New Distribution Temperature Sensor

Yokogawa Electric Corporation (the Netherlands) announces the release of the DTSX 3000 distributed temperature sensor. With a one-metre spatial resolution, this distributed temperature sensor can measure the temperature along fibre-optic cables up to 50 km in length, eight times the distance possible with the company's previous model. In terms of measurement distance and temperature resolution, this is one of the industry's top-performing distributed temperature sensors.

The DTSX(R)3000 is well suited for plant and infrastructure maintenance applications that necessitate the monitoring of temperature over long distances or across wide areas. Specific applications include the detection of gas and liquid leaks in tanks and other large production facilities, and the detection of abnormal heat levels in power lines.

Yokogawa currently sells the DTSX 200 distributed temperature sensor for use in applications that include the monitoring of temperatures in unconventional oil and gas wells, the detection of leaks of high- or low-temperature liquids and gases from pipelines or tanks, and the detection of  abnormal heat buildup in coal and wood chip conveyors. In contrast to conventional techniques that rely on the use of multiple surveillance cameras or thermocouples and resistance temperature detectors, distributed temperature sensors can be easily routed along the course of any object that requires management. Their temperature readings can be displayed on a computer monitor, allowing maintenance personnel to quickly spot and respond to any problems.

With its long measurement distance and high temperature resolution, the DTSX3000 meets the need for a single device that is capable of detecting minute temperature changes and monitoring the temperature distribution over a long distance or across a wide area.

Product features - Industry-leading measurement distance The DTSX3000 can measure the temperature distribution along a fibre-optic cable that is up to 50 km in length, more than eight times the distance possible with conventional products (6 km). The DTSX3000 is ideal for measuring the temperature distribution in power lines, high- or low-temperature liquid and gas pipelines and tanks, and other large facilities. Plus, Top-level temperature resolution; the development of shale gas fields requires sensors that are capable of detecting even minute changes in the temperature distribution in a bedrock formation during the hydraulic fracturing process. In just ten minutes, the DTSX3000 is capable of measuring the distributed temperature along a 6-km fibre-optic cable, and it does this with a top-level temperature resolution of 0.03ºC, 20 times the precision possible with conventional products. Thus, the DTSX3000 can be used in a wide range of applications, from the hydraulic fracturing of bedrock formations to the monitoring of temperature levels inside wells during the gas recovery process.

Major target markets inlcude Oil and natural gas, pulp and paper, iron and steel, electric power, non-ferrous metal, and chemical industries

Applications: Monitoring of underground temperatures for unconventional oil and natural gas exploration and production, monitoring of the temperature distribution in multiple wells, fire detection in conveyors, monitoring of the temperature distribution in long-distance power lines, detection of liquid and gas leaks in pipelines and tanks, and monitoring of the temperature of the outer walls of high-temperature furnaces used in the iron and steel, chemical, and other industries.