Author: Jim Furness
The world wide oil and gas industry uses many types of pressure transducer for measurement and control in processes, drilling and down hole tools. With the need to find oil in less accessible areas the systems used in exploration, drilling and production becomes ever more complex and the use of pressure transducer products is increasing. A few applications for pressure transducer sensors are:
Drilling Tools
Various types of pressure transducer are used in downhole tools to monitor hydraulic pressure, and pipeline oil pressure. Often a high pressure transducer is required, with a high operating temperature range due to the extreme environment. The Omni series 10 and series 8 pressure transducer models offer ranges up to 1000 bar with operating temperatures up to 150 degrees C.
Wellheads
Wellhead assemblies and Christmas tree use a range of pressure transducer sensors to monitor wellhead pressure. Due to the hazardous area the pressure transducer has to be of intrinsically safe or explosion proof design. A pressure transducer used in this application also needs to be rugged and weatherproof. The Omni series 23EXD and 23IS pressure transducer types meet both of these requirements.
Intelligent Pigs
Subsea pipe lines are tested on a regular basis with an intelligent pig. The pig may be fitted with several pressure transducer types to monitor pipeline pressure, and hydraulic pressure. Also a differential pressure transducer may be used to measure the difference in pressure between the front and back of the pig. As these devices are usually battery powered it is important to select a pressure transducer with low power consumption. The Omni series 10 pressure transducer only draws around 1mA and is ideal for these applications.
Core Analysis
In core analysis an oil sample may be forced at high pressure through a section of rock core. A pressure transducer in this application needs to provide high accuracy measurement up to 10,000 PSI and be constructed of either hastelloy or monel to avoid corrosion of the diaphragm. The Omni series 23 and 25 pressure transducer meets this
requirement.
Subsea Hydraulic Manifolds
Subsea hydraulic packs are used for various control applications in offshore oil production. Subsea hydraulic packs may use up to 10 pressure transducer units. The pressure transducer has to be made to the smallest design, and be able to work with high external case pressures. In this instance the pressure transducer may have the external housing removed with the bare PCB exposed to the environment to reduce the profile, with oil filling used to stop any seawater ingress.
Drilling Mud Systems
It is often a requirement to use a pressure transducer in mud flow lines. In these applications a pressure transducer with a flush diaphragm is required. This is because with a normal pressure transducer the pressure port is only 3 mm diameter, and is prone to clogging with mud particles. The Omni series 25 pressure transducer have a G1/2” or G3/4” flush diaphragm and can be supplied in EXD or IS format for hazardous area use.
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Jim Furness is CEO of Omniinstruments Ltd, specialists in pressure transducer and other instrumentation solutions such as ultrasonic flow meter.
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Source: http://www.articlealley.com
