Measuring Amplifiers from TURCK Guarantee Reliable Monitoring of Oil Temperatures at Russia's Largest Sea Port

    MINNETONKA, MN, December 20, 2010 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Russia is not only the biggest country on Earth, it is the second largest oil producer worldwide after Saudi Arabia. Russia produces nearly ten million barrels of black gold a day, and turnover remains very high. However, before the oil generates a profit, it has to be transported from the wellheads to one of Russia's many refineries or to an industrial port for shipment to Germany, the Czech Republic, China and many other countries.

OAO SpecElectroMechanika, one of the leading Russian players in the automation sector, delivers automation solutions for the entire production chain in the oil industry--including the pre-processing, transportation and refining of this valuable resource. For more than ten years, the company, which is based in the Krasnodar region, has been producing and supplying machinery and components used to automate complex, rugged oil processing and transportation equipment. The company's portfolio includes microprocessor components and blackbox control stations, as well as automated pressure and temperature control systems. Because handling oil is very dangerous, the components that the company builds into its automation solutions must meet very stringent requirements.

"Our overall quality standards are always very demanding," says Alexey Krasyuk, chief engineer at OAO SpecElectroMechanika. "Therefore, we try to source the components for our products exclusively from leading manufacturers."

Temperature is decisive
Correct temperature is one of the most important process parameters during the production and transportation of this precious resource. When crude oil is converted to feedstock and then refined to produce marketable fuels, heating oil and lubricants, it must be kept at the right temperature at all times during the various production, processing and transportation steps.

SpecElectroMechanika has integrated TURCK interface technology into its automation solutions to continuously monitor the temperature of the oil, even when the oil is not going through one of the refinery processes. MK32 measuring amplifiers monitor the input signals of the Pt100 temperature control sensors on the oil tanks in the huge oil terminal at Russia's largest seaport in Novorossiysk. In this Black Sea port--located in the Krasnodar region at the northwest end of the Caucasus--petroleum and petroleum products brought in by train are loaded onto ships every day. These ships have a loading capacity of up to 15,000 DWT. The machinery has to be very rugged to withstand the industrial environment at the port. The partially automated systems must be immune to dust, oil, water, vibration and even impact.

Intrinsically safe MK32 measuring amplifiers with galvanic isolation between the input and output circuits reliably detect temperature-related changes in resistance in the Pt100 sensors. The subsystem operates safely in hazardous areas and sends an analog output signal to a higher level controller. The 3 or 4 wire, 1-channel measuring amplifiers also offer users extensive diagnostic, monitoring and parameterization features. For example, a switch on the front panel activates wire break detection on the input circuit. With a single switch, the user can set parameters that define current output characteristics when an error is detected in the input circuit.

If input circuit error detection is turned on, the output current is either 0 mA or 22 mA, and a red LED is illuminated to indicate the fault condition. If input circuit error detection is deactivated, the output signal tracks the direction of the input signal (0 mA if a wire breaks, 22 mA if a short circuit occurs).

Reliable and functional
TURCK components guarantee the necessary operational reliability in hazardous areas, while also offering excellent functionality. "Even years down the road, we are still impressed by the quality, stability, and high functionality of TURCK products. MK series interface modules significantly enhance machine reliability and make our machines more user friendly," explained Krasyuk.

TURCK products also encompass a wide measurement range, from -50 degrees C to +600 degrees C, enabling engineers at SpecElectroMechanika and oil terminal owners to reduce the installation and maintenance costs of the automation solutions. "We were particularly impressed with the good, collaborative relationship with TURCK. The interface specialists deliver high quality at a reasonable price with short lead times," said Krasyuk.

Another aspect the automation supplier from Russia appreciates is that the MK interfaces are easy to install on a DIN rail, which has shortened the installation time considerably and increased machine availability.

For more information on TURCK products and solutions, visit www.turck.us.

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