information they need to ensure they are choosing the safest instrumentation for their acid application. This article will discuss the safety concerns for harsh acid applications and what types of pressure instruments can best handle these challenging working environments. When you are done reading, you will also find additional resources that you can use as a reference for this topic.

Thermocouples are essential instruments designed to monitor temperature in critical applications involving harsh conditions, extreme weather and high-vibration environments. They are often used in automation, power, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, clean-in-place, refining, and chemical system installations. When configured to meet the demands of equipment like turbine systems, gas compressors, pumps and other equipment, the main function of the thermocouple is to provide clear and reliable signals to communicate whether a system is working properly, or not. In doing so, these instruments help reduce downtime, lower maintenance costs and increase productivity. A key part of the configuration process is selection of the correct junction type for optimal sensor performance. My knowledge in this area is based on 20 years of experience working as an engineer specializing in temperature measurement instruments. In this article, you will learn about the different thermocouple components, including two of the most common types of junctions: grounded and ungrounded. You will also learn the advantages of each junction type, and which is preferable for different applications. When you are done reading, you will have a clear understanding of the best junction to select for your specific needs.

If you are an industrial instrument designer, you have several temperature measurement options available to you. These include Infrared, Bi-Metal, Gas-actuated thermometers, Thermistors, Thermocouples and RTDs. Industrial automation and process applications predominantly use thermocouples and Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs) instrumentation such as our S81 and S50 because of their proven ability to provide accurate and reliable readings. Each of these sensors has unique advantages and can be configured to match the application needs for optimum service life and performance. Based on my experience working with instrumentation and reliability teams, I’ve seen and compared the benefits of both options. Thermocouples, for example, are often chosen for a robust signal, cost-effective price and ability to withstand most process plant specifications, including harsh vibration and high-temperature range up to 2300° C. RTDs, on the other hand, are the top choice for applications demanding higher accuracy levels and minimal drift. In this article, you will learn more about the benefits of RTDs and why RTD calibration is important to maintain highly accurate and repeatable readings for a longer life span.