Thermal reactors are high-temperature furnaces for thermally activated chemical processing.
Typical reactors include sulfur recovery units (SRU), catalytic and pyrolytic crackers, coal gasification systems, and hazardous material incinerators.
In each process, accurate control of the reactor temperature is important to optimize the thermal process and to prevent over heating which could compromise safety and reduce refractory life. Infrared thermometers are used in these reactors to replace problematic and expensive thermocouples that have trouble surviving the corrosive and high temperature environment.
The infrared thermometers are easy to install and maintain without requiring the process to be shut down for an extended period of time.
For many thermal reactors the temperature of the reactor wall is a critical operating parameter.
In many cases, the process becomes more efficient at higher temperatures.
Therefore, the process is run most effectively at the highest practical operating temperature.
In most cases, it is the temperature limit of the refractory walls that dictate the maximum operating temperature for the process.
In this case, it is essential to directly measure the reactor wall temperature in order to operateat near-optimal conditions.
Benefits
Senses refractory wall temperature to prevent overheating and to allow the process to be run at near-optimal conditions.
Senses heat exchanger tube temperature to identify fouling and to characterize efficiency.
Most infrared thermometers are filtered at a wavelength where process gasses are not completely clear. For these sensors, viewing through the process gasses is like a human viewing across a valley through a heavy fog.
We can see the other side, but what we are viewing is influenced by the fog.
Because of the inability of most infrared thermometers to view clearly through the combustion gasses, the gas temperature has a significant influence on their temperature reading.
It is not uncommon for a traditional infrared thermometer to measure hundreds of degrees in error due to interference from hot process gasses.
Technical Features
Unique narrowband wavelength views through combustion gasses without interference.
High Resolution Optics allows for pinpoint alignment.
Williamson offers several short-wavelength models that are specifically designed to view through process gasses without interference.
Short-wavelength sensors are about three times less sensitive to emissivity variation, optical obstruction and misalignment compared to the longer-wavelength sensors offered by others.
These models are also appropriate for the measurement of heat exchanger tube temperature.