KROHNE Ultrasonic flowmeters at Esso Fawly Refinery

'Mission Impossible' succeeds at giant Esso refinery

The giant Esso oil refinery at Fawley in the UK is employing KROHNE ultrasonic flow meters to streamline its operations, delivering accuracy and performance standards previously considered unattainable.
Fawley processes 20 - 30 different types of crude oil and boasts a highly efficient system of on-line blending, which frees mixing tanks for storage, vastly improving the efficiency of the resources on the site, cutting costs and speeding production.
KROHNE supplied 6 x 12" and 6 x 20" diameter UFM 500 ultrasonic units to monitor the flow in the on-line mixing. The meters are arranged in pairs, with the first configured to protect the pump and ensure the flow or crude does not fall too low, and the second linked to the valve controlling the flow.
Ultrasonic meters were chosen to avoid any pressure drop in the short run of pipe which was fitted with the two flow meters, less than 2 metres apart in some instances.
The meters had to deliver consistent accuracy to within 0,5% while coping with various velocities and viscosities of the crude mixes.
The velocities involved took the KROHNE flow meters well outside their normal performance ranges.
KROHNE met the performance criteria with each of the flow meters arranged in series and constantly providing a constant check against its partner to ensure the measurements are accurate. The blending system's control software conducts a further self check against the radar level monitors in the feed tanks for the system.
A Fawley spokesman commented: "The KROHNE flow meters have exceeded their specification and made the process modifications we developed a practical reality.
KROHNE personnel were extremely helpful in providing research data and technical support to facilitate the successful completion of the innovative process solution."

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