Flowrox Announces New Technology to Manage Pipeline Scaling
A new measurement product will help reduce the problem of hardened mineral deposits that can reduce the flow of fluids through a pipeline.
Flowrox, a global leader in heavy-duty industrial valve manufacturing and service, has introduced the Flowrox Scaling Watch, a product designed for the precise measurement of scale in pipelines and other fluid control environments.
Scaling is a common problem in the minerals and metallurgy, oil and gas, power plants, pulp and paper and municipal wastewater industries, where production rates can be adversely affected by the hardening of iron, salts and other minerals in pipes and valves.
The Flowrox Scaling Watch is a wafer piece of pipeline engineered for insertion between two flanges for a precise fit that allows the detection of scale, often the result of the hardened mineral deposits that can reduce the flow of fluids through a pipeline.
The device uses Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) technology, which allows operators to see inside piping systems without stopping the process or opening up the pipeline, and enables 3D imaging and measurement of non-conductive media inside process pipelines and tanks.
In addition, it uses a patented algorithm that creates a 3D image of the process fluid in the piping and generates trend data as well as show free volume inside the pipe and the growth rate of the scale over time.
Among other features, the Flowrox Scaling Watch can show the scale thickness, scale profile, growth rates over time, composition, and free flow volume — all of which allow engineers to understand areas where pipes are prone to scaling.
The Flowrox Scaling Watch is a predictive device — rather than reactive — and allows its operators to address scale issues before they reach critical levels that can cause downtime or costly damage.
Scale is often a major reason for a decrease in production and revenue in oil wells, affecting valves, pumps and tubing, among other pipeline components. Installing the Flowrox Scaling Watch can help lower pumping costs, lead to fewer unexpected shutdowns of the process due to pipeline clogs and reduce chemical usage.
While the Flowrox Scaling Watch is not designed to detect scale on the entire length of the pipeline, it precisely measures scale in the precise spot where it is installed — usually in a section or segment where the heaviest scaling is known to occur.
“This is completely new technology, which has very little competition,” said Todd Loudin, president and CEO of North American operations for Flowrox. “The Flowrox Scaling Watch can model mathematically the scale buildup and also provide calculations on the free available pipe remaining.”
The technology behind the Flowrox Scaling Watch was invented by Rocsole, of which Flowrox purchased a portion and assumed the responsibility for global sales, marketing and manufacturing of the device.
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