- Precise thermal regulation for optimal combustion
- Significant energy savings by optimising pumpability
- Effortless high temperature operation
Vacuum tower bottoms, a residue of the hydrocarbon distillation process, can be used for two main purposes. It can either be further refined to produce bitumen (asphalt), or be re-circulated for use as fuel for the refinery. Each of these use cases require different processing methods.
To be used as fuel for the refinery, the residue oil’s viscosity must be carefully controlled to optimise atomisation prior to combustion. In this case, the viscometer continuously monitors the oil in real-time, providing crucial data to an automated control loop. This system regulates the steam valves, and uses the live viscosity signal to ensure precise thermal regulation for optimal combustion.
In the case of bitumen, the product is highly viscous at ambient temperatures. This means it requires processing at elevated temperatures to keep viscosity low and pumpability high. Live readings from an inline viscometer are critical to both optimising pumpability, and delivering significant energy savings.
With excellent repeatability in temperatures up to 400°C and in pipes of any diameter, the XL7 can display "live" viscosity or viscosity corrected to a reference temperature.
The XL7 delivers notable improvements to both bitumen yield and fuel production efficiency, becoming a dependable tool for the refinery.