Flow Control: Technology information & new products for fluid handling engineers

March 2009

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Inspector Clou‘fleau’
An Application In Conflict Provokes an Investigation

David W. Spitzer, P.E.

Sometimes you have to do detective work in order to really know what you have — or you may suffer the consequences.

Such was the case when I was asked to audit a steam flow measurement system where the flowmeter was used to measure the flow of steam from a cogeneration plant comprised of a gas turbine and heat-recovery steam generator. The flowmeter measured the flow of steam valued at approximately $10-20 million per year. This particular measurement could be used to perform a steam system balance, whereby the total amount of steam leaving the cogeneration plant could be compared with the sum of the billing flowmeters to monitor for measurement and/or operational problems.

When auditing, one should investigate as far back in the construction and design process as possible, and in as much detail as possible. The flowmeter in question was insulated and located approximately five meters above grade, so the ability to obtain nameplate information was limited. Information about the flow element was limited to a memo with a certified flow calculation attached, plus an instruction manual with a hand-written serial number written on its cover.

The manufacturer’s representative and the writer of the memo were contacted for information. After much digging by the manufacturer, two certified calculations plus another subsequent calculation were found. Interestingly, the inside diameters were different on each calculation. Put differently, the information describing the physical attributes of the installed flowmeter was unreliable.

The mystery was solved with a simple phone call. After some discussion, the technician onsite confirmed that he had personally hand-written the serial number on the instruction manual directly from the nameplate prior to installation when the flowmeter was on the ground. This is as close to solid information as could be found and enabled the manufacturer to determine which “certified” calculation was correct. It can take a bit of digging to get information — but sometimes you just get lucky. Lesson learned: never assume you know something before you actually know it.

David W. Spitzer, P.E., is a regular contributor to Flow Control. He has more than 30 years of experience in specifying, building, installing, startup and troubleshooting process control instrumentation. He has developed and taught seminars for over 20 years and is a member of ISA and belongs to the ASME MFC and ISO TC30 committees. Mr. Spitzer has written a number of books concerning the application and use of fluid handling technology, including the popular “Consumer Guide” series, which compares flowmeters by supplier. Mr. Spitzer is currently a principal in Spitzer and Boyes LLC, offering engineering, product development, marketing and distribution consulting for manufacturing and automation companies. He can be reached at 845 623-1830.

www.spitzerandboyes.com

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