TPi July 2017

products & developments Dome-loaded back-pressure regulator

Rapid and precise control of pressure is crucial for operability and quality of any process system, and Witt now offers a further solution with the BPR2. The new device is suitable for almost all technical gases, including oxygen, in the range 0.5 bar to 20 bar. Installation can be in any orientation, and the wide temperature range from -30°C to +50°C ensures it can cover a wide array of common applications. This device meets all relevant standards, and can even be used in ATEX zones and food environments. Witt’s product portfolio includes fittings for safety when using gases. Among these are gas mixers, gas analysers and gas metering devices, as well as leak detection systems for packaging and industrial components. Witt-Gasetechnik GmbH & Co KG – Germany www.wittgas.com can be operated in either a horizontal or vertical pipeline. In the horizontal line, the first element acts like a ramp, forcing the bottom water into the crude to be further mixed homogeneously. “One of the best features of our products is the final mixing element that eliminates all of the axial rotation of the flow downstream of the mixer,” said Nolan Smith, senior applications specialist. “Violent rotation would create barber poling in the water. The automatic sampler is then located two to four pipe diameters downstream of the mixer. The result means reliable data that shows up in the sampling.” To date, Komax has installed more than 8,000 Custody Transfer Mixers worldwide. Komax Systems, Inc – USA

In technical terms, back-pressure regulators regulate a higher inlet pressure, by opening up only as much as necessary to achieve the desired pressure at the inlet. In contrast to spring-loaded systems, the new development works by controlling the gas pressure by means of a dome diaphragm. This dome-loaded pressure system ensures high precision. Irrespective of the volume or fluctuations in the gas flow, the pressure remains constant, over the entire performance spectrum of the device. A typical application is the control of gas blankets in tanks. The over- pressure control opens as soon as the supply pressure reaches the set value. The gas is blown off in a controlled manner when the pressure rises, so the pressure in the tank is kept constant. In this way, the BPR2 also provides effective prevention of hazardous overpressure.

The German gas systems manufacturer Witt is extending its range of pressure control equipment with the new BPR2 dome-loaded back-pressure regulator. The pressure retention valve keeps the pressure of gases in processes, system components or tanks constant.

BPR2 dome back-pressure regulator

Custody transfer mixer for more accurate crude oil sampling

“Errors in crude oil sampling were an industry-wide problem plaguing profitability,” said Frank Estrada, production manager. The engineers at Komax worked intensively to eliminate issues such as wall streaming and ensuring uniform distribution. The internal vortices or back-mixing created by the Komax

Komax engineers derived the Custody Transfer Mixer design when approached by the chief engineer of Chevron Pipeline Company. The carbon steel Custody Transfer Mixer was developed in response to the request for a low pressure drop static mixer designed specifically to optimise accuracy of crude oil sampling.

mixing elements also send a portion of the flow back upstream within the mixer, minimising spikes of bottom sediment and water concentration. This combination of smart mixing helps the custody transfer sampler maximise its accuracy. The goal with custody transfer mixing is to ensure a truly representative sample. The Custody Transfer Mixer

Homogeneous dispersion of water into the clear mineral oil immediately downstream of the mixer, even at low fluid velocities

info@komax.com www.komax.com

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TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL July 2017

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