Recurring Gauges Failure can be Expensive and Risky

Author: Instrument Guru
Posted: WIKA Blog Dec 19,2013

There are plenty of articles and sites about automobiles and their woes. In an era of sophisticated cars packed with a myriad of electronic gizmos and digital instrumentation, quality gauges are essential to an automobile’s longevity—and its owner’s long-term happiness.

The same principle holds true in a processing operation: just like the devoted car owner, you depend on quality gauges for guidance, and you’ve learned that recurring gauge failure can signify a problem that must be remedied before it snowballs.

Moreover, while personal safety is at the top of everyone’s list in automotive transportation, quality gauges are especially important to the safety in a processing environment. Gauge failure in an plant can have far-reaching ramifications: a true crisis might affect hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

Just as that erroneously blinking light on your dashboard might ultimately cause you to ignore your gauges altogether, a recurring gauge failure might have the same effect in your facility. That’s not a good thing. We’ve all seen the statistics on how big disasters can often be traced to small gauge failures. OSHA statistics on just how much even one workplace accident can cost—in time off, in remedying the situation, and, possibly, in paying government fines – is substantial.

Therefore, money spent on quality gauges is usually well spent, and that it doesn’t pay, in the long run, to skimp on quality or service. Not only will your operation have reliable gauges available, you’ll benefit from knowing your equipment is backed up by a quality supplier with attentive customer service. The cost to your plant may be larger at the outset, but avoiding frequent replacement and  risks will pay dividends over time.

Those costs don’t even take into account the intangible benefits of owning quality instrumentation. You can’t always assign a cost value to “peace of mind,” but in an industry characterized by often-unforeseen hazards, it is indeed priceless.

So, too, is the goodwill, in the workplace and the community that comes from creating a safe, quality-conscious environment. People appreciate working in settings where their safety is paramount and they tend to hold onto such jobs. In a time when technical talent is becoming scarce, spending less time and resources on recruiting and training workers is a valuable benefit.

If you are dealing with a recurring gauge failure, where can you turn for help? Your first resource should be WIKA’s Full Audit Service Team (FAST). FAST is a value-added service that WIKA provides to its customers at no additional cost.

WIKA’s instrumentation engineers can quickly diagnose the reason for a recurring gauge failure. It might be as simple as a misapplied gauge or it could be a sign of a more complex problem requiring attention. The FAST team will identify the root cause and provide you with valuable solutions.

The FAST team provides a wide range of instrumentation services such as safety training, instrument audits, supply-chain streamlining, and more. Download a copy of “Navigating a Mine Field & Staying Safe,” WIKA’s e-book for the downstream petroleum industry. This e-book details how the FAST team can help you solve the riddle of recurring gauge failures and keep your plant safe and productive.

WIKA eLearning Click Here

If you would like to receive more information about WIKA pressure gauges please contact Forberg Scientific, Inc. customer service.
Phone: 855-288-5330
Email: mechanicalsales@forberg.com

United Electric Controls Pressure & Temperature Plant Safety Solutions

Whether it’s protecting valuable equipment, processes or your loyal employees, creating a safe work environment is a corporate responsibility. Installing safety instrumentation not only protects critical equipment and processes; it also creates a safe work environment for your employees and a healthier environment for us all.

UE’s One Series digital pressure and temperature switch comes with complete Failure Modes, Effects and Diagnostics Analysis (FMEDA) data from Exida, enabling plant safety personnel to reliably calculate Safety Integrity Levels (SIL). The rugged One Series is installed in the field, at the point of critical monitoring, with response times 5X faster than a transmitter, providing immediate, local shutdown, while streamlining wiring and software. For your plant safety requirements, simplify and improve reliability with the One Series for all critical pressure and temperature shutdown applications.

Direct-Acting Safety Shutdown

The rugged and reliable One Series pressure and One Series temperature switch protects equipment, processes and personnel. It is installed where needed, in the field, with direct-acting on/off digital switching. With 0.1% repeatability combinded with solid-state reliability and on-board diagnostics, the One Series is the clear choice for critical plant safety applications.

Faster Response Time Than A Transmitter

Plant safety requires immediate response to dangerous conditions. The One Series response time is 60 mS, five-times faster than a process transmitter. And, with direct switching capability at the point of critical conditions, it provides an alternative technology to the overreliance on transmitters and central control systems, eliminating the possibility of “Common Mode Failure.”

 

ONE SERIES

Electronic Pressure, DP & Temperature Switches

• Fully adjustable set point and deadband

• 5X faster than a transmitter and 50% less installed cost

• Digital display includes process, status and self-diagnostics

• 2-wire and loop-powered 4-20 mA models available

• Measures gage pressure, differential pressure or temperature

• 0.1% repeatability with temperature compensation

• Provides the functions of a switch, gauge and transmitter

• Ranges to 6000 psi (410 bar), 200 psid (13.8 bar), 1000˚F (538˚C)

On-Board Diagnostics

The One Series continually checks health status for circuit and sensor integrity, providing extra assurance that it stands ready to perform when needed. In addition, it provides a “pulsed” output that can be activated to help distinguish a critical alarm or shutdown signal above the frequent control room “noise” of false trip signals that may be ignored or disabled at operator discretion.

Suitable For SIL2 Applications

Request the "EXIDA" Failure Modes, Effects, Diagnostics Analysis (FMEDA) report from UE covering the One Series, enabling you to calculate the Safety Integrity Level (SIL) for your applications. Also request the SIL Verification Summary report to compare the One Series with generic switches and transmitters. Go to www.ueonline.com for copies of these 3rd party reports.

I AM WORKING (IAW):

The Role of Self-Diagnostics in SIS Applications

All One Series electronic switches include powerful self-diagnostics. Critial functions of the One Series are checked during initialization, and then continuously monitored by the IAW® algorithm. Detected faults are reported using three methods of annunciation:

1. The local digital display provides clear fault indications at a glance
2. Each fail-safe switch will open, providing a remote fault indication
3. On models that include 4-20 mA output, the analog signal will indicate 0, 3.5, 22 or 24 mA, depending on the type of fault.

IAW PROGRAMMING MODE AND RESULTING SWITCH STATES

The fail-safe-open IAW® programming mode provides a predictable annunciation that differentiates between an upset process variable and a detected fault using a single discrete “switch” output.

• When process and instrument conditions are normal, the One Series switch is pulsed, sending out a continuous heartbeat signal that is easily detected by the safety PLC.
 
• When the process variable reaches the programmed set point, the One Series switch will close, indicating that the process is upset but the One Series remains functioning (no faults detected).
 
• If the switch opens, this condition indicates a fault detected by the IAW® self-diagnostics. The reporting scheme also accounts for wiring integrity. If a wire is broken or power is lost, this type of “fault” would also appear as an open switch to the safety PLC.

For more infromation on how the One Series from United Electric Controls can maximize your plant safety efforts please contact Forber Scientific, Inc. customer Service

Toll Free: 855-288-5330

Email: mechanicalsales@forberg.com

Vist: www.forberg.com