Liquid Flow Monitoring in Hazardous Atmospheres
Processes that operate within hazardous environmental conditions, such as explosive (or potentially explosive) and corrosive atmospheres, require flow meters to be able to withstand these tough environments whilst maintaining accurate and reliable measurement.
A hazardous environment can be found in various industries where the risk of an explosion is high. Petrochemical, Pharmaceutical and Food Processing plants for example, where flammable gas, vapours or mist and combustible dust or fibres can give rise to potentially hazardous explosions.
Some installations will require ATEX (or similar) compliant equipment. Solutions for accurate liquid flow measurement in hazardous environmental conditions include flowmeters that offer a variety of compliance conditions, such as Explosion Proof, Intrinsically Safe, Encapsulated and Non-Sparking.
For example, if the flow measuring device is to be installed into a system that measures the flow of kerosene, it may be deemed to be sited within a hazardous atmosphere and must therefore be proven to be intrinsically safe. Because of the wide variety of scenarios that may produce an environment with an explosive atmosphere there is no one method of installing a flow meter in such an area. It is critical to the safe installation and monitoring, that the specialist engineer provides the detailed parameters and conditions that the flow equipment is required to operate within, to ensure all safety considerations are taken into account. Closely following the installation instructions for the flowmeter will help to mitigate any failures that can lead to costly repairs and process downtime.
Titan Enterprises offers two options for ATEX compliant operation of its Oval Gear flow meters to ensure safe operation in potentially explosive atmospheres:
- A simple option for monitoring flow in an explosive atmosphere is based upon using a Reed switch that operates via the customer’s intrinsically safe circuit. Employing this design there is no potential for storage or generation of electricity, allowing the Oval Gear flow meters to fall under the “Simple Apparatus” definition. These units can therefore be used without the need for ATEX certification.
- The second ATEX compliant approach uses a fully certified NAMUR Proximity Switch to give the pulsed output from the oval gear meter. For customers electing this option, Titan will install the switch into the Oval Gear flowmeter and can supply the appropriate amplifier if required.
In addition to Reed switch and NAMUR proximity switch options, Titan’s standard Oval Gear (OG) range is offered with Stainless Steel, Aluminium and PEEK housing options to provide a comprehensive range of chemical compatibility to suit almost any application.
For any installation in potentially explosive atmospheres, operators must ensure that correct standards are maintained for the full electrical installation, but with the two options available throughout the Titan OG range, users have the choice to optimise their installation depending on process and environment requirements.
For further information please visit https://flowmeters.co.uk/oval-gear-flow-meters/ or contact Titan Enterprises on +44 (0)1935 812790 / sales@flowmeters.co.uk.
