Teach-in feature provides laser
displacement sensor with maximum flexibility

Precision sensor specialist Micro-Epsilon has launched a new range of optoelectronic displacement sensors that offers new features and an unmatched price-performance ratio.

The new optoNCDT 1402 laser sensor is the next-generation of sensor in Micro-Epsilon's optoNCDT 1400 series, replacing the optoNCDT 1401 sensor. The 1402 offers enhanced performance and additional flexibility in terms of adjusting the measuring range whilst maintaining the full output span.

The sensor's new 'Teach-In' functionality enables the user to limit the measuring range of the sensor to suit different measurement tasks. For example, the user can reduce the measuring range of a 200mm sensor down to 165mm for example, in order to suit the application requirements. In doing this, the user still benefits from a full output span (4-20mA, 1-5V, RS422), which maximises the sensitivity of the sensor. With previous sensors in the 1400 range, the user would get a reduced output if the measuring range were decreased in this way.

The 1402 has an integral controller that automatically compensates in real time for difficult-to-measure surfaces such as shiny metal, gloss paint finishes and black rubber. This real time surface compensation (RTSC) feature enables OEMs and machine builders to more accurately measure a variety of object parameters, including thickness, roundness, position, deflection, tilt, displacement and vibration. The 1402 can also be used for on and offline quality inspection, dynamic part profiling and part recognition.

Chris Jones, Managing Director at Micro-Epsilon (UK) Ltd comments: "The 1402 is unique in terms of offering the customer a high performance, cost effective laser displacement sensor that is able to compensate for changing surfaces in real time and has the flexibility to allow the user to adjust the measuring range to suit their individual task. An increased measuring rate of 1.5kHz also means the sensor can easily cope with very fast, inline production, assembly or quality inspection tasks."

The integral controller and compact design of the 1402 enables rapid mounting and installation, even in restricted spaces on machines or next to production lines. With no separate controller to mount, machine builders and systems integrators will reduce associated wiring costs and free up space in their control cabinets.

The 1402 is also equipped with a swivelling cable connector, which enables the direction of the cable output to be changed to suit the application. The sensor offers an analogue current/voltage output and an RS422 digital interface.

The 1402 series comprises seven sensors with measuring ranges from 5mm up to 250mm.

For further information on Micro-Epsilon's new range of multi-channel capacitive sensors, email: info@micro-epsilon.co.uk    Refer to page 109

Spray coating increases life of thermowells in hydrocarbon cracking units

A spray coating for thermowell temperature assemblies has been developed that not only increases the life of thermowells in critical Fluid Catalytic Cracking Units (FCCU) in oil refineries, but also reduces associated maintenance and repair costs.

The SDC-4 plasma flame sprayed coating from Okazaki Manufacturing Company (OMC) is applied to the tip of the company's thermowells for use in oil refinery FCCU applications, providing excellent corrosion resistance in harsh operating temperatures and pressures. In a recent application at Fuji Oil Company in Japan, the SDC-4 plasma coating thickness on an FCCU thermowell tip had eroded by just 0.1mm during 51 months of operation. The thermowell was located in the reactor stripper riser extension of an FCCU, with operating temperatures of around 510 deg C and operating pressures of around 0.27Mpa. The thermowell was manufactured from Inconel600, had an outside diameter of 16mm, with an SDC-4 coating thickness of 2mm.

During the SDC-4 spray coating process, which is carried out at in-house by OMC, the component being coated (tip of the thermowell) is not distorted in any way. The part temperature is typically below 121 deg C during the spraying process and the substrate of the part being coated is not altered at all, as far as its metallurgical properties are concerned. The coating is applied to the exposed area of the thermowell (i.e. the tip) and provides excellent corrosion resistance against the arduous process conditions within the FCCU.

Chris Green, Sales Manager at OMC commented: "Virtually any material can be applied to any metal substrate and certain plastics, including ceramics, carbides, pure metals and alloy metals. Unlike plating applications that take hours to create a minimal build up, the application time for spray coating is very fast, which reduces downtime during repairs."

Coating thickness can exceed 2.54mm, with some materials able to be applied as high as 5.08mm thickness. "The SDC-4 flame sprayed coating increases component life, helping to extend the lifecycle of oil refinery equipment, therefore reducing maintenance costs. When necessary, the coating can be removed with virtually no degradation to the part base material, then reapplied to restore the component back into service. Finished parts are protected by masking, so that only the surface that requires coating build up is coated, with the rest of the part remaining free from any coating attachment." explains Chris Green.

FCCUs have been an integral part of oil refineries since 1942, when Exxon Corporation introduced them to the US market in response to a growing wartime need for hydrocarbon-based fuels. An FCCU accepts chains of hydrocarbons and breaks them down into smaller ones in a chemical process known as 'cracking'. This enables oil refineries to utilise their crude oil resources more efficiently, making more products such as gasoline for which there is a high demand.

