Case Study:

Oil and Gas

Challenges:

Surge Relief Valve

Surge relief is an important component in many liquid handling systems. Whether it be a pipeline, storage terminal or loading station, these systems help to protect people and the environment around it. Surge pressures are caused due to a sudden change in fluid velocity which is typically the result of a fast-acting change, such as a valve closure. Regardless of the cause, the surge relief valve must act quickly to reduce the pressures back to safe levels. Accurate measurement of the surge relief valve is critical so that conditions can be monitored from both near and far.

Challenges:

Placing any electronics near an oil pipeline brings with it many safety concerns. Furthermore, the measurement of the closed position is especially important, as even the smallest unwanted opening of the valve could change the dynamics of the pipeline flow. To be successful the sensor measuring the valve needed to be able to offer the following:

  • High resolution and reproducibility over the very small ‘closed’ range
  • Still provide a proportional output over the broad full-stroke ‘open’ range where reproducibility and resolution was less critical

Provide custom cabling that would minimize noise pickup

Solution:

When a specialty valve manufacturer began development of their new surge relief valve, they turned to Everight Position and the G100 Series sensor by Positek, as it offered North American CSA Class I, Zone 0 rating. Positek was able to provide a custom winding of the probe where the windings were denser in the areas where resolution and reproducibility were most critical and broader in the areas where it wasn’t. This resulted in the final sensor still providing a proportional output over the full valve measurement range, but with the performance of a shorter sensor in the most critical areas. To improve the output even further the customer choose to do a 5-wire installation to the galvanic isolation amplifier/barrier. This reduces any voltage losses over the connecting cables and can allow for up to 1 km of cable between the sensor and amplifier/barrier. Everight Position sourced a custom M12 5-wire cable to support this sensor, making installation straight-forward and reducing any potential impacts of noise on the system.

Results:

In late 2019 the new surge relief valve began to be marketed to potential customers. Although still in its infancy, the valve provides unrivaled positioning data and has a bright future ahead in aiding to keep pipelines safe and efficient.