Innovative pressure regulation system solves problems of re-routing petrochem/chemical sample emissions from atmosphere to flare stacks
Parker Instrumentation has launched an innovative turnkey solution for connecting continuous process analysers into flare disposal systems.
Designated the Vent Recovery Panel, the system dynamically protects petrochemical and chemical analysers against the pressure fluctuations encountered in flare headers - providing a constant pressure test environment that eliminates any need to vent to atmosphere.
Continuous process analysers require very stable flow and pressure to produce accurate results.
Analyser performance is critical to plant efficiency, and commonly, such process sampling systems are vented to atmosphere - because it is a highly stable reference.
But, with increasing clean air legislation, companies are being forced to reduce or eliminate emissions.
In order to comply, the most straightforward solution is usually to vent analyser samples into a plant's flare path.
Unfortunately, the pressure in flare headers can be very variable - adversely impacting measurement accuracy.
Parker's Vent Recovery Panel automatically adjusts for pressure variations using a novel, patent-pending method.
The system incorporates two major elements, a fast-loop flow controller, and a modular switching system to allow analysers to be connected easily to multiple input sampling streams.
The flow control system uses a proprietary configuration of flow and pressure regulation elements to maintain constant pressure at both the inlet and outlet of the analyser.
In tests using widely-varying levels of inlet and outlet pressure, the system has been proven to maintain constant pressure to within - in the worst case - 0.25%.
System versatility is provided by the use of Parker's modular stream-switch, R-max.
Purpose-designed for automated applications, the pneumatically-operated R-max brings new integrity to stream-switching application through the use of true three-way double-block-and-bleed valve modules that eliminate any possibility of cross contamination of fluid streams, combined with needle valves offering operating lifetimes in excess of one million cycles.
This valve system is surface mounting, allowing stream switching to be implemented in a very compact area.
A complete three-stream switch for example, requires just 7x7x20cm.