Crude oil contains a wide variety of hydrocarbons of varying lengths. Depending on the length of the hydrocarbon, it can be used for a number of different applications. For example, cooking gas typically has four carbons, while gasoline for passenger cars has a longer chain that contains eight carbons. Lubricating oils are even longer, with 36 carbons in the hydrocarbon chain. When oil is refined, these hydrocarbons are separated out for use.

However, a barrel of crude oil will not always yield the desired ratio of hydrocarbons. For example, the market may be heavy for gasoline but light for lubricating oil. Rather than discard the lubricating oil, it is chemically cracked in an FCCU so that it can be turned into gasoline and other hydrocarbons with shorter chains. Hydrocarbons can be cracked in other ways, but chemical cracking in a FCCU is the most common and efficient method.

The FCCU uses a very high temperature catalyst to crack the hydrocarbons into shorter chains. Zeolite, bauxite, silica-alumina, and aluminium hydrosilicate are all catalysts commonly used in an FCCU. Both the oil and the catalyst in the FCCU are normally extremely hot and the oil is often in vapour form. The catalyst splits the long hydrocarbon chains into shorter units and the mixture travels from the FCCU to another distillation column, so that the cracked hydrocarbons can be extracted.

Catalysts can be reused for additional cracking once the carbon that coats them after the process has been removed. Today, FCCUs operate in a continuous cycling  mode and are capable of processing tens of thousands of barrels of oil per day. A continuous FCCU has a primary reactor, a distillation column for separating out the cracked hydrocarbons, and a regeneration unit for cleaning the catalysts and preparing them for reuse. The use of an FCCU increases the yield and efficiency of an oil refinery and for this reason has become an integral part of the petroleum processing industry.

Okazaki Manufacturing Company (OMC) in profile
Okazaki Manufacturing Company (OMC) was founded in 1954 and started the design and manufacture of temperature-related products in Kobe, Japan. The company has always been at the forefront of product design and the use of innovative technology. In 1963, OMC developed Resiopak, a metal-sheathed MgO insulated resistance thermometer now used for temperature measurement within the petrochemicals industry globally.

Today, OMC designs and manufactures a wide range of reliable, high quality, high accuracy temperature measurement products. With a turnover in excess of 110 million USD, OMC is one of the largest manufacturers of mineral insulated (MI) thermocouple and RTD cable, which is the first building block of industrial temperature sensors. OMC operates from a series of specialist sales support offices worldwide, backed up by a team of local representative companies all with specialist instrumentation departments. OMC has manufacturing sites in Japan, USA and Taiwan.

All OMC's temperature products can be fully certified for use in potentially explosive atmospheres to International Standards and to country-specific variations. OMC temperature assemblies are certified by FM for NEC (USA) standards, BASEEFA for IECEx Product Approval and for type approval in compliance with EU ATEX directives. Country-specific approvals include GOST K, GOST R, NEPSI (China) and KOSHA (Korea).

For further information on OMC's range of temperature measurement products, view website: www.okazaki-mfg.co.uk or email: info@okazaki-mfg.co.uk

igus cable carriers minimise downtime costs

Reinforced plastic cable carriers from energy chain specialist igus were selected by GÜDEL to help minimise downtime across its range of automated systems. The cable carriers guide and protect moving cables and hoses in systems ranging from multi-axis robots and press-transfer systems, to factory-automation equipment and gantry robots.

GÜDEL supplies OEMs worldwide across numerous industries, including the automotive and aerospace sectors. The E4/100 enclosed energy tubes from igus, feature hinged, snap-open lids for easy access to cables and hoses. Each machine can use up to 70 metres (230 feet) of energy tube, operating at speeds up to 7m/s.

Refer to the picture: Reinforced plastic cable carriers from energy chain specialist igus were selected by GÜDEL to minimise downtime across its range of automated systems.

"The robust plastic chains are completely resistant to harsh chemicals, hot flying debris, dirt and dust," says Justin Leonard of igus UK. "They withstand high loads, fast accelerations and speeds, and long travels - typical conditions for modern factory automation equipment."

GÜDEL also uses the modular E4/4 E-Chain cable carriers from igus, which have easily-removable crossbars so that cables and hoses can be replaced quickly. The E4 system cable carriers are also suited to a wide range of demanding applications.

"E-Chain from igus is the only cable management system we use," says Olivia DuRussel, mechanical design engineer for GÜDEL. "The igus E-Chain is featured in our catalogue as the exclusive cable carrier used in all our designs."

For further  information, view website: www.igus.co.uk   Refer to page 147