Steam boilers are common in the oil & gas industry as steam generation is essential to the operation of a refinery. There are primarily two types of steam boilers: water-tube and fire-tube. In both, water must be maintained at a specific level according to the boiler design as a certain height is needed above the working level to provide a sufficient area to release the steam.
Additionally, as steam is generated the water in the boiler evaporates, and the boiler must receive a supply of water to maintain the level. If the boiler operates with insufficient water, severe damage could occur and there is ultimately the risk of explosion. Level control in boilers must be given special attention due to the safety requirements and extreme process conditions.
Depending on the type of boiler used, the high temperatures and pressures create a problem: the density of the water changes as the temperature and pressure increase, as does the dielectric constant of the steam phase. This causes measurement errors when using float gauges, differential pressure transmitters or traditional guided radar level measuring instruments. (The microwaves that travel through the gas phase are slowed down as the dielectric increases.)
Utilising guided radar with gas-phase compensation is a way to overcome the changing density and the changing dielectric of the steam phase. Gas-phase compensation works by utilising a reference length on the guided-radar rod. The reflection distance from this reference length varies directly with the dielectric change, allowing the measurement point to be continually updated to the highest level of accuracy.
Endress+Hauser recommend its FMP54 for this demanding application. FMP54 has CRN for both ANSI B31.1 and ANSI B31.3 making it suitable for both process piping and power boilers. It is available with gas-phase compensation and there is a secondary redundant gas-tight feed-through. The internal design of the process connection uses a ceramic-graphite seal, which ensures long-term reliability and safety in high-pressure steam applications.
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