English Español Français Nederlands My market Electric furnaces & ovens Petrochemical & process Semiconductor Benefits Key benefits of the Power Series Save money with SCR control More information Specification sheet (PDF) User's manual (PDF) Ordering information Power controller case histories SCR Power Controls brochure (PDF) SCR Power Control education (PDF) PowerPoint® library Video clip collection Watlow web site Go directly to information about... Agency approvals Alarms Amperage ratings Communications Current limiting Field-selectable input Hardware overview Heater bakeout Heater diagnostics option Heater tolerance detection Installation features Maximum rate of change Operator interface Ordering information Phase angle control Phase configurations Retransmit SCR control Selection chart, control methods Soft start Voltage compensation Zero cross control Copyright © 2000, Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company. All rights reserved. Legal notices |
Petrochemical and process control
Applications Petrochemical Key benefits Extend heater life Many petrochemical applications require special heaters that are expensive to replace. In addition, heaters are often inaccessible or difficult to maintain. For example, to make heavy crude oil easier to pump, it is heated while still down in the hole. Special heaters are placed in the bottom of the well, where maintenance is difficult. In the early stages of the refining process, crude oil is very thick. The pipes through which the oil is pumped are heated with pipe-tracing heaters. If heaters fail at any point in the pipe, the oil can become thick and clog the system. Heater tolerance detection can detect a failed heater, or can detect a problem before a heater fails. This allows you to replace heaters promptly when they fail, or to plan the replacement of a failing heater during the next scheduled maintenance. Many process applications require tight control. For example, fluids and gases are often heated by heat exchangers. The fluids or gases are constantly moving, so very responsive control is required to maintain accurate temperatures. Phase angle control and variable-time-base control provide on-off cycle times of less than one second. This minimizes temperature variations and provides responsive, even control. Voltage compensation ensures accurate control in spite of deviations in the line voltage. If the line voltage changes, the Power Series compensates so that power to the load remains constant.
In some applications, heaters may sit unused for months. The heater elements can absorb moisture, which can change the characteristics of the heater. If full power is applied, it can damage the heater or blow fuses. The Power Series includes a unique heater bakeout feature that soft starts the load to eliminate moisture in the heater, and shuts off the output if an overcurrent condition occurs. This prevents damage and saves time compared with other bakeout methods. When heater bakeout is needed. Click here if the animation will not play or if you cannot hear the sound. To get the heater bakeout feature, order the heater diagnostics option. |