First SIL-Rated Ultrasonic Flow Meter

PanaFlow HT from GE Measurement & Control (UK) is the first ultrasonic flow meter for liquids, which has been engineered to meet Safety Integrity Level (SIL) accreditation to allow its operation in a Safety Instrumented System (SIF). This has involved extensive third party testing and certification of every component of the flow meter, from transducers to meter body. As a result, the benefits of ultrasonic flow meters can now be enjoyed in a wide range of safety-critical applications throughout the oil and gas sector, while greatly mitigating risks to personnel, plant, process and the environment.

“Third party SIL accreditation specifies the safety integrity requirements needed by a product for it to be part of a Safety Instrumented System,” explains Thomas Michalowski, global product manager at GE. “Such a system will control a safety-critical function. For example, a flow meter can measure the flow into a vacuum distillation unit and then act to activate a valve if the flow is too low, acting as process monitor.”

The new PanaFlow HT is the first ultrasonic flow meter to meet SIL accreditation and is also ATEX and ICEX certified for operation from -200°C to +600°C, which greatly extends the application of ultrasonic flow metering throughout the refineries sector.

Ultrasonic flow meters already enjoy wide application throughout the oil and gas industry, providing reliable and accurate flow measurement. They have no obstructions which might clog or restrict material flow, they operate without a pressure drop and have no moving parts so that they feature minimum drift, requiring no periodic calibration. Furthermore, ultrasonic flow meters can measure flow in both directions while, with patented Bundle Waveguide Technology (BWT) transducers, the PanaFlow HT can operate at high and low extremes of temperature.

To date, safety-critical flow metering in refineries has been carried out typically by wedge meters and orifice plates, with SIL-certified pressure transmitters. The introduction of the PanaFlow HT means that refinery operators can now enjoy the comprehensive benefits of ultrasonic flow metering in pipelines from 3 in to 16 in (80 to 400 mm) diameter as standard, with special meters available up to 36 in (900 mm). Typical applications include vacuum distillation units, delayed coker units, visbreakers, crude distillation units and fluidic catalytic cracking units.