Steam reformers are primarily used for the industrial production of hydrogen, syngas and carbon dioxide from hydrocarbon fuels. Hydrogen produced from steam reformer plants is sometimes created as the first stage of an ammonia or methanol production process. Steam methane reforming of natural gas is the least expensive and most commonly used method for hydrogen generation. In the United States, for example, it accounts for 95% of all the hydrogen produced.
Significant experience is needed to fully understand basic reformer construction, process flow, heat transfer principles, background radiation, emissivity, and the cooling effects that occur whenever the furnace peephole is opened. Most overheating can be traced back to human error. With increasing plant reliability, there is a longer gap between serious problems and so operators are often unfamiliar with how to identify developing issues and deal with them. An increased data supply and accurate, continuous monitoring can support these operators, helping to enhance plant safety, while improving productivity, lowering energy consumption and extending tube life.
LAND has established itself as a leading provider of instrumentation for tube-wall metal temperature (TMT) measurements, with the
NIR-b-640-EX borescope thermal imager, the
Cyclops 390L handheld pyrometer and the
Gold Cup reference pyrometer. The recently introduced
SPOT+ TMT extends the product range to include a fixed single-point pyrometer specifically designed for this application.
With so many products available, it is important to choose the correct instrument for the application.
Cyclops 390L is a hand-held pyrometer operating at a 3.9 µm wavelength and is ideal for intermittent measurements at different locations. The wavelength minimises interferences from visible flames and allows for effective measurements at temperatures as high as 1400 °C (2550 °F) and the through-the-lens viewfinder and 180:1 field of view allows for measurements on a single tube. As a portable device, it can be used to measure the temperatures of multiple tubes and at several positions on each tube. Its principal drawbacks are related to the need for an operator to make the measurements: it cannot be used for continuous measurements, and the accuracy is somewhat dependent on the skill of the operator.
The
NIR-b-640-EX is a wide-angle borescope thermal imager and is rated for use in a hazardous area (a version is also available for use in non-hazardous area). Used with the LAND
ImagePro image-processing software, it can provide temperature profiles of all the tubes within its field of view, as well as thermal images of the reformer. With continuous operation and powerful data archiving tools, it provides a wealth of data for monitoring conditions within the reformer.
SPOT+ TMT is a single-point, continuous pyrometer specifically designed for tube-wall metal temperatures. Its narrow 230:1 field of view and 3.9 µm operating wavelength allow for highly accurate measurements on a single tube. It provides complementary information to the borescope imager, with higher spatial resolution and more accurate temperature measurements. It is suitable for use in hazardous areas when supplied with the EXSH flameproof enclosure.
The
Gold Cup is a unique product. Unlike a conventional infrared temperature measurement, its readings are not affected by the emissivity of the object being measured. This allows it to be used as a reference measurement for the
NIR-b-640-EX and
SPOT+ TMT whose emissivity settings can be adjusted so their readings match those of the gold cup.