26 June 2006 -- In order to better meet the demands of the petrochemical and offshore industries, Katronic Technologies are proud to present the latest addition to their ultrasonic flowmeter family. The new instrument is a partner to the existing KF160 flowmeter for use hazardous and corrosive atmospheres. The housings are manufactured entirely from stainless steel and are therefore more suited to harsh environmental conditions than the aluminium enclosures used on the other KATflow instruments.
Furthermore, the flow meter is fully ATEX certified for Zone 1 use, making it ideal for installation in areas where there is a risk of explosion.
The new flowmeter incorporates all of the functionality expected of the KATflow range such as dual-channel measurement, simple programming, optional Doppler measurement mode, and of course exceptional performance and reliability.
The stainless steel transmitter is designed to be either pipe or wall mounted and is programmed using a magnetic pen for ease of use and to avoid compromising the enclosure.
Katronic technologies already have experience in the petro-chemical industry having completed projects for companies such as BP, Halliburton, Akzo Nobel and BASF, however they have sometimes found it necessary to supply special measurement solutions or configurations when the standard epoxy-coated aluminium enclosure was not suitable for certain applications.
The new transmitter design will generate even greater interest in the KATflow range and encourage the use of ultrasonic flowmeters in offshore conditions, plus other extreme plant conditions.
As well as having a stainless steel transmitter, the measurement system incorporates stainless steel sensors that can be mounted on pipelines from 15 mm to 2,500 mm in diameter.
The ultrasonic transducers are extremely robust and can be easily installed without the requirement for special tools.
What is more, by combining the sensors with the newly-introduced Waveguide Sensor Assembly (WSA) Katronic are able to offer a flowmeter to measure pipelines at temperatures up to 400 degrees C.
The waveguide system presents a physical barrier between the pipeline and the surface of the sensors without compromising the performance of the instrument.
This protects the transducers from the heat by ensuring a temperature gradient of as much as 300C between the pipe surface and the sensors.
This means that the standard ATEX certified sensors can be used for the measurement of systems which are flowing at temperatures far higher than the standard maximum operating temperature of 120C.
There are a number of benefits to using a clamp-on flowmeter as opposed to more conventional metering methods.
By placing the sensors externally to the pipe there is no need to stop the flow, drain the system and insert a new meter and pipe section: the extra cost and time involved in this installation makes a non-invasive device an extremely cost-effective solution, when added to the basic purchase price of a conventional meter.
Furthermore, ultrasonic flowmeters are independent of system pressure and present none of the hazards and risks of leakage and contamination associated with in-line flow measurement technologies.
With no moving parts the risk of wear and damage to the flowmeter is non-existent, ensuring long-term reliable measurements without risk of failure.
