MechChem Africa March 2018

Hydrogen analysers optimise refinery operations “In an oil refinery, they are up to 23 points where the level of hydrogen needs to be very accurately monitored,” says Ian Fraser, MD of RTS Africa Engineering, a Tshwane-based company specialising in innovative technologies, which provide solutions to industrial challenges.

“ P rocess engineers need to know the exact percentages of hydrogen at these points to monitor the exact performance of the process and to also continuously optimise these processes,” Fraser says. Tocarryout thismonitoring,manyoil refinery process engineers use the Hy-Optima 2700 gas analyser fromRTSAfrica’sUSprincipal, H2Scan. “In the sensor of this device, a thin-film palla- dium/ nickel-based lattice desorbs hydrogen as it makes contact with the sensor. As hydrogen is absorbed into the metal lattice, the bulk resistivity of the lattice changes, allowing for accurate measurement of hydrogen levels in process streams. The Hy-Optima’s solid-state, non-consum- able sensor provides real-time continuous hydrogen concentration data. “This sensor is not affected by the presence other gases such as carbon monoxide, methane and hydrogen sulphide,” explains Fraser. The sensors are protected against corrosive gases by H2Scan’s proprietary coating, which gives theHy-Optima 2700anoperational lifetimeof at least tenyears. A further advantage of the Hy-Optima 2700

Many oil refinery process engineers use the Hy- Optima 2700 gas analyser from RTS Africa. is that the instrument is housed in an explosion- proof casing, whichmeets stringent internation- al ‘Zone 2’ safety standards. This instrument can also report throughelectronic connections to an existing SCADA-type control system. Fraser points out that accurate hydrogen monitoring by the Hy-Optima 2700 ensures that refineries not only produce consistent high- quality products, but they also protect complex and costly plant against damage. TheHy-Optima 2700 can be used tomonitor many post-fractional distillation refinery pro- cesses such as reforming, cracking, recycle, tail gas, fuel gas, flare gas and other multi-compo- nent process streams. In addition, these instru- ments can also be used to monitor and analyse hydrogen in other sectors, such as in the supply of natural and industrial gas. q

been sourced from the local South Durban community. “To ensure that we complete this planned maintenance outage on time, there will be in-

one in every four litres of fuel sold in South Africa, while the Engen Refinery produces approximately 17% of South Africa’s refined product. q

creased traffic as suppliers andcontractors service the refinery,” says Zaib. “We will however doour utmost to keep any disruption to a minimumandhavedetailed planning schedules tomiti- gate any potential access and capacity issues.” The safetyof Engenem- ployees and theneighbour- ing community is of the highest priority to Engen, adds Zaib. Engen is a leading dis- tributor and marketer of fuels, lubricants and oil- based products. Engen markets approximately

A view of the Engen Refinery, South Africa’s second largest.

March 2018 • MechChem Africa ¦ 27